Samantha, who works in influencer marketing, and Josh who is a videographer and director, approached wedding planning in a similar way that do their jobs. They pooled their creativity to plan a wedding which felt entirely right for them. Their venue choice really set the tone too. The Madonna Inn gave them pattern, colour and kitsch without needing to go overboard on the decorations.

They got engaged on 13th September 2023. Two years later, on the same date, which also happened to be Samantha’s grandmother’s birthday, they were married. “She passed several years before and never met Josh, but in my heart I knew she would be happy to share this special day with us”, Samantha explained. “It was a moment in the wedding planning process that made us feel like we were on the right path in the universe.”

The Garden Room at the Madonna Inn already fit the theme with its chandeliers, patterned carpet and layered wallpaper. “Kitschy, vintage, and colourful,” Samantha continued when we asked about their theme. “Josh and I both love all things vintage, so the Madonna Inn felt like a perfect choice for us. We decided to lean into the unique aspects of the hotel, and encouraged guests to wear fun and colourful attire to match it. The day we got engaged, I started curating vintage items for our décor. I would look on eBay, at local thrift stores and flea markets and over the two year engagement carefully curated each piece. I even used some of my grandparent’s and great grandparent’s silver and crystal pieces as décor. The most special piece, and what I considered my ‘something borrowed’, was my grandparent’s cake server and knife set with their names engraved in it from their wedding in 1969.”

Samantha wore a short dress from CINQ with a vintage veil. “Long dresses never felt like ‘me’, and I wanted to find something that reflected my personality and own personal style”, she said. But finding it took work. Most of the bridal stores she visited didn’t have many short options. “When I tried on my dress and veil, I KNEW it was the one the second I put it on.” Josh wore a custom embroidered shirt by ChainSmoke NYC, with their names and wedding date on the back.

Although they planned everything themselves, the vendors they did hire were wonderful – especially their photographer. “They all went above and beyond to make our day special. We could not have done it without them and are so grateful we got to spend our day with them! Big thank you to our photographer and content creation team for capturing all the special moments of our day!”

They did skip a professional videographer though, which was their only regret, “We opted to shoot it ourselves since we’re both creative and have many friends in the industry who could help shoot content for us. However, we ended up losing footage due to a camera malfunction which was disappointing, but truthfully not the end of the world. We learned a valuable lesson – HIRE PROFESSIONALS if you want things to go 100% right. All in all, we don’t really have any regrets about it though. Our wedding was truly a day we’ll never forget, despite some hiccups.”

However, if given the chance to redo the day, they would not change it. “Honestly, we wouldn’t even want a re-do!” the bride concluded. “That day was one of the best days of our lives and meant so much to us.”