The real wedding we're sharing today looks like a seriously emotional one - both the ceremony and the speeches had guests in tears! - but it also seems like it was so much fun to attend! Laura and Lora planned their celebration at Eden Wedding Barn in Cumbria, North Yorkshire, from their home in Australia, absolutely nailing their brief of a relaxed and easygoing day. They exchanged self-penned vows, written on origami cranes, in the barn, before treating their guests to a round of laser clay pigeon shooting, and surprising them all with a choreographed first dance! We're delighted to bring you their dreamy wedding film by Bennett Media, as well as the story of how they put their big day together. Enjoy!
Watch Laura and Lora's Beautiful Wedding Film:
From Lora:
"We met in Bondi, Sydney, eight and a half years ago. Laura was having a gathering and BBQ at her place and I was invited by a mutual friend (I basically gatecrashed!). The rest, as they say, is history. We got engaged in July 2018 while on a skiing and snowboarding trip with friends to the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales. While getting Laura to take a photo of the group half way down a mountain, I held up a sign saying 'Marry Me'. It took a little while for Laura to realise but she soon caught on!
Eden Barn was the choice of venue. It's a stunningly-renovated barn with the most magical feel and picturesque surroundings. Planning a wedding from 17,000km away was certainly no easy task! We both wore dresses and transported them all the way from Sydney. My friend, Nicole Renee, a dressmaker from Sydney, made my two-piece outfit especially. Laura found her perfect dress at Brides Of Sydney and fell in love with it instantly.
Australia was celebrated throughout the day with the use of native Australian flowers and decorative pieces placed around the venue, from a didgeridoo to a wooden surfboard! Token kangaroo bottle opener keyrings were placed in each guest's wine glass at the wedding breakfast as a little favour.
Music by acoustic duo Soul2Soul played us down the aisle and throughout the reception, while laser clay pigeon shooting got going out in the fields. This was a great activity to include. We were so adamant that we wanted an enjoyable day for all, with more than just drinking and chatting, though there was plenty of time for both of those as well!
Laura was given away by her father and elder brother, me by my mother and father. Each wedding party consisted of two bridesmaids and a bridesman. We each had a flower girl and ribbon bearers, and, of course, our ring bearer. We incorporated ribbons into our wedding by having a hand-fasting ritual as a part of our ceremony. As neither of us are religious, it felt like a great way to celebrate and confirm our union together. Vows were all personally written and made into origami birds, these were tied on to the copper arch at the end of the aisle for us to then pick off and read when the time came.
Our wedding was fully vegan, from the delicious sharing platters, supplied by Southcott Catering, at the wedding breakfast, to our tasty wedding cakes, supplied by Little Gems Cakes, served up for dessert. A horsebox-style photobooth provided lots of giggles and great shots of everyone enjoying themselves.
A special twist came during our first dance. Initially, we danced terrribly and very awkwardly to Bryan Adams' 'Everything I Do', but the music soon turned in to a mashup of songs. We performed a range of expertly-choreographed routines to accompany each snippet of song and everyone seemed to love it! Bennett Media did a great job of hiding our mistakes, of which there were many more than in rehearsals!
We had a brilliant day, it was relaxed and easygoing. We are still, to this day, so overwhelmed by the effort our guests went to so that they could be with us to celebrate. It was a truly heartwarming experience."
