A Passion for Sustainable Travel Inspired This Beachfront Wedding on a Sacred Kenyan Archipelago

Valorie Darling and Brian Jones no longer remember the exact day—or even year—they met: “We were just kids!” says Val. “My family moved to the Pacific Northwest when I was in grade school and moved across the street from Brian’s family. We started going to the same school in junior high and caught the bus together.” After high school, the pair kept in touch, even as their interests took them to different parts of the world. Val, now the luxury wedding photographer behind Valorie Darling Photography, moved to Oregon, while Brian, who owns conservation-focused travel company Kin Travel, relocated to Kenya and then New York. In October 2016, Val joined Brian to photograph Kin Travel’s first official trip, a sailing excursion off the coast of Haiti. “The morning before we set off, he was offered a job in Los Angeles and what had been a long-standing friendship quickly became flirtatious,” she says. “Somewhere between sharing our first kiss while swimming in bioluminescence and dancing to drums in the remote Caribbean, our romance began.”

By January 2023, Val and Brian had cemented their shared passion for adventure travel and conservation. On a tiger safari in India, Brian proposed in front of a temple at Fort Barwara, a Six Senses resort. “It felt sacred and ancient and was the perfect backdrop to say yes to each other,” says Val. “We then toasted with Champagne and watched the incredible sunset as we processed everything before the Hindu priest invited us back into the temple for a special blessing.”

Val and Brian chose to tie the knot in Lamu, Kenya, one of Brian’s favorite places from his time spent living there and a spot where the couple travels together every year. “It is an incredibly beautiful, spiritual place and we both have a deep love for the natural and cultural beauty,” says Val. “It is an incredibly sacred, peaceful, and bucolic place, and we wanted our events to feel like an extension of its beauty and spirit.” The couple’s commitment to sustainable travel meant they also focused on supporting the surrounding local business. “We wanted to drive as much of our wedding spending as possible into rural economies, local vendors, and artisans,” says Val. They worked with local vendors, including wedding planners from AURA byFatema Bhaiji and Chic Luxury Events; held a four-day safari before the wedding in a community-owned conservancy alongside the Masai Mara National Reserve; and, in lieu of gifts, requested donations to Flying Kites, an organization that invests in primary schools in rural Kenya.

“Planning the wedding from afar was challenging primarily because of the time difference and the ‘pole pole’ (‘slowly slowly’) island pace of life that makes it so heavenly to sink into as a traveler—and also makes it an exercise in patience when producing a wedding,” says Val. “Our wedding planners worked together to bring our vision to life, [and] seeing it all come together and the impact it had on all involved made it worth every bit of effort.”

Val and Brian exchanged vows in a beachfront ceremony at The Majlis Resort on February 26, 2024, with 72 guests witnessing their ceremony. “[Brian and I] were on the same page from the start about what we wanted to do, where we wanted to do it, and what experiences we wanted to bring to life. Thankfully, that was easy for us,” says Val. The couple focused on enjoying the planning process while creating an event that was personal and distinctive. “You spend more time planning than being at the wedding, so try and turn wedding meetings into points of connection,” she says. “Make it true and unique to you and your story, take it piece by piece, and enjoy it as much as you can.” 

When it comes to the wedding itself, Val and Brian offer this advice to other couples: “It will fly by faster than you can imagine,” they say. “Some of the most magical moments come from those unexpected, spontaneous instances you can’t plan for, so leave some room for magic. Looking back, those are the memories that jump out at us most—the ones where you felt the most connected and fully present.” Ahead, revisit the couple’s meaningful celebration, as captured by Brandon Kidd Photography.

This Couple Prefaced Their Wedding Welcome Party in Lamu, Kenya, With a 4-Day Safari on the Edge of the Masai Mara

Sweet Zion Paperie created the couple’s elaborate multi-media invitation suite, which included wood-inspired cards and leaf-print envelopes that honored the natural beauty of the wedding location. The embossed pattern on the invitation wrap matched the couple’s ceremony altar, while the custom monogram was wreathed in icons meaningful to both of them.

Custom engagement and wedding rings from Vérité also included the swirling, carved design from the papers and altar on the inside of the bands. “We used melted family gold from both sides in our rings to symbolize our families coming together,” says Val. The rings also included a concealed personal touch: “Brian hid a tiny diamond on the inside of my engagement ring that has fluorescent qualities that make it light up in UV light—a nod to our first kiss in the bioluminescence,” says Val. “When designing our wedding bands, I secretly hid one on the inside of his band, too.”

