Madeleine + Martin by Bianca Virtue

I wanted our wedding to be classic, so we kept the florals green and white.

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

We both live in Melbourne, but for the first three years of our relationship, we were long-distance between Melbourne and Auckland before Martin moved in April 2025. Martin actually travelled to Melbourne five times, and we went to Europe together before I went to Auckland for the first time. Travelling back and forth for three years equated to 190,000+ km and 70+ flights.

I work in communications for a property developer and non-bank lender, and Martin is head of programming for a Padel club – one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. His background is actually in tennis – he played competitively until he was 21, and had a successful career leading a tennis club in Auckland for 16 years and touring with Grand Slam players as a hitting partner.

Martin has always been involved in sport and still enjoys staying active. Outside of that, a lot of our time revolves around food. I’m a big foodie and love cooking when I have the time. Living in Melbourne means we’re spoiled with an incredible restaurant scene, so most weekends involve trying somewhere new or revisiting favourites.

Our relationship has also been built around travel and adventure. Over the past four years, we’ve travelled between countries, across Europe, and made several trips to Queenstown – which ultimately became the place where we chose to get married.

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

Martin actually slid into my Instagram DMs in 2020 during COVID. At the time, it felt a bit like having a “modern-day pen pal”. I actually wasn’t sure it would lead anywhere, as I didn’t know him personally, it was COVID, and he lived in another country – and I hate flying!

Early on in those messages, Martin sent me a photo of Queenstown and said, “I’d love to take you here one day.” At the time, it just felt like a nice comment. Neither of us realised how important it would eventually become in our story.

The first time we met, Martin flew to Melbourne to see me was in 2021 during the short-lived Trans-Tasman bubble. We went for lunch at a local café and then walked along the beach. After that, we didn’t see each other again until April 2022, which is when we officially started dating.

Later that year, I finally visited New Zealand, and Martin took me to Queenstown for the first time. I instantly fell in love with it and said to him while we were there, “I’d love to get married here one day.”

We’ve now been to Queenstown together five times. What started as a message in an Instagram inbox slowly became the place where we would bring our families together and start the next chapter of our lives. 

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).

The location played a big part in this. We chose Winehouse because of its setting – the gardens and the mountains surrounding the property create a natural backdrop that didn’t need much added to it.

Our reception was held in the venue’s permanent marquee. The floor and structure itself are quite rustic, so we introduced a few elements to soften the space. We added draping on two sides of the marquee and installed white flooring, which lifted the interior while still keeping the character of the venue. We opened the marquee wall that overlooked the mountains, so the view was perfectly framed for our guests when seated.

I wanted our wedding to be classic, so we kept the florals green and white, working with the setting rather than competing with it. The combination of the garden, the mountain backdrop and the softened interior of the marquee created a space that felt relaxed and natural.

In many ways, the scenery did most of the work. Being surrounded by the landscape made the setting feel special and reflected why we chose Queenstown in the first place. 

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

Our wedding process was a bit of a rollercoaster. I had some really great experiences and some terrible ones during our planning process, which I’m still dealing with – my former custom wedding gown designer still has my dress and money.  

Some advice we’d give to couples is to pick good vendors who have top reviews and plenty of experience in the industry – this will save you a lot of stress, time and money in the long run. Read the fine print in contracts and do your research early. You can often find cost-effective options for signage, wedding favours, and other extras, which can also save a lot of money.

Be flexible and roll with it. Often, if things aren’t going as planned in the lead-up, something better will come from it. This is exactly what happened with me and my wedding gown situation. Leah da Gloria, a bridal couture designer in Sydney, was incredible, and they made my ceremony gown with two months’ notice. The gown I ended up with was beyond my dreams.

On the day, focus on what really matters – enjoying the moment and being present with your husband/wife and loved ones. We placed our phones in a different room and didn’t look at them once. That mindset makes all the planning worth it.

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

We were very fortunate with our vendors in Queenstown. Planning a wedding from Australia meant we relied heavily on people who knew the location well, and everyone we worked with there made the process smooth.

In particular, Sam and Ella from Winehouse. I couldn’t recommend them enough. Nothing was ever too hard, they were always available to talk, they were calm, organised and on the day it was like clockwork. Additionally, our wonderful celebrant, Sarah Noble, whom we initially did a video call with and then met in person back in October 2025 when we went back to organise additional elements for our wedding. She was incredibly warm, and we loved her from the minute we met her.

