Lauren + Chris by Danelle Bohane - Together Journal

Absolutely nothing went wrong on the day except that the wind REALLY decided to come out and play. At our ceremony, I kept having to pull my hands away from Chris’ so I could hold down my skirt.

Lauren ——I’m a creative, romantic Sagittarius who’s balanced out by Chris’ calm and gentle nature. We met 12 years ago, the old fashioned way… at a bar. We ended up dancing all night with our friends and exchanged numbers. I remember just having lots of fun, and we had good banter, which is crucial!

Chris ——I just thought Lauren was so cute, and once we started chatting I couldn’t wait to get to know her better. When we started travelling together, I think we both realised how well we worked as a couple. Even in stressful situations, we were able to laugh and work it out together.

Lauren ——When it came to the wedding, it was important to us to include the people closest to us in the day. We have so many talented friends, like Delia who designed all the stationery and signage. Working with her on the colour palette and shapes inspired the whole aesthetic of the day. I knew I wanted Danelle Bohane to take our photos as I love her aesthetic. Chris and I wanted someone to capture the day in a natural way — neither of us is great at posing. Danelle was such a joy to be around, she felt like another friend attending the wedding.

I work as a designer for Leave Her Wilder so I always knew I was going to design my own wedding dress. My darling friend Jacque had recently moved back to New Zealand and started making custom gowns so it was a match made in bridal heaven! Jacque was so patient and meticulous and we have a similar aesthetic. I wanted my gown to feel like I had just been dipped in liquid silk and I wanted to incorporate a piece of my grandmother’s wedding dress, and Jacque went over and above to make this possible.

We also made a pocket square for Chris, and a handkerchief for Mum made from nana’s silk, embroidered with our initials and wedding date. Working with Jacque was such a special time. I highly recommend weekly fittings followed by dinner and drinks with one of your soul sisters.

I had always been in love with Prada’s ‘Chandelier’ shoes from their 2010 spring collection. After coming to terms with not finding them online, another lockdown happened and I decided to forgo the banana bread baking, and craft my own shoes. They are absolutely full on, but I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out.

Absolutely nothing went wrong on the day except that the wind REALLY decided to come out and play. At our ceremony, I kept having to pull my hands away from Chris’ so I could hold down my skirt.

I’d been advised to make sure I didn’t forget to enjoy the day, to take a minute, look around and just take it all in. I think that applies to the planning process, too. Don’t take it too seriously. Have fun, it’s a celebration and it doesn’t need to be perfect, because it’s all your special people in one room, and what could be more perfect than that?