“It was a romance that hit us and our friends by complete surprise, but it seemed to just work,” says Madi and Alex of their seven and a half year love story. “Now we legally have to give back massages and grab each other’s butts till the end of time.” On the day, there were shoeies, shetland ponies snacking on sleeves and tequila shots all round. Want to know more? Scroll down for all, including the awesome pics by photographer, Benedict Sutton…
THE VENUE “Heifer Station [is] a gorgeous vineyard that coincidentally happened to be the property that Alex’s grandfather grew up on, with his old wool shed being the place we held the reception. We knew it was always meant to be and it was almost like the venue chose us.”
THE INSPO “Being in a country town, on a rather rustic/farm style vineyard we kept within that motif. Alex often jokes that the theme was very ‘farm chic’. But the inspiration was drawn from our mutual love of mixing ‘the old with the new’.”
FAVE DETAILS “My (Madi) dress and shoe combo that allowed me to not only feel beautiful but extremely comfortable and relaxed. My brother-in-law also catered the event, and my goodness was the food good. We had slow cooked lamb and an array of delicious salads, along with a ploughman’s style grazing board.”
DIY “Most of the wedding was DIY as we wanted to keep to a tight budget (originally planning a long overseas trip, pre.COVID-19). We ended up making our welcome sign, making our own confetti from dried leaves and lavender (this looks amazing but goodness we underestimated the amount of leaves it would require to take to make enough, we also cut and sewed (Alex mainly) our linen table napkins- these were a huge hit and something we were quite proud of. We made all our table flower arrangements (spent close to a year collecting different bunches of dried flowers and vases), created our own music playlists, etc.”
THE DRESS “My dress is from Kara Thoms a beautiful online clothing boutique. I had a couple of bridal dress fittings and although they were stunning, I just didn’t feel myself and knew that it would be more authentically me to wear something less traditional. The experience was fun and overwhelming, it is a big decision to make, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
REFERENCES “We found our vendors mainly through recommendations and Instagram, a lot of our visual inspirations came from Hello May and Pinterest, however we were so lucky to have amazing local (Newcastle) vendors that we loved the look of and were extremely happy to support, it was a huge bonus when they were also willing to accommodate us and travel to Orange.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “Had a lunch time wedding which meant we got to spend even more time with our family and friends and make the most of the day. It was also held on a Friday, which meant the rest of the weekend was spent with all our guests, which added to the wedding magic and kept the love buzz alive.”
STANDOUT VENDORS “Benedict Sutton, our photographer without a doubt. He went out of his way to make us feel relaxed and comfortable from the initial meet up (having a beer at a pub) to playing music to assist with calming photo nerves. We had multiple guests comment at how well he blended into our family and friends, which made for some incredible shots. Our celebrant also created a seamless, funny, creative and tear jerking ceremony that didn’t leave a dry eye in the house.”
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Benedict Sutton Florist Florals by Sophie Jean (Bouquet & Buttonhole) Stationery Design Jessica Cousins (Friend) Printer Vistaprint Ceremony & Reception Heifer Station Catering Lourenco Wrublevski (Family) Cake By Gigi Entertainment Spotify Celebrant Shillobrations Rings Michael Hill (Bride) Made by A (Groom) Transport Cooks Bus Service THE BRIDE Bridal Gown Kara Thoms Veil Spell Shoes R.M. Williams Accessories Peggy and Twig (Earrings) & Made by A (Necklace) Hair Tangled Hair and Beauty Salon Makeup Hers Makeup Bridesmaid Dresses Hazel and Kolk Bridesmaid Shoes Planet Shoes Bridesmaid Gifts Peggy and Twig (Earrings) THE GROOM Custom Suit Studio Suits Shirt Gerase Tie Otaa Shoes Julius Marlow Grooming Tiffany Jane Barber Groomsmen Suits Peter Jacksons Groomsmen Gifts Mary and Tex Curious Emporium (Underwear & Whisky Rocks)