A Rare Storm Only Added To The Magic Of This Couple’s Ibiza Wedding
In 2015, fashion PR Lauren Stevenson was told by a psychic that she would meet the man of her dreams on a bike surrounded by olive trees, but it would take three years for it to happen. “I met my future husband Tom in May 2018, on the Last Night a DJ Saved My Life charity cycle challenge in Ibiza,” she explains. “It’s three days of cycling around the island and by day three we realised how much we had in common. On the final night we went to Ushuaia and Pacha, and in true Ibiza form our first kiss was on the dance floor!”
The couple got engaged on New Year’s Eve in 2024, while on holiday in Padstow with their daughter and four friends. “Tom suggested a family walk with our dog to Mother Ivey’s Bay, where you can often see dolphins,” Lauren remembers. “A storm hit that morning and it was so windy we couldn’t open the car door or get over the cliff top. As the storm calmed, we found a different route to the bay, where Tom got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Our friends were waiting with a surprise champagne dinner at The Pig hotel in Harlyn Bay, followed by the best NYE’s party celebrating our engagement.”
Having spent a lot of time in Ibiza, not to mention having met there, the couple knew that they wanted to get married on the island, surrounded by pine trees. They settled on Las Cicadas in Santa Gertrudis as their wedding venue, having discovered it on Instagram. “Santa Gertrudis is one of our favourite towns where we would stop for coffee on the annual cycle challenge and the finca was over 500 years old with a beautiful courtyard and barn,” says Lauren. “We immediately connected with the team there, Tavis and Elena, and the planner Laurie Petcher at Cloud 9. They were a joy to work with from day one and we knew we would create our dream wedding there.” The date was set for 11 October, when party season is coming to a close on the island, but the sea is still warm.
Lauren made several appointments to try on wedding dresses, going on a “bridal gown road trip” of sorts with her mother and maid of honour to Nicole Mae Bridal in Goring-on-Thames and Ellie Sanderson in the Cotswolds. “In the end we found the dress at Nicole Mae Bridal,” she says. “After trying on multiple gowns, Nicole pulled out one I hadn’t seen and it was the one. I knew it immediately and didn’t look at anything else, cancelling all other appointments. It was by Canadian brand Calla Blanche, and featured a floral lace embellished semi-sheer corseted gown with deep V neckline and train. It felt modern, romantic and fitting with our rustic farmhouse venue.”
She paired the dress with a floral appliqué edge veil by Ricca Sposa, which she had redesigned with a double layer, as well as a pair of Aquazzura platform sandals. For her bridal jewellery, Lauren kept things simple, choosing to wear pearl drop earrings, her grandmother’s antique bracelet as her “something old”, and a diamond tennis bracelet that Tom had surprised her with on her wedding morning as her “something new”.
In the run up to the wedding, Lauren scheduled a series of treatments to ensure her skin was looking its best. “I had weekly lymphatic drainage treatments with Elayne at Ela Sculpt, PRP with Dr Elizabeth Hawkes, Botox with Dr Wassim Taktouk, and city cleanse facials with Lana every six weeks at Skinwork,” she says. “I also had a layer of tape hair extensions with Louise Bailey at Beauty Club London to ensure my hair would keep the curl in the heat.” For her hair and make-up she wanted to create a post-beach look, with dewy skin and a light smoky eye.
Tom’s brother and best man, Jack Winslade, is a tailor, so a lot of the wedding party wore his brand, Lawrence & Winslade, including the groom, best men, ushers and even the couple’s daughter Kaia. “Tom chose a green fabric and white shirt with our wedding date and the names of the groomsmen stitched inside the jacket,” says Lauren. “And our daughter Kaia wore a white dress.” The bridesmaids, meanwhile, wore one-shoulder champagne-hued gowns by Pretty Lavish.
