Rachel Frye, an aircraft finance specialist, and David Grover, group chief executive of Roshn, a property development company, were married last month at the residence of the British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh.
Rachel and David like a challenge. She has a commercial pilot’s license and enjoys doing loop-the-loops in smaller planes. He races Ferraris. Rachel was roped in by a friend who was running an event and short of staff. Her friend knew David and introduced them. They got on well and swapped business cards but did not expect to meet again.
Not long afterwards Rachel was in London for a job interview with Arcadis, a design and consultancy company. David had worked for Arcadis so they arranged to meet. He was living in Hertfordshire and booked an early supper in the Shard.
“A bit of competition was going on,” he says as Rachel spotted planes and he identified buildings he had developed. He had set himself a curfew of 9pm but ended up staying for a nightcap.
“The first thing I noticed about David was his kindness,” she says. They are both sociable and share a childish sense of humor. “Neither of us particularly has an off button,” she says. “We end up being the last people at the party.” David competes in Ferrari racing competitions and, three weeks before meeting Rachel, crashed into a wall at Silverstone at 120mph. “I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else ever,” says Rachel, who was cautious about marriage. “I had never really felt that before.” David says that he would not have moved to Saudi Arabia without her. “I love hearing Rachel’s voice in the house when I’m not close by,” says David. “Hearing her laugh and chatting with friends. We both thrive on that independence and sharing stories afterwards.”
He proposed on one knee in the kitchen of his London apartment last October. With their plans to make a life together in Saudi Arabia, Rachel and David were keen to marry without too much delay. The pandemic, however, meant that their original plans had to be adapted, with Covid-19 restrictions limiting their wedding guest list to just six people.
Their wedding took place last month at the residence of the British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, providing a wonderfully distinctive setting for an intimate celebration. Despite the challenges of planning a wedding during such an extraordinary time, the day was a beautiful reflection of Rachel and David: personal, meaningful and centred on the people and moments that mattered most.
A celebration of two adventurous spirits finding their perfect companion, and the beginning of a new chapter together in Saudi Arabia.
