A Wedding Festival in the Woods: Laura + Alex

wedding couple by pile of wood

When Laura + Alex found their location, they dubbed it Lovestock. Seeing themselves as old souls, it seemed natural to want a huge celebration in the middle of nowhere – much like a festival. :) Their wedding was all about the people they loved and really making it an enjoyable experience for them. Nature, friends + family, good food + wine, music, warmth, humor, love for the olden days – those are the things that inspired the two of them. Laura also created the invitations and decorations for the reception. Thanks so much to ALMA Photography for sending this sweet wedding our way!

camp wedding sign

lace wedding dress


Laura wore her mother’s wedding dress – an Edwardian Cotton Tea Dress that is around 100 years old!

band in the woods

wedding in the woods

bride walking down aisle

bride with floral crown

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

Laura: There were so many. The whole day was pure magic. Everything just (almost eerily) worked out! But for me, the most memorable was walking up to meet Alex at the 'alter'. Both of my parents were on either side of me, and as we moved closer it was such an amazing feeling. The band were playing my song, the weather was spectacular, the space looked so beautiful, and everyone was just so happy and full of love. It was overwhelmingly powerful.

Alex: There was a moment during the ceremony where Laura and I were placing the rings on each others fingers. Laura was struggling to get mine on, and there was a bit of laughter from the crowd. Next thing you know about 20 or so Kookaburras in the trees above us joined in and wouldn't stop laughing! This made the crowd laugh more and so there was a chorus of laughter all round. We felt like we had the whole universes' blessing at that point.

bride with floral wreath

first kiss

Our Musical Choices

Processional: Excuses by Pop, Etc (played by The Cope Street Parade)

Recessional: He's Smilin Too by The Cope Street Parade

First Dance: Baby I love your Way by Peter Frampton (played by The Mitch Anderson Band)

wedding exit with confetti

bridal party

bride with floral crown

bride with floral crown kiss

wedding couple Lalay sign

wedding tent in woods

wedding tent in woods

dancing in woods wedding

nighttime wedding portrait

nighttime wedding portrait

wedding reception with lights

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

Laura:
• Go with the flow. Alex +I both work in the creative industry and found it easy to get bogged down in every little detail. But ultimately, you just have to trust that everything will work out.
• Choose your vendors wisely. We worked with the most incredible vendors who got our 'vision' straight away and were simply amazing. Work with people that you trust and that you feel comfortable with.
• Make plan's C D and E....not just plan B! Our original location for the wedding flooded 2 weeks before the day, and there was rain either side of our wedding. We changed location at the last minute and planned to deal with the rain (it never came and were are thanking the weather gods daily!). But some other weddings weren't so lucky.
• Stick to your guns (within reason!). I can't tell you how many times people thought our ideas to be ludicrous but absolutely loved them on the day.

Alex: Don't be a text book bride + groom and don't have a text book wedding. Be yourselves.

venue name: Touch the Earth, St Albans NSW. A friends private property in the middle of nowhere! // wedding dress: mother's dress // hair stylist: Visual Creations Hair Studio (my godparents actually!) They work in Sydney and in Green Point on the Central coast, NSW // makeup artist: Visual Creations Hair Studio (my godparents actually!) They work in Sydney and in Green Point on the Central coast, NSW // groom attire: Mulberry street vintage, Newtown and Sydney // catering: Cafe Giulia // cake: we had a buffet of sorts courtesy of Constant Cravings Cakes // photography: Alma + Claire from ALMA Photography (see more photos from the day here) // floral design (including hairpieces): Angie Summers from Florid Flowers in Waverly, Sydney // ceremony music: The Cope Street Parade // reception music: The Mitch Anderson Band

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