Lauren and James love story has all the makings of a blockbuster hit, spanning multiple continents, many years and romantic surprise meetings. It began with a fateful encounter in a small ski village in Alberta, Canada in 2003 where James made the first moves of his pursuit, on a ski hill where there’s 10,000 blokes, and about four hot chicks, you need to move fast. When the two left Alberta – Lauren back to Melbourne, Australia, and James to London – the young lovers kept in touch despite the 12,000-mile separation, and two years later, their love was reignited after a chance encounter in London. Later James proposed on the red-carpeted steps of Berlins Cathedral Square (we can’t do this part of the story justice – it’s best articulated on the couples hilariously written wedding website), and early last year the happy couple tied the knot on the gorgeous shoreline of Krabi, Thailand. Yes readers, this REALLY did happen, and we have the story and the amazing photos from Harrison Studio to prove it!
The Goals: Lauren and James, Australian and English natives respectively, wanted to find a location that would accommodated both of their families and groups of friends, so they met halfway between their hometowns for a fabulous destination wedding at the Tubkaak Boutique Resort in Krabi, Thailand. Remembering her blissful experience, Lauren asked, You know when you go to a place that is truly perfect in every way and when you try to explain how amazing it is to other people you just can’t put it into words or get the sentiment across properly? She added, Choosing the Tubkaak Boutique Resort as the venue was our best decision. It was absolutely amazing. Everything we wanted for our wedding, a nice area of Thailand, a secluded beach, a top quality resort and lovely people.
The Design: The garden at the resort made for the perfect ceremony venue, complete with white lotus flowers and Thai orchids, and a beach backdrop that was nothing short of stunning. Following the ceremony, cocktails and canapes were served to the 65 lucky guests as the resort completely transformed the ceremony area to prepare for the decadent four-course dinner that would follow. The specialty cocktail of the night was mixed to the couple’s tastes and even matched the vibrant turquoise of the bridesmaids dresses!
The staff of the Tubkaak created almost everything – the flowers, the dinner, and the luscious chocolate sponge cake that followed. Staff members also secretly placed small elephant figurines fastened with thank you cards in the guests rooms while they were at the wedding. These favors ensured that each guest left with a little something tangible to remind them of their trip to Thailand.
The Look: Lauren was intent on finding a unique dress but one that also accounted for the Thailand heat. The amazing Elizabeth De Varga dress that she chose was just the second one she tried on! She accessorized it with a freshwater pearl bracelet – a gift from her Nana, and a teardrop necklace from Angus and Coote. She wore her mums garter, which was her something old, borrowed, and blue!
Laurens bridesmaids wore dresses by Jim Hjelm that corresponded with the weddings pearly white and turquoise green color palette. One of her bridesmaids, her sister, was six months pregnant at the time so it was also important that the dress design keep her comfort in mind. I wanted my bridesmaids to be comfortable and cool and to fit the tropical, bright, beach style of Thailand… I love looking at the photos of the bridal party – the turquoise dresses just looked stunning!
James and his groomsmen wore dapper tuxedos by Herringbone Australia, and we love the way their classic look combined with the tropical location.
The Moments: There was a point of contention that came out during the wedding rehearsal. In England, traditionally, the groom does not look at his bride walking down the aisle, because it is considered bad luck. But in Australia, it is the opposite: the groom watches his bride walk down the aisle. So I left it up to James to decide what he was going to do. When I was approaching the aisle he was facing the front, but then he turned around as I was walking down the aisle. I remember his face. It was unforgettable.
During the small Thai merit-making ritual, the couple released two Koi Carp fish into the pond at the resort. The ceremony is meant to ensure longevity and prosperity in the light of marriage. That was a really special, and I always wonder how our little fish are doing in their pond.
After the ceremony, Lauren and James stood on the beach while the sun set and their guests were being seating for dinner. It was just James and me and the sunset and the beach. The sunset was immense; it was a special moment.
Thank you for sharing your wedding story with us Lauren and James!
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