Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis held their wedding on New Year’s Eve. This was, in part, because beginnings can be found in all endings—new chapters, new orbits, new words, like “wife”. But this was also because New Year’s Eve is one of those days where everyone is in the mood for a party. And boy, were they going to throw a good one.
Sam, captain of the Matildas, the Australian women’s national football team and a striker for Chelsea in the Women’s Super League, and Kristie, midfielder for the United States national team and West Ham United, began their flirtation online. “We knew of each other through the football world, and started chatting through social media,” the couple tells Vogue. “We met for the first time in London. It was a much anticipated meet-up, as we’d never met in person before.”
Sam proposed to Kristie three years after that introduction, on the first day of September 2023, at a historic ocean-front mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. “My friends and family were waiting nearby at my friend’s house to surprise me after the proposal,” Kristie remembers. “We didn’t plan the wedding right away. We wanted to enjoy the engagement period, and not feel pressure to get married immediately.”
The couple were sure of a few things. One, that they wanted to have an Australian summer wedding. “Finding a time to make the ceremony work with our schedules was hard, but New Year’s was perfect,” they explain. Two, the theme would be straightforward. “Simple and chic,” they continue. “We wanted it to feel warm and fun with lots of good food and comfort. Oh, and it’s New Year’s Eve, so we wanted it to be a great party.”
They landed on Villa Dionysus, a Lake Como-style estate hugged by the trees and vineyards of Swan Valley, a short drive out of Perth. “We picked the venue because it was gorgeous, private, and let us make it our own,” Sam and Kristie share. “It had a beautiful vintage charm about it. It also felt very homey and welcoming, which is the vibe we were going for. We want people to feel loved at our wedding.”
The chequered tiles around the villa’s pool inspired a general black-and-white dress code for the guests, and for Sam and Kristie themselves. Sam chose a single-breasted tuxedo by Hugo Boss, while Kristie chose two gowns—an off-shoulder, beaded and semi-sheer dress from Berta, embroidered and beaded on the skirt, followed by a floaty, strapless number from Kyha Studios. “My dress was my dream dress,” says Kristie. “I saw it and knew I couldn’t move forward until I tried it on, and when I did, I knew that was my wedding dress without question. Sam’s accessories were unstated and simple. She didn’t want anything flashy—just something classic and comfortable.”
Aside from Kristie’s Rene Caovilla shoes—encrusted with Swarovski crystals and coiled from the ankle up with the designer’s signature sculptural straps—the bride tells us that she wanted “everything else simple, because the dress was the statement”. “I wanted my veil to feel more bridal since my dress felt really modern,” she says. “My earrings were just simple diamonds.”
It can be difficult, sometimes, for couples to lose themselves in their wedding celebrations—such is the nature of the build-up and logistics. But Sam and Kristie couldn’t help but sink into the moment. At the end of it all, they say, they were surprised by just “how good everything looked”. “We didn’t expect it to look so perfect and beautiful,” Kristie says. “It was exactly what we imagined and more. Seeing each other for the first time down the aisle—it was the most special moment.”
Below, look inside Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis’ wedding.
