Sometimes love can be found in the most unexpected of places, and for Samantha and Kieran, this was a QPS Academy work course in 2018. Unbeknownst to him, Kieran was seated next to his future best man and quickly grabbed the attention of a fellow officer in training in front of him by swapping all her pen inks, which may have been one of the greatest decisions he ever made. Charmed by his encapsulating blue eyes, Samantha and Kieran were quickly smitten with each other, and after a few months of dating, Kieran took the leap, moving from Townsville to Brisbane to live with Samantha.
The pair shared a wonderful four years of dating together before Kieran popped the question on their four-year anniversary. Kieran booked a beautiful room in the secluded Tambourine Mountain and they shared a wonderful sunset picnic on Hang Gliders Hill, a memory full of love, happiness and the formation of a personal joke that will forever be a part of their love story. On a serene walk through the beautiful gardens by the creek, Kieran handed Samantha a wooden box, thought by Samantha to be an anniversary present, she was quickly shocked and surprised as Kieran knelt down and asked her to marry him, which was followed by a resounding yes! They celebrated their engagement with an evening of Mexican food and lots of cocktails, what could be more perfect?!
To Samantha, marriage is being with your best friend for life, which she feels incredibly lucky to have found in Kieran. Having been together for five years before they were married, they spent most of this time living together, which has brought them immensely close together, bonding over shared interests and supporting each other as they walk the paths of life. One of their biggest shared loves is wine, and for their big day, they included a wine boxing during their ceremony, complete with a special bottle of wine purchased from their favourite wintery, Pyramids Road in Stanthorpe. They selected a 2018 Vintage as this was the year they met and purchased three bottles, one for the wedding weekend, one for their 1st anniversary and one for their 10th anniversary, which was boxed during the ceremony. Taking the next step in their relationship to get married was definitely a very special and important milestone for them, and they can’t wait to officially begin this new chapter together.
For the couple, the most important part of their big day was to create a super relaxed vibe and ensure everyone enjoyed themselves and had fun, and this goal was certainly achieved, with them describing it as “a big day of love and laughter”, surrounded by close family and friends.
To the future brides out there, Samantha’s biggest tips are to firstly, remember, this day is all about you and your partner, so pick the what is most important to you and what you would like for it. Secondly, enjoy your day! Put any dramas leading up to the day behind you and embrace the day as it is. There is so much time that goes into planning the wedding and it flies by so quickly, so don’t forget to slow down, soak it all in and just enjoy it, it’ll make it that much more special.
Before coming to When Freddie Met Lilly, Samantha had previously been to two bridal appointments and found herself liking very different gowns to what she expected and ending up not loving what she initially thought she would. Finding two dresses she loved from these appointments, she came to When Freddie Met Lilly and while she wasn’t completely sold on a particular dress, When Freddie Met Lilly still stood out to her the most. Understanding that When Freddie Met Lilly was able to create bespoke gowns, she enquired with Vanessa, asking if she was able to combine a variety of elements together from different dresses, she loved to create her ultimate dream gown, and from there, her dream gown was created.
Knowing she was getting to create exactly what she wanted was the highlight of Samantha’s gown shopping experience, and while it was scary not being able to visually see exactly how the dress would turn out, she felt reassured and support by Vanessa and the team at When Freddie Met Lilly, with the gown exceeding her expectations and coming out just as she had visioned. “Vanessa was so helpful and really saw my vision which made me feel better about deciding on a dress that I hadn’t technically seen. The studio is a beautiful relaxing space and all my guests were made to feel super welcome as well. Coco the dachshund is also the star employee!”
Kieran also chose to have his outfit (and his best man’s) outfit done at When Freddie Met Lilly, which was a custom vest and pants. Samantha joined him at the initial appointment as helped with colour choices, however she left the final choices with Kieran, trusting his vision for the end result.
The magic of the day was complimented by the incredible venue they selected. The couple felt incredibly lucky they were able to secure the wonderful Mavis Kitchen to host the ceremony, reception and accommodate them and their guests after the wedding. Not only was the venue itself absolutely incredible with delicious food to compliment, they happened to serve wine from one of the couple’s favourite wineries, which sealed the deal for them!
While they needed to opt for their wet weather option for the reception, this did not take away from the magic that the venue brought. Hosted inside the venue in the restaurant upstairs, Mavis Kitchen perfectly executed the rustic vibe with a dusty blue and gold colour scheme the couple was looking for after extensive Pinterest searches, with hand placed candles throughout the room and the venue, greenery on all the tables and wood rounds. The colour scheme came together following the selection of the bridesmaid’s dresses in a gorgeous dusty blue shade, and the rest fell into place! The venue being an old converted Queenslander had so much character and charm, and the location took the whole experience to the next level. The magnificent outdoor foliage and rolling hills created a wonderful scenic backdrop for the ceremony, removing the need for excessive styling.
Kieran and Samantha really wanted to create a series of special and unique to them memories for their big day, some of these included a handmade pen by Kieran used to sign their marriage certificate (created from a block of wood), personalised vows, and hand written letters to each other to open the morning of the wedding, and table numbers featuring their three dogs as they were unable to have them all physically present on the day.
Tying in with their colour scheme and rustic vibe, Samantha’s bouquet was native flowers, her bridesmaids, bouquets of babies breath, and the boys boutonnieres a combination of babies breath and some greenery. These floral arrangements were also carried throughout the venue to tie the look all together.
Congratulations to Samantha and Kieran on what looked to be an absolutely incredible celebration of their love, and we wish them all the best for the future!
Location: Mavis Kitchen @maviskitchen_cabins
Celebrant: Andrew Michael
Photographer: A'Daw Photography
Dress: When Freddie Met Lilly @whenfreddiemetlilly
Makeup: Moksha Makeup by Lila Doyle @mokshamakeup
Hair:
Flowers: Flower Shed Murwillumbah
Transport: Byron Bay Kombis @byronbaykombis
Bride: Samantha @sammi_jayne
Groom: Kieran @kieran.oconnor21
