Still Waters

As if a prophecy of things to come, the love story of Lydia Riddiford and Sam Harris began at a wedding. “We had crossed paths briefly but it wasn’t until that day that we both felt the spark,” Lydia explains. “Sam never even asked me out on a first date,” she continues with a laugh, “we just launched straight in.”

Granted, it took a few years for the duo to fall into step. Lydia, having moved to Sydney for a stint, quickly realised that the reason she didn’t feel settled had nothing to do with her new apartment or unfamiliar neighbourhood and everything to do with the man she had left behind. Sam, for his part (and despite the airline points he was handily accruing from frequent trips across the Tasman) felt the same. In the end, love indeed conquered all and when Lydia moved home early it didn’t take long for her and Sam to start building a future together.

Both instinctive, clear-minded and lead-from-the-heart individuals, Lydia and Sam are, together, a formidable team. They interact with enviable harmony, navigating complicated discussions with as much ease and understanding as they do when talking about the day-to-day. For Lydia, it was Sam’s kind and genuine heart and laid back nature that first drew her in, and his loyalty and thoughtfulness that has continued to underpin their dynamic. “I also love how much we laugh together,” she says. “He has a unique knack for getting the best out of me.” Sam echoes this sentiment in kind. “Lydia is beautiful, fun, confident and knows what she wants. She makes me feel good about myself and who I am as a person.”

“Lydia is beautiful, fun, confident and knows what she wants. She makes me feel good about myself and who I am as a person.”

There is an effortlessness and quiet steadiness underlining Lydia and Sam’s rapport that, from the outside, seems to arise from their shared values — in particular, an emphasis on family. This came into sharp focus when, a few years into their relationship, they welcomed their first child, Hugo. Navigating the peaks and troughs of early parenthood strengthened Lydia and Sam’s ever-deepening bond and so, while on their first family holiday, Sam nonchalantly suggested an early-morning stroll that ended up being the start of the couple’s next chapter.

The proposal itself was cinematic. Set against the empty sand dunes of Omaha Beach, struck by shards of sunrise, the moment would have been picture perfect had it not been for one, charmingly-human foible. “I actually dropped the ring in the wet sand,” Lydia says with a laugh. “It was all quite chaotic but really beautiful… once we found it again.”

This tendency of Lydia and Sam to pivot in moments of crisis and to be able to find humour in life’s various imperfections made them uniquely positioned to approach the daunting task of a wedding with calm pragmatism. The brief was elevated and timeless — a simple but meticulously-executed celebration that reflected who they were intrinsically. “Claire from One Lovely Day helped us bring everything to life,” Lydia explains, “and honestly, I really enjoyed the process, it felt easy and stress free.”

Choosing Clevedon’s McCallum Residence as their backdrop, Lydia and Sam were married under a clear Autumn sky. Van Morrison’s ‘Days Like This’ (also the song that played while Hugo was born) rang out across the property’s sprawling, beachfront lawn as the bride descended the aisle. For both Lydia and Sam, this moment was their favourite of the day — one that they said they would remember forever. “Although everyone was watching us, it felt like it was just me and Lydia standing there alone” Sam tells me.

When figuring out what to wear, Lydia’s mantra was pared back but striking. Ultimately it was a long-sleeved, boat-necked Suzanne Neville design from Sydney’s Helen Rodrigues boutique with a full skirt that unfurled dramatically behind her that Lydia chose — the perfect look for the day she had planned so carefully. “I also wore my grandmother’s watch, my other grandmother’s clutch and my sister’s wedding earrings,” she tells me.

For Sam, a classic and elegant dresser, the decision on what to wear was easy — custom Crane Brothers. “Lydia’s father is quite traditional when it comes to formal dressing so we incorporated that into my look by wearing a tailcoat for the ceremony before changing into a dinner suit just before the reception.”

After the ceremony, the event moved from cocktail hour (underscored by Nathan Haines’ jazz quartet) to dinner and speeches in the purpose-built marquee, to late night dancing and general merriment. The decor was luxurious without feeling excessive, the run sheet (including a strict five-minute limit on speeches) adhered to with military precision and the atmosphere was such that when the DJ announced the final song, shouts of protest rippled across the dance floor. It was a wedding that had clearly been planned with a no-frills focus on what was important, proof of the power of simple concepts executed with precision.

"I do wish we had done the photos before the ceremony," Lydia tells me, “so that we could have enjoyed cocktails with our friends and family.” She pauses, “and while I suppose there are a few other things that I would have done differently I do also think you can analyse every detail way too much. Looking back now it was absolutely perfect.”

Since that day, Lydia and Sam certainly haven’t slowed down. In the last few years their focus has been on building their beautiful new family home and beach house, and on growing their family. They welcomed their daughter, Isabella, in 2024. As Lydia says, “we’ve created our base and so for us, the future is just about making memories, marking milestones and experiencing it together.” Sam jumps in, “Family always comes first, we feel so lucky.”