Ariana Austin found love in a nightclub, and it really is a modern-day fairy tale. In 2005, Ariana was at the Washington DC nightclub Pearl when she met Joel Makonnen, known as Prince Yoel of Ethiopia, but she had no idea he was the great-grandson of Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia.
After meeting at the nightclub, the two began dating, graduated from college, began their careers, and then, nearly 12 years later, tied the knot in a gorgeous ceremony that combined Ariana's African-American and Guyanese background (her grandfather was a lord mayor of Georgetown, Guyana, and Makonnen) with Prince Yoel's Ethiopian traditions in two different states in September 2017.
According to the couple's wedding website, their big day was made possible when "Old World aristocracy met New World charm."