'Therapist Stephanie, 35, married Stephen, 45, co-owner of Thompson Hotels, at New York's Thompson Lower East Side hotel in a modern East-meets-West wedding with 120 guests. Stephanie says: "The vibe was urban chic with Asian accents. Stephen's hotel, with its contemporary design, was the perfect venue for our wedding."
"We had a traditional Jewish ceremony on the seventh floor, which has retractable glass walls, providing spectacular views of the city. We wanted a modern cocktail and dinner party rather than a more traditional celebration. We began with cocktails by the outdoor pool on the second floor. Then, guests enjoyed a dance before dinner in the hotel's Shang restaurant, where they feasted on Chinese cuisine. The food was a real hit!"
"I chose a caramel mermaid dress because I didn't want a classic white gown. I wanted something feminine, fitted and sexy but also with some drama and Israeli designer Pnina Torani offered me just that."
"My favourite part of the day was the ceremony. Just at the right moment, the clouds parted and sunlight streamed through as my sister sand Once Upon a Dream from Sleeping Beauty. It was breathtaking."
"My advice to brides would be: imagine your wedding is two days before it actually is. That way you will have finalised the details and can devote two days to relaxing. You don't want to wake up on the day and panic because you've forgotten something."
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The newlyweds Stephanie Chmura and Stephen Brandman after the ceremony. Stephan wore an ivory dinner jacket and black trousers with a white voile shirt, grosgrain bow tie and cummerbund, all by Tom Ford (tomford.com), plus black patent shoes by Gucci (gucci.com).
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The cocktail reception by the Andy Warhol pool. The couple held their ceremony, cocktail reception, dinner and dancing at Thompson Lower East Side hotel in New York (thompsonhotels.com).
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The towering croque-en-bouche (tower of profiteroles) provided by the hotel restaurant Shang (shang-restaurant.com).
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A DJ entertained guests.
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Large displays of cherry blossom branches and weeping mosses complemented the intricate lanterns at dinner in the restaurant.
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The bride has a moment of quiet. Stephanie wore a tulle mermaid gown with yellow crystals by Pnina Tornai (pninatornai.co.il). She teamed it with a net birdcage veil with crystals and pearl comb by Leah C Couture Millinery (leahc.com), and burnished gold peep-toe pumps by Christian Louboutin (020 7245 6510).
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Amuse bouches served in Chinese spoons included yellowtail sashimi with black truffle. The hotel restaurant Shang laid on the food. Starters included Singapore slaw with salted plum dressing, crispy lobster in lettuce wraps and Chiu Chow vegetable dumplings. The main course was caramelised black cod with miso mustard and caviar, braised Asian greens and wasabi mashed potatoes.
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Pretty peony stems in vases. Ovando (ovandony.com) did the arrangements, including the bride's coral peony bouquet, peonies in vases, a black bamboo chuppah at the ceremony and cherry blossom displays at the reception.
