M.J. Bale: Hi Madeline and Oliver! Congratulations on your wedding! How did you two first meet?
Oliver: The very first time we met was during a dinner event for my work colleagues. Madeline’s best friend planned to invite her boyfriend to dinner at the time; however, he couldn’t make it, so she asked Madeline to come along instead. We ran into each other numerous times after that in the city before Madeline heard from my colleagues that I was interested in her. The feeling was mutual, and the connection was instant. We knew that we were drawn to each other.

MJB: And was it love at first sight?
Madeline: It was instant. Love at first sight. I thought Oliver was very sweet, and he made it known to me and all his friends that he was interested, which I found incredibly sexy. It was a feeling of familiarity – like we had known each other for years and for the first time in our lives (in any relationship, both romantic and not), we didn’t hold back and were completely vulnerable with each other. We talked about everything and nothing - from that moment on, we were inseparable.

MJB: Madeline, what was it about Oliver that made you fall for him?
Madeline: Wow, I could spend forever on this question. Oliver is the best person I have ever met. To his core, he is a good person. He showed me what unconditional love is, and being with him feels like home. Oliver makes me giggle, and we laugh our way through life. He improves the quality of my life just by being next to me, and I don’t know if many people get to experience love like this; it is indescribable.

Oliver makes me feel safe enough that I can be so soft and show kindness, and he is the only person who gets to see that side of me, and I am grateful every day for that. He accepts me for everything that I am and doesn’t want me to be anyone other than myself, and I do the same for him.

MJB: And Oliver, what did you love about Madeline?
Oliver: My first impression of Madeline can be described in one word: wow. I honestly felt like the goofy kid in high school looking at my crush, who was so far out of my league. I saw how beautiful she was, but moreover, on getting to know her, I saw how good of a person she is. How kind she is. How warm she is. I felt this feeling of comfort and familiarity that I had never experienced before, and I felt it quickly.

I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and I couldn’t stop talking about her, a fact that became known to her very early on, as it was blatantly obvious to everyone in our friendship circles. I think we were able to recognise we were a good match from the very start. Despite our different upbringings, we have very similar morals and beliefs, which is shown by our approach to almost everything we do in life.
Being more introverted, Madeline can make me feel comfortable and allow me to be the best version of myself. I feel most like myself when I am around her.

MJB: Tell us about the proposal. Where was it? How did it happen? Was it a surprise?
Oliver: Throughout the relationship, Madeline has always liked to be the one to plan holidays and big events. Two years ago, she planned a Europe trip, which involved visiting Italy and France. She had each day meticulously planned and mapped out – except one. I had negotiated with Madeline for a day in Tuscany. To plan this would take years of experience, only achieved by years of watching how Madeline plans holidays and events. I organised the details with people in Italy and even went looking for engagement rings in secret (which is a hard thing to do in Canberra, where everyone knows everyone).

We travelled to Italy, a trip we had to postpone many times (due to COVID). Unfortunately, when we arrived in Rome, our luggage, along with the engagement ring, didn’t. Luckily, we got our bags five days later, a few days before I had planned for the proposal. I planned a day of exploring Tuscany in a vintage Alfa-Romeo Spider. We went to wineries, castles and villages before returning to our hotel, an old 14th-century castle.

Madeline was very tired from a day of wine tasting, so she didn’t want to make a big deal for dinner. For the first time in our relationship, I was the one having to convince Madeline to dress up for dinner. After much convincing, she put on a dress and looked stunning as always. I took Madeline to a chapel at the back of the property, where I proposed. A bottle of champagne and a professional photographer followed, to top off a day of drinking and exploring Tuscany.

MJB: Tell us a bit about your choice to don an M.J. Bale number for the wedding. Were you chuffed with the outcome?
Oliver: I’ve been wearing M.J. Bale suits for years now and love the way they feel and look. I was looking for the classic old money, vintage, timeless look, and M.J. Bale was the first store I had in mind. I loved the timelessness of the suit, the fabric and the fit. The theme for our wedding was black tie, and given the time of year, being summer in Australia, it called for a fabric that was going to wear well in the weather. Despite the heat, the suit felt fantastic and, along with the bowtie and pocket square, made me feel like James Bond.

MJB: Can you both talk to us about the venue for your wedding, where it was, and what the inspiration was? It looked stunning!
Oliver: We had our wedding at the stunning Redleaf in Wollombi. We got engaged in Tuscany and wanted to have a Tuscan wedding in Australia to celebrate with our family and friends. We had an intimate wedding with an authentic caterer, Ciao Pepi’s, who served all our Italian favourites, which was very important to Madeline as she is Italian. We had limoncello gelato served out of lemons, homemade pasta, and a spread of Italian canapes and mains.

MJB: Thanks, guys!