The couple’s deep relationship with the town of Lamu inspired them to choose The Majlis Resort for their accommodations, ceremony, and reception. “Located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Kenya, Lamu is an island archipelago with villages made of coral, built by Arabic and Swahili cultures and histories,” says Val. “It is a Unesco World Heritage Site, navigated primarily on bare feet, by traditional dhow sailboats or donkeys. We chose Majlis because it is a gorgeous resort that gets the best sunset views and it was perfect for our larger group size.”

As Val, her mother, and stylist Micaela Erlanger set out for a day of bridal appointments in New York City, the bride knew she wasn’t looking for a gown that was simply gorgeous. “It’s important to find a wedding dress that you not only love how you look and feel in it but also that makes sense considering the weather and the venue where you’re getting married,” she says.“I came across several dresses that I loved but very few passed my ‘mood board test’ of the dress fitting into the rest of our overall vision and location.” Still, they embraced the search. “I will never forget exploring the city together and meeting some of the most incredible designers, seeing shows, and eating at the best restaurants!” says Val. “It was such a highlight in my wedding-planning journey and honestly in life in general!”

In the end, Val found a “strapless and ethereal” tulle beaded gown from Liz Martinez. “[It was] romantic and feminine; the top was almost shell-like in shape which felt very fitting for our coastal wedding,” says the bride. “When we found ‘the one,’ you can hear the emotion in my mom’s voice from behind the camera. I felt like I was floating, and I think we all just knew. It was a trip and experience together that I will cherish forever.”

Val’s close friend Suzie Moldavon created a hair and beauty look that Val describes as “natural and me, but elevated.” “She knows me so well and I trust her with everything, so I let her do her thing and have never felt more beautiful,” says Val. ”Suzie is one of my best friends and also spoke at the reception—the equivalent of a maid of honor speech—so I asked a lot of her throughout our wedding journey and was so grateful to have such a calming, supportive, loving presence to help ground me and make me feel my most beautiful on one of the most important days of our life.”

A Daphne Newman veil rippled over Val’s loose beach waves during pre-ceremony portraits; Moldavon then swept Val’s hair into a low bun in time for her to walk down the aisle, showing off her freshwater pearl earrings from Vérité. “With the humidity, I knew my hair wouldn’t last!” says Val.

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Brian wore his sand-colored, custom-made suit with a shirt from local tailor Aman & Ikeno and Brunello Cucinelli shoes. Though the couple didn’t have bridesmaids or groomsmen, they gave their fathers and brothers pocket squares that matched the groom’s—and, says Val, “Before the wedding, Brian got the men of the families together for rum and coconuts.”

Val’s work as a wedding photographer inspired the couple’s decision to see each other just before the ceremony. “I’ve learned how it slows down the day, and the couple immediately feels more relaxed after seeing each other—it also allowed us to have more quality time together and with our guests, which was really important to us,” says Val. “We took a bit of an unconventional approach and got ready together up to a point, though we didn’t see each other fully dressed until the first look.”

As Brian stood at the end of an outdoor corridor, Val turned a corner to meet him. “Seeing her walk toward me felt like a dream coming into vision, becoming real,” says Brian. “She looked like a princess, all the emotions and excitement hit, and we’ll forever hold onto that moment and that feeling.” Walking towards Brian “felt like walking the aisle, but privately,” says Val. “It was so powerful and emotional, but I sort of sped-walked to him because I couldn’t wait to hug him! We both felt so giddy, emotional, and just really, really grateful.”

Val and Brian set up their ceremony space under lush palm trees facing the Indian Ocean. Natural ivory, tan, and cream hues stood out against rich greens, coconut-husk browns, and wooden details.

For the altar, Val and Brian commissioned a hand-carved Swahili door that matched a Lamu wall carving Val had photographed years before. “The photo hangs above our dining room table,” says Val. “This pattern was woven throughout most of our design elements.”

Baskets of woven fans sat on two pedestal tables in the sand near the ceremony entrance, surrounded by potted florals and trailing decorative accents.

Val’s father escorted her down the aisle to an instrumental version of Andrew Bird’s “Orpheo,”—revamped for the occasion by the groom’s brother—with a brief pause for the bride to live out a childhood dream. “I always wanted to be a flower girl but never got the chance when I was little, so it’s always been a running joke in my family and among my friends (maybe even why I ended up becoming a wedding photographer?)” she says. “I couldn’t miss the opportunity to be my own flower girl and toss some petals mid-aisle to get people to laugh with me so Brian and I didn’t cry the whole time. It was a fun surprise and memory—walking out to our processional song and flower petals being thrown was just pure joy!”

