Real Wedding // Lauren & Josh’s Byron Bay Surf Club Wedding

Lauren and Josh celebrated their magical day across two beautiful venues, Fig Tree and Byron Bay Surf Club. Inspired by a modern romantic style, Lauren and Josh tied the knot with their nearest and dearest followed by the dreamiest beachside reception with dusty pink, white and hints of dark tones. In Lauren’s words ‘standing in front of all our friends and family and our dog, Oscar, declaring our love for each other, it was magical.’ Read their love story below.

Tell us your story, how did you both meet?
Josh and I met in Wellington, New Zealand when I was out with friends celebrating my birthday. Josh knew some of the friends that were with me. Although, I later found out that he had previously stalked my Facebook, so he knew exactly who I was when he approached us that night, haha!

How did the proposal happen?
The proposal didn’t go at all to how Josh had planned, thanks to me running late! It was Christmas eve and we were flying back to New Zealand to spend with family that evening. I had been working right up to the day we were leaving so I was running around doing last-minute shopping. Josh asked if I wanted to go for a picnic with our dog, Oscar, as we weren’t going to be with him for Christmas. I was running so behind that we had run out of time for the picnic which I thought wasn’t a big deal. I got home and Josh was really sweaty and had the aircon blasting. I asked him why he was so sweaty because it was freezing, and he got a bottle of champagne out of the fridge and said it’s because he had just run across the road to get this as he waved the bottle around. I asked if it was for our mate who will be looking after the dog and he replied, “no, it’s for us, to celebrate”. He was waving it around and I was so confused. I asked if there was something written on the bottle, why are we celebrating going to New Zealand? Haha. He nearly aborted the whole thing! He then pointed at the fridge that he had been signalling towards and written on the blackboard was ‘Will you marry me?’, he then got down on one knee and I just cried! It was probably the best way he could have surprised me as we had been together for 7 years at the time. 

What style were you striving for with your table settings, florals and reception? Was there a certain look or vibe that you wanted to create?
I wanted the aesthetic to be modern romantic. My colour pallet was a mix of white, soft dusty rose and nudes with hints of dark dusty pink/maroon, dark foliage and black which really made the pink tones pop. We incorporated these colours in the cushions, flowers, napkins, arbour, table numbers and lampshades. I loved the long stem roses we had in our bouquets and wanted the reception to feel soft and romantic as well. I love crystals, my house is full of them, so we incorporated Rose Quartz and Agates on the tables. I also served Rosé and Pinot Noir from Pierre D’Amour that have Rosé Quartz crystals around the neck of the bottles! We brought our arbour down from Fig Tree to the Surf Club to have behind us at the tables which really added to the room. We brought in lots of foliage (palms, bird of paradise, fiddle leaf and cacti)  from Northern Rivers Plant Hire which really made the venue lusher. 

Were there any particular vendors that you loved working with and why?
All the vendors were amazing; I couldn’t fault anyone! Josh and I particularly loved Jase from Lucas and Co Photography and Zac from Woven Motion. They were everywhere they needed to be, but not invasive which Josh really appreciated. Kirsten from May the E.K was so lovely and provided us with handheld fans and water. She also gave us that little bit of downtime to take it all in while travelling to our photo destination and reception. Wilderness Flowers did an amazing job with the flowers, they were absolutely perfect! Sarah Archer was so helpful with making the music work when we had to change our reception venue because of the fire which had burnt down Fig Tree. She organised Matt to DJ at the Surf Club after she sang at Fig Tree and also helped my friend who played when we walked down the aisle. You guys at Byron Bay Weddings were so amazing as well, from helping us change venues to having the arbour made for us from a picture I had found was so amazing! Our Celebrant, Kath, was also so helpful as we had Josh’s Aunty perform our ceremony. Kath was there for all the legal parts and she had all these little touches that made it perfect! 

Overall, what was your favourite part of your wedding day and why?
It’s so hard to pick a single part, there were so many! The ceremony would have to be our favourite. Standing in front of all our friends and family and Oscar, declaring our love for each other, it was magical! The happiest and most fun day of our lives! 

Lauren & Josh xo
@laurendayofficial

Suppliers
Venue: Byron Bay Surf Club // Celebrant: Married By Kath // Photographer: Lucas & Co Photography // Videographer: Woven Motion // Florist: Wilderness Flowers // Musician: Sarah Archer // Plant Hire: Northern Rivers Plant Hire // Guest Transport: Byron Bay Double Deckers // Bridal Transport: May The E.K // Catering: Fig Tree Catering // Lighting:  Byron Audio // Furniture & Styling: The Wedding Shed // Planning & Coordination: Byron Bay Weddings