Romantic movies often include a scene in which two characters who eventually become a couple first encounter one another in a quirky or memorable way. Daria Abbaei and Peter Sakaris tell a meet-cute tale to rival any fictitious love story. “We were invited to the wedding of mutual friends with the suggestion we attend as each other’s plus-one,” Peter recounts.
For months, these soon-to-be-wed friends insisted the two would be perfect together, even going so far as to jokingly revoke their plus-one privileges. There was one significant obstacle to the plan, however; Peter lived in Canada. Daria, a Naples resident, told their well-meaning friends, “I can’t rationalize dating a guy who lives in another country.”
Still, they followed each other on Instagram and began exchanging friendly texts, which one evening led to a game-changing FaceTime call—an eight-hour marathon that ended at 3 a.m. It was then they decided to find out if their digital chemistry would create the same electricity in person. Peter flew to Naples, and the sparks ignited.
For the next six months, the couple navigated a long-distance relationship between Daria’s home base in Naples—where she works with her father, Mike Abbaei, in his venture capital investment firm—and Peter’s place in Montreal, where he was working in the family jewelry business with his parents, Petros and Bessy Sakaris.
By the time their friends’ wedding took place in November 2023, the pair were not only each other’s plus-one but also were in love and planning their own future together. “Everything moved very fast but, sometimes, when you know, you know,” says Daria. Adds Peter, “I’m grateful for the way we met, and I love telling the story.”
Ice Ice Baby
As a native Canadian, Peter practically grew up on ice skates and played professional hockey in his country and throughout the United States. He retired from the sport at age 26—“you can’t play hockey forever,” he says—and followed the familial footsteps into a career associated with another type of ice: diamonds.
“I had a ready-made client base of friends and hockey teammates who were playing in the United States and Canada, as well as Germany, Sweden, and Russia,” he explains. “I was making diamond stud earrings, engagement rings, and tennis bracelets and shipping them all over the world.”
When Daria and Peter began discussing marriage, he designed not just one but two stunning engagement rings. The first, with which he would propose, sports a 4.3-carat, round-cut diamond. The second, which he presented to his fiancée before the wedding, boasts an 8-carat, emerald-cut sparkler.
Peter enlisted the help of his future mother-in-law, Lily Abbaei, to plan the proposal, slated for the day before New Year’s Eve 2023. “He also conspired with my brother and sister-in-law to invite me out for happy hour drinks that afternoon,” recalls Daria. “I suspected something was up when they insisted we all dress cute.”
Instead, they dropped her off at the beach at sunset, where a rose-petal-strewn picnic for two was set up on the sand. Peter dropped to one knee and popped the question. A surprise engagement party followed at Daria’s parents’ Naples home in Tiburón. A few weeks later, Peter made Naples his permanent residence.
For the next 13 months, the bride-to-be and her mother planned an elaborate wedding, collaborating with Cece Baschieri of So Eventful SWFL, based in Fort Myers, whom Daria touts as “the most amazing wedding planner.” The admiration is mutual. Says Baschieri, “Daria knew exactly what she wanted but also trusted my professional expertise. She and Lily are among the most ideal clients I’ve ever worked with.”
The Joyful Day
On February 8 of this year, Daria and Peter wed on the terrace of Quail West Golf & Country Club in Naples before 140 family and friends. The bride was resplendent in a couture gown by Israeli-born designer Berta Balilti, featuring a trumpeted silhouette, sheer-illusion corseted bodice, and cathedral-length train, with beaded appliqués throughout. A floral-patterned crystal headpiece complemented the gown’s shimmering fabric, which sparkled in the late afternoon sunlight.
Daria’s father accompanied her down a mirror-like aisle bordered by hundreds of white flowers, following the couple’s 5-year-old Pomsky, Kaya, bedecked in pearl-rimmed shades and riding in a remote-controlled car. Peter awaited his bride in a bespoke tuxedo, the jacket of which was lined with a collage of photos of the pair and their adored canine.
The bride and groom exchanged vows in front of a circular arch adorned with 600 white hydrangeas, roses, ranunculuses, and lilies created by Naples florist Tom Trovato. The ceremony incorporated elements from Daria’s Persian-Jewish and Peter’s Greek Orthodox cultures, including the Greek tradition of waving stefana, or wedding crowns, over the heads of the bride and groom and the timeless Jewish ritual of breaking a glass.
Peter slipped another of his custom creations on Daria’s left hand—an eternity band featuring 2.5 carats of emerald-cut diamonds—and officiant Chris Perry, a longtime family friend, pronounced them husband and wife.
Immediately following the ceremony, the newlyweds and their guests proceeded to the club’s ballroom, which was exquisitely decorated in a black, white, and silver theme. Magnificent white floral centerpieces and thousands more white flowers in elaborate arrangements were placed throughout the room—also the work of Trovato’s team. “Tom executed on our vision to a T; he took it and ran with it,” says Daria.
A string duo played classical music as signature cocktails—a lychee martini chosen by the bride and a Moscow Mule favored by the groom—were offered along with a full bar. Guests feasted on appetizers of bacon-wrapped dates, ahi tartare, lamb-chop lollies, a sushi bar, and mini kabobs made with Lily Abbaei’s own Persian kabob seasoning.
Mike Abbaei recited a Hebrew prayer and maid of honor Kaitlin Yezek and best man Josh Johnstone delivered touching toasts. A sumptuous meal was served, including a choice of Chilean sea bass, a duo of filet and crab cake, or a vegetarian curried cauliflower dish. The newlyweds cut into a four-tiered red velvet cake with buttercream frosting, which was served along with a bountiful dessert buffet.
When the 13-piece band struck up the Jewish folk song “Hava Nagila,” Daria and Peter were raised into the air on chairs as guests danced the hora. After the couple’s first dance to “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias, everyone packed the dance floor for the remainder of the evening, working up an appetite for a late-night nosh of hot dogs, hamburgers, and more desserts.
As Cece Baschieri reflects, “Yes, the flowers and decor were amazing, the band was phenomenal, and the food and service were exceptional. But, you could tell that because the bride and groom were so happy, everyone was so happy for them. You could just feel the love and joy throughout the entire night.”
Plus-Ones for Life
Since the wedding, the Sakarises have been settling into the home they recently purchased in North Naples, enjoying an occasional dinner out with friends and taking Kaya for long walks.
While Daria continues to work in the venture capital space, Peter is growing his client base locally for Sakaris Jewelers—an online custom jewelry design business he launched last year after moving to Naples—while serving his existing clientele nationally and internationally.
The couple will embark on a honeymoon later this month to Italy, including stops in Rome and Capri as well as Puglia, where they’ll be each other’s plus-one at the wedding of Peter’s best man.
They continue to be amazed at how their friends’ cheeky wedding invitation led to their own happily ever after. “Marrying Daria was the best day of my life,” says Peter, adding, “Every day since, she’s continued to show me that the best is yet to come.” Says Daria, “I feel incredibly lucky to call Peter my husband, and I can’t wait to explore all that life has in store for us.”
Credits:
Wedding design and planning: Cece Baschieri, So Eventful SWFL
Decor and floral design: Tom Trovato
Bride’s makeup: Maria Renee Paz
Bride’s hair: Angela Artiles
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