The rest of our vendors worked together seamlessly, which meant the day itself felt relaxed and enjoyable. Looking back, what we appreciated most was working with people who were experienced, practical and focused on making the day run well rather than overcomplicating things.

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

I had a whirlwind experience with my ceremony gown, but before I dive into that, I was lucky enough to wear my late mother’s custom wedding gown by Melbourne designer Adele Chapeaux from 1992 as my second look. I wore it exactly as it was, only having it slightly taken in to fit me perfectly. The seamstress I worked with specialises in wedding gowns and shared that she actually knew my mother’s original designer, whose studio used to be just a few doors up Toorak Road. It felt like a full-circle moment – carrying a piece of my mum’s wedding and her story into my own day. Wearing her gown brought a sense of comfort that I’ll always treasure.  

It’s now weeks after our wedding, and I still don’t have my original custom wedding gown or the money we’d paid for it. The designer had made it in the wrong fabric, with multiple design issues, and then told me they didn’t know what could be done in the time remaining. I requested a refund in October, and they are still refusing one, and have even stopped responding. This situation was, and still is, incredibly stressful financially and mentally.   

With only two months’ notice, Leah da Gloria, a Sydney bridal couture designer, was able to step in and do a rush order for me. I had just started a new job in September and had a couple of work trips to Sydney, which is how I was able to order the beautiful gown on my wedding day. At my first appointment, I was there for 15 minutes and knew immediately I had found the perfect wedding dress. In January, I went back for my first and final fitting with my godmother, who was also my late mother’s maid of honour. A week after that, Leah couriered the completed gown to me – this was one week before we went to Queenstown.

This process made me realise that everything really does happen for a reason – even though it didn’t feel like it at the time. The outcome ended up beyond my dreams.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.  

Martin proposed on Saturday, 21 December 2024, in an olive grove in country Victoria. It was a quiet, personal moment – just the two of us with no one else around. Martin knew I wanted a similar ring to my late mother’s engagement ring – a yellow gold band with a solitaire diamond with platinum claws. He designed my engagement with Orsini jewellers in Auckland. Our wedding bands were also custom-made by a local gentleman called Rodney – he was fantastic at taking us through the process and it only took three weeks. My wedding band is a full eternity band with a yellow gold base and platinum claws. Martin’s wedding band is solid 18ct gold.

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?).

The two elements we were happy to spend a little more on were the overall design of the space and the drinks. For me, design is about how a space feels and the way people move through it. We kept things classic, green-and-white florals, upgraded chairs for the ceremony and reception, and added white floors and drapes to the marquee. The landscape did most of the work, but these small upgrades made the space feel intentional and comfortable.

On the drinks side, we upgraded the champagne and added a few extra cocktails for our guests to enjoy, including limoncello spritz, dirty martinis (my personal favourite), and espresso martinis. It wasn’t about extravagance; it was about creating moments that our guests would enjoy and remember.

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

There were so many on the day. One that stands out is my first look with Dad. I thought it would be emotional, but it ended up being hilarious – and the most perfect, imperfect moment. When Dad walked out to the balcony, his friends drove past at the exact same time. He got distracted, and instead of turning to see me first, he ended up waving to them! My friends and the creative director actually captured the moment which was amazing – I posted it on my TikTok and it now has 1.1 million views.  

Other moments from the day included my 86-year-old Babcia (grandmother in Polish), giving us our wedding bands, and our niece who was our flower girl, and I placing our bouquets on empty chairs in remembrance of Martin’s and my late-mothers. We also arranged a helicopter to take us to Cecil Peak for wedding photos before dinner; this was incredibly special – overlooking Queenstown and having no one else around us.

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?

For us, marriage is about choosing each other every day. It’s not just about the big milestones but the ordinary parts of life as well.

We spent three years doing long distance between Auckland and Melbourne, which meant a lot of airport goodbyes, early morning and late-night calls. By the time we were married, we had already travelled more than 190,000 kilometres between us. That experience taught us that relationships require patience, communication and compromise. Marriage simply continues that commitment.

Our hopes for the future are quite simple – to grow together, support one another and eventually build a family. We also hope life continues to involve travel, good food and time outdoors.

And if Martin has his way, hopefully a lot of golf as well.