The Bride Wore an Art Deco–Inspired Dress to Marry in a 17th-Century Provence Village
When Lillian Francesca Myer created a dating profile, she already had someone in mind. As in, one specific person: Nathan Brown. The two had met sporadically over the years in their hometown of Melbourne, Australia, but it wasn’t until they were both out of relationships that the wheels were set in motion. “I was living with a mutual friend who mentioned Nathan was recently single and had been dating on Hinge,” Lillian shares. She felt inspired, downloaded the app, and when Nathan’s face came up on the second swipe, they matched. “Let’s call it premeditated fate,” she says.
Even from the very start, it was clear to Lillian that what they shared was different. “He put so much effort into his communication, there was never any small talk,” she says. “We very quickly became inseparable and spent two of our first six months together working remotely from Palm Cove and Byron Bay before the COVID lockdowns started in Melbourne.” When an opportunity arose for Lillian to relocate to her company’s office in New York—six months into their relationship—they took a leap of faith and chose to move to the US together.
Currently, Lillian is a manager working in technology strategy and AI consulting. Nathan works full-time as a creative at an advertising agency (and moonlights a few nights a week at the Old Mates Pub downtown). “I feel like all New Yorkers wear many hats in terms of employment, and we are no exception,” Lillian says, sharing that the two also plan to cofound a consulting agency in 2026.
Due to visa issues, they were forced into a long-distance relationship for a little while, spurring the decision to book a last-minute trip to Copenhagen. “We spent a magical 10 days at Hotel Bella Grande, where Nathan had meticulously planned almost every day perfectly with a mix of shopping, exploring, and plenty of eating,” she says. On their second night, he surprised Lillian with a booking at Michelin-starred Vækst, which is set in a converted greenhouse. “We were just between the mains and the desserts of the degustation when Nathan got down on one knee in front of the whole restaurant and proposed,” she recalls. “Needless to say, it was a strong ‘yes.’”
When it came time to choose a wedding location, they were torn between Melbourne and New York. That’s when Lillian’s mother stepped in: “We were speaking with my mum, Kerry, about it, and she went quiet and said, ‘I think you know where to have the wedding.’” The location? Eygalières, a tiny village in Provence where Lillian lived as a child, and where she’d visited with family since 2007. “There is something so magical about Eygalières. It has a population of only 1,500 people and a small handful of incredible local French bistros,” Lillian says.
They chose as their venue Le Mas de la Rose, a boutique hotel set within 60 scres of French countryside. The couple’s bridal party (eight bridesmaids and six groomsmen) stayed with them at the venue for the three-day wedding. “It was so much fun having our closest friends there with us, especially because a lot of our bridal party live in Australia and we only see them a few times a year,” she says.
The first vendor they booked was photographer Louise Brotherton of Taylor Porter, who specializes in film photography and Super 8 films. “We were drawn to how Louise captured the rough and raw Provençal stone and nature so beautifully,” Lillian explains.
The weekend kicked off with a welcome cocktail party beside the pool, with Lillian wearing a crochet Alaïa dress that matched the stone of the outdoor courtyard: “Nathan and I wanted to be comfortable, and the sheerness of the dress was aligned to the relaxed feel, but the scarf detail added a regal bridal moment.”
The following morning, the bride and groom prepared for the day with their respective bridal parties. Nathan and his groomsmen were outfitted in tailored suits and shirting by P. Johnson. Nathan wore a 100% silk ivory tuxedo jacket, while the rest of the male guests wore black tie. “Lyo Ishizuka, one of Nathan’s groomsmen, was at the time a partner in the tailoring house, and he did an exceptional job of making sure all the gentlemen were exceptionally presented throughout both days of celebrations,” says Lillian. The bridesmaids wore light beige Bec + Bridge dresses, all featuring subtly different necklines and silhouettes.
Lillian’s big-picture goal for her bridal wardrobe was to choose designers that represented different moments of her life up until now: “I knew I wanted to choose Australian, French, and American designers.” Her ceremony gown was Australian couture designer Leah Da Gloria’s Holly dress, which she says felt like a perfect mix of Art Deco, Old Hollywood, and Jean Paul Gaultier in its silhouette.
Leading up to the ceremony, both Nathan and Lillian were nervous, despite choosing to do a private first look. “Nothing prepares you for walking down the aisle and seeing the faces of all of your closest friends and family,” she reflects. Her bridesmaids walked out to “La Vie en Rose” by Edith Piaf, and she followed alongside her father to “Say Yes to Heaven” by Lana Del Rey. A French string quartet played in the background during the ceremony (which was led by Nathan’s father), and Lillian’s mother read Neil Gaiman’s “All I Know About Love.” The two then exchanged vows and made their exit toward the cocktail hour to “New York, New York.”
After the ceremony, guests meandered onto the lawn beside the pool for drinks with the newly married couple, before making their way up toward the house for a toast at the Champagne tower. “We were expecting heavy rainfall on the wedding day but were so lucky to only have 45 minutes of rain, so our guests moved inside for the rest of the cocktail hour, which was so fun,” Lillian says. She used this time to change into her second look, which was a custom piece designed with Kyha Scott of Australian label Kyha Bride. “I wanted to wear lace as a contrast to my ceremony dress, but liked the idea of adding an oversized hood to give the dress a more edgy runway feel,” she adds. They landed on a semisheer, lined-lace, backless column dress with a built-in corset and scalloped lace hood.
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