Your East Midlands Wedding - Jun/Jul 2019 (Issue 32)

REAL WEDDINGS 37  L auren and Shane are from the same area and have always shared mutual friends. “Shane and I both had a desire to move to Australia. We simply had a conversation about a book and from that point it was clear we had a strong connection,” says Lauren. “After talking for a while, we went on our first date. It was effortless and fun and felt like we’d known each other our entire lives,” she says. They were inseparable from that point and after a move to Australia, Shane decided it was time to propose – and he did so in style. “He told me that his boss had a paid dinner at the Versace Hotel that he couldn’t attend so had handed it to us. When we arrived, I realised that we were staying the night and Shane had arranged for transport to take us to our next destination – whale watching on our own sailing boat!” she says. “We were sat on the deck with a cheese platter and wine when I was told there were whales breaching behind us. I turned around in excitement to face Shane on one knee with the most beautiful ring staring me in the face! We then watched the sunset whilst drinking champagne. It was truly wonderful.” PERFECT SETTING Planning their day from the other side of the world was nerve wracking for the duo but it came together perfectly. “We chose the Mythe Barn from looking at pictures of previous weddings there and my mum visited for us and gave us her opinions and videos that she’d taken,” says Lauren. “The barn and picturesque scenery surrounding it was exactly what we had in mind when we imagined our day. The onsite bridal suite was great too as we planned to go on our honeymoon the following morning so it meant that we could stay until the very end of the night,” she says. Sunflowers are Lauren’s favourite bloom so they decided on making that their theme. “It worked perfectly with the location and the beautiful, bright summer’s day.” COVER GIRL Lauren initially imagined herself in a fitted gown with a sweetheart neckline and fishtail skirt but when she went shopping that soon changed. “My bridesmaids arrived first and had already picked four dresses for me to try on in a mixture of styles,” says Lauren. “The design I chose instantly made me feel like I should have been on the front cover of a bridal magazine. It was fuller than I anticipated but more beautiful than I could have imagined,” she says. Not wanting to take the attention away from its original beauty, Lauren simply added a diamante belt that helped to taper in her waistline and wore white court-style shoes with a silver block heel and large crystals around the ankle strap. Their bridesmaids wore pastel blue midi dresses that were accessorised Lauren and Shane’s day was rustic, relaxed and created from the heart Images courtesy of Ed Brown Photography love FEEL THE