REAL-LIFE WEDDINGS

Suzanne Yong and Marcus Tan

HOW THEY MET: Marcus and-Suzanne-met briefly eight years ago in Singapore but didn’t stay in touch as she lived in the UK and he lived in the USA. They met again in 2002 on a group dive trip to the Red Sea. Romance blossomed and Marcus proposed on Miami Beach during one of Suzanne’s visits. CEREMONY: The couple married at The Royal Society of Arts in London (020-7839 5049). “Marcus and I are both Chinese but grew up in Western cultures,” says Suzanne. “To reflect this, we had a tea ceremony with a Western wedding meal. We served tea to all the elders in our families and in return we received red packets filled with gifts such as money or jewellery. We wrote our own vows and, despite all my efforts, I had trouble holding back a few tears.” BRIDE’S OUTFIT: “The dress and coat were based on costumes from Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers,” says Suzanne. “Because of the Chinese tea ceremony, I had to wear red too, which is considered lucky.” Michael Hunt (020-8534 0809) designed a medieval-style ivory silk dress topped with a matching coat in red silk brocade. Suzanne’s sister Lynette (07956-881449) made her a beautiful belt and an intricate headdress. Suzanne wore gold shoes custom-made by Casadei in Knightsbridge (020-7838 0844). GROOM’S OUTFIT: Marcus wore a three-quarter-length mandarin-collar suit by Andrew Fezza, bought in Florida, and a red tie by Valentino. For the tea ceremony, he wore a red silk sash made by his mother. BRIDESMAIDS: Lynette wore a red floral print cheongsam made in Singapore. THEME: In addition to the Chinese theme, the signature flower was the orchid. The couple’s wedding co-ordinator Carly Mitchell (020-7451 6815) helped ensure everything was perfect. FLOWERS: “My bouquet was three garlands of white Singapore orchids by McQueens (020-7251 5505),” says Suzanne. Candelabras decorated with ivy and tea lights lined the corridor of the vaults. TABLE SETTINGS: Each centrepiece was a glass bowl on a wire stand, with white marbles and floating purple ‘Vanda’ orchids by Leanne’s Flowers (07956-613758). The couple named each table after fish they saw on their diving trip. FAVOURS: Suzanne’s mother brought porcelain teacups from China, which were filled with Hershey’s chocolate kisses and placed in boxes tied up with purple and green ribbon. CATERING: Guests enjoyed grilled goat’s cheese dressed with port and red wine glaze, followed by roasted lamb on fondant potatoes or walnut and avocado risotto. Pudding was banoffee pie with citrus and anglaise sauce. CAKE: The couple had bite-size petits fours plus a fraisier – strawberry cream cake with kirsch, all made by Maison Blanc (020-7586 1982). ENTERTAINMENT: A DJ from Abundant Events (020-7419 7535) played tunes ranging from Frank Sinatra to hip hop. HONEYMOON: The couple stayed at Habitat Curacao (www.habitatcuracao. com) in the Caribbean. “We did some diving off the hotel reef, which was very beautiful and colourful,” says Suzanne. AND ANOTHER THING… “Lion dances are lucky for auspicious occasions,” says Suzanne. Dance troupe Yi Dao (www. liondance.co.uk) used drums and cymbals to scare away evil spirits. ■