For Laura and Paul their Sarabah wedding journey began with one of our Prune in June events.

They came and joined in with the annual winter festivity of pruning our vineyard’s vines, which is always accompanied by warming home cooked dishes that are paired with divine Sarabah wine. (And all amongst great company of course!)

In return, Laura and Paul got so much more than the case of wine we offer to each of those who come to prune, they got a true sense of Sarabah’s heart – enveloping everyone with open arms and the treating of all as family.

It was this feeling of familiarity and friendship that drew Laura and Paul to celebrate their wedding upon Sarabah’s vineyard grounds. When the couple arrived for their Bridal Viewing they were not only keen to see more of the various locations open to their wedding ceremony, but they were also in search of Phantom – our ever endearing Weimaraner dog –  who galloped up to them in excitement. It was like reuniting with an old faithful companion!

So when the day of the wedding came, Laura knew that she could relax fully into the day ahead as for her the beauty of being at Sarabah was that everyone there was a familiar face. For Laura this meant that nothing could go wrong as – in her own words – she had “her friends there”; we were more than just hosts.

Laura and Paul’s wedding was simple and understated, in the most wonderful way. Celebrations started with a champagne ceremony, which was combined with the gesture of throwing away the key to a locked wooden box of Sarabah Sparkling – which was engraved by Grand Engrave – into the dam which surrounds our very own little island.

It was upon this island that Laura and Paul had their gorgeous wedding ceremony. For us, part of what made their ceremony so unique was the impressive celebrant that they had chosen: Ben. Not only was he fantastic at elevating an already heightened mood of happiness but he was also extremely sensitive to the fact that this was Laura and Paul’s special day: he ducked out of all photos so as to not impose on the touching moments of their union.

And then there was the reception. Held in Sarabah’s marquee, Laura & Paul’s aesthetic was elegant, bright, happy and colourful. And the atmosphere was just the same! Little touches like succulents being not only used as table decorations but also shared as wedding favours is just one example of how they imaginatively executed their budget conscious approach.

The wedding was a long and lovely one – drinks and great conversation were shared for many hours! Yet luckily there wasn’t far for the bridal party to go afterwards as they had booked to stay at Deb’s housed up the track – a fabulous Gold Coast Hinterland Bed & Breakfast which is happy to come pick up guests and drive them up.

All in all, it was a mighty fine wedding day, full of the warmth and happiness that envelopes us all when surrounded by beloved family and friends. We hope that this feeling was shared by all who came, and we very much look forward to hearing all about Laura and Paul life as husband and wife when they next come long to a Sarabah Prune in June!

Psst… A quirky touch that we loved and had not come across before was the combining of both Laura and Paul’s surnames to result in their married name being Madshaw. We thought that this was a truly modern approach to the tradition of creating double barreled surnames and were impressed by the amount of research that had been done into the history of this “new” surname.

Have you ever encountered this combining of two surnames before? And what were the results? Do you think it’s a good idea? We’d love to hear your thoughts!