Jasmine Contomichalos and Paul Masmejean met in January 2022 on a blind date. Their mutual friend Emma set them up because—despite being New Yorkers—they were “both European,” Jasmine recalls, laughing. (Jasmine’s mom and dad are British and Greek respectively, while Paul’s parents are French.) But despite the broad commonality, Emma was spot-on: “We hit it off instantly and even discovered we attended the same pre-school in London,” says Jasmine. A year and a half later, Paul proposed to Jasmine on the Caribbean island of Canouan.
The two decided to wed on July 6 in Patmos, Greece. The mystical Aegean isle—where John the Apostle is purported to have written the Bible’s Book of Revelation—is a meaningful place for Jasmine, the senior experiences editor at Vogue. Her grandparents bought a house there in the 1970s, while her own parents wed there a decade and a half later. “I’ve spent every summer there since birth,” she says. The only problem? Its seclusion: Patmos has no airport and is only reachable via boat.
Yet the practical challenges were overcome by the island’s nostalgic value and heart. “I was reluctant to host our wedding there at first as it’s remote and a pain to get to, but seeing all the people we love make the effort to be there, combined with the traditional magic of the island, made it all worth it.”
Their wedding festivities kicked off on Thursday, with lunch at a classic Greek taverna. The next night, Paul and Jasmine held a rehearsal dinner in the main square of Hora, a hillside town overlooked by a monastery. Guests wore all-white as Jasmine donned a blue dress by Khaite, paired with her grandmother’s earrings and her mother’s Tiffany cuff bracelets.
On Saturday afternoon, they held an Orthodox Greek ceremony at the same church where Jasmine was baptized. “We had a traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony which involves a wide range of rituals, symbolism, and prayers in order to celebrate the core meaning of marriage,” the bride explains. “As Greek Orthodox weddings have remained nearly unchanged since ancient Greece, it’s difficult for even native speakers to understand, but the ritualistic aspect is unique and spiritual.” The same priest who baptized Jasmine all those years ago presided over the couple as they said their vows. “His familiar presence helped me relax and truly embrace this special moment with Paul.”