If there was one phrase we’d use to describe Millie & Sam’s wedding, we’d probably just outright steal Millie’s apt description; this was a day of “classic elegance, a romantic fairytale”. The colour palette was timeless blush and white, the classic silhouettes of Millie’s gown (and her dreamy flower-adorned veil), and the beautiful vineyard setting.  And let’s not forget the beautiful portraits, captured along with the rest of the day by Georgia Verrells.  It was a day that embodied every bit of old-world romance, and a day full of moments and details that bring to life their whimsical magic.

It was as Millie had just started a brand new job, and was invited out to dinner with new girlfriends, that she first met Sam. “I didn’t know that one of the girls who invited me had called Sam and said you need to come to drinks and meet this new girl!” laughs Millie. “It took a little bit of time for my walls to come down and open up to him but after that we moved in together within a year and bought our first home within five years!”

The proposal happened in 2021, on rare few days off together from working as nurses. The couple decided on a last-minute holiday to country Victoria, tells Millie “I planned it all because it was so last minute, and while I was hoping for a proposal – I wasn’t expecting one as it was so last minute and I booked it all.

We went to the cactus country and a nice winery for lunch with our dog Bart, and when we got back to the accommodation and I washed my makeup off and put on our matching Christmas Pyjamas when Sam proposed to me with my Grandma’s original engagement ring. The next day we made the rounds to our family members to tell them the first news with the first stop at my grandma’s house where four other family members also just happened to be going over to see her too!”

The incredibly talented team from Clique Films captured this gorgeous wedding, making us realise that true love does exist.

Sam and his groomsmen are dressed in beautiful blue suits by Oscar Hunt. “I had wanted him to wear a cream suit but he wanted to wear navy, so he and his groomsmen wore navy 3-piece suits” explains Millie. “Sam wanted to wear his favourite RM Williams boots and didn’t feel the need to buy new shoes! The groomsmen all wore pink ties to match the bridesmaids, but Sam wanted to wear a blue tie so he picked a baby blue, which is his favourite colour and matches his eyes.”

After being a fan of designer Kyha Studios for years, it was only natural that Millie wore the “Macpherson” gown by Chosen By Kyha for her big day. She tells  “I had thought that I wanted an off-the-shoulder style but once I tried on the dresses this one just felt right! The gown has a square neckline and a big full skirt with a slit on the right leg and has a lovely silky feel.

I chose a pair of shoes by Alias Mae which have a fabric bow over the toes in almost the same material as the gown! I chose a veil from Amelie George with the most stunning little flower details throughout the veil. I complimented the outfit with jewellery all from my Grandma’s collection. She did pass away before the wedding but she was there in the spirit of jewellery! My mum had some diamonds from her pieces made into the most stunning drop earrings and she gifted these to me the weekend of the wedding. These were made by Saphira Diamonds and Adriana took so much care and love of my grandma’s pieces. She also made our wedding bands.”

“The wedding parties both got ready at the same place, I rented an Airbnb for the weekend nearby in Red Hill, it was a beautiful house with two levels to separate the boys and girls and had amazing views over vineyards. We had our first look here and did family shots too before the ceremony.”

“We also had three junior bridesmaids who were my little cousins, they wore their own choice of pink dresses. There were also five flower girls and three page boys who are all of Sam’s nieces and nephews, the oldest was 5 and the youngest was only a month old! They all had outfits picked out by Sams’ Mum and Sams’ Mum and Dad walked them down the aisle.”

The couple opted for a first-look, photographer Georgia putting them both at ease immediately. “Georgia was fantastic!! She is a true professional and it amazing at what she does! She was by my side the whole day and made me feel relaxed and at ease! When Sam and I had our first look we were so awkward and nervous it felt like Married at First Sight in front of the cameras! But Georgia, Kelly and Dan (Videographers from Clique Films) coached us into some poses and after a little bit we began to feel more relaxed! Georgia was on my side the whole day and advocated for me when I was too overwhelmed to make decisions! She blended into the party and got the perfect balance of all the photos I wanted and the candid in-between moments. I hope that I get to work with her again.”

