Alfresco Black Tie Wedding in Summertown

With the Adelaide Hills as their backdrop, Madeleine and Jack created a black-tie garden wedding that felt thoughtful and personal. Green-and-white florals blended into the setting, guests travelled from near and far, and the whole day carried a sense of warmth and gratitude. Behind the camera, Story Studio captured it all as it happened, with their natural, feeling-focused style.

Jack moved to Portland from Australia while on an exchange program at Pacific University. Little did he know that as he fell in love with the country and people, there was one more thing waiting for his love: Madeleine. “We met at ‘The Ship’, which I suggested as it was my local favourite dive bar at that time. We talked all night, even continuing to sit outside until 3 am after the bar had closed at 2. He drew an oval and pitch on a cocktail napkin when I couldn’t fathom the concept of 2 batsmen running back and forth at each other while taking turns batting. After graduating, he came back to Portland on a working holiday visa where he lived with his roommate at Pacific, Alex, and his girlfriend, Olivia,” she explained.

“We met halfway through his year-long visa while he was working and living in Portland. I knew I liked Jack the night we met, and after that night, we spent almost every day together, going forward, and when not together, talking as much as we could. It wasn’t until I did the first of what would be many PDX to/from ADL trips that we didn’t talk for more than 24 hours.”

With a dual day off, Jack planned a sentimental day out for Madeleine and him that ended in a surprise. “The day started with lunch at Mt Lofty Ranges Vineyard in Lenswood. After enjoying lunch, he then surprised me by letting me know we were staying at Mt Lofty House for the evening. The venue had sentimental significance as it was the place my parents stayed when they first came to Australia shortly after I moved here. After settling into the room, Jack “forgot” something from the car. He ducked out and met two of our best friends, who were dropping off a platter, some champagne and the all-important ring… Shortly after returning to the room, Jack suggested we have a glass of wine while looking over the picturesque Piccadilly Valley. He then proposed.”

For his wedding suit, Jack chose a beautiful set made by Joseph Uzumcu in Adelaide. A classic white tailored jacket, black pants and black leather detailing were the perfect look for their black-tie alfresco wedding. “I consider Dan, Jack’s best man, to be our best man. We met when Jack and I were dating, became roommates when I moved to Australia for Jack, and eventually became friends. Alex, Jack’s roommate from Pacific, and Joseph, his cousin, were his groomsmen. We were conscious of the financial demands we could make on our bridal party, especially in addition to travel costs,” Madeleine explained.

Five months out from the wedding and Madeleine didn’t have a dress, something she wasn’t stressed about until she was constantly told by salespeople, friends and random strangers online that she’d left it too late. “There was this expectation that I should already know exactly what I wanted before I’d even tried anything on. That pressure made me doubt my instincts, and I started to believe what I was being told – that I’d left it way too late, that I should be panicking, and that I might end up a bride without a dress. At the same time, I had to let go of a fantasy. I knew how I wanted to feel, but in practice, once we’d locked in a summer date, I had to realistically take the weather and comfort into account. That meant letting go of sleeves and heavier fabrics I’d imagined early on. It wasn’t one big “this is the dress” moment, but a series of trade-offs that slowly came into focus,” she shared.

“The second time around, my Mom flew from Portland to meet me in Sydney, which changed everything. She worked in fashion as a buyer and brought confidence and pragmatism I didn’t have at that point. The dress was over budget, but once I had it with me on the flight home, the doubt disappeared. It felt like a dress for me. On the day, I also wore diamond and aquamarine earrings that belonged to my great-grandmother and had also been worn by my Mom and aunt.”

She had her friends from Portland, Mackenzie and Olivia, in her wedding party, and had her cousin and best friend, Connor, as her Mate of Honour. “I asked them to wear tea or floor-length black dresses. They both chose Aje dresses in different styles.”

Their venue for the day was this beautiful property in Summertown owned by Peter and Caroline Fryer. “They were incredible hosts and had the place looking immaculate. We will be forever grateful to Pete, Caroline and their kids, Charlie and Zoe, for letting us have the wedding at their house and for going on the journey with us. We often reminisce about the day while having a beer or glass of wine poolside.”

Mary from Poppies Flowers took care of all things flowers for Madeleine and Jack. “We were really deliberate about the flowers and wanted them to feel integrated with the setting rather than decorative. She was honestly a superstar, balancing being both a vendor and a guest on the day,” Madeleine explained.

