Exclusive: Influencer, Entrepreneur, And Now Fiancée – Cover Girl Leonie Hanne Chats To Harper’s Bazaar Bride About Her Latest Role 

The bride-to-be shares her love story and plans for her Big Day exclusively in our latest issue

10 years ago, Leonie Hanne quit her corporate job to launch a blog. It was one of the best decisions she’s ever made… The German-born entrepreneur and influencer has built a name for herself as one of the world’s most trusted tastemakers, accruing a following of 4.8 million Instagram followers (and counting) and collaborating with the likes of Dior, Fendi and Louis Vuitton.

The year 2014 was an auspicious one for Leonie, because it was also when she reunited with Alexander Galievsky – her now fiancé and collaborator – whom she had met at university.

“Alex and I were both enrolled in a dual system we have in Germany where you study while also working at a company,” Leonie explains. “It allows you to graduate from university with two degrees and almost three years of work experience at the same time. It’s a very competitive programme. We started dating during university and broke up afterwards, but stayed close friends and came back together two and half years later.”

This May, in Dubai, the couple celebrated their 10-year anniversary and a month later, they became engaged in the beautiful fishing town of Portofino.

“Having been together for so long, I did have a feeling,” she tells us. “Alex said he’d planned a special date in Portofino and because I’m the planner in our relationship it got me thinking. On the actual day of the proposal he was playing it so cool, I actually thought I might have misread the signs!”

She hadn’t – Alex popped the question on a boat, sound tracked by a string quartet. Needless to say, Leonie said yes. The first people she told were her parents, who already knew, since Alex had asked their permission. “I found that really special,” she says. “The way Alex proposed was my perfect vision of romance but in a very original, special and authentic way.”

Leonie may be in front of the camera, but Alex is often behind it; the two are not only partners in life but work, too. Leonie says it’s their shared vision and unwavering mutual support that makes them such a successful team.

“Neither of us come from money,” says Leonie. “Alex’s family came from Ukraine as refugees. When we started dating I always told him my dreams – he empowered me and made all my visions become reality, and helped me create a life for the two of us which is honestly beyond imagination.”

With a busy work and travel schedule, Leonie and Alex are rarely apart – but that’s the way they like it. “We work together, travel together and spend almost 24 hours a day, seven days a week together, and we still feel it’s the biggest luxury to spend time, just the two of us,” Leonie says. Earlier this summer, they finished renovating their London flat, complete with a walk-in wardrobe that’s floor to ceiling with Leonie’s enviable shoe and bag collection, garnering nearly a quarter of million likes on Instagram.

Glamorous though her life may be, it’s the little things that make Leonie’s heart sing. “Alex learnt barista latte art to make a heart for my oat cappuccino every morning,” she says.

The couple also loves spending quality time at home. “We bought a projector during lockdown and love having cinema nights. I’m a big foodie so I often make dinner plans when we travel, but I also love creating a cosy vibe at home and doing some vegan cooking.”

Leonie and Alex would like to get married next year, but they still have lots of planning to do. In fact, Leonie hadn’t tried on any bridal gowns before this Harper’s Bazaar Bride cover shoot. “When we got engaged so much happened and we got so many lovely messages and brands who reached out, but I really wanted to keep the moment for the two of us, so this special shoot was actually the first time I looked at dresses.”

As for the dress (or dresses) she is planning to wear on the big day, Leonie’s lips are sealed. “It looks like a fairytale might become a reality,” she hints. “But I can’t say any more about it!” If Leonie’s red-carpet looks are anything to go by, we know it will be extra-special. One of her most show-stopping style moments happened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021. The influencer stepped out in a shimmering, fringed, feathered gown by Lebanese couturier Rami Kadi and almost broke the internet.

“I felt beautiful and dreamy wearing it,” she says. “When I posted the dress it was the most viral moment I’ve ever experienced. Magazines all over the world featured the look and I became really close to the brand. We’ve co-designed many gowns together since.”

Musically, the wedding will be anything but predictable. “I think it will be full of surprises,” says Leonie. “Alex plays the piano and loves classical music but we both used to be hip hop dancers so it could be interesting. If I could get [the Italian composer] Ludovico Einaudi to play at our wedding, it would be Alex’s biggest dream.”

Any hints on the location of choice? “I can tell you one thing,” says Leonie, smiling – Italy! This makes sense, given where their engagement took place. “I want the wedding to be warm, filled with love, music, and amazing food – la dolce vita and our Italian dream, shared with everyone we love.”

Photographer: Amer Mohamad. Creative Direction and Styling: Nour Bou Ezz. Make-Up: Jean Kairouz. Hair: Maggie Semaan. Senior Producer: Steff Hawker. Styling Assistant: Catherine Mallari

From Harper’s Bazaar Bride’s Autumn/Winter 2024 issue