Maddie + Hamish by The Berhardts - Together Journal

Australia wedding photography, bride and groom, flora design, wedding flowers, wedding gown

We met when we were quite young and our relationship slowly developed over the years to become what it is now. We often talk about how we quickly fell in love with each other but the beauty of our relationship is that it hasn’t had major turning points or changes, but grown and developed as we have. And here we are!

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

We live in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, both work in healthcare, and have a Groodle named Bear who is more human than a dog. We love trips of adventure together and are slowly working on renovating our first home.

Maddie – I’m a nurse/midwife. I love design and architecture, reading and many would say studying as I haven’t seemed to stop yet. I’m the kind of person who is always looking at what my next step is going to be and seems to make sure I don’t have a moment to spare.

Hamish – I’m a paramedic and make leather goods, like wallets and belts, in my downtime. I’m pretty easygoing, always in good spirits and I’m a self-proclaimed funny man. I think I’m right because Maddie has to constantly remind our friends not to laugh at me because it will only encourage me more.

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

We met at university in our first year of study. We had both joined a uni surfing club and met on a uni games trip to New South Wales, despite studying on the same small campus. We spent two weeks together where we got to know each other well and learned a lot about each other’s personalities and values.

Maddie – My first impression of Hamish was that he was a nice guy who was down-to-earth and funny. He seemed to always make the people around him happy and was genuinely such an approachable person. I found myself drawn to him, wanting to spend more and more of my time with him while we were away

Hamish – Maddie was initially very quiet, but as she came out of her shell, she was very fun to be around. She seemed like an interesting person to get to know and she was absolutely stunning. I was drawn to her because while everyone was lounging around in the sun talking, she was sitting there quietly reading a book.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…

Hamish – I had been planning the perfect proposal for Maddie for weeks. I had arranged for her closest friends to be there to capture the moment and had scouted out the perfect spot in the gardens. On the day of the proposal, I was feeling a little nervous and Maddie seemed to notice something was up. I tried to keep her distracted as they strolled through the gardens, waiting for her friends to arrive.

As we approached a beautiful brick arch covered in Boston Ivy, I knew it was time. I led Maddie away from the arch, promising to come back later, but I had to stall because her friends were running late. When we came back to the arch, I took a deep breath, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry me. I had a speech prepared, but at the moment, it all fell out of my mind. All I could think to say was how much I love her and want to spend the rest of my life with her, and then I pulled out the ring.

She said yes! As we hugged and started walking down the path, Maddie spotted her friends and burst into tears of joy. We had lunch together, called our family and loved ones on the way home, and celebrated with a beautiful dinner out. It was such a special and magical day, and I’m so happy that I nailed the proposal.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

Maddie – Whilst it’s difficult to do a wedding on a small budget, I think we did a pretty good job of keeping our costs down and didn’t spend a disproportional amount of money on one thing over another. I think the thing that stands out to me the most was my dress and Hamish’s suit. Hamish said something to me at the beginning of planning when I was picking out the dress that has stuck with me. I was tossing up between two options, one of which was less expensive but probably more my second choice than the other. He said, “Imagine walking down the aisle in your second favourite option”. We made sure we were 100% happy with these options and whilst they were astronomical, we definitely didn’t cut corners with our outfits.

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

Hamish – I think if you asked, people would describe me as a well-dressed man. I had a good idea about what I wanted to wear before we designed the suits, I just had to find the right tailor. I knew I wanted to wear a double-breasted suit jacket, with contrasting pants. Given that it was spring, I thought sage green would be the right choice but wanted something different from every other sage green suit jacket. I chose a checked plaid pattern and cream pants and a tailored shirt. The highlight for me was the lining of the jacket. I chose an orange paisley silk lining that could only be seen when the jacket was off.

Maddie – I knew I had zero say in what Hamish was going to wear, so I never tried there. I ended up having my dress made as I struggled to find something with all the elements I loved. I wanted to have something that was simple, clean, and timeless. The design features I loved were the low back and the lines that followed the curves of my body. The special part for me was my veil. It wasn’t a typical tuille veil, it was a soft silky chiffon that I pinned over my low bun. This piece of fabric was the shall my Mum wore at her wedding and was so important for me to include in my day.