I know Madeline Brewer, 33, from The Handmaid’s Tale and You. She’s a striking American actress, and she just married a dashing British producer in England! Brides magazine has an enchanting writeup of their romance, engagement and fairytale wedding – complete with Costco sheet cakes – and if I wasn’t a fan of Brewer before I am now. Jack and Madeline met on a dating app (I’m assuming Raya) and had some awkward exchanges before their fated first date in 2022. For their second date, which he describes as “like something out of Notting Hill,” Jack saw Madeline in the play Cabaret. They’ve never lived in the same city but plan on fixing that later this year. Brides has so many more exquisite details including Madeline’s gorgeous gowns, a circa-2005 simple Vera Wang for her ceremony and vintage Valentino for the reception. They planned the whole wedding themselves and it’s full of personal touches. I love everything about this couple and their wedding. Here’s more:
In the end, Madeline and Jack melded wedding tradition and their unique history at every turn, creating their own rules for the big day. Though they skipped a first look (“The first time he sees me in a wedding dress will be when I trot down the aisle,” Madeline says), the couple did opt to spend the night before the wedding together, something they agreed was essential for a long-distance couple. “We spend enough time apart,” the bride notes. “I’m going to spend as much time with this man as I can.”
Madeline is a “vintage girl” through and through, so though she was willing to try on a few brand-new gowns, she always knew she’d wear something secondhand. Beyond that, she hadn’t given much thought to what her wedding dress would look like. She initially thought she’d wear her mom’s wedding dress, but with her busy filming and promotion schedules for The Handmaid’s Tale and You, time got away from her. In the end, she visited Happy Isles, a vintage bridal shop with locations in New York City and Los Angeles, and found the dress she didn’t even know she had been looking for: a strapless Vera Wang Luxe gown that the shop thinks dates back to 2005. “I’m really proud that I’m giving a bridal dress new life,” Madeline says.
And that wasn’t her only vintage look of the weekend: For their Friday evening welcome party, Madeline donned a vintage Tom Ford for Gucci look with lace flowers, which she found at Tab Vintage. After the ceremony concluded on the big day, Madeline traded her Vera Wang number for a vintage Valentino gown from Shrimpton Couture.
Like every other part of the wedding, Madeline and Jack carefully curated their reception décor and their menu. Tables were topped with hand-painted candles and ribbons. The couple’s signature drinks were named in honor of quotes from their favorite David Lynch films (“We’re both massive cinephiles and fans of the great late David Lynch,” Jack notes), like the “In Heaven, Everything Is Fine” (a negroni) and “Damn Fine Cup of Coffee” (an espresso martini). Dinner was catered by Pit & Plate, who prepared pit-roasted selections like dry-aged beef striploin, smoked aubergine Caponata, and grilled artichokes.
And their wedding cake? There were two: The first was a fake “human-sized cake,” which held part of the evening’s musical entertainment: Faux Real, a band helmed by Jack’s college friends, which has quickly become one of his and Madeline’s favorites. “They’re so fun,” Madeline says. “I’m so excited for our families and friends to see our favorite band and really get together and get to know each other.” The second dessert? “Costco sheet cakes,” Madeline tells me. “They’re delicious.”
I’m usually a cynical bitch but I had heart eyes reading this piece. My compliments to writer Gabriella Rello Duffy, she had great subjects to cover and she delivered. Can we please get a romcom based on these two beautiful interesting people?
There are photos in the Instagram embeds below and you can see more on Bride’s site. This looks like an amazing wedding, and Brewer’s style is blowing me away. All three of her gowns are classic and lovely. Congratulations to the couple and I’d love to hear more about them!
Gorgeous! And I love the Costco sheet cakes.
We will absolutely be in the end times if Costco sheet cakes are no longer available. Those babies capped off every one of my piano teacher grandmother’s student recitals, and when my aunt got married six years ago, she too got them for her wedding cake(s).
Long live the Costco sheet cakes!
Oh I got this confused totally — I thought this was a relation of Mark Rylance, not Roylance. Silly moi, but I do love all of Mark Rylance’s acting.
Sorry but it looks like a dress lining. A wrinkled one at that.
If you’re going to go super simple wedding dress, that veil is absolutely the way to go to accessorize. When I read “simple Vera Wang’ I was like “yawn” and then I saw her photo with the veil and holy hell, gorgeous!
The couple sounds lovely and Madeline’s dresses are beautiful.
In a sea of horrible and depressing news, this was a lovely little piece of joy. Thanks for this post.
Yes, thanks. More good news, please.