In the Royal Botanic Gardens under showery skies, Madeleine and Nathan wed on Sydney’s romantic waterfront. And what a celebration it was! With family pitching in to help design flowers and bake cakes, the bride and groom kept things simple and filled with love. Kristie Carrick Photography captured the day.

Friends throughout high school, Madeleine and Nathan began dating soon after. The bride remembers, ”We were in the same touch footy team and I couldn’t figure out why he kept passing me the ball. He finally struck up the courage to ask me out one evening and we’ve been together ever since!” Nathan’s proposal came a little while after the couple found the perfect Kalmar Antiques ring together, Madeleine telling, ”We picked the ring together but it took a couple of months before he dropped the knee in the doorway as I got home from work one afternoon. I got the biggest surprise.”

Finding wedding dress shopping overwhelming, Madeleine found an answer in Catherine Colubriale Couture. She tells, ”I wanted something that was comfortable and practical whilst still maintaining a feeling of elegance and beauty. Catherine was just beautiful to work with, I’d send her ideas and together we came up with a beaded lace top and a high waisted silk skirt that trailed behind me. I loved attending her Dulwich Hill shop for fittings, she was always bright and optimistic about every detail. She incorporated lace from my mums original wedding dress into the button up lace back and my veil hair piece which was very special and a personal touch. Catherine made me feel comfortable from the moment I stepped into her store and felt so beautiful in her design. I’m forever thankful and had a positive experience.” The groom and groomsmen wore suits from MJ Bale and ties from David Jones.

Planning their Sydney city wedding, the bride and groom kept things simple and embraced last minute changes. Madeleine shares, ”I felt better once all the big things were locked in. We figured the best approach was to keep decisions simple and straight to the point. We decided if our plans didn’t work out there would always be other options and opportunities to fall back on. We tried to plan our wedding but in reality our wedding planned us. The change from the Pavilion to the Calyx brought with it a feeling of excitement, so just went with the flow and it all exceeded our expectations. As I arrived at the ceremony, the London taxi drove up and pulled onto the lawn as it had been raining. I had a little freak out the car would get bogged on the lawn which was easily nipped in the bud by my bridesmaids. Something we still laugh about today. Nathan and the groomsmen were soaked by rain about 15 minutes before I arrived. He was really pleased when I finally arrived despite being fashionably late – at least I missed the downpour!”

Tarpeian Lawn, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney was a dream venue, even in the showers. The bride remembers, ”The ceremony was held outside overlooking the harbour with ferry’s cruising by as we said our vows. It was a very intimate affair surrounded by our family and friends. It did rain but this made it all the more special. Angela Finn was a great celebrant who put a lot of effort into our ceremony, incorporating our mum’s into the ceremony before the ring and vow exchange which was a special touch. We chose to have a reading from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres, and had our brothers Luke and Thomas as our witnesses. My mum walked me down the aisle to an acoustic version of ‘Guiding Light’ by Mumford and Sons sung by my cousin Matt Stewart.”

Filled with personal touches, the flowers Madeleine carried also held special significance. She shares, ”As a wedding gift my cousin created the bouquets for the bridal party. We pinned two lace handkerchiefs owned by my grandmothers to the handle of my bouquet. I had a mixture of white orchids, cream and peachy anthuriums, roses, dahlia’s and a few sprigs of rosemary. Steph from Nunu Designs put together flower and candle arrangements for the venues tables and set up our ceremony chairs and flower petals to be thrown by the guests at the end of the ceremony. She is a powerhouse and just a fantastic human all round, she even returned to the venue to pack up, wrapping all the leftover flowers to give to guests before they left. Our guests loved taking the flowers home at the end of the evening.”

Capturing the romance and joy of the day was the talented Kristie Carrick Photography. Madeleine tells, ”Kristie is genuinely one of the loveliest people you will ever meet. She was the wedding photographer for my two friends and we loved how relaxed and approachable she was from the moment we met. We locked her in as soon as we settled on our date and had no hesitations what so ever. Kristie is very organised and has a great eye for natural detail. She’s a calming force if you ever did need one and made taking photos a fun and straight forward process. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough.”

Embracing the changes that were out of their control, Madeleine and Nathan were thrilled in how their day turned out. They share, ”We initially booked our reception at the Pavilion on the Domain however due to renovations were moved across to The Calyx, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. We couldn’t be happier with how it all came together, it’s a fabulous space. We were really pleased and grateful for all the efforts and professionalism displayed by the team at the Trippas White Group, Bek and Jacinta were so lovely throughout the process. The Calyx was an amazing space to celebrate our evening, the massive green wall and Plants With Bite exhibition a great backdrop to the dance floor and overall very quirky and eclectic for our guests.”

A lot of love went into pulling this wedding together, the bride telling, ”The overall day was a family affair. From my cousin Matt singing me down the aisle, to another cousin putting together the bridal bouquets and buttonholes. My grandma who is 92 was present to help me get dressed, ready and accompany me in the black cab to the ceremony. My uncle is a pastry chef extraordinaire and hands down created the best wedding cake I’ve ever seen and tasted. It was a lemon sponge with passionfruit and mango cream, 90 eggs were used to create the masterpiece. The cake was the first thing we saw after returning from our photos as we walked towards the Calyx – I remember feeling so overwhelmed with excitement to try some! We also set up a guest book I purchased from Fira Studio and a polaroid camera for pictures and messages from family and friends.”

Every detail on the day came together, thanks to the outstanding group of wedding vendors Madeleine and Nathan chose to work with. They tell, ”Kristie and Steph from Nunu Designs were just the best to work with and made the day so much more stress free, enjoyable and lots of fun. Catherine Colubriale Couture was so wonderful, warm and talented bringing a beautiful design to life. James from Black Cab Central was so professional and played motown hits in the cab all the way to the ceremony. Alexandra Penton‘s makeup stayed on the whole evening and Amy Boyagi Hair Artistry is a superstar at perfecting hairstyles. The Calyx and Trippas White Group were so accommodating and professional, nothing was ever too much trouble.” The couple’s first dance as newlyweds was to ‘Give Me Your Love’ by Pete Murray.

Thank you to our gorgeous bride and groom for sharing your seriously beautiful wedding day, and congratulations! Thank you also to Kristie Carrick Photography for your lovely images.