PRUE + LUKE by Nina Claire

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship:

Luke and I have been together for 10 years, we dated in our early teens for a brief period, but our relationship didn’t start until after we left school. We have grown together, travelled together, and experienced so much in our lives together and I would not want to spend my life with anyone else.

Luke and I see ourselves as a team. When there is something to overcome, we do it together. Although Luke and I could not be more opposite we complement each other, and I love Luke for all those qualities I don’t have. Luke and I love spending time with our friends and family, we love good food, music and being surrounded by the people we love most.

Luke is a HVAC technician, and I am a Visual Merchandiser. We have both worked in our fields since we were young. I have also done some wedding styling for a friend’s business which gave me some great insight into what our day could look like.

Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details:

Luke and I were pretty set on having a small wedding from the start. We are quality people not quantity people. We wanted our day to be free and easy going like we were having a long lunch and then a little dance at the end. Having a small destination wedding meant we spent time with our guests during the week then once the wedding day rolled around it was much more relaxed. For us we worked out what was important for us which was to be relaxed, enjoy our time with all of our family and friends and appreciate and enjoy the little things like the cocktails we had chosen or the conversations around the tables.

Having some experience with wedding styling and being a creative person myself I know that a stylist works best when they are given minimal guidelines/direction. I found a florist/stylist who I adored their styling and trusted that they were going to do the most amazing job. And they did. Wilderness flowers exceeded all expectations, and I could not be more thankful and appreciative of their hard work and creative skills.

The theme Luke and I chose was earthy tones, soft pinks and terracotta with lots of texture. I am not the usual rose/orchid girl, although I do love roses, I appreciate different flowers that are beautiful in their own way. The guys button holes was incredible and not something I had seen before.

Tell us about your main outfits:

For me shopping for a wedding dress was one of the hardest decisions to make. I never saw myself liking a lot of wedding dresses. I knew I wanted to be comfortable and feel beautiful but I also wanted to feel myself and I found when trying on heavily sequenced/tulle dresses I felt lost and confused. I had one dress that I had screen shot in my phone and after multiple dress appointments I finally made an appointment and went to J Andreatta. Jess’s dresses are like nothing I had seen previously. The quality of her dresses is incredible. My dress was light, classic and so much fun but most importantly it was me. I wanted the dress to be the hero of my outfit so I wanted my accessories to compliment the dress. I bought a few different types of earrings as I wasn’t sure which ones I was going to wear on the day but thanks to my photographer Nina for helping me make that decision haha. To match my pearl earrings my mum gifted me her pearl bracelet which finished off my look perfectly.

Luke also knew he wanted to look great but feel comfortable. Knowing that it would be warm in Byron at that time of year he chose the linen blazer with black chino pants and a white shirt. Luke loves dressing up and wearing a suit so for him a bow tie was a must. He went to the most amazing place in Sydney called Declic where they have the most usual ties and such a large range. Luke’s bow tie was paisley printed with touched of rust to go with the theme. The buttonholes really topped Luke’s look off. The textures and simplicity of the buttonholes were incredible.

For us choosing bridesmaid dresses and what the groomsmen were wearing was fairly easy. The girls and I went out for a day of shopping and within a few hours had the dresses picked out and funnily enough it was the same dress for all of them (although this wasn’t in the criteria). The boys were much the same, Luke showed them what he was wearing and they all agreed they would wear the same but without the bow tie for a point of difference.

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day:

Just being present in our day. Taking a moment to stop and look around at how beautiful our wedding venue was and how amazing it was that all our guests were able to be there celebrating us.

Luke and I are not stressful people. I wanted planning our day to be fun and at the start it was. Then not only did COVID hit but our first wedding venue burnt down also. With COVID rules changing weekly, planning our day became very stressful. The thing that stood out to us the most was having our family and friends supporting us every step of the way. They would reassure us when we were at our wits ends. Our family and friends are what got us to our day. As much as it was a stressful time they made sure we didn’t forget the reason we were getting married and that is because Luke and I love each other and want to spend the rest of our lives together.

Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together:

For Luke and I we want to enjoy our life together. We want to have fun and laugh on our journey wherever that takes us. We always put ‘us’ first. We have created a strong foundation so when life throws us a curve ball, we have the strength to get through it. We listen to each other, support and love each-other and we believe that these all contribute to fulfilling a happy and healthy relationship.

Photography: Nina Claire Photography | Ceremony and Reception location: The Earth House | Celebrant: Jess Dowell | Bride’s gown: J. Andreatta | Groom’s outfit: Peter Jackson | Rings: Alexis Russel and Crooked Howlet Designs | Bride’s earrings: Seed | Groom’s Bowtie: Déclic | Makeup & Hair: Sulis Bridal | Bridesmaid’s attire: Bec + Bridge | Groomsmen’s attire: Peter Jackson | Entertainment: Hayley Grace | Styling: Styling & Furniture Hire | Planner: Byron Bay Weddings | Hire: Byron Audio | Flora: Wilderness Flowers | Catering and Beverages: Fig Tree Restaurant & Rooms | Cake: Kristin Hilton | Bus: Byron Bay Double Deckers