Maddison + William by Lovers by AVW

We wanted the space to feel intimate and serene.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

We’re Maddi and Will, and we’re both shift workers living and working in outback Queensland. I’m a registered nurse, and Will works in local Government. Our jobs are incredibly meaningful to us, and we love our lives living in the countryside.

Because of the nature of our jobs (and the spontaneous overtime that comes with them!), our days off are really precious. We love spending those quieter moments at home together, whether that’s enjoying a slow morning with coffee in hand, getting outdoors for a walk in nature, or cooking a meal to share with our friends that we have made in town. We both value a healthy, balanced lifestyle and try to make time for the simple, wholesome things that help us recharge, like going out to the local hotspots, trying new recipes at home, exercising, and laughing with our besties. Even though we both enjoy being active and social, we’re also very content just being in each other’s company, which, we think, is one of the most special parts of our relationship. We’re outgoing and love to be surrounded by the people we care about, whether it’s for a casual catch-up, a dinner party at home, or just sharing stories and laughs around the table. 

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

Maddi: Our story started back in 2017 when we first met at our old jobs. Will says it is a date he’ll never forget, as it was 9/11 (easy for him to remember, apparently!) I wasn’t exactly charmed at first… I actually thought he was a bit of an annoying chatterbox! I thought he was an extremely chatty, slightly annoying new guy who talked far too much. And yes, Will could definitely tell I wasn’t his biggest fan at first. But, as anyone who knows Will can probably imagine, he eventually got me to crack a smile (and maybe even laugh at a few of his jokes), and somewhere along the way, everything changed. From that point on, our connection grew naturally and the rest is history!  Now, years later, we still make each other laugh (most days!), love what we do in our new jobs, and still feel incredibly grateful to have found this kind of love and friendship in each other.

Will: For me, our story starts on the 11th September 2017, when I first laid eyes on her. It certainly wasn’t love at first sight like the fairy tale novels, but there certainly was something about her that had me wanting to get to know her more and more. I knew Maddi found me somewhat annoying and an unwelcome distraction at work, but that didn’t deter me from being the office clown. A lot of the early days are a blur, possibly on account of my poor memory retention, but I will always remember the first time I met her, the first time I made her laugh and the first time I held her hand. These early memories I truly cherish and are constant reminders of why we fell in love.

Our lives have changed so much in the years since we first met. We have accomplished so much as individuals, but we couldn’t have done it without each other.

We still love doing the same things together, like simply watching our favourite TV shows together or cooking. We also love to travel and spend time with family as much as we can around our busy schedules. Getting married was a mere formality, as we had been living life together as a married couple for so long already, but it truly was such a special day and one that I will remember as fondly as the day that we first met.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).

The most important vision we had for our day was to create an atmosphere that felt truly special, magical, beautiful, and ethereal, but never overdone. We wanted the space to feel intimate and serene. The Calile Hotel was the perfect location for that. Its already established and refined design meant we didn’t have to add too much to the space as it already aligned so closely with the mood we wanted to create.

Our wedding was always meant to feel relaxed, intimate, and a true reflection of us, not overly formal, just warm, beautiful, and filled with joy. We wanted it to feel like gathering all our favourite people in a space that felt calm, soulful, and a little bit enchanted. Dimmed lighting, the soft sparkle of fairy lights, and the shimmering reflections from disco lighting set the tone perfectly, thanks to the amazing team at Out of the Dark Lighting. And seeing it all brought to life so seamlessly by the Calile’s incredible event staff honestly blew us away. 

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

Stylistically, we were drawn to earthy tones and a soft, natural palette, warm neutrals, muted greens, gentle blushes, and creamy whites, with flashes of bright red, dark romantic flowers. Again, everything the Calile already does so well. I also knew from the start that I didn’t want our ceremony held on a lawn or outdoors. So the covered outdoor terrace venue we chose for the ceremony couldn’t have been more perfect. The soft, billowing curtains with the mirror-brass ceiling were so romantic! We added romantic florals to soften the space, and our statement floral piece by the incredible @gloriosaflorals captured the vision exactly.

