GRAZIA
From the high-school sweethearts who eloped to the bride who matched her outfit to her mum’s, these trailblazers did their big day their way
THE COUPLE WHO COORDINATE
DARYA KHONSARY & 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
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 costum
