An Australian couple who were forced to cancel their wedding twice for tragic reasons finally tied the knot after strangers intervened to make their big day possible.
Lauryn and Jake, from the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, had accepted that they might never experience a wedding after a series of family tragedies and a robbery at their home led them to abandon their special day on more than one occasion. .
The couple agreed that they wanted a casual, uncomplicated wedding when they got engaged in 2022.
Lauryn said they decided on a whim to get married on Moreton Island, off southeast Queensland, in July 2023.
They booked a cruise there, saying it would be like a wedding and honeymoon in one, and organized a party where they would announce their nuptials to their friends and family upon their return.
Lauryn and Jake finally figured it out, with a little help from the WSFM team.
They set a date, found a celebrant, bought Lauryn’s dream dress and a suit for Jake, planning to elope with just their immediate family.
But just three days before the big day, Jake’s brother died in a car accident and everything was put on hold as the family mourned.
The couple decided to reschedule their wedding, but this time they wanted it to be just them because it didn’t feel right to celebrate after such a significant loss.
They decided to stick with their original elopement plans, but then opted for an intimate dinner at their local pub just for an inner circle of family and friends.
But tragedy struck again.
Jake’s father was diagnosed with cancer and needed to move in with the couple while he received treatment, then his grandmother became seriously ill.
They traveled to say their final goodbyes, only to return and discover that their home had been broken into.
Then Jake’s grandmother died.
After rebuilding each other, Lauryn and Jake boarded their cruise with their wedding suits packed in their suitcases, excited to get married.
On the day they were due to dock at Moreton Island, they dressed for their nuptials and went downstairs to disembark the ship and head to the island.
The couple agreed that they wanted a casual, uncomplicated wedding when they got engaged in 2022.
Lauryn was staring at the shore, eager to finally say “I do” to the man of her dreams when they received word that it was too windy for the smaller boats to land safely.
He recalled that he burst into tears and that his traveling companions expressed their condolences to the sobbing bride.
The couple returned home and once again had to tell the story of a canceled wedding over and over again.
A friend of the couple said he emailed Sydney radio stations and asked for help getting to the altar.
The Jonesy and Amanda Show on WSFM answered the call for help and one of the producers announced that they would be hosting their wedding in just four days.
Lauryn said she was “completely shocked” when she got the call.
Behind the scenes, the WSFM team worked around the clock to put together the express wedding, with many vendors donating their time and services.
The ceremony and reception were held at the Hyatt Regency in Sydney and with the help of Easy Weddings the cake, flowers, celebrant, photographer and entertainment were arranged.
All the WSFM producers requested was a rough guest list and a favorite cake flavor, everything else was already taken care of.
The Jonesy and Amanda Show hosted a ceremony and reception at Sydney’s Hyatt Regency
Lauryn said she was blown away when she walked into the place, it truly exceeded all of her expectations.
Jake and Lauryn, who are finally husband and wife, celebrated with 50 close friends and the WSFM team, including radio hosts Amanda Keller and Brendan Jones.
The newlyweds said they are beyond grateful for a night they could never have spent together alone.
“The flowers were my favorite, it was like they knew it, and the beautiful three-tier cake was amazing,” Lauryn said.
“We are so grateful to all the vendors who donated their time and services to make our wedding a reality and to the community who listened and followed the process.”