Maddy and Dave
There’s a lot of fun Melbourne traits in this wedding – the location for starters, the workshop of the popular designers Pop & Scott. Pizza and cheese laid out on tables for guests to graze on, evening treats of popcorn, a flower wall, tutu skirts and a handmade swing! All of it captured by Goldsmith & Co.
Maddy tells the story of how the wedding came to be. “David and I met at a local Brunswick bar. It wasn’t usual for either of us to be there but it must have been fate! I had just come home from a month in South East Asia and was catching up with friends and Dave was watching a friend’s band. As soon as I walked in he said hello and the rest is history. Telling me he was training to be a firefighter pretty much sealed the deal. We have been so lucky and have had a bit of a fairytale in my eyes. We are so suited to each other, so happy in each other’s company and I really didn’t think I would find someone I love and admire so much. Dave just makes the world brighter for me.”
Maddy’s little surprise left her having to choose another wedding gown. She tells one of her most favourite wedding stories. “I had chosen a gorgeous gown from Brides of Armadale and when I went for the first fitting it was pretty tight – little did I know I was pregnant! There was no way I was going to fit into the mermaid-style dress by the wedding so with only a few weeks to go I made an internet purchase from Tiffany Rose Maternity in the UK with all my fingers and toes crossed. The dress fitted perfectly and was so comfortable which was just what I needed. People kept telling me the dress was made for me so it seems it was all meant to be. I went barefoot most of the night and this dress was much more suited to that relaxed style.”
Maddy added a beaded belt from Anna Campbell to complete the look. Her bridesmaids chose dusty pink tutus from Alexandra Grecco with soft cardigans from Alannah Hill My beautiful life clip
Maddy walked down the aisle to Ellie Goulding’s “How long will I love you”. She remarks, “We had just found out we were expecting our first baby (due 28 September) and Dave put this song on the ipod. I just burst into tears. It was probably the first time it hit me that I was going to marry the love of my life while our little blueberry was cooking away inside and I was overwhelmed with love. We knew then that it was the perfect song.”
Tottie Goldsmith performed the ceremony, Maddy noting, “The lovely Tottie Goldsmith was our celebrant so that was a bit of a surprise for our guests! Tottie was a joy to work with, she really loves what she does and we were in such good hands. It was great having her there on the day to guide us through our vows and she was responsible for the ceremony wording itself. She really helped us capture what we wanted to promise to each other. My grandparents were our witnesses so that was really lovely for us and my adorable little niece Rose was our flower girl. Our seating was really informal so we just had 2 long trestle tables and guests could choose where they wanted to sit. During the ceremony the tables also provided the aisle which worked perfectly. ”
Maddy and Dave chose Pop&Scott Workshop for their wedding venue, Poppy from Pop&Scott also designed the floral arrangements for the wedding day. Maddy explaining, “We were married on 29 March at Pop & Scott Workshop in Northcote, Victoria. In a former life the building was a mechanics garage and it is now the wood workshop and studio of Poppy and Scott, an awesome and creative couple who made us feel at home as soon as we walked in. We held the ceremony and reception there because it was just such a great space and we didn’t want guests to have to schlepp from one venue to the next. This way they could just arrive and relax. Chatting to Poppy on our first visit to the workshop we realised what we could do with the space and with our ideas and Poppy’s creativity we knew it was going to be really special.
We had been searching for some time for a venue and none of them felt very ‘us’ (or if they did they were way out of our budget). We didn’t want traditional, round tables with white table cloths and we didn’t want to have guests travel too far as most of us are Melbourne folk. When I saw an instagram picture of the workshop set up for an engagement party I practically shoved it in Dave’s face and screamed “this is it!” It’s such a blank canvas but at the same time the space has so much personality. We loved the idea of a garden wedding but it just wasn’t practical and after speaking to Poppy, who is responsible for the amazing floristry, I knew we could bring the outdoors in and make it ‘pop’ with blooms (no pun intended!). The flower wall Poppy creates pretty much sold me and it didn’t take much to convince my husband either! It was the perfect backdrop for the ceremony.”
Of their photographers, Maddy notes, “Where to start? Imagine if two angels descended upon your wedding armed with cameras, guest lists and more cool factor than you could hope to muster in a lifetime. That’s what it was like working with Brett & Jane. They were the first suppliers we booked and they made us feel so comfortable from the beginning. We loved what we saw on their website and they were charming and warm – exactly the kind of people you want to be working with. On the day they managed to be so professional and efficient while being fun and engaging. Jane also weaved her magic helping out where we had gaps – lighting candles, handing out our advice cards and probably a ton of other stuff I didn’t even see. It was above and beyond and we love them for it!”
There were plenty of DIY elements, Maddy telling, “The confetti was hand cut with a special friend of mine from vintage music sheets and other lovely paper. The invitations were all done through Vistaprint using invitation templates from Wedding Chicks. The cutlery holders were sewn by Mum and I. Mum made the raspberry cordial and the wedding cake (amazing!). Dad made the wooden signs and cheeseboard. We sourced all the vintage silverware, milk glass and tea sets from op-shops and markets. Our card holder was an Ikea glasshouse. The chandeliers were from Etsy. We made up wine glass tags because we didn’t have bus-boys. I found our popsicle stickers on Vistaprint too.
Dinner was catered by Pizza Be With You and Paleta . Maddy noting, “For dinner our guests had cheese and antipasto platters to nibble on and delicious woodfired pizza from Pizza Be With You. The PBWY team were fantastic and so were the pizzas. They came out on wooden plates and guests could just choose how much they wanted and mingle while they ate. Dessert was the chocolate banana wedding cake and homemade fruit icypoles from the guys at Paleta. We were even able to personalise them which was a fun touch. Popcorn was the midnight snack for the hungry crowd on the dance floor.”
“We asked my brother Tom to be our MC and he took his job very seriously, choosing to interpret ‘MC’ as not only master of ceremonies but as ‘MC in da house!’. He donned some gangster bling and treated us to a super cool original rap song about our wedding. It was gold!”
“We had a circus swing at our wedding! Pop&Scott made it and we can’t wait to hang it in our back yard when the little one is big enough.”
For their first dance, the couple chose an old favourite, Maddy noting, “It was more of an awkward shuffle really! We danced to Roy Orbison’s “You got it”, chosen on a road-trip to Daylesford last year. We’re not the best dancers, Dave and I, and we don’t like being in the spotlight so we shuffled along to the song willing everyone else to get up and spare us the humiliation. OK, it wasn’t that bad. Dave’s Sister Lindsay and her husband Marc finally got up and treated guests to their awesome ballroom dancing skills – crisis and eyes averted!”
The evening ended with a bride and groom’s bouquet toss! Maddy explaining, “There are also some pretty cool photos of the men participating in the groom’s bouquet toss – there is real dedication in those faces. I never knew so many men were so keen to settle down!”
Congratulations on your marriage Maddy and Dave! Thank you for sharing your day with us! Thank you also to Goldsmith & Co. for sharing today’s images with us!
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