Real Wedding // Millie & Jay’s Fig Tree Wedding

On a beautiful spring day, Millie & Jay celebrated their dream wedding at the gorgeous Fig Tree Restaurant. Millie & Jay’s heartfelt ceremony was held under the iconic fig tree and was followed by an afternoon of fabulous cocktails & canapés poolside with their nearest and dearest. With a dreamy palette of pastel florals, soft textures and scattered shells & citrus, Millie & Jay’s fun and adventurous personalities shone perfectly through each detail. We couldn’t think of a more magical day! Read on to relive their beautiful love story.

Tell us about your story, how did you meet and where did the proposal happen?

We met at high school back in the UK, I was 14 and Jay 16. It was my orange fake tan legs that caught his eye on the school field whilst I was playing sports at lunchtime. That evening, I got a message on facebook (this is before Instagram days haha). I already knew who Jay was so I was over the moon to get a message from him haha.

The proposal is something Jay planned about 5 years before it happened. He was travelling Australia and made a stop at Lucky Bay, Esperance WA and fell in love with the place. So, when we both decided we were going to emigrate, he managed to convince me that we should fly to WA first and drive from there, following the coast to Sydney.  After camping for a few nights, we made it to Esperance and to Lucky Bay, the place he had told me all about (obviously having no idea what he was planning).

I was sitting, looking out to the ocean when he pulled me up (secretly filming from behind) and that’s where he pulled out the most beautiful wooden shell box that he hand carved himself, with the most beautiful ring that he designed with my sister in London, then he popped the question! It was the most magical time. Not long after I said yes, the wild kangaroos came hopping out onto the beach (you can imagine how much I was losing it after just arriving in Australia and seeing kangaroos up close).

That night, we camped in the Nullabor desert and honestly felt like we were in a star globe, we could see the horizon at either end of the road and stars like I have never seen before! We also saw wild horses gallop right across the road in front of us, it was honestly nuts! We had 2 days driving across Australia with no signal, no radio, just enjoying engaged life. It’s time neither of us will ever forget! 

What were the reasons for choosing The Fig Tree as the venue for your special day?

We loved everything about the Fig Tree, once we realised Byron was where we wanted to be, I did lots of research and we made a weekend of checking out multiple venues but The Fig Tree definitely ticked the most boxes for both of us. The tree itself is so incredible, we loved how you could see the ocean from the view, we felt the venue was the perfect balance of coastal with a hint of countryside which is something we both love! 

What style were you striving for with your table settings, florals and reception? Was there a certain look or vibe that you wanted to create?

We asked our guests to wear our happiest colours so we really wanted the florals and table settings to follow a similar theme. I love the mismatched vibe and I loved Tanya’s work so, I completely trusted her to create our vision. I will never forget our first meeting with Tanya, I had sent through a mood board of ideas that I was after for the florals and she laughed as an image I had in there was actually her wedding and at the Fig Tree (I had no idea!!) haha! So, that’s when I knew we were in good hands and let her do her thing.

Were there any vendors that you particularly loved working with and why?

I am honestly still getting questions about our incredible celebrant Dean, he really made the ceremony what it was and did such an amazing job of telling our story and keeping our guests engaged (I know this was tricky as they were a rowdy bunch). He made everything feel so personal and spent a lot of time getting to know us to make sure it was going to be perfect! 

Our photographer Shane is another one I would highly recommend, Shane is one of the loveliest people you will ever meet! We also arranged an engagement shoot prior to the day which was incredible, not only is he so talented, he makes you feel at ease and captures the best/ natural moments! We had some great comments about him too from our Bridal party.

My sister Poppy (also my MOH), she was the best, we changed what we were doing with my hair the morning of but let her work her magic and she switched my hair up 3 times for different looks. My lovely friend Missy, also a talented hairdresser, did all my bridesmaids.

Missy is exactly the kind of person you want there on your wedding morning, she goes over and above to make you feel amazing and is genuinely the sweetest human!

Our videographers, The Love Lens captured the day perfectly. I actually could not stop crying when we watched it back. I love the style of film so they used two styles of cameras to help create the vibe we were after and they could not have done a better job! 

What were your favourite parts of the wedding planning process with Byron Bay Weddings?

Maddie was the best! Working with her was actually a dream. We honestly would have been screwed without her. I am the worst decision maker and would often go to her for advice as we ended up having to make a few last-minute changes due to covid postponement. 

She was the best at giving us a checklist to complete before our next meeting and gave the best reccos! Another favourite part was the fact we got to do two rounds of the tasting menu due to having to push our date. We had the best time both years, it was great! I also loved how in the loop we were kept with everything, especially after the fire. I felt very fortunate to see the venue, before, during the work and after the new building was built.

Tell us what were the most important aspects of your wedding day and which moments really stood out to you?

The ceremony! We were so worried as we had some heavy rain and just as we were stepping out the sun came through the clouds and it could not have been more perfect. Our guests were all cheering and making noise for everyone walking down the aisle and it felt like magic!

The day was such a long time coming so looking around and seeing faces from the UK that had flown over, faces we had met since moving to Australia and new faces of some that didn’t know us when we got engaged who have now become some of our closest friends. Every person there had to get on a plane to be there and it felt pretty special.

Standing up in front of all of our favourite people making our promises to one another was one of the most unforgettable feelings. Fave part of the day (except for the part when I couldn’t actually get my words out and was ugly crying haha).

What would be your biggest advice to other couples currently planning their wedding?

Everything will fall into place! Try not to overthink, it’s your day, do what you guys want to do. Enjoy every second as it will go so quick and don’t wear expensive shoes as they will get ruined on the dance floor haha.

Millie & Jay xo

Suppliers
Venue: Fig Tree Resturarnt // Hair & Makeup: Mia Connor & Clare Moriarty // Celebrant: Marry Me Dean // Photographer: Shane Shepherd // Videographer: The Love Lens // Florals: Oh Flora Studio // Musician & DJ: Niall Lochhead // Cake: Eat Cake Byron Bay // Transport: Byron Bay Double Deckers // Catering: Fig Tree Catering // Lighting:  Byron Audio // Furniture & Styling: The Wedding Shed // Planning & Coordination: Byron Bay Weddings