“We kept the palette to green and white, starting with white roses. I’m from Portland, which is known as the City of Roses, so that felt like a meaningful nod to home. It also worked perfectly with the venue, which already had beautiful white climbing roses in the garden. I didn’t want to gild the lily or add anything that felt out of place, so instead of an arch, we chose a grounded floral piece that sat around us during the ceremony. Everything felt classic, garden-like and very natural.”

Madeleine walked down the aisle with her dad on her arm as “New Slang” by The Shins and “Invisible String” by Taylor Swift soundtracked their long walk. “I’m very close with him and I’m his only daughter. The aisle was long and winding through the garden, so we chose two songs. Folklore is an objectively incredible album, and I don’t care if it’s cringe to pick a Taylor Swift song – it’s a great song.”

The main feeling Madeleine and Jack wanted to project throughout the whole day was gratitude. And their ceremony was the perfect example of that, nothing formal or performative – just warmth and celebration. “Our great friend Benjamin Zampa was our celebrant. We asked him early on if he’d be willing to become a celebrant and make our wedding his first, and thankfully, he said yes. He finished the course just in time and did an unbelievable job. We didn’t include traditional readings or write our own vows. Instead, Ben worked closely with us to shape something meaningful without being heavy,” they shared.

“The ceremony was intentionally short, which we were very relieved about. Ben was flawless right until the end, when he accidentally closed with “you may kiss your seal with a promise,” which I didn’t even notice, but apparently was a moment of levity for everyone else who did hear. Jack and I have reverence for our relationship, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously, so for us, it felt right to transition to the fun part with laughter.”

Every detail was intentionally planned to acknowledge the places and people who’ve shaped them, both individually and as a couple. Madeleine’s jewellery included heirloom pieces worn by her maternal family members. Food was an important aspect of the day, as was making sure their guests were comfortable from start to end. “We also made sure to pay for professional pack-up and clean-up so no one we love had to worry about logistics. That felt important and respectful,” Madeleine explained.

Another important part of that intentionality was their vendor dream team, a group that made their wedding all the more special: “Mary from Poppies Flowers, Montana, our planner, Zest Entertainment, our photographer, Nathan, and our caterers, Sublime, were all exceptional. They were calm, generous, and completely aligned with what we wanted. Across the board, it felt like everyone genuinely cared.”

The five things that made this black-tie alfresco wedding so unique to Madeleine and Jack included:

“1. Our guests

2. The venue

3. The things that went wrong that we let go of

4. All the small things we did as a ‘nod’ to the people most important to us, whether they were noticeable or not

5. The rain that stopped 10 minutes before I walked down the aisle, another tribute to Portland, which is infamous for its rain.”

Nathan Story from Story Studio was the perfect photographer for Madeleine and Jack, capturing the day in his signature warm, in-the-moment style. “Nathan was honestly the perfect photographer for us. From the start, he really understood the vibe we wanted and never made anything feel staged or overthought. He was calm, organised and kind of just blended in, which meant we never felt like we were performing for the camera,” they shared.

“One of the best calls he made was suggesting we sneak away for sunset photos. We weren’t planning to do them, but he framed it as a chance to take a breath and have a minute together. We trusted him, and I’m so glad we did. It ended up being one of the only quiet moments we had all day, and the photos feel very true to how it actually felt.”

Madeleine has this wisdom to share with couples on their own wedding journeys: “For your wedding, do it together to make it truly special. Don’t stress over minor details like forgetting a fake tan. Focus on what truly matters and let go of the rest. In marriage, you’re now a family. Always give your partner the benefit of the doubt and assume good intentions. Talk positively about them behind their backs. It’s perfectly fine to take some advice when it resonates, discard others that don’t feel right. Advice and notions are subject to change, just as people and relationships are. Go to bed mad if it’s past your bedtime.”

Aside from the blissful photo of their wedding party on the driveway, Madeleine’s favourite captured moments were the shots of her and Jack dancing in the setting sun. “We hadn’t planned it, but it gave us a quiet pause together and resulted in some of our favourite images.”

If Madeleine had to pick one detail as her favourite, it would have to be the food and service from Sublime. “We loved the food as much as our guests did (which we know because everyone said how good the food was). Our wedding cake, which was vanilla with raspberry jam, from Heidelberg, was incredible, and my favourite macarons from Red Cacao are still my favourite to this day.”

Despite their nervousness, Madeleine and Jack had the perfect first dance to Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey. “It’s our collective favourite and reminds us of when we first met and spent long car rides together early on. I also danced with my dad to “Way Back Home” by The Crusaders, which is his favourite band. We surprised him with a live saxophonist, which was really special and a small way of acknowledging how important he is to me.”