Smooth(ie) operator: Cafe proposal leads to vineyard wedding

“Over a kale smoothie at a café, Sam dropped to one knee.”

That’s right, ladies, you should always be prepared for a proposal, because it’s just as likely to happen at your local café as it is on some secluded island! Amelia Horsfall, 38, and Sam Eu, 45, met while attending a wedding on a 40-degree day. “Sam decided to take a dip in the creek and I almost fell off the rock I was sitting on as I watched him take off his polo shirt,” laughs Amelia.

The pair become romantic shortly after the wedding weekend and 12 months later Sam was proposing over a green smoothie. “All I kept saying was ‘thank you’ over and over which he assumed meant yes, which of course it did,” laughs Amelia.

Stillwater at Crittenden was chosen as the venue for vineyard wedding on July 18, 2015. “We decided on an intimate wedding, close to Melbourne to ensure our large families could all attend, in particular my 88-year-old grandma and our 14 nieces and nephews,” explains Amelia.

The bride’s four-year-old niece showed the couple it was important to be prepared for last-minute plan changes. “Five minutes before the ceremony, my four-year-old niece decided she wanted to walk me down the aisle,” smiles Amelia. “So we compromised with Mum and Dad meeting us halfway.”

Photos courtesy of Perla Photography.

“Sam and I could not stop smiling and both cried as we read our wedding vows, hearing them for the first time,” recalls Amelia.

The couple were married by celebrant Lynette Olsen – the bride’s grade-one teacher.

The delicate pastel tone of Amelia’s blush pink wedding gown was contrasted with bold blue suits.

Flowers by REN created the orchid bouquets and, as a nod to Sam’s Malaysian heritage, the bamboo arrangements in dragon pots for the ceremony.