It will most likely be the most out-of-the-ordinary day of your life - so why not make your wedding one to remember? That's exactly what these five, from bridesmaids to brides, did when they walked down the aisle. Here are their stories...
The Couple Who Coordinate
Darya Khonsary and Arielle Chiara Khonsary, founders of Darius Jewels
When high-school sweethearts Darya Khonsary and Arielle Chiara decided to elope to Kauai, in Hawaii, they only let two other parties in on the secret – their friends at Pretend Plants, who flew out to do the florals, and Claire Sullivan, the designer who’s recently dressed Kylie Jenner, SJP and Selena Gomez. ‘When we made the first call to Claire, we avoided outright saying it... we were all laughing, because she clearly knew what we needed two matching white gowns for,’ says Darya. While they share a decade of friendship with Claire, they also consider her a future fashion legend. ‘It was special to have a friend make a garment for this important moment in our lives, but it was also a privilege. Claire’s a once-in-a- lifetime talent. I feel like, in 50 years, the gowns will be considered museum pieces,’ says Arielle.
With a very specific theme – Ancient Greece meets disco – the twin gowns were made of fluid jersey and chiffon. ‘The garments are almost formless off the body but, through hidden ribbons, they can be cinched and draped,’ says Arielle. ‘The two looks do have slight variations
– one had a veil, the other an exaggerated train, but they are in essence matching.’ Their hair was adorned with exotic orchids and fragrant pikake flowers, while pre-wedding gifts included antique coral earrings and Ni’ihau shell leis, ‘immensely precious works of art made by master leimakers’.
With no guests in attendance, each bride was responsible for dressing the other. Claire was on hand via FaceTime, providing instructions about precisely how each gown should be draped. ‘Her excitement at seeing the work come alive on us was so special,’ says Darya.
The Fiancée Subverting Tradition
Sophia Li, journalist and climate advocate
The engagement photo industry hasn’t, as yet, taken off in the UK. But in China it’s big business, with studios erecting life-sized recreations of landmarks, like the Eiffel Tower, so couples can ‘travel’ the world for theirs. So when Sophia Li, a New York-based journalist and climate advocate, found herself back in Shandong visiting extended family, in Guanxian, near Jinan, for the first time since the pandemic, she and fiancé Lawrence had a set taken.
‘I always remember my cousins getting them. They’re a bit cheesy but also really beautiful,’ she says, adding that, in China, they can be even more important than shots from your wedding. ‘Engagement photos are the ones everyone blows up and hangs in their apartments.’ The process was a well-oiled operation, from the historically accurate costumes, spanning various dynasties, to the holding of tree branches to create a dappled shadow on the backdrop.
‘It probably exceeded expectations. My little sister was there; my parents came at one point,’ says Sophia. ‘The photographer gave so many directions. They’d be like, “Hold the teacup this way,” and demonstrate it. “No, hold the fan like this.” They're very specific.’
As well as using the resulting photos on their digital invite, the engagement itself was very ‘them’. ‘I feel like marriage can be such a machine and such a capitalist system in itself. We wanted to do it in our own way and not abide by societal norms,’ says Sophia, who decided to propose to Lawrence – after she’d already accepted his proposal – with
a vintage Rolex, one that was made in his birth year. ‘I thought the partner [should] feel like they are allowed to say yes as well.’ And with her work being connected so closely with climate change, Sophia’s engagement ring was made entirely out of family heirlooms by Devereux: jade from one of her dad’s trips to Tibet, gold from Lawrence’s mother’s side and 12 diamonds encircling the stone that represent the members of their immediate family.
The Bride With A Stylist On Speed-Dial
Sameeha Shaikh, Grazia's beauty writer
With not one, not two, but six outfits to source for her nuptials, Sameeha decided to enlist the help of Zahra Sarfraz. The stylist, who has worked on editorials for South Asian bridal magazine Khush, is based between Karachi, Pakistan, and London, which meant she was instrumental in helping the bride source two of her most important looks from Pakistan, for the Mehndi (a pre-wedding celebration) and the reception. ‘I wanted to celebrate Pakistani designers. They should be on the world stage,’ says Sameeha. ‘It’s not just the designers. It’s people working in the studios with nothing but their hands. I wanted to celebrate that and my culture as much as possible.’
