Shropshire Magazine

Millers offers a fine setting for a celebration.

Neil Thomas meets a business woman whose own wedding inspired the company she runs

Kelly Miller enjoyed the sort of fairytale wedding that every girl dreams of — a bright summer’s day, large marquee filled with family and friends set in her parents’ beautiful garden beside their period house and surrounded by breathtaking countryside.

As Kelly looked back on that day in 2006 the seeds of an idea formed. She had experienced such a wonderful day, why not give other brides the same opportunity?

That was the beginning of Millers of Netley, the business which Kelly launched last year, offering a unique venue for wedding receptions, balls, executive events and special occasions like birthday and anniversary parties.

After a quiet start in 2009, the business has really taken off this year with all wedding dates booked and bookings already taken for 2011.

“In fact I’ve just taken my first booking for 2012,” says Kelly with a broad smile, as we chat in the elegant lounge of her parents’ period home at Netley Old Hall Farm, near Dorrington, where the business is based.

Kelly and John on their wedding day.

We overlook the garden where Kelly was married those four years ago, at the tranquil lake and the idyllic Shropshire hills beyond and at the luxury state-of-the-art marquee, perched atop a gentle gradient affording fabulous views.

On the 19th of this month that marquee will be full of people celebrating the 15th anniversary of one of this region’s biggest and best-loved charities, Hope House. The Hope House Crystal Ball will not only mark an important milestone in the charity’s history but raise more vital funds for the children’s hospice, based at Morda, near Oswestry.

“We know it is a big event for Hope House, an important occasion, and we are delighted to be hosting it,” says Kelly.

It demonstrates the impressive reputation that Millers of Netley has forged in a relatively short time that a big local charity is holding one of its major fundraisers of the year there.

Kelly certainly has the perfect credentials to run a successful events and hospitality business. She has plenty of experience to call on via the support of her parents, who both run successful businesses.

Husband John Miller, a sales executive at BMW, is also involved in helping to run the business while Kelly is full of praise for her head of catering, Jane Wilde.

Secondly, she has grown up in an environment of top-class partying, her parents having moved to their present home when she was 12 from The Limes, in nearby Dorrington, where 25 year-old Kelly and brother Oli, who is 22, spent their early years.

“Mum and dad have always had lots of parties and are brilliant hosts. I like to think I know how to throw a good party,” she says with an infectious smile.

“We also have a wonderful venue. We can cater for 250 guests comfortably and, although we are in peaceful countryside, we are just a mile from the A49 so are easy to find.

“The grounds are wonderful for wedding photographs, with the lake making a wonderful backdrop.

“Having had a fabulous wedding day myself I know how important it is to a couple that their day is not only special and one that they will never forget but that everything goes without a hitch. That always leads to a certain amount of stress for the couple and I believe it is our job to take that away.”

Couples booking weddings at Millers of Netley have certainly been impressed by the personal touch, as they discuss their dream day with Kelly in the comfort of her parents’ lounge.

Talking of dream days, Kelly is expecting her first child this month . . . though that doesn’t seem to have slowed her down any in the preparations for the Hope House Ball or, indeed, the other big occasions being hosted by Millers of Netley this summer.

• For more information call 01743 719908 or 07595 903156 or visit www.millersofnetley.co.uk

Marquee interior.