Lachlan & Lucy

'We wanted to have a modern, romantic and elegant feel to our wedding day. We stuck to a simple colour palette, and it was magical.We wanted everyone to have fun, leaving at the end of the night full of beautiful food, drinks and love.'

What better way to celebrate your love of all things floral than hosting your wedding at the height of spring amongst the blossoms in the Gabbinbar Homestead gardens? For high school sweethearts Lachlan and Lucy, who reside in the Gold Coast, their destination wedding in Toowoomba was a celebration of their love for each other and a shared love of the outdoors.

'We loved Gabbinbar from the moment we drove down the driveway. When we were driving down the driveway, we looked at each other and just couldn't stop smiling. We had goosebumps!! We chose it as it felt like us! The gardens were beautiful. The Homestead felt elegant yet homely all at once. We loved that the wet weather options were just as stunning and appealing as the other options. Everything was so well maintained, and the attention to detail was wonderful.’

From the start, Lucy was focused on planning and curating an experience that resonated with her and Lachlan rather than falling sway to the influences and pressures brides can sometimes feel from social media.

'I can't remember where I heard it, but the best piece of advice whilst planning our wedding was 'don't concentrate on making your wedding "Instagram worthy", make it about your relationship, and the beauty will come naturally. That would be my advice for any brides in the planning process - it is so easy to compare our weddings to those big extravaganzas on social media that we forget to make them about who we are as a couple. Take inspiration from those weddings, but don't try to compete.'

Enjoying the planning process Lucy and Lachlan had two non-negotiables for their day - excellent photography and an exceptional food experience.

*' I had been following Erin from E.L Simpson Photography for years and loved her work. Before we had even booked our venue, we had locked Erin in as our photographer! She is such a laid back lovely person. We got to do our engagement shoot with her, too, which solidified our choice to have her shoot our special day.

The second most important thing for our day was the food experience. We LOVE good food! I knew a few people who had attended weddings at Gabbinbar, and they could not fault the menu, so we were very excited to try it ourselves. Our families and friends always come together for any occasion with good food, so it was important to us that we had not only enough food but good quality as well. We especially loved the canapes during the garden party!' Especially the ice cream cart and the kingfish ceviche - my mouth starts watering just thinking about it!. The flavours and ingredients were incredible. You could tell that the chefs take great pride in their work and make use of the best produce they can find.' *

Hosting their ceremony on Governor's Lawn, Lucy re-imagined the space. She added her unique feel to the location by festooning white chiffon fabric through the Moreton Bay Fig's reaching branches. The soft, white draping fabric provided the perfect backdrop for their celebrations, with the talented Amy from Daisy & Co sourcing seasonal white blooms and setting arrangements along the aisles with a sprinkling of delicate white rose petals as the finishing touch.

'All our florals were green and white; luckily for us, the flowers blooming at Gabbinbar were also all white! Amy was amazing, she sourced all our flowers that were in season, and they were beautiful! We wanted lots of roses in all arrangements, a traditionally romantic flower, asit also matched my bouquet. My bridesmaids each had different bouquets with a single type of flower (one had a bunch of tulips, one a bunch of stock, etc.). So the florals matched our vibe perfectly - simple yet elegant.'

Walking down the aisle towards Lachlan was one of the undeniable highlights of Lucy's day - complete with a dashing performance from their labrador Gus.

'Walking down the aisle was something I had wanted to do since I was a little girl. My dad and I were joking the whole walk down, trying not to let each other cry or trip over. Seeing Lach at the end just gave me so many butterflies. It's an indescribable feeling. We also had our dog Gus attend the ceremony, which was so special to us. He is our first baby and we couldn't have done our day without him being a part of it. My brother let him loose from the end of the aisle, and he just ran straight for Lachie, which was just amazing!'

With a ceremony curated and hosted by Jacqueline Moore, the couple washed away any pre-ceremony nerves by sharing a coffee together first thing in the morning before going their separate ways and following up with an intimate 'first look' in the gardens.

'Our celebrant Jac Moore was terrific! She is such a warm and kind person who radiates love. She tailored our ceremony to fit us as individuals and as a couple. Adding in little bits that made people laugh, each moment was special. For example, when we asked to have my brother play a part in our ceremony, she surprised us by having him announce us as husband and wife, which was really special. The next day I found an envelope she had prepared which was full of our printed vows, marriage certificate, a beautiful card and our entire ceremony script printed. It was a lovely gift to receive and something I never would have thought to have organised or asked for. I would recommend her to anyone getting married!'

