Real Wedding – Timothy & Madeline, Riddles Creek VIC

November 16, 2020 In Burgundy, Country, Garden, Latest Posts, Luxe, Outdoor, Pink, Real Weddings, Red, Victoria By Ivory Tribe

Real Wedding – Timothy & Madeline, Riddles Creek VIC

On a stunning summer’s day on their family property in Riddles Creek, Tim and Madeline wowed their guests with the most gorgeous of festivities.

With help from The Small Things Co, these two high school sweethearts realised their vision of relaxed sophistication. From the beautiful bridesmaids in glamourous gowns of burgundy to Madeline’s stunningly chic silhouette and an elegant ebony cake, this was a marquee wedding high on style and low on stress.

Florals by Raven and the Rose added vibrant pops of pink and crimson to the palette, adding tone and texture in the perfect finishing flourish.

Our favourite part of this day was the matching radiant smiles on Tim and Madeline’s faces, all captured with plenty of heart by Conner Vaughn Photography.

The meeting.

We met when we were really young. I was 15, and Tim was 17. We attended the same high school, but he was a couple of years above me.

We officially met at our school’s athletic carnival in March 2011. Tim was the school captain, and I was the girl that was winning all of the events. He pursued me relentlessly for about six months before I finally caught on that he wasn’t going anywhere until I gave him a chance.

A build-a-bear at my front door one Sunday night sealed the deal. I thought he was worth going on a date with, and the rest is history.

The ‘one’.

It’s hard to pinpoint an exact moment because we’ve been together for so long now, but I’d have to say when we realized we’d made it to adulthood – we were still as in love as ever, having the best time, and our lives seemed perfectly intertwined.

Getting together so young meant that it was either we grew apart or grew together, and as the years went on, it became very apparent to us that we only wanted to do life together.

The proposal.

Wow. This was a really special day, and in true Tim style, it was nothing less than over the top.

We headed out to the Yarra Valley for our (late) anniversary lunch. After we finished eating,

my sister in law appeared at the table and simply just took me away.

I then was taken on a journey to seven different locations across Victoria; at each location I received a letter and a rose from one of my nearest and dearest friends. Each letter contained memories and thoughts from each of the last seven years we’d spent together.

Disclaimer: my friends are very good liars and gave absolutely nothing away. The final stop was one of our favourite places, Riddles Creek, where I was greeted again by two friends who gave me my final letter and escorted me into the woods where Tim was waiting for me. The final letter was given to me by Tim; it read: Will you be my wife? Ta Da! We ended up getting married in this spot.

Planning process.

We knew straight away that we wanted to have a big marquee wedding on Tim’s family property in Riddles Creek for a few reasons. It’s very sentimental, completely stunning and we had over 200 guests on our list, so we needed the space.

More than that, we wanted to have creative control over our whole day and doing it ourselves from scratch allowed us a lot of flexibility when it came to accommodating this many people, within a reasonable budget.

Style inspiration.

To be completely honest, everything kind of came together. We wanted our wedding to be equal parts relaxed and sophisticated as we had quite a mix of guests, so the styling really reflected this. I loved the idea of having pared back styling, with really bright flowers to create a pop of colour and a point of difference.

The outfit.

I actually bought the first dress I tried on, and I can’t even tell you the brand.

My personal style is very modern and plain, and therefore I wanted my wedding dress to reflect this. I didn’t want to look back at my wedding photos in 20 years time and catch myself wearing a dress that was ‘trendy’ at the time but didn’t suit me or my style. With that, I had an idea of what I wanted in my head and when I went shopping, I just knew straight away that it was the one.

All of my friends told me that the dress was so perfect for me, and they couldn’t have pictured me in anything else.

Favourite moments.

Probably the drinks section between our ceremony and reception. Tim and I went off to do some photos but quickly came back to greet our guests in the garden and kick off the celebrations with a glass of champagne. It was so fun and relaxed, and although it wasn’t a traditional entrance into the reception, I loved having that time to say hi to everyone and enjoy myself before more formalities.

Meaning of marriage.

Marriage means doing life together – the good and the bad, the fun and the mundane. Knowing you have someone you can always count on and building a life together.

Wedding soundtrack.

Aisle: Canvas and the Clay by Pat Barrett

Recessional: Day One by Honne

Reception entry: Loving is Easy by Rex Orange County

First dance: ILYSB by LANY

Funny stories or near disasters.

It gives me PTSD to think about it, but we planned a completely outdoor summer wedding. And in the weeks leading up to the wedding, the weather forecast had that day pinned for the coldest, wettest November day in history. It was supposed to be 13 and raining, with thunderstorms. We didn’t have a plan B for our ceremony or cocktail hour, and it would have been a disaster.

But after lots of tears, and prayer, the weather ended up being a wonderful 18 and sunny. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect.

On the day, we also ran out of ice, and one of our dear friends actually had to go during the wedding and pick some up (I had no idea!).

Planning surprises.

The COST – I know I shouldn’t have been surprised, but we really thought that having a marquee wedding was the cheap way to go about it. And given that we had 220 guests, it did work out cheaper in the long run. However, we had many surprise costs along the way as we had to hire EVERYTHING. I guess I didn’t factor generators or even napkins into my budget at the very beginning!

Words of wisdom.

Do it your way. It’s really easy to feel pressured to do your wedding a certain way with so many opinions and options around you. Have a clear idea of how you want your day to be and try and stick to it as much as you can. There were so many extra things that I almost felt pressured to add, but I’m so glad I didn’t. I can’t even remember what they were now!

Wedding planning doesn’t have to be hard – enjoy it!

On the day, relax and enjoy. You can only plan so far. Embrace the day and everything that comes with it. Don’t forget what it’s really about. And make sure you squeeze in a minute with your new husband/wife to take a deep breath and marvel at the day.

Loving the pretty plum palette of Tim & Madeline’s day? Check out our compilation of some burgundy beauties and let your imagination be inspired by all things berry-hued! Perfect for perusing with a glass of red wine in hand…

TIM & MADELINE’S VENDORS:

Ceremony and reception venue: Private Property, Riddles Creek. The property belongs to Tim’s grandparents.

Officiant: Richard Kobakian, Senior Pastor at Lifehouse Church

Photography: Connor Vaughn

Styling and decor: The Small Things Co.

Florist: Raven and the Rose

Make-up: Jessica Basso

Shoes: Tony Bianco

Rings: Top Image Jewellery

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Bec + Bridge

Groomsmen’s suits and bow ties / ties: Zara

Catering: Indulgenz Catering