Party time: Lauren and Nathaniel’s rustic wedding

From the outset, Lauren and Nathaniel knew they wanted their rustic wedding to be a little bit different.

“We always knew that we didn’t want a massive wedding – both of us hate being the centre of attention,” Lauren, 27, explains.

“One of our close friends had been to a wedding at Fishlake Mills (in Doncaster, South Yorkshire) and recommended it to us. We went to see it and instantly knew that was where we wanted to get married. It was so chilled out and just really beautiful.”

It was there that Lauren and Nathaniel, also 27, wed on October 7, 2017, in front of 80 guests.

The laid-back pair incorporated their own style into the day by doing the decorations themselves.

“We made the wedding favours and Nat’s Mum and Grandma made our cakes,” Lauren says.

“We are both very laid back and so we made the wedding more like a party really, which suited us both!”

Photos courtesy of Ufniak Photography.

“I knew that I wanted a wedding dress that wasn’t the usual strapless affair so when I tried on the Amal dress by Maggie Sottero I knew that it was the one. It was the very first dress that I tried on!” Lauren says of her wedding dress purchased at Angel Brides. She paired it with heels from Jenny Packham.

The couple met when Lauren was at university and Nathaniel was working as an electrician. “We met through a mutual friend and got talking,” Lauren says.

Nathaniel proposed in 2015 when the couple were holidaying in the Whitsunday Islands, Australia. ” We were sat on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world – Whitehaven Beach. I was getting quite annoyed as Nat kept making me walk further and further down the beach and all I wanted to do was sit down and enjoy the scenery. It wasn’t long until I found out the reason why and of course I said yes,” Lauren recalls.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff! It all works out in the end and people have a great time no matter what,” Lauren advises future brides.

The couple did much of the styling for the big day themselves, with help from Hobbycraft.

“Our wedding wasn’t extravagant and didn’t cost a fortune – and it was AWESOME!” the bride says.