We were together young, so definitely had our ups and downs at the beginning, but we always knew it was going to be a forever kind of thing.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Rhys is Portuguese-Australian and grew up in the beach city of Wollongong in New South Wales.
Madeleine is from Tairāwhiti/Gisborne on the east coast of New Zealand.
We currently live in Auckland, which has been our home for the last eight years. Rhys works as a geotechnical engineer, and Madeleine is a sonographer.
We love spending time in the outdoors together and have enjoyed many holidays around New Zealand on a camping or tramping adventure. Rhys is a passionate hunter and surfer, and Madeleine loves meeting friends for a walk and coffee. On the flip side, we are also big homebodies who love a slow Sunday trying out new recipes together. We get so much joy out of creating a delicious meal for friends.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We actually met when we were young teenagers, both at boarding school in Christchurch. It’s incredible to think how unlikely it was that our paths would cross, especially as we both went to school so far from home.
Rhys, being the adventurous man he is, decided he wanted to go to boarding school in Christchurch from Australia after visiting his older brother at the University of Otago. Madeleine’s older brother happened to be in the same year as Rhys, and as the two became friends, our families quickly became very close.
We both took a shine to each other in the early days, but it wasn’t until a few years later that we decided we’d quite like to hang out without our families… and the rest is history. Madeleine still has to pinch herself sometimes when thinking about how she actually ended up marrying the older boy she had a crush on in high school!
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
When we finally had our first date, Rhys was at university in Wollongong, and Madeleine was studying in Auckland. So we had to decide very early on that we were serious enough to commit to doing long-distance. We were together young, so definitely had our ups and downs at the beginning, but we always knew it was going to be a forever kind of thing.
After our first year together doing long-distance between New Zealand and Australia, Madeleine took a gap year to join Rhys in Wollongong, and since then, we’ve been joined at the hip.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Yes, there was! Rhys’ original plan to propose during a trip to the South Island was interrupted by a Covid-19 lockdown, so the ring waited patiently for six months in the safe (which, thankfully, Madeleine never uses).
We were spending Christmas 2021 at Madeleine’s family bach on the shores of Lake Rotoiti, so Rhys concocted a new plan of proposing on Christmas morning at sunrise. He dragged me out of bed with the promise of a hot coffee to watch the sunrise, and dropped a knee on the shoreline.
It was so special to have that moment alone together and then to celebrate with Madeleine’s family afterwards. Many bottles of bubbles were popped that Christmas!
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.
We knew we wanted to get married at Madeleine’s family home on the outskirts of Gisborne, as we have spent many summers there together. It is such a special spot.
The garden at the property has been carefully curated over the last 20 years by Madeleine’s talented mum, so we wanted to focus on the beauty of the location. We asked all guests to wear neutral/white outfits to make the surrounding garden really pop!
Good food, good wine, and a good band were our top priorities for the day, as we wanted our guests to experience the very best of the East Coast!
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
You might be wondering why we had a Queenstown-based makeup artist and hair stylist for a Gisborne wedding… I have admired the work of the incredibly talented Liv King for many years, and we also happened to go to high school together.
It was so special to have someone I felt comfortable with alongside me on the morning of my wedding. Her work is so beautiful yet appears effortless—the perfect combination in my eyes. I don’t think it was a ‘splurge’, but it felt very extra flying her up for the event.
Our photographer, Zara Staples, was also a no-brainer. She is a fellow Gisborne local but is now based all over the world. She was the first vendor we booked – two years in advance, as we would have set the wedding date based on her availability! I am obsessed with everything she does, and she captures every moment of our day so perfectly
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Not that we knew of at the time – it went surprisingly smoothly for a home wedding!
However, a few weeks after the wedding, my good friend divulged that 30 minutes before the ceremony, there were actually no bubbles ready behind the bar for the post-ceremony. To make matters worse, the ice that was meant to be in the ice buckets was frozen solid in a giant rock. Her boyfriend had to attack it with an axe as the busloads of guests were arriving.
Luckily, Rhys and I were blissfully unaware at the time, and we each had a glass of bubbles in hand as soon as we were married!
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
I guess the most obvious unique aspect is that both of my dresses were blue!
When we first got engaged, I had no idea what kind of dress I wanted to wear… I was more excited about the styling of the reception than my actual outfit. It wasn’t until my mum suggested that I didn’t actually have to wear white that I thought a unique dress experience could be very fun!
I went for a wedding dress try-on at Trish Peng and fell in love with the idea of a simple, classic wedding dress, just in a different colour. I was inspired to go for the baby blue so it would pop against the vibrant colours of the garden, as well as look fabulous against the neutral tones of our guests’ outfits. I also went for a gorgeous Trish Peng mini dress in the same colour for the reception, which really got the party started.
Rhys went with a classic dark navy suit from Crane Brothers, with the subtle detail of our wedding date and initials embroidered on the sleeve. He, of course, paired this with his favourite pair of RM Williams boots.
CEREMONY & RECEPTION Madeleine’s Family Home, Gisborne, New Zealand PHOTOGRAPHER Zara Staples, @zarastaplesweddings VIDEOGRAPHER Zara Staples, @zarastaplesweddings with Jared Tinetti, @jaredtinetti FLORIST Botanical Lane, @botanicallane CELEBRANT Niki Ovenden, @nikioweddingcelebrant ENTERTAINMENT The Goodbrew, @thegoodbrewbandnz booked them using Better Band Company HIRE The Flagship Events Company, @flagship_events; Olive Linen, @olivelinen_nz; Martins Party Hire, @martinspartyhire MARQUEE The Flagship Events Company, @flagship_events CATERING Black Fig Catering CAKE Piko Piko Cakery, @pikopikocakery22 STATIONERY & SIGNAGE Simply Creative Studio, @simplycreative_studio ENGAGEMENT RING Partridge Jewellers, @partridgejewellers WEDDING BANDS Zoe & Morgan, @zoeandmorgan BRIDAL DRESS & VEIL Trish Peng, @trishpeng SHOES Jimmy Choo, @jimmychoo ACCESSORIES Earrings – Dior, @dior; Sunglasses – Anine Bing, @aninebing MAKEUP & HAIR Liv King, @livkingmakeup FRAGRANCE Jo Malone – English Pear and Sweetpea, @jomalonelondon SUIT Crane Brothers, @cranebrothers
