Lauren says one of the most emotional moments of her wedding day was when guests performed The Haka in tribute to her groom, James’ Maori heritage. Lauren and James loved the wedding planning process, getting super involved by doing lots of DIY for their wedding reception at Noosa Boathouse. The bride was kind enough to share her story with us below…
Our Biggest Priority
We wanted to ensure that our guests had an absolutely amazing time and got to experience as much of beautiful Noosa as possible. Our guests travelled from all over Australia, including Western Australia and Victoria, the Gold Coast and New Zealand, and for pretty much all of them it was their first time visiting Noosa.
Moments of High Emotion
The day was full of emotion – seeing James get so emotional as I was walking down the aisle, having James’ Dad open our ceremony with a Maori prayer. The Haka and speeches were very emotional too.
Images by Alan Hughes Photography
Why James is The One
Loving him is easy. He’s my best friend. He is kind-hearted and loving, sensitive yet strong, dedicated, determined, and most of the time, patient!
Our Next Adventure
We’re getting stuck back into renovating our first home and will hopefully buy our second home soon!
The Music
We had a lot of songs from our favourite Aussie and New Zealand bands, including Ocean Alley and Six60. Benny Hanna did an amazing job playing a mix of acoustic sets and DJ-ing at the Boathouse.
A Simple Proposal
It’s pretty simple really, James and I were back home in Perth (my home town) for a holiday and on our final morning, at my parents house, just as we were waking up he got down on one knee and asked the question. We had designed the ring together, so I knew it was coming, I just didn’t know when!
Greatest Challenge
Probably putting together our guest list!
Wedding Secrets
Biggest splurge: It would probably have been the boat cruise from the ceremony in Noosa Heads to the reception in Noosaville. I also surprised James and our guests with Wheel & Spoon (a gelato cart) at our ceremony.
Biggest money-saver: Probably using a bunch of furniture from the Noosa Boathouse and all of the DIY I/we did!
Planning resources: The Brides Tree certainly helped! Instagram and Facebook were also really beneficial. Deciding on the Noosa Boathouse for our reception early on in the planning process and checking out their recommended vendors was a great place to start. I also attended a Sunshine Coast Wedding Open Day early on in the planning stages to meet vendors I was interested in.
DIY: Stationery, decorations, grazing board for the boat, family photo display, wishing well, photo booth props, dessert table, cake topper, “Better Together” backdrop frame, wooden easel.
Honeymoon: Fiji
Number of guests: 80
Wedding budget: Honestly we didn’t really have a budget. Not because I wasn’t budget conscious, purely because I had no idea what to expect in terms of how much anything would cost. I did a lot of research and gathered a number of quotes from vendors before locking anything in.
Actual cost of wedding: Close to $40,000
Check out Lauren and James’ Noosa Wedding Highlights Film
Photographer: Alan Hughes Photography | Videography: Sunshine Coast Videography | Florist: The Orange Blossom | Venue + catering: Noosa Boathouse | Gelato van: Wheel & Spoon | Cake: Chocolate 2 Chilli | Favours: Coolaz Stubby Holders | Transport: Noosa Ferry | Hair stylist: Evalyn Parsons | Makeup artist: Makeup Artistry by Lauren | Styling: Style Le Aisle | Entertainment: Benny Hanna | Celebrant: Celebrant Sam | Wooden sign: The Spoken Shop | Wedding night accommodation: Sandcastles Noosa
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