Fan favorite! Rihanna supporter who wore costume inspired by star's Instagram meme and Grammys dress to her concert is invited to go backstage and meet the singer herself 

A Rihanna superfan managed to get backstage at her concert, meet her in person and even made it onto her Instagram feed after impressing the star with her elaborate costume.

Emily Graily, 21, a costume design major from Santa Cruz, California, recreated the face of 'Rhenna' - the singer's Instagram profile picture - in the form of a light-up mask and a pink dress inspired by the Giambattista Valli gown Rihanna, 28, wore to last year's Grammys.

Having flown all the way from San Francisco to the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, especially for the concert on Saturday, Emily's efforts were repaid in the form of a backstage invite from the star.

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Superfan:  Emily Graily, 21, pictured in costume with Rihanna backstage after her Hartford, Connecticut, show, is envy of singer's followers across the world after her unique costume caught the 28-year-old's eye

Impressed: Rihanna, pictured writing on the mask, loved the outfit so much that she signed 'Rhenna' and wrote 'I your girl'

Pose: Emily, who lives in Santa Cruz, pictured kissing the air, left, as Rihanna tries on the mask, right, paired the face-piece with a pink dress she created to imitate Rihanna's Grammys gown

Emily said the dress took her just one week to make out of of crinoline.

She saved up for two years to buy front-row VIP tickets to the ANTI tour. She tried to get San Jose or Oakland but they sold out too fast so she decided to go for Hartford. 

Emily told Daily Mail Online: 'I saved up for front row tickets for Rihanna's concert before I even knew there was going to be a tour or what year it was going to be. 

'As soon as she announced her ANTI tour and dates, I started thinking about what iconic outfit I should recreate. 

'It's just the costume designer in me that makes me want to dress up to every concert I go to. I wanted to pick something that everyone would recognize and would be seen from on stage.'

She said two costumes 'immediately' came to her head - Rihanna's yellow cape look from The Met Gala and her Grammys dress from last year. 

In the end she opted for the latter because it would be easier to move around in. 

'The Met Gala look would have been hard to maneuver in and pack so I went with the Grammys look,' she said. 

'Rihanna is my role model so why wouldn't I want to dress like her? With the concert, I finally had an excuse.'

She said using the Rhenna face was 'a must'. 

Spot the difference: Emily, pictured right in her Rihanna-inspired gown, joked that her degree had served her well after the singer, pictured left at the Grammys, posted their photo on Instagram

Inspired: Emily said when she was thinking about her outfit idea, she thought of Rhenna, Rihanna's Instagram profile picture, above

Emily, pictured in her Rihanna outfit alongside a poster of the star, said she also 'immediately' thought of the singer's Grammys dress by Giambattista Valli she wore last year

Adoration: Emily said the dress took her just one week to make out of of crinoline. Fans, pictured with a Rhenna sign, have adopted the illustation

Dedication: Emma, who made the mask pictured, saved up for two years to buy front-row VIP tickets

She added: 'It's been her Instagram profile picture for so long, it is like an inside joke Rihanna and her navy shares [sic].

'I made it light up so she could easily see it from on stage. Plus, it has different settings so it flashes along to the beat of her songs.'

She first started getting into dressing in costumes for gigs going to Lady Gaga concerts, where it is common for fans to wear costumes, and then did it for a Katy Perry and a Rihanna concert. 

Rihanna's clothing is a constant inspiration, she said. 

'My first CD my mom bought me was Rihanna's album A Girl like Me. I have loved Rihanna ever since. She inspires me daily,' Emily said.

'I love how she isn't scared to take risks with what she wears. Mel Ottenberg, Adam Selman, and Rihanna are slaying the fashion world. I admire all their work. 

'I got into costume designing around 16. I wasn't the best constructing costumes back then, but that didn't stop me.' 

It was her fist time meeting the star who she said was 'so down to earth' and felt like 'an old friend'. 

She said: 'The week before the concert, I noticed some fans were getting to go backstage and I kept wondering if I was going to get the same opportunity.'

Emily, who is an aspiring designer, claims Rihanna spotted her outfit online at a pre-show party and followed her on Instagram.  

Sold out: She tried to get San Jose or Oakland but in the end Hartford was the only concert she could get tickets to

Immortalized: Emily showed off her merchandise, signed by the singer, on her Instagram account, pictured

Day-wear: Emily, pictured relaxing in a park, flew all the way from San Francisco for the concert

The UC Santa Cruz student then claims the singer pointed her out during the concert and winked before telling her afterwards that she loved the outfit and invited her backstage.

She told MTV that during the bows, she mouthed 'I love you, you're the best' to Rihanna and she mouthed back 'I love you too, I love all of this' about her costume, before saying 'I got you'. 

She was nearly kicked out of the auditorium but then she got stopped by the signer's hairstylist Yusef Williams who told her: 'Whoa, whoa, stop, stop. Let me get pictures of you.'

He told Emily that Rihanna wanted to meet her so he took her backstage.

Describing the moment she actually met her, she said Rihanna hugged her and said 'oh my gosh, I love this. This is so creative' and asked her how she made the costume.

She said Rihanna loved her costume so much she wanted to try it on and found the mask 'hilarious'. 

Emily told Daily Mail Online: 'Yusef Williams, her hairstylist, was the one that stopped me while I was getting kicked out of the XL Center and got me backstage. 

Starpower: In a final compliment, Rihanna, pictured center at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York, posted a picture of the pair together on her Instagram

Suited: The picture Rihanna, pictured at the Barclays Center on Sunday, shared of Emily has been liked more than 740,000 times

'I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. I flew out of San Fransico just for the show. It was well worth it. 

'She was so impressed by my costume and could not believe I thought to dress up. She thought the mask was hilarious and could not wait to try it on. 

'She was so down to earth. It felt like reuniting with an old friend. I hope to keep making Rihanna costumes and become a costume designer for different theater or film companies.' 

After trying on the mask herself, Rihanna signed it with the words 'I your girl' and even recorded a video message for Emily's mother. 

She said: 'She's [Emily is] being a good girl, she's actually with me, not with a boyfriend, not making out at the movies, she's dressed in all pink.'

In a final compliment, Rihanna posted the picture of herself with Emily in her costume on her Instagram saying 'Met "Rhenna" last night!'. It has since been liked more than 740,000 times. 

Thanking the singer, Emily wrote: 'Hahaha majoring in costume design has its perks. Thanks for the post'.