Real Wedding; Lauren and Ross @ Private Home Toolijooa South Coast

Real Wedding Blog; Lauren and Ross @ Private Home Toolijooa South Coast

About You Two:

Now, How did you two meet?

I had stalked Ross on Facebook and was keen to start talking to him, I saw him at the local bar on a Saturday night out (Torys) and went to introduce myself. It took 3 attempts for him to realise I was flirting with him before he asked me to come home with him LOL and the rest is history, we’ve been together ever since, 10 years!

Who popped the Question and how did it happen?

Ross dropped the knee in 2018 when we were holidaying in Byron Bay for our birthdays (we share the same birthday). We went to our favourite beach in Byron (Little Wategos) and had a swim and I walked back up the beach to find him kneeling down on one knee asking me to marry him.

Why did you choose your venue and how was the venue choosing process?

Choosing a venue was overwhelming purely because of the sheer cost of everything associated with a wedding. Our budget was completely blown out the window (in the end) but we didn’t mind because we were able to have our wedding exactly how we wanted. We opted for a private property (parents in law) backyard style wedding. We organised our marquee, furniture, catering, caravan bar, lightening and styling all through the help of multiple wedding suppliers, but mainly the wed and event creators. We found with booking through a venue there are so many rules and regulations that go with it.. having our wedding on a private property allowed us to have so much flexibility.

Quick Fire Questions:

How many wedding guests did you have?

150

Sit down of Cocktail Style?

Cocktail (SO LUCKY! Covid restrictions lifted a week before our wedding)

What month?

Originally booked for March 2020 but due to Covid we had it in December 2020

Planning The Wedding:

Was planning the wedding stressful or did you enjoy the journey?

It started off really fun but then due to Covid it was incredibly stressful and emotional. If Covid hadn’t of been in the mix – it would have been much more enjoyable.

How involved were you both in the wedding planning, did one of you take more of the lead on certain aspects then others or were you both equally involved?

I basically did everything – all costs associated with the wedding were decided on together but behind the scenes, communication, emails, organising suppliers – that was all me.

What was the top couple of non-negotiables or important must-have’s at the wedding for you both?

For people to mingle and dance. I know a wedding isn’t all about the party – but for us it was a huge part of it. Music was also another one – the music had to be great and set the scene – our band (The record Breakers) were AMAZING and got everyone up on the dance floor. Good alcohol and good food was also really important, we opted for a couple of cocktails and catering that appealed to all palates.

Tell us about your dress and that dress-finding process?

My dress was a custom design from MXM Cotour in Brisbane. I had snooped around a few bridal stores and couldn’t find what I wanted. I found dress shopping disappointing because barely anything fit me properly and I had a very specific design in my head. “The dress” for me was a big thing, I wanted it to be a show stopper and to feel beautiful in it. I had worked so hard at the gym in the lead up to our wedding and just wanted to look and feel amazing. My dress was completely covered in beads and weighed around 7kgs. It was everything I wanted and would highly recommend getting a custom dress so that it fits your body like a glove.

What sort of theme, vibe or style did you go for?

Boho, Byron, coastal vibes. Neutral tones with a pop of orange and pink.

On The Day:

How did you both feel wedding morning?

Ross was totally fine, I became really nervous right before the ceremony

What was the best part or moment of your day?

The photographer and videographer took Ross and I away towards the end of the night for some intimate photos which was really nice, we never get photos together so to have them now is really special. I also loved hearing all the speeches, feeling all the love that your family and friends have for you and your partner is amazing. At the very end of the night (around 1am) everyone was very liquored up and dancing on tables and singing along to old school hits, it was so much fun.

Anything you would change about your wedding or anything that didnt go to plan?

I would make sure that we only served our cocktails for certain times. Apparently we ran out of spirits at 6:30 so we should have been more prepared and had more vodka. I would 110% recommend getting photos taken FIRST – BEFORE – the ceremony. Both ross and I felt this took a lot of time away from guests, we love the photos, but should have organised to get them taken before the festivities started.

Are there any rituals, sentiments or traditions you incorporated into the day?

My dad and I still did a fun father/daughter dance, ross and I still cut the cake, we still did the garter and bouquet toss.

After the Wedding:

Describe newlywed life in a couple of words?

The same haha! Although it does feel nice to say “my husband”

Best investment or money well spent on the wedding that you made?

Photographer and videographer. I didn’t realise how much we would love the moments captured from our day, every time we look at them it brings back all the feels.