A FEAST OF CLASSIC STYLE

Years after Rachel and Kurt Rapinett met while working in San Francisco, they decided to tie the knot in a timeless celebration. And Rachel’s bespoke wedding gown, designed and created by Luke Azzopardi, as well as her going-away jumpsuit by Eva Lendel, ticked all the boxes, as Rebecca Anastasi finds out.

PHOTOS BY TONIO LOMBARDI

Some relationships are just meant to be – even when they don’t seem to start out that way. In 2014, Rachel was on a four-month work assignment in the Golden City of San Francisco in California when she met Kurt Rapinett, also from Malta, and who had also been sent on a project. They immediately became close friends, but nothing more, since they were both in steady relationships at the time.

“At the time we each had partners, but, after both of our long-term relationships ended, a couple of years after first meeting, we found refuge in each other, and our deep friendship developed into something more.” There were some initial hiccups, however. “Getting together after coming out of long-term relationships wasn’t plain sailing, but none of our friends or family were surprised. Perhaps they could see we were soulmates and meant for each other,” Rachel smiles.

The couples’ solid friendship formed the foundation of their intimate relationship and sowed the seeds for the loyalty and devotion which followed. “Being friends, before lovers, helped us learn so much about each other,” Rachel says.

“We already had mutual friends and common interests, and we knew we could trust each other since we had often confided in each other about our problems prior to our relationship. We are still best friends, and we think our friendship is the backbone of our relationship,” she continues, adding that, even today, “we like nothing better than hanging out with each other.” The strength of these bonds was clear to both, she asserts: “We are each other’s soulmates, so marriage was a natural step.” The pair originally planned to get married in May 2020, so dress shopping, for Rachel, started the summer before, without knowing plans would be scuppered, with the wedding eventually taking place this summer. “I had tried on around 40 dresses, but none of them ticked all of the boxes! I’m very specific and know exactly what I want, so I then decided to collaborate with fashion designer Luke Azzopardi to create a custom-made couture wedding dress that was inspired by my vision and handmade just for me. The atelier has defined new “I decided to collaborate with fashion designer standards for couture locally, so it was the obvious choice for me,” Rachel explains. Luke Azzopardi to create The process involved creating mood boards and a custom-made couture sharing them, together with wedding dress that was “inspirational images”, with Luke, with the overall aim inspired by my vision and handmade just for me.” to create a dress which was timeless, elegant and intricate but also fun and youthful. “He understood the essence of what I wanted immediately and formed it into something truly beautiful and classy that combines glamour and simplicity,” Rachel continues. “The final result was a long-sleeved gown made of ivory Chantilly lace, featuring a figure-hugging silhouette that fans out with a flowing mermaid train at the bottom. The train was left unlined to show off the detail of the lace. The gown was further embellished with Swarovski beaded floral-motif lace from Solstiss, which is the lace designer and creator of patterns for Grace Kelly’s and later for Kate Middleton’s wedding gowns,” the bride describes.

The dress was finished off with “pearl-beaded organza three-dimensional petals which were placed to emulate the design of the Calais-Caudry lace” while also boasting an “unlined fitted bodice, plunging low back and scalloped lace – edging strategically placed on the deep-V front – to give it a contemporary twist,” Rachel continues.

The accessories Rachel chose were selected to bolster the impact of the gown. “I’m a very detail-oriented person and I believe that bridal accessories can make or break the overall look. I felt that the dress spoke for itself, and the superimposed beaded lace already made it a kinetic piece of jewellery. So, I wanted my accessories to enhance my look, not compete with it, and I limited my jewellery to Chanel drop earrings.”

Kurt had proposed to Rachel with a rose gold engagement ring, and this became the colour-theme for the rest of the wedding. As a result, and in line with this, Rachel chose rose gold Dior shoes. “What I also love about the accessories that I chose is that I’ll definitely be able to wear them again on multiple occasions in the future,” Rachel says.

“The final result was a long-sleeved gown made of ivory Chantilly lace, featuring a figure-hugging silhouette that fans out with a flowing mermaid train at the bottom.”

“I’m a very detail-oriented person and I believe that bridal accessories can make or break the overall look.”

For the veil, the bride chose a cathedral length handstitched Chantilly lace, with her hair and makeup style designed to enrich the entire look. “I wanted my hair swept back to show off the low back. But I’m not into formal updos so I opted for a fishtail braid with a hair vine woven into it. This complemented the romantic feel of the gown. I kept my makeup natural as I wanted to look and feel like myself on the day,” she recalls.

The bridesmaids’ gowns were also selected with the bride’s wedding dress in mind. “The top part of the bridesmaids’ dress featured a floral applique lace to go with the floral theme of the wedding and the floral-motif lace of my gown. The skirt was a champagne tulle tiered skirt to reflect the clean colour palette of the wedding,” Rachel explains, adding that their look was also finished off with rose-gold accessories, in line with the bride’s selection.

On the day itself – which started out with a celebration at Ta’ Giezu Church in Valletta, followed by a reception at the Grand Harbour Terrace at the Mediterranean Conference Centre – the bride changed into a jumpsuit by Eva Lendel for the couple’s going away.

A WORD FROM THE GROOM

“I must admit I teared up when I saw her walking down the aisle. The gown was a reflection of her personal style and elegance. It was exactly the fit I imagined her in. And her going away outfit showed off more of her fun side.”

“I saw it on Instagram a couple of months before the wedding and I just had to have it! I thought it was stylish and original, and more suitable for travelling to our hotel for the evening,” Rachel recalls, explaining that the upper part of the jumpsuit was made of translucent fabric, decorated with lace patterns and featuring a deep V-shaped back as well as wide-leg white crepe-satin trousers with a high waist. “I would definitely recommend a second outfit to other brides, but only if it can be re-worn outside of a bridal context,” she advises.

And, after dancing and laughing the night away, confident in her two looks and having changed into her jumpsuit, the bride was taken aback to find out that Kurt had thought of a last revelation. “Kurt surprised me with fireworks at the end of the night! This injected that extra dose of magic into the send-off. In that moment, after two postponements and months of stress during which everything seemed to work against us, I remember feeling relieved and overjoyed that everything had worked well in the end.”