The Bridesmaids Gifted This Bride A Pair Of Chanel Mary-Janes On Her Wedding Day
When you’re a couple from Australia, who met in the US and live in the UK, it can be pretty tricky to decide where exactly to get married. For Grace O’Neill and her now husband Zach Issa, the romance of the South of France beckoned.
“Initially we thought we’d get married in London, but we loved the idea of having all our friends and family together – particularly those who had travelled from Australia – in the same place for a few days,” explains Grace. “Ultimately we decided to get married in the South of France.”
The couple met in the summer of 2014 at UCLA, when they were both students on an exchange programme from Sydney. “We met through a mutual friend on Santa Monica Pier,” she says. “The next night we bumped into each other again at a frat party, and the rest is history.”
Eight years later, Zach proposed during a holiday to Margate, having put a lot of thought into the precise location. “We were walking along the white cliffs early in the morning and he found a little inlet, which he later told me he’d researched on Google Earth,” she laughs. “That’s where he proposed. We celebrated with lunch and champagne at Sargasso on the pier. It was the perfect day.”
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Once they had decided on France, the couple quickly realised they were going to need help from a planner. “A friend recommended Chloé Tresdoi at You & C, who was incredible,” shares Grace. “She helped us create a shortlist of venues and then we travelled to Provence to visit our top four. We fell in love with the town of Eygalières, which is about 30 minutes away from Saint-Rémy. We liked the idea that everyone could stay in the same village, which was walking distance from the welcome dinner, and then walking distance from the church the next day. I am not a natural planner, and Chloé did the majority of the legwork!”
Grace initially liked the idea of wearing something vintage, but after a few failed attempts with some Galliano for Dior-era dresses, she was starting to lose hope. “Then I got an email from Danielle Frankel saying that they were doing a trunk show at Browns Bridal in London, so I booked an appointment with my girlfriend, Jessica,” she says. “Once I tried on the Suki, which is made of champagne velvet and hangs off the shoulder, I knew it was The One. I loved that it had a very vintage feel but still had the craftsmanship and support – those corsets are so flattering – of contemporary bridal. Danielle Frankel really is a genius.” The dress also features a handmade clay rose brooch, surrounded by delicate layers of blush tulle. “It’s a thing of beauty!”
Grace turned to Jane Bourvis in Notting Hill for her veil. “She has the most remarkable selection of vintage and antique veils, and the one I ended up choosing was from the 1920s,” she shares. Her shoes, meanwhile, were Hedi Slimane for Celine slingbacks, purchased from her friend Lisa’s luxury consignment store, Pre-Loved Closet.
In the evening, she changed into something else spectacular and meaningful: a vintage Chanel lace column dress. “As a journalist, I was fortunate enough to attend Virginie Viard’s first show for Chanel at the Grand Palais in 2019, and when this dress came down the runway, I thought, ‘I have to wear that when I get married,’” explains Grace. “It was very special to wear it on the day.” To make the moment even more special, unbeknownst to Grace, her girlfriend Isabelle tracked down a pair of Chanel sequin-embellished Mary Janes and asked all of the bride’s best friends to chip in to surprise her on the morning of her wedding.
As someone who doesn’t wear make-up day-to-day, Grace was stumped when it came to figuring out her beauty look. “A friend recommended Cassandra Lusi for hair and make-up and she was incredible,” she shares. “We did a trial at my house before the wedding and she nailed the minimal, glowy make-up I wanted, and the loose, bohemian-esque waves. I mean, is there a bride on earth who doesn't have Kate Moss’s wedding on their moodboard?”
One of the first things that Grace noticed about Zach was how well he dresses, and unsurprisingly, he was very well turned out on the big day too. “His suit was made-to-measure from Casely-Hayford,” shares Grace. “He worked closely with one of their tailors, Nigel, on it, as he wanted something that wasn’t traditional but still elegant and cool. He went for a looser silhouette with a shawl lapel in dark brown. He knew he didn’t want to wear a tie, so he and Nigel worked together on a custom shirt, which was a bone-coloured linen blend with a Cuban collar. He wore Celine by Hedi Slimane loafers.”
The couple were married on 21 May 2024 in a small Catholic church in Eygalières called Nouvelle Eglise Saint Laurent, with Grace’s father walking her down the aisle to a string quartet rendition of “St Elmo’s Fire” by Brian Eno (“One of the most romantic songs ever written,” says Grace). It was important to the couple to make Zach’s Assyrian heritage a big part of the ceremony, so they recruited family friend Qasha Stapanoos, a priest from the Assyrian Church of the East in Hanwell, to officiate for them. “Qasha conducted the ceremony in Aramaic and English, with traditional Assyrian elements – he tied the kleela, a red and white ribbon, around each of our arms, and placed gold crowns on our heads during the ceremony,” shares Grace. “I was surprised by how moved I was by the religious elements of the ceremony. I don’t consider myself a deeply religious person but there was something very profound about the ancient, Aramaic language. I took the whole thing incredibly seriously.”
Guests then headed to Mas de la Rose for the reception, where they were served Perrier-Jouët Champagne and French canapés. “While that was happening, Zach and I went to a little chapel, a five-minute drive away, to get some portraits taken,” says Grace. “Having that time together, just the two of us, after the ceremony was one of my favourite parts of the day. Bernadisa and Clara, our photographers, were the most incredible photographers to work with too.”
The sun was still shining when everyone sat down for dinner at 7pm, with the couple and their parents all making speeches. “I cried a lot!” the bride laughs. After dinner the couple cut the cake (actually a selection of French cakes, including a croquembouche), before making their way to the dancefloor (“‘Perfect Day’ by Lou Reed was our first dance,”) where they stayed until the early hours of the morning. “As a wedding gift, our friends Isabelle and Amar surprised us with a special DJ set, and I mean it when I say that no one left the dance floor while they played,” says Grace, laughing. “My personal highlight was that they played ‘Not Like Us’ three times. We finished up around 4am.
“I was initially quite resistant to the idea of marriage, and suggested we eloped more than once,” continues Grace. “But after having had some deaths on both sides of the family in the last couple of years, our wedding was the most amazing reminder that we need to always take the time to celebrate love, and family. I’ve become a wedding evangelist!”
DOSMASENLAMESA1/38The dress!
DOSMASENLAMESA2/38My beautiful bouquet by Lilo at Studio Lilo, a floral studio based in Berlin. She is an artist.
DOSMASENLAMESA3/38Dress number two – the most beautiful Chanel lace dress from the Cruise 2020 collection. I was lucky enough to see this dress for the first time at the runway show at the Grand Palais. It was Virginie Viard’s first for Chanel, and I fell in love with it – I said if I ever get married I want to wear that dress.
DOSMASENLAMESA4/38With my two dearest friends Matilda and Phaedra. I am wearing Olivia von Halle pyjamas.
DOSMASENLAMESA5/38A beautiful moment with my mom. My dad and brother are in the mirror, it was the first time they saw me in the dress and we were all crying.
DOSMASENLAMESA6/38Best girlfriends ever. This is my dear friend Jessica Yolanda Kaye giving the reaction every bride wants to see on her wedding day.
DOSMASENLAMESA7/38Matilda walking me to the car. I am wearing my veil here, which is the most incredible vintage lace veil from Jane Bourvis in Notting Hill.
DOSMASENLAMESA8/38This is Mas De La Rose, a boutique hotel in Eygalières. Zach and our families stayed here, and it’s where we had the reception and dinner.