“Truth be told I wish I remembered every single detail of the wedding but I was too enamoured of my wife to be” tells Sam. “I recall the way she gracefully held herself throughout the day, her unwavering desire to make everyone feel welcome and how beautiful she looked from the beginning until the end. She was perfect.”

The classically beautiful blooms of the day, arrangements with roses and hydrangeas in blush pink and white were created by Poppy Culture. “I have been dreaming about the flowers for my wedding for almost 20 years and I knew that I wanted a lot of flowers!” admits Millie. “We chose a classic and timeless colour palette of creams, pinks and neutral colours with some greenery. I wanted a mix of soft pinks and whites in my bouquet with a mix of roses, hydrangeas, dahlias and a trailing orchid.

The altar was two asymmetrical plinths with stunning flowers throughout. It was exactly everything that I ever dreamed of and it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience walking up to the ceremony and seeing all of our loved ones surrounded by beautiful flowers. I have also had my bouquet preserved by Haus of Eufloria which I’m so excited to receive soon!”

Falling in love with their venue while wine tasting one day, it was a natural choice for their wedding day! Tells Millie “We had visited  Red Hill Estate a few years ago for a wine tasting and I fell in love with the view and the wine. I decided then and there that it was where I wanted to get married.”

“The best man left the wedding rings on the seat of the bus that was coming back to get the girls and me; one of my cousins was on the phone with my brother and he didn’t realise the phone was on speaker phone and I heard “Brendan left the rings on the bus so you’ll need to find them when you get on, but don’t tell Millie!”

Millie walked down the aisle on the arm of her father. “We are both very emotional and I didn’t want us to both cry the whole way down the aisle, so I picked an upbeat song, “How Do I Know” by Thomas Headon.”

The couple married overlooking the vineyards, Millie remembering “We wanted the ceremony to feel full of love and light energy. We picked the amazing Shannon Jeans Celebrant to be our celebrant and she delivered the perfect balance of laughter and romance to our ceremony. We didn’t have any readings but we both wrote our own, very emotional vows.

The ceremony was outside under the gum trees and we had the Waves Duo of Unplugged Entertainment playing acoustic music guests arrived and we walked down the Aisle. Our friend who introduced us also presented the rings, which the best man left behind on the bus that dropped them off, but we won’t talk about that! Our dog Bart was also there greeting everyone as they arrived and watched on as Mum and Dad said “I Do!”

“Shannon the celebrant was particularly amazing! She did a lot of extra work in making sure that everyone was set up in the right place and getting everything perfect for when I arrived at the ceremony. She coached us through writing the vows and got to know us during the preparation process for the wedding. We feel like she understood what we were all about and executed the perfect ceremony for us with just the right amount of laughs and tears.”

Millie loved every bit of wedding planning. “I loved talking about my wedding to everyone I could for 14 months! I enjoyed the special moments with our closest people, going dress shopping with the bridesmaids and picking out the wedding bands with Sam.  My advice to others would be to add in extra time for everything! It goes so quickly! Don’t stress too much over little things, stuff I thought I would care about I didn’t even look for on the day!
I did struggle to let go of things and delegate to my groom, but which bride doesn’t!”

“After the ceremony, we were taking some photos in front of the vineyards and Sam was instructed to pick me up and hold me up in the air, and I think those are the photos where our happiness and love is captured so perfectly and it’s just an amazing shot!”

“Everything feels like a special detail, but one of the more special details was the cake!” exclaims Millie. “We had the most amazing cake made by Torte By Mirjana! I love cakes and have always loved making cakes, a lot of people asked if I was going to make my cake but that was never a stress that I wanted to take on! We had done a cake tasting with my Grandma before she passed away and I had told Mirjana how special the cake was going to be as she had helped us pick out the flavours. She was the original dessert queen, so Mirjana had made a special mini cake just for Baba and it was really special!”

The couple’s first dance was to an old favourite ” Never Let Me Go” by Florence + The Machine.  Millie tells “We had danced to this song at another friend’s wedding in 2019 as their first dance song, and that was the first time that Sam had said to me something along the lines of “When we get married…” or “At our wedding…”

Congratulations to you both Millie & Sam! What a delightful story to be able to share. Thank you both for sharing your words and to Georgia Verrells for sharing today’s beautiful images.