Overall, we imagined a vibe of effortless elegance with a touch of the ethereal, modern, but full of heart. We wanted our guests to feel comfortable, surrounded by beauty that didn’t feel too “styled” or curated. More than anything, it was important that the day felt like us, wholesome, warm, and deeply in love.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

For us (and probably most couples!), the most rewarding part was seeing it all finally come together, the moment when all the planning, decisions, and details suddenly become something real. There’s nothing quite like walking into the space and realising, this is it, and it’s even better than you imagined.  Planning a wedding is definitely a unique process. It happens so far in advance that it can be hard to know if what you’re choosing now will still feel right a year (or more) later. My advice for couples just starting out is to stay true to what feels like you, not just what’s trending or expected. Let your decisions reflect who you are as a couple, and trust your gut. Don’t feel like you have to do things just because. Or spend money where you don’t feel it is worthwhile. Keep what will feel meaningful; it can be overwhelming, but it’s also such a rare and special time. We always talk about how we wish we could go back in time and experience it all over again…almost…

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

All of our suppliers were absolutely wonderful and did such an amazing job; we were honestly so happy with every single one of them.

Amy, our beautiful and kind photographer, was an absolute dream. She kept in touch throughout the whole lead-up to the wedding and made us feel so supported and special the entire time. Her photos turned out stunning. Everyone we’ve shown them to can’t stop raving about how beautiful they are. And beyond that, she’s just one of the loveliest people we met through the whole process. We’ve already been recommending her to all our friends and family with upcoming events! We also have to mention our incredible statement ceremony piece by @gloriosaflorals. I [Maddi] snuck down to take a little peek while they were still setting up, and it wasn’t even finished yet, but I was blown away. So, so beautiful. I honestly find creative people so amazing; it just blows my mind what they can bring to life. Creativity is one of the most invaluable things in the world, in my opinion! And finally, we have to give a big shoutout to the events team at The Calile. Planning a wedding is so stressful at times, and we probably weren’t the easiest people to deal with, but they were so calm, organised, and helpful. They made everything come together perfectly and were just incredible problem solvers. I couldn’t have done it without them!

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

Maddi: No wild story for Will and the boys, they were in and out with their suits in one day! Quick and easy, just how they like it. My gown, though, was a bit more special. I came across the Addilyn gown by Jenny Yoo online and instantly fell in love with it. I immediately found a stockist, booked an appointment, and as soon as I tried it on, I just knew it was the one. It was so elegant, ethereal, and felt completely me. I didn’t even need to second-guess it. zero regrets. It was everything I wanted in a wedding dress and more.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Maddi: I’ve been a huge fan of Sarah & Sebastian since around 2015, so I always knew my engagement and wedding rings had to be from the beautiful Australian brand, as nothing else compared to me. Their pieces are so delicate, timeless, and meaningful, and I still catch myself staring at them!

Will: I remember discussing with my mum that I wanted to get a simple gold band, and I was leaning towards getting the same brand as Maddi, from Sarah & Sebastian. But one day, mum dug out of the drawer a gold wedding band which had been gifted to my grandfather when he was married, but he never wore it as it wasn’t very common back then for men to wear a wedding band. I have always been rather sentimental, so when it was gifted to me to wear as my wedding band, it was very special indeed. It holds so much meaning to me, and is not just a connection to Maddi but also to my grandfather.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

Photography was definitely one of the big ones for us. We knew how important it would be to have those memories captured properly, and we’re so glad we found Amy. Her work is just so beautiful, and she made us feel so special the whole way through. Honestly, worth every cent, and the photos are something we’ll treasure forever. I never get tired of looking at them.   Food was another thing we really cared about. We just wanted everyone to have an amazing meal and feel really looked after. The Calile absolutely nailed it, everything was delicious and beautifully done. So many of our guests mentioned how good the food was, which made us so happy. There is nothing worse than hungry guests!

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

Seeing the space for the first time after the ceremony! We got to have a moment in the space before we welcomed our guests into the reception room, so that was incredibly special to us.

Another special moment was definitely our ceremony, it was so intimate and just being able to share such a milestone in our lives and express our love for one another in front of our family and closest friends is certainly a memory we will treasure.

Another great moment was when we landed at our honeymoon destination, turned on our phones and received Amy’s sneak peek photo album. We got to re-live the night over and over as we looked through photos during our honeymoon.