LAURA + JAMES
Photo By: By Mitch Ferris
LOCATION: KANTARA HOUSE
THE DATE: 1st April 2023
HOW DID YOU MEET? Working a casual job at Rebel Sport while they were both studying. Turns out it was a good place to meet a person with mutual interests - their love of sport and staying active is an important part of their relationship!
THE PROPOSAL: For Christmas 2021 James bought Laura a voucher for a company called Wild Escapes which was accommodation in Tiny Houses in different rural locations across NSW. The only weekend they had free was in mid March 2022 and the only accommodation within easy driving distance (given they had to organise it around work) was in Orange so they went ahead and booked it. Laura had an earlier finish at work that day so they decided to not take Friday off and leave home around 3ish for what they anticipated to be a 3 hr drive so they would be in Orange for dinner. Little did Laura know that James intended to propose that evening so that they had the rest of the weekend to celebrate. The week before they left was when there was torrential rainfall and widespread flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment. This combined to create horrendous traffic created by a landslide at Mt Victoria and the closing of North Richmond and Windsor Bridge. What was meant to be a 3 hour drive turned into an 8hr drive. At about the 6 hour point when Laura realised they could have got to Bali in this time and they had gone completely loopy, Laura asked James how long this drive would have to take for them to abandon the trip. She was pretty sure they could get their money back for the accommodation given the circumstances but James quickly replied something ridiculous like that it would take 16 hours. Laura laughed at the time at how ridiculous his response was but in hindsight it made sense. By the time they got to Orange it was nearly 11pm and they drove to this tiny house in the middle of nowhere in the pitch black dark. It was extremely funny by this point. The next morning they woke up to a beautiful sunrise and soon realised they weren’t about to get murdered so it did feel worth it. They spent the day eating and drinking their way around Orange before coming back to the accommodation and starting a little campfire. While they were sitting around the campfire, James asked Laura to marry him! It was perfect - in this little house in the middle of nowhere out in nature with no reception. All in all definitely worth the ridiculously long drive!!!!
HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: The ceremony for sure. Scarlett Arthur (@happily.ever.arthur) was amazing.
THE PLANNING: At first it was quite overwhelming. Laura had never been someone who had a wedding Pinterest board for years or a vision for what she always wanted. In the end, Laura felt like it was a good thing as it meant she was open to more ideas. But they just did one thing at a time and that made it an enjoyable process. Most of their vendors were booked from Instagram tags on posts! They booked in a meeting with their celebrant - Scarlett Arthur - after Laura heard a recommendation from a podcast. They booked their photographer - Mitch Ferris - after seeing one of his photos on the Kantara House Instagram page and falling in love with his editorial style photography. With both of these vendors, Laura recommends booking in an in person (or virtual) meeting as you will know instantly if you click and they are really involved in setting the mood/vibe of your day. They booked their stylist - Bonnie from Everlong Events - from Kantara's list of recommended vendors and after listening to the vision we were going for she recommended our florist – Katie from The Botanical Workshop.
THE STYLE: Modern Minimalist.
DIY ELEMENTS: Everything was left up to the professionals! They added in a few dance floor props (slippers, glasses, glow sticks etc.), polaroid cameras and had mini cocktails from Foxtails & Co on the tables at the reception but that is pretty much it!
CEREMONY SONG: Kiss Me - Kina Grannis
THE FIRST DANCE: Dressed Up in White - CAL
THE BLOOPERS: Laura says: ‘Honestly, I don't THINK so. If anything went wrong, I didn't know about it!’
HOT TIPS: Keep track of costs as you go and focus on the things that are most important to you. The only thing I would do differently, would be to make a separate email account where all your wedding emails
THE VENDORS: Photographer – Mitch Ferris https://mitchferris.com.au/ @bymitchferris Celebrant – Scarlett Arthur https://www.happilyeverarthur.com.au/ @happily.ever.arthur Flowers – The Botanical Workshop https://thebotanicalworkshop.myshopify.com/ @thebotanicalworkshop_weddings Styling – Everlong Events https://www.everlongevents.com.au/ @everlongevents_ DJ – Ministry of DJs https://www.ministryofdjs.com.au/ @ministryofdjsentertainment Live Musician – Lynsey Mackay @lynseymackaymusic Hair – Mflair Hair Artistry https://mflair.com.au/ @mflairhairartistry Make Up – Loren Murnane Makeup https://www.lorenmurnanemakeup.net/ @lorenmurnanemakeup