To create the same elegant yet effortless feel in their reception space, Lucy and Lachlan opted for long white tables with white linen with white chairs. They beautifully adorned the tables with clusters of single variety white seasonal flowers (as opposed to mixed arrangements), tall, elegant white taper candles and low-set soft tea lights. Gently tucked into the crisply folded napkins were the couple's menus with 'let's feast' and their guests' names peeping out from the fold, complete with a monogrammed wax seal and bomboniere heart-shaped cookies featuring the couple's initials' L & L'=.

'We used candles to warm the reception space rather than bright lights for our reception. We wanted to keep things simple, and it all came together beautifully. We repurposed all our ceremony flowers throughout the homestead, which saved us money and allowed us to enjoy the flowers differently.'

Knowing that she wanted a wedding gown with sleeves, Lucy tried on 10 or so dresses at White Lily Couture before she ultimately tried on 'the one.' Choosing to walk down the aisle in a custom-made 'Tilly' created by Noosa-based designed Erin Clare, she decided on permanent pleated sleeves with satin cuffs and pearl buttons. For further embellishment, she added a chiffon overskirt which she removed for the reception.

'I loved my dress and the whole process of designing it with Erin! The fabric and design made me feel comfortable, sexy and like myself all in one. Anything I asked to change or add on, Erin was able to do. She is truly an artistic genius when designing a dress to suit someone's personality and body.'

Lucy rolled her something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue all into one sentimental and meaningful accessory - a pair of aquamarine and pearl earrings belonging to her grandma. Alongside this, she wore an aquamarine pendant gifted from Lachlan and shoes by Pink Inc, which featured an ivory bow which perfectly complimented the fabric of her dress's overskirt.

'Lachlan also surprised me with a new engagement ring. We got our wedding bands and my new engagement ring from Kavalri Jewellery in Brisbane. My wedding band is a platinum half-diamond band, and my engagement ring is a platinum band with a pear-cut solitaire diamond. Lachlan's wedding band is a brushed Tantalum and carbon fibre black ring. My aunty made my veil for me, which was really special. She also embroidered on the bottom "L & L 17/09/22", which I loved.'

Lucy chose two styles with two different fabrics for her bridesmaid's gowns. Two bridesmaids wore black velvet dresses by Jenny Yoo, and two wore gowns designed and tailored by Lucy's aunty.

'I wanted my bridesmaids to feel comfortable and confident in their dresses, especially since two had recently had babies. t was important to me that they were not self-conscious about their dress. I adored the dresses by Jenny Yoo and even wanted to buy one for myself, the fabric was so elegant and stretchy! The girls felt beautiful in them. The dresses designed by my aunty were simple and stunning. Having my aunty make them was so special and allowed the girls to tailor the dress to their bodies which was important. These two dresses were made from a sort of matte satin fabric. I loved all my bridesmaid dresses. The different materials worked so beautifully together. I couldn't have been happier.'

For the gents, Lachlan and Lucy hired the groomsmen suits from Edge Suits in Bundall, and Lachlan wore a Joe Black suit from David Jones, which featured a satin lapel on his jacket, which alongside a black bowtie, set his attire apart from the others. Lachlan and the groomsmen then coordinated their look with black RM Williams boots. Getting ready at the nearby 'Wisteria Cottage' and arriving in the back of their vintage Holden Ute, with Gus in tow, Lachlan and his groomsmen enjoyed a few drinks in the gardens and Homestead library while making their final preparations before ceremony.

Once the evening's formalities had concluded in the conservatory, Lucy and Lachlan enjoyed a first dance in the homestead's ballroom to PJ Morton's live cover of 'How deep is your love.' Then, moving outside for a series of night garden portraits, the couple walked through the gardens enjoying quiet moments together before returning to dance the night away with guests.

'Another snippet of advice I would give to brides planning is to make time on the day to have a moment or two alone with your new husband. Take a 5-minute walk outside, down the hall, or wherever you can just to talk about the day or even hold hands together. Trust me, those moments you will be thankful for.'

Now with their wedding celebrations behind them, Lachlan and Lucy are looking forward to building upon their family and continuing to make lasting memories together.