Sameeha knew exactly what silhouette she wanted for her reception, ‘A long top, a skirt with a fishtail and a big veil. I was very specific. Zahra put together really considered mood boards then suggested designers, who she completely trusts, to me and set up appointments with them.’
Sameeha’s Mehndi outfit, created by Hussain Rehar, was a burnt orange dress with sharara (wide pants). Sameeha knew it was The One straight away. ‘It was the most divine thing.’ As a friend of the house, Zahra made the process as seamless as possible and also provided invaluable assistance when it came to the suite of jewellery for the Mehndi (a necklace, earrings, bangles, as well as the tikka and jhumar to form a headpiece). After not finding the jewellery she wanted in Pakistan, Sameeha ended up in Southall, video-calling Zahra. ‘I went by myself. I just had to to get things done. I couldn’t have my best friend or my mum, so Zahra functioned as that for me,’ she says. Zahra issued her instructions down the phone. ‘She was so calm: “No, you don’t need that. Take that off. Can you put that here? No, it’s supposed to fall there.”’
When Sameeha sent pictures from the make-up chair, Zahra was thrilled. ‘She was like, “Wow, Sammy, amazing, obsessed.’’’ Sameeha perhaps didn’t need as much hand-holding as other brides, but having the stylist by her side, or at the other end of the phone, was still invaluable. ‘She was very much a cheerleader.’
The Matching Mother-Of-The-Bride
Fiona Cantlay, lawyer, and her mother, Sandra
For her summer ceremony at Chelsea Town Hall, Fiona Cantlay took the unusual step of wearing a matching outfit to her mum, Sandra. The pair commissioned bespoke trouser suits from The Deck, the first made-to-measure tailor for women on Savile Row, founded by Daisy Knatchbull, an old friend of Fiona’s. ‘Mum is the most special woman in my life,’ says Fiona. ‘I wanted to share the most special day of my life with her somehow. What better way than to have Daisy, another incredible woman, design our suits?’
Fiona’s suit wasn’t white but stone, while Sandra’s, interestingly, was the more bridal shade. ‘I was wearing white for our blessing, which took place in Portugal,’ says Fiona. ‘I thought why not be different for our ceremony?’ As well as cherishing the memories of fabric choosing and fittings with her mum, Fiona’s suit made her feel a certain sense of invincibility on the day. ‘It gave me so much confidence and melted away the wedding nerves,’ she says.
Another reason she chose a suit is that she wanted to wear it post-wedding, not leave it languishing in tissue paper. Fiona wears the trousers to work, paired with a shirt, and the waistcoat with high-waisted jeans for a night out. Sandra has also been getting use out of hers. ‘It’s a beautifully made addition to my wardrobe.’
The Extra-Mile Bridesmaid
To some, being asked to be a bridesmaid might be a case of grin-and-bear it while secretly wishing you were just an ordinary guest. When Naomi Pike’s friend, Ellen, popped the question, however, it wasn’t just an honour but somewhat preordained. ‘I felt very excited but also entirely unsurprised as we’d been talking about my appointment to the role for 10 years prior to her engagement,’ says Naomi, who took her duties to the next level. ‘It was super-important to me that Ellen felt confident in her decisions and so, alongside being hyper-organised, I was a champion of making sure she was her best self with no regrets looking back.’
Naomi left no stone unturned for the hen do, which she chose to organise single-handedly with ‘everything thought out to the nth degree’. For Ellen’s long weekend in Windsor, Naomi planned a cameo by the bride’s girlhood crush, actor Chad Michael Murray, who ushered everyone into the venue via a pre-recorded message booked a year in advance, welcome packages for each hen that included vintage copies of the novel Breakfast At Tiffany’s (Ellen has always loved Audrey Hepburn), a packet of seeds to grow your own Sweet William (the groom’s name) and even a personalised newspaper.
The big day itself went off without a hitch (Naomi sent emergency sun cream to the marquee with the wedding coordinator – and lucky she did as the sun, a somewhat unpredictable sight in South Wales, beamed down on the happy couple). And, instead of signalling her path was finally diverging from Ellen’s, Naomi wasn’t nursing a sense of loss post-wedding. ‘When you’re single, it can be easy to feel like your friends are passing you by, or moving on, but throwing myself all-in meant that I never experienced that.’
Natalie Hammond is Grazia’s Senior Fashion News Editor. She loves winter, hates summer and can often be found writing about the weather (and what on earth to wear).