Millie and Joel met in the coffee shop Harris and Hoole, in 2013, where they were both working as baristas. “We shared a love for coffee and enjoyed friendly competition with our latte art,” says Millie. “Joel made me feel so comfortable and I never felt like I was at work when he was around. I even started showing up on my days off when I knew he was working,” she says. They eventually got together, and Joel proposed. “He took me for a walk along the Thames one Friday evening after work,” she recalls. “He’d packed a picnic, a blanket and of course the ring. The sun was shining and when we got to the top of Richmond Hill, he got out a bottle of bubbles and said ‘instead of proposing a toast, how about I just propose?’” she says. “It was a huge surprise. I cried and eventually said yes. We then spent the rest of the night on the hill telling passers by the good news, calling family and having drinks.” SPECIAL SURROUNDINGS The duo chose York House for their ceremony. “This was an easy pick for us. The gardens are a place that we’ve always liked to walk around, and our families made lovely memories there so we knew it would be extra special. We also liked how close it was to where we first met,” says Millie. The Bishop was the venue of choice for the reception. “We looked at a lot of places, but nothing felt quite right until we visited there,” she says. “We always wanted to have a casual, fun day where people could relax, and this suited that well. It also has incredible views of the river and was a place that we’d spent a lot of time together.” Millie and her family travelled in a VW Camper Van to the ceremony and the newlyweds then travelled in it to The Bishop. “It was extremely special and caught people’s attention with lots of beeping and waving,” Millie recalls. LOOKING THE PART Millie wore a Monsoon dress with pearl earrings and fresh flowers in her hair. “I’d tried on more traditional wedding gowns but none of them felt right for the relaxed day we were planning, and just didn’t suit me,” she says. “My main aim was to be able to dance comfortably all night and for Joel to think I looked pretty.” She wore heels for the ceremony and changed into high top floral Converse for the evening. “My sister and flower girl also had the same Converse, which I loved and we all had our nails painted multi-coloured,” adds Millie. Joel wore a light maroon blazer from Moss Bros, with a white shirt, black bow tie, skinny black trousers and black high top Converse. “He looked like a movie star and stood out from all of the guests!” she says. “My sister was maid of honour and wore a beautiful dress from Frock and Frill that was pink with colourful flowers and our niece was flower girl. They both had gypsophila bouquets tied with pink ribbons.” RELAXED VIBES Along with her family and friends, Millie decorated the reception venue the night before. There was bunting in abundance, fairy lights, photos and a DIY sweet stand. “We had about eight tables dotted around the venue and decorated each with wooden logs and mismatched jars filled with fairy lights and fresh flowers,” says Millie. The duo chose not to have a table plan to keep the vibe as relaxed as possible. “Most of the décor items were borrowed to keep costs low and reduce waste. Everyone commented on how great the room looked, especially with all the personal touches,” she says. Those with a sweet tooth enjoyed doughnut towers that were placed on rustic logs and stood next to a selection of celebration cakes. “Our favourite was the Cappuccino cake topped with a bride, groom and cat cake topper.” When it came to the catering, Millie and Joel opted for a delicious buffet to allow guests to graze all day and night. REAL WEDDING 39
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