Skip the rules: an elegant winery wedding
Maddi and Liam’s wedding was a beautiful reminder that the best celebrations are the ones that feel like you. While their style was timeless, simple and classic, the way they approached their day was anything but ordinary.
Set among the beautiful surrounds of Mount Macedon Winery, the couple chose a venue that could speak for itself, allowing the natural beauty of the landscape to take centre stage. With a two-year engagement, they enjoyed a relaxed and thoughtful planning process, carefully creating a day that reflected what mattered most to them.
And that meant letting go of traditions that didn’t feel quite right. Maddi and Liam walked down the aisle together, chose to have their bridal party seated rather than standing beside them during the ceremony, and even spent the night before their wedding together. For them, the celebration was never about following a checklist – it was about starting this next chapter in a way that felt authentic.
Maddi looked incredible in a timeless strapless gown, later adding a sleek scarf for the reception and proving that the perfect second look doesn’t always need to be a completely different outfit. Her bridesmaids in rich chocolate brown added a modern, sophisticated touch to the day.
Captured beautifully by Georgia Verrells, Maddi and Liam’s wedding is a celebration of thoughtful choices, meaningful moments and a couple who weren’t afraid to do things their own way.
The meeting.
Hinge. Turns out it was a sliding doors moment. Prior to meeting, we had certainly been in the same place at the same times but had never met. We had a few close mutual friends which helped as they gave us positive reviews of each other. One of our mutual friends Kelly has an iconic message of Maddi asking, ‘who is Liam Lloyd’?
On the first date, Liam arrived on time, Maddi was 15 minutes late. Liam watched as Maddi drove past looking stressed, trying to find a car park which is very on brand for Maddi – still is to this day. It was funny because Maddi lived less than 1km away but was running too late to walk. Liam is the type of person to leave 15 minutes early to something whereas Maddi will squeeze in every last activity before jumping in the car to head somewhere. We grabbed a coffee and went for a wander along Hampton Beach which turned into a two-hour walk.
The one.
We both knew very quickly that we loved each other, but it took a few months to say it after a sunset run looking at the city lights at Green Point.
For Liam, it was when he realised he could be his true self around Maddi, without having to think about what he would say or do.
For Maddi, it was when everything felt so natural – like they had known each other forever, even from those very early days. Maddi felt so supported by Liam during her transition from uni into full-time work, navigating crazy rosters and very long hours as a junior doctor. He would surprise her by visiting in the evenings with snacks and cuddles after long days. She found herself counting down the days until she could see Liam again.
The proposal.
Sydney, Good Friday 2024.
They hadn’t been to Sydney together before, but Liam thought he needed to just “get it done” and decided there was no better place than a beautiful beach setting on a warm summer’s day.
They were walking along the cliffs between Bondi and Bronte Beach, dressed in their exercise gear and still a little sweaty after a run, when the perfect moment arrived. Maddi’s best friend Mel was with them – the only person who knew Liam was planning to propose.
Mel was brilliant, subtly suggesting different spots along the walk where Liam could pop the question. The funny thing was, Liam hadn’t really given her any details at all. All he had said was, “I will propose somewhere along this walk when it feels right.”
When Mel asked whether she should join them for the walk or just meet them at the end to celebrate, Liam simply replied, “Haha, come along for the walk if you’re keen!” Mel was a little confused about whether her presence was actually wanted, but she played her role perfectly.
Eventually, Liam found the moment. Out on a rock shelf overlooking the water, he got down on one knee. Maddi immediately laughed and said, “You’re joking, get up,” as Liam began unpacking the ring – which had been wrapped in toilet paper and hidden inside a little baggie.
Maddi was completely shocked. To this day, she still can’t believe Liam managed to keep it such a secret. Other than a small mishap earlier in the week, when she spotted a ribbon from a beautiful jewellery brand in his car on the way to dinner, she had absolutely no idea.
Liam quickly attempted to throw her off the scent by buying her a pair of earrings as a decoy – and thankfully for him, the plan worked.
Planning process.
We had a two-year engagement, which meant the planning process was super easy. We looked online at a few venues and only visited two in person. We wanted a venue outside of Melbourne so we could make a bit of a weekend of it, but also somewhere that wasn’t too far away if guests needed to get home to their children after the wedding.
We knew we wanted a Saturday wedding, as we wanted to make logistics as easy as possible and not have to ask anyone to take days off work (although, working in medicine, there are really no easy days!). We also knew we wanted to have a big recovery party the following day, so a long weekend felt like the perfect option.
