These high school sweethearts had a wedding day full of surprises.
| Columbus Monthly
Oct. 23, 2021 | Madeline Crosby and Austin Fu’s story began in a materials science class at Upper Arlington High School, where they were assigned lab partners their senior year. After getting to know each other, Madeline, now 26 and Madeline Fu, took a leap.
“I initiated a Sadie Hawkins dance proposal,” she says. “I got creative with a science word problem, which was kind of nerdy at the time, but I still have it. It’s in our little box of memories.”
For their first official date, Austin, who is also 26, took Madeline to Tensuke Express in Japan Marketplace. “You ordered a bowl of udon noodles,’’ Austin says to Madeline. “And you taught me how to use chopsticks,” she says.
Three months later, Austin asked Madeline to travel to Taiwan with him to meet his extended family. Born in Columbus, Austin had moved with his family back to Taiwan as a baby, returning to Ohio as a teenager. “Meeting extended family and seeing his roots really blossomed our relationship and strengthened it,” Madeline says.
After high school, Madeline set off for college at Loyola University Chicago; Austin had enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder. “I really didn’t want to start [a relationship], but it just kind of happened,” Madeline says. After his freshman year, Austin transferred to Ohio State University to be closer to Madeline; after college, the pair both ended up in Columbus. Austin proposed in August 2020 at the Columbus Park of Roses.
On Oct. 23, 2021, the couple married at St. Christopher Catholic Church in Grandview. Madeline, who had always wanted a fall wedding, chose the colors wine, green and gold.
To find her dress, she visited several boutiques and bridal salons but eventually purchased one she had seen before, new, from someone who had eloped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was less expensive and in better condition than the two sample stores,” she says.
A wedding-day surprise came when Madeline’s mother, who had won a performance from the Ohio State alumni marching band in a raffle, booked them to play at the reception. “We were participating in our own cocktail hour, and all of a sudden they appeared and played for 20 to 30 minutes,” Madeline says. “That was definitely something very memorable.”
Because many of Austin’s extended family members could not fly in from overseas for the event, the couple hopes to hold a second reception in Taiwan when travel restrictions lift.
Vendors
Ceremony: St. Christopher Catholic Church
Reception: The Fives
Caterer: Together & Company
Desserts: Short North Piece of Cake, a cookie table and truffles from Pure Imagination Chocolatier
Florist: Rose Bredl Flowers & Garden
Ceremony music: Columbus String Quartet
Cocktail hour music: Ensemble of Ohio State University marching band alumni
Reception music: The Conspiracy Band
Photographer: Nicole Dixon Photographic
Videographer: Cinemachine Studios
Stationery: Avant-Garde Impressions
Transportation: Columbus Trolley Co.
Accommodations: Hotel LeVeque (newlyweds) and SpringHill Suites by Marriott Columbus OSU (guests)
Rehearsal dinner: Grandview Café
Sunday brunch: Mozart’s Café
Bride’s attire: Pronovias and Shiatzy Chen gowns, veil by Carolyn Fang, accessories from William A. Weidinger Goldsmith & Jewelry Design
Gown cleaning/preservation: Dublin Cleaners
Bride’s hair and makeup: Hair by Angie Coleman, makeup by Nikki Jackson Artistry
Groom’s attire: Tuxedo from Men’s Wearhouse
Rings: Diamond Cellar
Bridesmaids’ attire: Watters gowns from Gilded Social
Groomsmen’s attire: Tuxedos from Men’s Wearhouse
