Maddi and Brent's wedding is over a decade in the making, having first met each other when they were 14 years old. The pair reconnected in 2011 and have continued to laugh together ever since. We sat down with Maddi to hear all about their love story, their dream wedding and finding her dream gown.
THE LOVE STORY
"We really balance eachother out," Maddi says when we asked her how the pair work. "I'm definitely more extroverted than Brent, and help to bring out that side of him. I'm easily stressed and Brent always has a "it will all work out fine" attitude."
THE PROPOSAL
In November of 2021, Maddi and Brent had a couples photoshoot organised, where Brent had planned to pop the question - the weather had other ideas though with the shoot being rained out.
Regardless, Brent still made the special moment happen by driving Maddi up to a look out they used to drive to when they first starting dating.
"It was honestly perfect, so special between just us two." Maddi said.
Following the proposal, Brent had organised a hotel stay and for their friends and family to meet them the next day!
THE PLANNING
Many of our White Lily Bride's tell us that one of the most important aspects of their day is finding the perfect venue. Maddi and Brent got married at Austin Villa Estate with 74 of their nearest and dearest. Maddi couldn't compliment the team more.
One of the things that made this venue for the couple was being able to have every one of their guests stay on site, and hosting a recovery breakfast the next day to soak up all the incredible moments from the night before.
"It just felt like we got to spend so much more time with our guests because of it."
It was important to Maddi and Brent to keep the wedding classic and timeless so they could look back on their special day in years to come and still love every element. Maddi added pops of colour with their cake, florals and welcome sign to add touches of their personalities.
Maddi and Brent made it a non-negotiable to stay together as much as they could during the reception. "It is so easy to get caught up in different conversations and we just wanted to be super intentional about experiencing the whole day together."
One of our favourite touches was finding out that Maddi and Brent surprised their mums by making them their witnesses. "We kept it as a surprise, our celebrant called them up during the ceremony and it was so lovely to see how honoured they were."
THE DRESS
When we asked Maddi about her experience finding her gown at White Lily Couture, she said this, "Honestly the experience was above & beyond what I could have wanted. I had shopped at one place previously and the experience just didn’t feel personal or as special as I wanted it to."
"At White Lily, my consultant made me feel like I was the only one in the store getting married and I had so much fun with my mum & friends trying dresses on and figuring out what I liked."
When Maddi found her gown, Daisy by Essense of Australia, the gown was part of a Trunk Show and only available for one weekend.
"When I put it on my mum and a couple of the girls cried. I just felt like me but elevated which is exactly what I was going for. I didn’t want to feel super uncomfortable on the day because I feel like that just shows."
Maddi's advice to future brides, "Definitely to keep an open mind, go in with a couple ideas of dresses you might like but keep your mind open to any suggestions the girls might have for you. They honestly know exactly what they’re doing and will know better than you sometimes what might look good. I had a specific dress in mind when I went and as soon as I tried it on I knew it wasn’t the one. So definitely try on a few options you think you might not like cuz you really never know!"
THE FINER DETAILS
Maddi and Brent's special day went off without a hitch. It was absolutely everything the couple hoped for. While the reception finished at 11pm, Maddi, Brent and a few extra guests, found themselves back in their bridal suite partying to soak up even more of their day.
Maddi says, "That was honestly the icing on the cake to just keep boogieing a bit longer with our best friends, although it definitely contributed to a few sore heads the next morning at breakfast."
THE ADVICE
Maddi suggests getting as organised as you can early on.
"For being such a Type A person I was strangely calm & relaxed the morning of the wedding and I think it comes down to knowing everything was under control and already sorted." She said. "I didn’t have to make any last minute decisions on the day or stress about anything at all. I just got to take it all in and enjoy it!"
THE POST-WEDDING CELEBRATIONS
Following their day, Maddi and Brent celebrated with a three week honeymoon in the UK and Europe. The pair enjoyed Glastonbury Musical Festival and they relaxed in Italy and Greece - definitely a well deserved break after wedding planning!
COMPLETE THIS SENTENCE
Being married means: Choosing each other everyday, always working on communication & finding the fun in life always
The Dream Team (AKA Maddi and Brent's incredible vendors)
Venue: @austinvilla_estate
Celebrant: @laurenbridgecelebrant
Photographer: @carlykellyphoto
Videographer: @michaelkellyfilms
Musicians: @johannaandjaydenmusic
DJ: @togetheryagencyau / @misterpgc
Florist: @_newromanticflorals_
MUA: @lilybrady_mua
Hair: @mikaela.fraisstudios
His Ring: @etrnl.rings
Her Rings: @nature_sparkle
