Samuel and Clara in the Ravella Gown
Celebrate Samuel and Clara’s romantic vineyard wedding at The Stones of the Yarra Valley, with Clara wearing Ravella to their reception.
A Parisian Proposal in a Romantic Hilltop Village
Though Samuel and Clara first met at university, it wasn’t until a music-soaked weekend at the Australian music festival, Splendour in the Grass, that everything suddenly felt different. “From the very start, being together felt like a vortex, where the rest of the world faded away, and it was just us,” she shares. What drew Clara in was Samuel’s calm, kind presence. “Loving him felt steady, happy, and exciting all at once,” Clara reflects. “That’s how I knew he was the one.”
Samuel proposed on their five-year anniversary while they were living in Paris for six months. To celebrate, they hired a tiny Fiat 500 and drove through Provence, winding past lavender fields and stone villages until they reached Gordes. “It’s this stunning hilltop town with cobbled streets, old stone houses, and the most incredible views,” Clara reflects. “We wandered around and shared ice cream.” It was a moment that felt as effortless and romantic as the setting itself.
A Timeless European-Inspired Wedding
Clara describes their wedding day as “truly the best day of my life.” The morning began slowly and softly, getting ready with her girls at a beautiful property with an infinity pool overlooking rolling acreage. It was calm, intimate, and filled with that unmistakable pre-wedding excitement. Clara’s bridesmaids surprised her with a handmade scrapbook with pages of letters, memories, and inside jokes. “We were laughing and crying before the day had even begun,” she says.
The couple chose not to have a wedding planner, wanting every detail to feel deeply personal. And it did. From the bride’s dad arriving in a 1968 Mercedes SE vintage car to drive her to the ceremony to walking down the aisle to her close friend performing ‘Young and Beautiful’ by Lana Del Rey on piano, everything felt intentional and true to them.
The couple wed in a chapel at The Stones of the Yarra Valley that was filled with candlelight, chandeliers, and soft florals in white, yellow, and blush. “Seeing Samuel waiting for me at the end of the aisle was surreal,” she says. They chose The Stones of the Yarra Valley for its timeless European feel, with its vineyards, stone architecture, and vines climbing over the chapel. “Rustic yet elegant, warm, and effortlessly European, it reflected us perfectly,” she says.
For the reception, Clara changed into her Grace Loves Lace Ravella gown and entered to 'Volare' by the Gypsy Kings. Each guest received a handwritten letter of appreciation, finished with a personalised wax seal – one of her favourite DIY touches. Instead of a cake, they had a tiramisu tower in honour of Clara’s Italian and French heritage. The night unfolded with a hot potato game, her and her maid of honour singing their favourite rap song live, a sparkler exit, and the couple piling onto a party bus with their guests to end the night. “It was emotional, joyful, and completely us,” she says. “A day we’ll treasure forever.”
The Perfect Wedding Reception Dress
Clara’s reception gown, Ravella, was love at first sight. “It’s the most intricate piece I’ve ever seen,” she says. With its floral embroidery, subtle shimmer, and asymmetric hem, it was made for candlelight, dancing, and that first step onto the floor as newlyweds. The bride’s experience at our Burleigh boutique was just as memorable. “I was immediately greeted by the kindest, most welcoming team,” she says. With her maid of honour and bridesmaid by her side, they tried on gowns, laughed, and celebrated every moment. “The second I slipped into my dress, I felt confident, happy, and completely sure.
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