Lauren and Renard celebrated their love with a beautifully understated, intimate garden wedding at The Refinery in the heart of Brisbane, Australia. Surrounded by their closest friends and loved ones, they wed amongst the lush trees and kissed before the striking floral arbour. Lauren was the picture of elegance in our whimsical Blossom Gown. The reception followed beneath the strung bistro lights, where guests gathered at exquisitely dressed banquet tables illuminated by the warm glow of hundreds of tapered candles.

Lauren was first introduced to Renard through her brother-in-law - a close friend of Renard's. They had seen each other in passing a few times, but it was at her sister's 30th birthday party in early 2017 that they truly connected. Their romance sparked as they spent the entire evening chatting and dancing. Over the years, their love grew, and the two spent many hours exploring the outdoors and taking long bushwalks. After lockdown restrictions lifted, Renard planned a getaway road trip to Cape Woolamai - in the southeastern tip of Phillip Island in Victoria. They had planned their trail traversing the stunning coastal cliffs. While admiring the tranquil beauty of the cliffs overlooking the ocean, Renard proposed.

"It was so quiet, just the waves, and I turned around, and Ren was down on one knee! It was a very special moment - just the two of us."

THE COUPLE

Lauren Dean & Renard Ruiz-Bellaart

WEDDING DAY

September 26, 2024

GUESTS

55

TO US MARRIAGE MEANS...

Mutual trust, love, care and respect. Marriage to us is building a special family unit and ensuring we always have each other’s backs.

Aleisha Edwards Weddings.

MOST TREASURED WEDDING MOMENT

The first look was really special. The lead-up and writing our vowels was such a nice experience, and we chose to read our vows at the first look for the first time, just the two of us. This was probably my favourite moment, a close second was peeking through the curtains and seeing our son, Kai, running down the aisle toward his daddy and giving him a huge hug!

FINDING YOUR DREAM WEDDING GOWN

Lauren has been a long-time lover of Bo & Luca and dreamed of wearing one of our pieces for years. She worried she wouldn't have the chance to try on our hand-crafted gowns, as there was no store in Brisbane at that time. But as luck would have it, she spotted our new store opening in our newsletter: "I saw a notification about a potential store opening in Brisbane and emailed late 2023 about visiting! I was lucky enough to get in before the store opened." As soon as she tried it on, Lauren knew the Blossom Gown was the one: "I instantly felt comfortable, beautiful and completely myself. The fabric, the beading, the flow, the style – everything was me!"

When thinking about what she was looking for she reflected: "I wanted mostly to feel myself comfortable and confident. I knew I wanted romantic, non-structured, a little bit whimsical but still with the ultimate goal of finding something I was really comfortable in."

THE VENUE

We wanted to choose a convenient location, we have a 2-year-old and young nieces and nephews, so not travelling too far was a priority. We also wanted a one-stop shop - a ceremony that was fully catered and included styling. The Refinery impressed us right away - it was the warehouse vibe we wanted with an outdoor garden, simple and elegant. We wanted everyone to have a really special dinner experience, and the food was a big factor. The Refinery food is from Rogue Bistro and was amazing.

WEDDING AESTHETIC

We are quite minimalist people and wanted something romantic and low-key but also adding some pops of colour. We loved the venue as it was, a warehouse-style interior. High ceilings, candles, wooden tables, understated. Very much what we wanted. 

WEDDING SCENT 

I wore Jo Malone – English Pear and Freesia. A scent Renard had bought me, and I love.

HAIR & MAKEUP

Again, keeping with the minimalist, relaxed vibe, I opted for a mid-rise pony, wavy and relaxed. I felt very comfortable! I also knew that wrangling my 2-year-old and my hair out wouldn’t go together very well! My makeup was very clean and simple, with pink hues and nothing too over the top.

FLOWERS & BOUQUETS

I always knew I wanted to have colour! I love pops of colour and had the idea to find the perfect blue shoe. We wanted the florals to be very natural-looking, wild and free. Our florist was amazing and sourced a lot of the flowers from her own garden. I loved pastel yellows and pinks, and all the colours in the bouquet came together so beautifully.

FOOD & DRINKS

We wanted to provide a really nice dining experience as it was a smaller wedding. We chose a sit-down two-course meal with canapés and our delicious cake for dessert. 

WEDDING CAKE 

I wish there was more of it?! I've never been a fan of the huge white wedding cakes, and I wanted something different! I saw a gorgeous similar cake with scalloped sides on Instagram and asked our cake supplier if she could do something similar. We went with Raspberries & Cream and Milk Chocolate & Cherry for the two layers.

FAVOURS

We opted not to give wedding favours, being a smaller wedding, we knew we would be able to get around to talk to and thank everyone personally.

ADVICE FOR BRIDES-TO-BE

Everyone says it, but try and relax and be present! Both Ren and I had really relaxing mornings of the wedding getting ready and surprisingly felt very calm and present walking down the aisle!

 

WEDDING VENDORS

Venue: The Refinery 

Photography: Aleisha Edwards Weddings

Flowers: Flwr Studio

Food & Drink: Rogue Bistro

Wedding Cake: Petal & Peach Bakery 

Hair & Makeup: Jody Callan Hair & Shannon Hope Makeup