We are the lucky ones. The Sunshine Coast is heaven on earth, where the sun sets with a warmth that makes all it touches glow and gleam.

Bridal fashion and beauty for brides of the Sunshine Coast so often sees natural and unassuming meet the height of glamour and style. Much like the bridal looks designed for this photo shoot alongside the river at peaceful Mudjimba.

Perfectly relaxed waves and loosely styled pony tails and upstyles were teamed with natural bronzed makeup for coastal bridal vibes.

Model Tahlia sparkled in Chosen by Kyha, while Caitlin flounced in a full-skirted half bodice gown by local dressmaker, Marilyn Crystelle Bridal.

The Crew

Photography: Emma Nayler [Photographer] 

Concept + coordination: Sass & Niki’s Wedding Hair

Hair: Sass & Niki’s Wedding Hair

Makeup: Makeup Artistry by Lauren

Bouquets: Willow Bud

The post Coastal Bridal Vibes | Fashion + Beauty appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Lauren says one of the most emotional moments of her wedding day was when guests performed The Haka in tribute to her groom, James’ Maori heritage. Lauren and James loved the wedding planning process, getting super involved by doing lots of DIY for their wedding reception at Noosa Boathouse. The bride was kind enough to share her story with us below… 

Our Biggest Priority

We wanted to ensure that our guests had an absolutely amazing time and got to experience as much of beautiful Noosa as possible. Our guests travelled from all over Australia, including Western Australia and Victoria, the Gold Coast and New Zealand, and for pretty much all of them it was their first time visiting Noosa.

Moments of High Emotion

The day was full of emotion – seeing James get so emotional as I was walking down the aisle, having James’ Dad open our ceremony with a Maori prayer. The Haka and speeches were very emotional too.

Images by Alan Hughes Photography

Why James is The One 

Loving him is easy. He’s my best friend. He is kind-hearted and loving, sensitive yet strong, dedicated, determined, and most of the time, patient!

Our Next Adventure

We’re getting stuck back into renovating our first home and will hopefully buy our second home soon!

The Music

We had a lot of songs from our favourite Aussie and New Zealand bands, including Ocean Alley and Six60. Benny Hanna did an amazing job playing a mix of acoustic sets and DJ-ing at the Boathouse.

A Simple Proposal

It’s pretty simple really, James and I were back home in Perth (my home town) for a holiday and on our final morning, at my parents house, just as we were waking up he got down on one knee and asked the question. We had designed the ring together, so I knew it was coming, I just didn’t know when!

Greatest Challenge

Probably putting together our guest list!

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: It would probably have been the boat cruise from the ceremony in Noosa Heads to the reception in Noosaville. I also surprised James and our guests with Wheel & Spoon (a gelato cart) at our ceremony.

Biggest money-saver: Probably using a bunch of furniture from the Noosa Boathouse and all of the DIY I/we did!

Planning resources: The Brides Tree certainly helped! Instagram and Facebook were also really beneficial. Deciding on the Noosa Boathouse for our reception early on in the planning process and checking out their recommended vendors was a great place to start. I also attended a Sunshine Coast Wedding Open Day early on in the planning stages to meet vendors I was interested in.

DIY: Stationery, decorations, grazing board for the boat, family photo display, wishing well, photo booth props, dessert table, cake topper, “Better Together” backdrop frame, wooden easel. 

Honeymoon: Fiji

Number of guests: 80

Wedding budget: Honestly we didn’t really have a budget. Not because I wasn’t budget conscious, purely because I had no idea what to expect in terms of how much anything would cost. I did a lot of research and gathered a number of quotes from vendors before locking anything in. 

