Lauren & Adam

11 March 2017
Abbotsford Convent, Abbotsford, VIC
Photography by Vanessa Norris Photography

"Perhaps unconventionally, Adam was very hands on with our wedding planning. We worked together in sourcing suppliers but he knew exactly what we were after. The joke is that Adam planned the wedding and I attended!"

Where in the world?

Keen travellers Lauren and Adam met during  a Contiki Tour in 2007. "It was a long, 46 day tour so we got to know each other well and it really cemented our love for travelling together. It was rather fitting that Adam proposed to me in Queenstown, New Zealand as it's one of our favourite holiday destinations. Adam asked me to marry him after an awesome day on the slopes."

Lauren and Adam wanted to include a subtle nod towards travel in their wedding. "We incorporated this into our seating chart by having a ‘Where in the world am I sitting?’ poster, with the tables listed by names of cities instead of numbers. Our wishing well was an old travel case and our wedding favours (milk and dark chocolate bars from Monsieur Truffe) were differentiated by their country of origin." 

Australia, via Europe

After viewing several venues in Melbourne, Lauren and Adam chose Abbotsford Convent as their wedding venue. "When we visited the convent we immediately knew it was the perfect location for our wedding. With its grand architecture and rich heritage, it almost felt like we were in Europe! Also, being so close to the city, Abbotsford Convent's location was great as we had guests coming from overseas and interstate. It also had a Catholic Chapel, The Good Shepherd Chapel, which was important to us."

"We wanted our wedding to have an understated elegance. We wanted it to be somewhat traditional yet relaxed at the same time. The venue spoke for itself, however we wanted to accentuate its beauty, so we focused on decorating with beautiful flowers and ensuring the atmosphere was just right. We achieved this with great table settings and an awesome band."

"Our wedding day was wonderful and completely magical. The reception in particular was epic. There was an amazing hanging floral installation above the dance floor which was so special to dance beneath for our first dance!" Lauren and Adam danced to The Lumineers' song 'Ho Hey'.

The style

Lauren wore a traditional lace gown with floral detailing and long train. Her two bridesmaids wore dusty pink dresses that were complemented by sweet bouquets of apricot, pink and white blooms as well as lush greenery. "Botanics of Melbourne was the preferred supplier of Abbotsford Convent and we weren't disappointed. We wanted an abundance of soft-coloured flowers and foliage. Unfortunately I don't know any of the names of the flowers but it's safe to say they were beautiful!"

Advice 

"Getting married solidifies a partnership, so for us it was really important that we planned our wedding together. During the planning process, trust your instincts and most importantly be sure to enjoy the journey!"

Delicious delicacy

"Gina from Miss Ladybird Cakes created the cake for our engagement party, so it was only fitting that she should make our wedding cake too! Our gluten free cake featured 3-tiers and was decorated with flowers by Botanics of Melbourne."

gown: Martina Liana from Fairytales Bridal Boutique, fairytalesbridal.com.au

photographer: Vanessa Norris Photographer, vanessanorrisphotography.com

ceremony location: Good Shepherd Chapel, Abbotsford

reception venue: Abbotsford Convent, bursaria.com.au/abbotsford-convent-2/

reception caterer: Bursaria, bursaria.com.au/bursaria-catering

flowers and floral styling: Botanics of Melbourne, botanicsmelbourne.com.au

cake: Miss Ladybird Cakes, missladybirdcakes.com

stationery: Mickey Loves Jacqui, mickeylovesjacqui.com.au

groom & groomsmen: Formal Red, formalred.com.au

bridal accessories: Jeanette Maree, jeanettemaree.com

music: Lark Music, larkmusic.com.au/the-music

transport: Triple R Luxury Car Hire, tripler.com.au

hair: Polished Style

make-up: Jodie Porter, jodieporter.com.au

first night: Sofitel Melbourne, sofitel-melbourne.com.au