Val’s “soul sister” Alex Watson led the couple and their guests in a grounding meditation to open the ceremony; then Brian’s close friend Mark Somen performed the marriage, which included vows Val and Brian wrote to each other. “Mark included a Swahili tradition of drinking from a coconut to mark the sweetness of our union and new chapter in life,” says Val. “The scene couldn’t have been more beautiful or perfect: dhow boats sailing by, butterflies floating among the flowers, the Swahili doorway, the sun setting on the sand dunes. Our group so connected, feeling so calm, present and happy—it was exactly what we’d dreamed, a moment of perfect paradise.”

Val and Brian opted not to have a bridal party, but did request a dress code of “warm earth tones” for their guests. Their friends’ five-year-old twins, Luca and Sienna, filled the roles of ring bearer and (the real) flower girl, wearing outfits from local makers with handmade accessories.

Ecru, ivory, and butter yellow flowers set in rustic vessels decorated the cocktail space. The couple served two signature drinks: “The Defender,” made with bitter lemon soda, gin, and prosecco (“One of Brian’s favorites from past adventures with friends,” says Val) and “Nanasi Tangawizi,” a pineapple-ginger vodka martini. East African musician Hope performed before and during the reception, while one of the band’s saxophone players led guests into the dining area.

Val and Brian were intentional about hiring local vendors and makers for everything during their trip, from their planning team to their dhow boat escort display. “This included all rentals, guides, multiple bands, DJ, florals, hair and makeup (for our moms)—and we worked with a ton of artisans in Lamu to create our ceremony arch, custom trays, welcome market, sailboat seating charts and more,” says Val. “Regenerative travel has been a passion and what brought us together, and using our wedding journey as a way to drive spending and attention toward conservancy areas, rural economies, local artisans, and causes we care about reflected that passion.”

Monogrammed menus at each place setting were printed on the same carved-design paper used for the invitation suite, while individual place cards helped guests find their seat. “Brian is known for often wearing a Stetson fedora, and he has become a bit of a birder with a passion for collecting feathers that he finds on his journeys,” says Val. “For our reception dinner, he chose a feather to give each guest and we together wrote a personal note, which Sophie of Sweet Zion Paperie then printed as place cards and stitched to each feather.”

Chefs at the resort provided a family-style meal that highlighted local flavors and just-caught seafood, while guests toasted the newlyweds during the reception. “The speeches were all amazing—when Brian’s brother roasted him, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed and cried so hard,” says Val. 

The newlyweds chose Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t Nothin’ Like the Real Thing” for their first dance, Brian and his mother danced to Paul Simon’s “Like a Rock,” and Val and her father picked “You Get What You Give” by the New Radicals. “Hope blew everyone away, especially when he sang opera, which had a standing ovation and teary eyes, and got the dance floor rockin’ with ‘Valerie’ by Amy Winehouse in honor of the bride,” says the couple.

Val’s custom terra-cotta beaded pantsuit by Cucculelli Shaheen was a party-ready choice for the dance floor; Brian changed into a striped shirt in the same earthy hues before the couple cut their dessert, a square confection the couple left to the on-site chefs. “The hotel handled the cake and we weren’t able to have much input on it so it was essentially a surprise, but we knew we would have to let go of some of the control and details when planning from afar and we were okay to roll with it!” says Val. “It was delicious; I think it was vanilla.”

One of the most memorable moments of the evening, says the couple, took full advantage of the beachfront site: When the theme song to The White Lotus played, the couple and their guests all ran into the ocean together. 

The day after the wedding, Val and Brian hosted a relaxed pool party under the shade of the acacia trees at the resort’s pool bar. “We had a DJ, brunch, and brunch cocktails including Kenya’s famous Dawa cocktail, which means “medicine” in Swahili,” says Val.

After spending the day by the pool, Val and Brian treated their guests to one final surprise: a sunset sail on a dhow boat. “We sailed through the mangroves silently taking in all the beauty and then were met by Brian’s friend Yusef, a local dhow captain, who gathered a crew of drummers (as another surprise), and they brought the party!” says Val.”All the boats tied up together and we danced and floated in the sea one last time as we watched the sun set on Lamu together. The whole trip felt like highlight after highlight, but this was one of those moments that’s especially hard to put the feeling into words.”

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