This is one of the heartwarming stories to come out of the current global pandemic. Lara and Adem originally had their wedding planned for Summergrove, a beautiful venue in the Tweed Coast hinterland, to celebrate with 70 of their closest family and friends. Unfortunately they were put into a situation, like a lot of couples, where due to Covid restrictions this was no longer possible. That celebration was put on hold for a later date, but the couple still wanted to be able to marry and choose love, surrounded by family.
Deciding on their backyard as their setting they had about 8 weeks to get everything organised! Finding inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram to bring everything together.
It truly was the most magical day. It was very intimate and we were super fortunate to be able to celebrate our marriage with our immediate family. We decorated our backyard with Hamptons Event Hire and my sister in law made the most beautiful floral arrangements and it transformed our backyard into a super cute wedding venue!
What was your experience like planning your wedding?: I loved planning my wedding! I started planning my (original) wedding about 1 year in advance. I gave myself tasks to do each month and just took it really slow.
I’m a pro now at planning weddings- I’ve planned two weddings and I planned them during COVID haha!
If you could do it all over again, is there anything you would change?: Nothing!! Even during COVID.
I think that everything happens for a reason and we were meant to celebrate our wedding the way that we did. But we also can’t wait to party hard and do it all over again in Feb next year!
How did you manage your budget?: My budget for the small wedding was super easy as I didn’t have to buy much. But for my other wedding I did a lot of research and emailed a lot of vendors. I worked out the average pricing of everything I wanted and went from there.
Where did you purchase your dress and accessories from?: My dress was just bought from a super cheap online store called Lulus. (My real wedding dress that I’ll wear in Feb is from Made with love)
My earrings are from Amelie and George and shoes from Wittner.
Where did the groom purchase his suit and what style was it?: Grooms suit was actually made in Turkey. We got it custom made while we were on holidays.
The highlight of our wedding day was getting married to my best friend and being able to celebrate it with our family.
Do you have any tips for other brides?: Take your time in planning your wedding! Make a list of things to do each month so you don’t get overwhelmed with everything you need to do.
Where was your wedding venue and why did you choose them?: Just at home. That’s all we could do during COVID. But my other wedding that I’ll have in February is at Summergrove Estate… All you need to do is look at their venue photos and you will know why I chose that venue. It’s stunning!!!!
Who were your suppliers and why did you choose them?: My photographer was Florin Lane. They are amazing!! I found them on Instagram and fell in love with the vibe and moodiness of their photos. They aren’t posed photos and they look really natural. Everyone should book Ben and Kristie for their wedding. I couldn’t speak more highly.
I ordered from Hampton Event Hire. I got an easel, chairs for the ceremony, signing table, napkins and the round arbour! I chose Hampton because they had an awesome selection and it was a super easy and stress free process!
I had Shane Vincent marry us! I know his Wife as I used to work with her. But really I just loved his vibe he is a super chill and happy dude. He did an awesome job with our wedding!!
My florist was actually Adem’s sister. She has her own wedding cake business called Seven Spoons. (She makes the best cakes!! Trust me, we live together and I get to try all of the treats and cakes she makes hahaha. She truly has a gift!!!) She made an arbour floral arrangement and also my bouquet and Adem’s button hole. With all of the left over flowers and greenery she made lots of flower arrangements and put them all in vases!! It looked so beautiful!
Photographer:: Florin Lane
Hire:: Hampton Event Hire
Celebrant:: Shane Vincent
Florist:: Seven Spoons
Cake:: Seven Spoons
Hair and makeup:: Melanie Jane
Signage:: Hey Sweet Peach (Etsy)
Dress:: Lulus
Accessories:: Amelie George