We locked in Mount Macedon Winery almost two years in advance so we could secure the March Labour Day long weekend. Booking the venue and date so early made the process much easier, as we were able to secure our top picks of vendors.
Our photographer, Georgia Verrells, and our band, Like This Entertainment, were locked in over the following few months. It was helpful to have met the incredible Georgia at a friend’s wedding, and we knew straight away we wanted her to capture ours. It was the same with Like This Entertainment — after seeing them play at a friend’s wedding, we knew we had to have a live band.
We would highly recommend locking in your venue, photographer and entertainment early, as this made the planning process so much easier for us. We had attended lots of weddings in the years leading up to ours, so we had come across many amazing vendors who we later chose for our own day.
Bonnie Blossom, our florist, and Olivia Florence, my makeup artist, were easy decisions after meeting them at close friends’ weddings. We had all of our vendors locked in about a year out, which made the process feel incredibly relaxed. It meant there was no panic or stress, and we had plenty of time to focus on choosing all of the smaller details.
Style inspiration.
We wanted the style to be classic and simple. We loved the outlook and Australian feel at Mount Macedon Winery and knew we wanted to keep our florals very simple. We went for a white and green colour palette for florals, which looked amazing against the autumnal colours at the winery. We kept all styling to a minimum; the winery spoke for itself. We loved the look of the natural wood of the tables, went without tablecloths and styled with bud vases and natural coloured linen serviettes. When our venue was so natural and beautiful, we really didn’t want to add much.
The ceremony.
We wanted a ceremony that felt light-hearted and warm. We wanted to have laughter! We also wanted every part of the wedding to feel like ‘us’ so opted to walk down the aisle together. It felt so right! Walking down the aisle together and having your favourite people staring back at you was an incredibly special moment for the two of us.
The outfits.
Maddi – I knew I wanted a simple white wedding dress that was form-fitting and classic. I visited around four or five bridal boutiques and tried on lots of different options, but I always came back to what I had pictured in my mind – a strapless dress. I found it really helpful to take along my mum, sister and one of my best friends to take photos and give their opinions.
Liam – A tuxedo. The team at Black Tie Classic in Carlton were incredibly helpful in tailoring my suit and organising the outfits for my groomsmen.
Favourite moment.
Maddi – I loved our cocktail hour and post-ceremony pictures. We were just so excited and happy, wandering across the beautiful grounds of the winery, with a cocktail in hand.
Liam – The whole day. It’s honestly the best day of your life, which you get to share with your nearest and dearest. It goes too quickly!
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: Exactly How You Are – Ball Park Music, performed acoustically
Recessional: Twist & Shout – The Beatles
Reception Entry: You Make My Dreams – Daryl Hall & John Oates
First Dance: Higher & Higher – Jackie Wilson
Planning surprises.
We were surprised to find the whole wedding come together so easily without any stress for the most part. Booking in all the vendors and the venue so early on was just so easy. We found after we’d done that, there really wasn’t much else to do in the months leading up beyond choosing my dress and Liam’s tuxedo. It got a bit busier in the six weeks or so before the wedding when we had to sit down and choose the details of the day. We both had the week off work before the wedding and found ourselves very busy, with printing runs to Officeworks, picking up the dresses and suits, and organising all the bits and pieces for our recovery party.
Words of wisdom.
We would really recommend making sure the wedding feels just right for you as a couple. We didn’t do all the usual traditions as it didn’t feel right for us. We stayed together the night before our wedding, walked down the aisle together and made sure that every part of the day felt like us.
Maddi & Liam’s Vendors
Ceremony and reception venue: Mount Macedon Winery
Celebrant: Sophie Gouldson, Sophisticated Ceremonies
Photography and videography: Georgia Verrells
Florist: Bonnie Blossom
Hair: Nat at Hair Matters, Woodend
Make-up: Olivia Florence
The dress and veil: Made with Love
Shoes: Mi Piaci for Maddi, Florsheim for Liam
Rings: Engagement and both of our wedding rings are from Louise Jean
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Shona Joy
Suits and accessories: Black Tie Classic
Cake : Mignone Cakes, Kyneton
Stationery / Signage: Designed ourselves on Canva, printed through Canva and Officeworks
Entertainment: Like This Entertainment
Transport: O’ Rileys bus company, Macedon
Honeymoon: Margaret River, WA
