Maddie and Matt met online through a dating app in 2017. It took six weeks for the pair to meet in person but the connection was instant, as if they’d known each other for years. As things progressed, they bought their first house together and got engaged in 2021 in Scotland. Maddie remembers, “It was our first holiday since the pandemic started in 2020 and we were so excited to get away, even though it was only for a few days. On the day of the proposal, we went for a hike up to the top of a viewing point above Loch Lomond. It was a beautiful summers day and we were in a quiet space, just the two of us. Magical.” On 22nd October 2022, Madeleine married Matthew Wood at The Coach House at Markshall in an autumnal, vintage-inspired affair. Here, Maddie tells us more about their day... SETTING THE SCENE “When we started thinking about wedding venues, we knew we wanted somewhere with history and charm.” Maddie recalls, “We’d spoken about the idea of having a vintage-inspired wedding day as we’re both interested in the war-time era. As a history teacher at Honywood School in Coggeshall, Matt knew the Markshall Estate very well and had been on many a school trip to the area. It was also important for us to have the opportunity to use outdoor space as part of our day because we wanted family and friends who are clinically vulnerable to feel comfortable. “It was a beautiful September day when we first visited the Coach House. We met one of the wedding co-ordinators, Natasha, and felt that she took time to understand our vision for the day. One of the amazing qualities of the Coach House is that in many ways, it’s a blank canvas for your individual wedding preferences. We were able to envisage what our day could look like and it was great to have the flexibility to decorate such a beautiful space in the way we desired. Sadly, Matt’s Nan, Peggy, had died a few weeks before we got engaged. On the day we went to look at the Coach House there was a war-time aircraft flying over the estate which instantly made us think about Peggy, who loved planes and often reflected with us about her time as an evacuee during the war.” It was certainly meant to be. Maddie and Matt chose plum purple as the main colour for their colour scheme while adding other natural, autumnal colours to complete the look. The couple explain, “It was important for us to incorporate family into our day and we decided to have our tables names inspired by former surnames of our ancestors. I had researched both family trees extensively over the years, so we were able to use old photos of our family members alongside some of our ancestor’s valuable items such as an old typewriter, a pearl necklace and an old teapot. On our tables, we had apothecary bottles that we’d thrifted from charity shops and vintage emporiums for months in the lead up to the wedding day. Our florist, Kelly (Miss Fleur), sourced some beautiful, individual flower stems that we were able to add to the bottles to bring the tables to life. She also created something for the table where we’d sign the registers. She made a beautiful draping flower arrangement which we later transferred to our top table.” LOOKING THE PART Maddie wore a vintage-pink silk dress with a white lace overlay. The gown was designed by Millie May Bridal and purchased from J’adore Bridalwear in Coggeshall. Maddie didn’t have an exact design or colour in mind prior to going to the boutique but knew that she’d like her dress to be vintage style, if possible. Maddie styled the dress with a floor length veil which contained tiny crystals throughout and opted REAL WEDDINGS 37
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