Actual cost of wedding: Close to $40,000 

Check out Lauren and James’ Noosa Wedding Highlights Film

Photographer: Alan Hughes Photography | Videography: Sunshine Coast Videography | Florist: The Orange Blossom | Venue + catering: Noosa Boathouse | Gelato van: Wheel & Spoon | Cake: Chocolate 2 Chilli | Favours: Coolaz Stubby Holders | Transport: Noosa Ferry | Hair stylist: Evalyn Parsons | Makeup artist: Makeup Artistry by Lauren | Styling: Style Le Aisle | Entertainment: Benny Hanna | Celebrant: Celebrant Sam | Wooden sign: The Spoken Shop | Wedding night accommodation: Sandcastles Noosa 

Thank you for supporting our A-list Vendors below, who made the day for Lauren and James… 

The post Lauren loves James | Noosa Boathouse Wedding appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Makeup artist, Lauren Montgomery, is a boss when it comes to makeup artistry. Not just because she has impeccable skills and immeasurable talent, but because she is a one-woman show, running her own business. 

Always bringing the personal touch, Lauren is the artist every bride who books her services can expect to be there on the day of their wedding. And what a lucky bride they would be with this lady working her magic for them! Lauren has a wealth of experience and is one of those very clever artists, who has committed to constantly furthering her skills, learning and perfecting her craft for many years. 

I caught up with Lauren to find out more about the woman behind the bridal beauty business, and what it’s like being a wedding makeup artist… 

Lauren, tell us about how you came to be a wedding makeup artist full time and running your own business.

Before committing full-time to my business I worked as an artist and part of the management team at retail makeup powerhouse MECCA Brands, while also doing all my weddings on the weekends. To be honest, I really had been a bit spoilt at my time at MECCA – I was so privileged to be chosen to learn from and be mentored by some of the best national and international makeup artists, such as Nicole Thompson (MAC), Rae Morris, UZO (Global Director of Artistry NARS), and so many more! I love that I get to bring this experience back to my brides for their big day!

Take us through a typical wedding day for you as a makeup artist.

A wedding day for me usually starts with an early wake-up alarm to make sure I have plenty of time to get prepped and ready for a big and exciting day! I like to arrive on site around 15 minutes early to get all set up and meet everyone on the day.

My kit is huge! I spend time prepping my kit with everything I know I will need so the makeup process flows seamlessly all day long. Most of my weddings I am so lucky to get to create makeup looks for the bride, bridesmaids, mums, and special family and friends. But, I always recommend my bride’s have their makeup done second last so there’s no rushing at the end.

Once everyone’s makeup is done I will do a final check and touch-ups for everyone before leaving my brides with their own touch-up kit to get them through their big day with perfectly flawless makeup.

What lead you to a career in makeup artistry?

For me, it was always makeup! I was so lucky that straight out of school I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I pursued that dream full force! Beauty school came first, studying all aspects of beauty therapy, but I ultimately decided makeup was my biggest passion. I boosted my skills further with two more specialised makeup courses and then went straight into assisting a successful wedding makeup artist before starting my own business in 2013. The rest is history!

I now enjoy busy weekends full of the happiness that comes from being part of my brides’ big day and getting to call bridal makeup artistry my full-time job is a dream come true!

What’s something you enjoy doing in your downtime?

Well, I’ve recently started learning how to speak French in the hopes of planning a European trip in the near future! I probably sound a bit silly practicing my French pronunciation in the lounge room, but I am mastering all the basics (how to order foods & wine!!!) – “Puis-je voir le menu s’il vous plait?” I really think I have all the important lingo covered!

What do your happy clients say about working with you?

My lovely brides often tell me that not only was their makeup completely wedding-proof, but that it was everything they had hoped for and more! My brides also say that on the day my presence was calm and relaxing, with my positive energy helping the day to run smoothly.

Images by Alan Hughes Photography, Mallory Sparkles Photography, Trent & Jessie Photographers, And Ever Collective, One But Many, Bee Bella Photography. 

SPECIAL OFFER WHEN YOU BOOK YOUR WEDDING MAKEUP WITH LAUREN

Free Bridal Lipstick!

The first 5 Bride’s who book their wedding makeup with me will receive a free full-size MAC lipstick in the colour chosen at their trial!*

Mention this Q&A article to redeem this offer at time of booking! Click through to my ‘The Look’ page to check-out my modern & natural makeup style!

*Valid until June 30th, 2020. Applicable to new bookings only.

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