Coperni Cofounders Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer Got Married on a Secluded Island in Greece
Sébastien Meyer, the creative director and co-founder of Coperni, and Arnaud Vaillant, the brand’s CEO and co-founder, first got to know each other as classmates 13 years ago. Arnaud studied fashion business, while Sébastien majored in fashion design. “It was love at first sight personally and professionally,” Arnaud remembers. Both previously worked as designers for Courrèges before starting Coperni, which has become synonymous with a minimal, playfully subversive aesthetic and its well-known cult classic Swipe bag.
In August of 2018, Sébastien asked Arnaud to become his husband while they were on vacation in Hydra, Greece. “We fell in love with the island a few years ago, so it was natural for me to do it there,” he says. “It was very simple. In the morning, I had prepared breakfast for him and came with a Cartier box on the tray. Arnaud understood immediately.”
The wedding was scheduled for August 7, 2020 in Hydra, but ultimately, like so many other couples, they had to postpone due to the pandemic. The date, location, program, and guest list all remained the same—but the event was one year later. “The fact that we had to postpone it actually gave us more time to prepare it,” Arnaud says. “It was more time to enjoy it, and it created an excitement in us, especially after this difficult COVID year. The joy of gathering, of partying and celebrating love was unique.”
The planning process was akin to organizing a fashion show, and the couple was involved in every aspect—from the invitations and the overall creative direction to the looks, location, music, and production. The ceremony, inspired by the films Plein Soleil and The Talented Mr. Ripley, took place on the secluded Kivotos Island, which guests reached by boat from Hydra port. “Planning was a lot of work, but worth it,” Arnaud says. “I like to joke that the ‘Arnaud Vaillant Wedding Agency’ orchestrated the entire wedding weekend. But, it was absolutely magical to see everything come to life.”
The morning of the wedding, Sébastien and Arnaud made a point of not seeing each other. “We liked the traditional way,” Arnaud says. Instead, they got ready separately with their witnesses and then walked all the steps down from the port of Hydra. “There is no transportation on the island, which makes it even more beautiful,” Arnaud explains. “No cars, no bikes, just the pleasure of walking.”
For the ceremony, Sébastien wore a vintage Helmut Lang suit in ivory linen with a Santangelo necklace and Celine moccasins. Meanwhile, Arnaud was in a complete Saint Laurent look—sailor style with a double-breasted striped wool jacket, a white linen shirt, beige chinos, a braided belt, and black moccasins.
