We met through mutual friends when living in a shared house in our early 20s. I was a peace-loving hippie girl who was a little intimidated by Ben, who came across as a bit of a crazy metal-head upon first introductions!
But I soon got to understand Ben’s unique sense of humour and generous, giving nature, and we became great friends for many years. We were both at university and design college at the time and would sit around making cups of coffee and watching funny TV shows all day when we probably should have been studying. We didn’t start dating until many years later. By that stage, Ben was living in Melbourne and I was in Sydney. Once, during our long-distance relationship, Ben had planned a romantic weekend travelling down the Great Ocean Road in Victoria to see The Twelve Apostles, but it was one of the foggiest, worst bouts of weather in years, and we weren’t able to see a thing! Years later, we re-attempted this trip. I was done with looking at what felt like the billionth Apostle and was heading back to the car to go home, when a pair of tourists asked us to take their photo. Ben obliged, then asked them to return the favour. As they started taking the photo, he got down on one knee, pulled a ring out of his pocket and asked the question. We were very specific that we wanted our wedding to be a big, fun party, full of great food, great drinks, fun tunes, and to be surrounded by our favourite people. We didn’t want formality or stress, so we put our time and energy into finding vendors who reflected our taste and style. We wanted our wedding favours to be personal and a good friend runs a pottery school in Byron Bay so Ben, my parents, bridesmaids, and I spent a weekend at the studio creating pinch pots for our guests, glazed in the colours of the wedding and stamped with a little “L&B” on the bottom. Ben’s dad is a beekeeper, so his parents supplied jars of honey, and Ben’s mum, an avid scrapbooker, worked with me to create the labels. Instead of a speech, my bridesmaids decided to sing Outkast’s “Hey Ya”, but changed the lyrics to be about our relationship. We were crying, it was so hilarious. Married life so far is great — he lets me get away with my weird, apparently offensive habit of putting tomato sauce on Italian food!
Photography—Mitch Pohl | Groom’s jacket—The Suit Shop | Groom’s pants—Asos | Bride’s gown—Blake gown by Rue De Seine at The Bridal Atelier | Ceremony location—South Station Beach | Styling—Styled By Her | Flora—Fleur & Threads | Bride’s bracelet (‘something blue’) Heirloom from Nan | Celebrant—Victoria Eustace at All We Need Is Love | Hair—Lauren’s friend Shaun Andrews | Makeup—Kate Franklin | Groom’s cufflinks—Heirloom from grandfather | Entertainment—We Play Records | Reception & catering—The Boathouse | Photobooth—Photo Corner | Groom’s shoes—Windsor Smith
