Madaleine & Sam

If there ever was a wedding that ticked all the beautiful handmade boxes, my gosh, it would be the day of  Madaleine & Sam. Not only did the bride, who has a degree in fine visual arts, handmake her wedding day jumpsuit, but she also made the bridesmaid’s jumpsuits, the groom & groomsmen ties, the flower girl’s attire and the wedding cake. She, alongside her mother, crafted stunning paper blooms for the ceremony backdrop, the decor and of course, for the crown the sweetest flower girl you ever did see – wore down the aisle. From the first look just after sunrise to the gorgeous cocktail lunch reception, we know you’re going to love this one, captured beautifully by Rachael Emmily as much as we do.

These two met online, Sam popping the question at a very sentimental spot to the couple, Madaleine fills us in. “Sam took me to the Melbourne Botanical Gardens (the same as our first date), took me to the spot we had our first kiss, and then got down on one knee with a very special ring. The main stone was from my grandfather who went fossicking throughout Australia in his lifetime, it was found in Inverell – regional NSW. The stone he had found and cut was a strawberry rutile quartz. My Mum and sister helped to pick it out of his collection and Sam had it custom designed into a stunning engagement ring.”

Now let’s be real, Madaleine showed utter commitment when she made not just her wedding jumpsuit, but also those of her bridesmaids!  Turns out, it was a lifelong dream for her! “I always knew from a very young age that I would like to someday make my wedding dress. I come from a very hands-on creative family.

Five years earlier I was travelling in Ireland and found an amazing wedding dress in a charity shop, it wasn’t my style but the crushed silk fabric was so beautiful. I loved the way it caught the light with warm undertones.

It was stressful making countless prototypes, however, I was very pleased with the result. I made a bridal jumpsuit with the top half made from Irish silk (the flower girl had a matching jumpsuit) with a detachable silk tea-length skirt. The skirt was one of my favourite touches, it had an organza overlay that morning light filtered through beautifully.”

 

Madaleine and Sam began their day at first light, with a first look, the bride explaining  “We got ready to start taking photos at sunrise for a bride and groom reveal, capturing the very first moments of the new day as we began this journey together.”

 

“Rachael Emmily was amazing!” remarks the bride. “She went above and beyond capturing our special day. She did lots of research and brought us to some hidden gem locations for wedding party photos. She also helped foster a relaxing atmosphere for our big day. Rachael’s work was delivered in the highest of quality and personal touches.”

The beautiful bouquets were filled with sunflowers, a sentimental choice explains the bride. “Sam’s Mum is a fantastic florist and made all our fresh bouquets for us. It was a beautiful bonding time the day before the wedding prepping all the flowers together.
Sam and I had been growing hundreds of sunflowers in our back yard (first flowers he gave me). Many prayers were prayed over the sunflowers and they all bloomed the day before the wedding. We also had some coastal touches from my home town.”

Handmade paper blooms were a theme of the wedding, all lovingly crafted by the bride, her mother and sister, Madaleine telling  “I knew I wanted to be as prepared as could be before the wedding and I loved the idea of enjoying our decorations long after the wedding. My mum and I made Italian crepe flowers, it was such a nice bonding time over cuppa’s, wedding prep and hot glue burns! My dad constructed the main backdrop for the ceremony which held most of the beautiful crepe flowers.
My favourite crepe flowers were the big white ones under the cake.”

The bride chose “What A Beautiful Name” by Hillsong for her walk down the aisle.

The couple chose one of their favourite spots, Nouriel Park, Albury, for their ceremony. “The park we got married in is very dear to us both and has shared many moments of our relationship” tells the bride.

“Sam and I like to shake hands it’s odd but one of our things. In the floral print of our invites and wedding favours, you can see some little covert hands shaking designed into the floral wreath. Our favourite pictures of the ceremony was just after we had said I do’s and kissed – we shook hands, unplanned, but naturally fitting with the quirky couple we are.”

And as they were pronounced married, the newlyweds danced back up the aisle to “Love Train” by The O’jays.

 

Once the morning ceremony was over, guests celebrated with a cocktail luncheon reception at The River Deck. Madaleine sharing “It was gorgeous to be on the banks of the Murray. The River Deck has such a stunning view of the park and a relaxing vibe.”

Tells Madaleine “It was really important for us to include the opportunity to share special moments with our family. The day itself was very relaxed and planned to give us plenty of mingling time with family, the majority of which have travelled from all parts of Australia.”

“My favourite part of planning the wedding was bonding with my husband-to-be” remembers Madaleine. “We did A LOT of planning together and (this) helped the day go smoothly.”

A big beautiful congratulations to the newlyweds! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day and its stories with us! Thank you also to Rachael Emmily for sharing today’s imagery with us!