Supermodel Danielle Graham’s Vintage Wedding

To be a true supermodel in Asia, then you have to make a name for yourself in Hong Kong. I met Danielle Graham during my early years of modeling, when she had just achieved supermodel status with her prestigious Olay Ad campaigns, countless magazines covers and first movie role in the film “2002″. But life at the top is never an easy one, and the same goes for the ever fickle HK paparazzi (love you/ love you not).  Post good and bad press, Danielle took a surprise step away from the limelight when she fell in love with a Malaysian lad, Patrick. Though her wedding was held last year, it hasn’t been featured on any wedding portals, so I thought it was perfect for WGA!

Especially since it was simply beautiful :)

What made you turn 360 and go from glitz and glamour to something more homegrown?

Honestly, I met the right guy. And it was the right time, as I was ready to settle down.

Do you ever miss the lifestyle?

Not really. I feel like I have been there and done that. I like my privacy now and am enjoying a quieter life with my new family. Recently, I did go back to HK for a Mother’s day event and was surprised that the press hounded me after the event. I even had three cars chasing me back to the agency! It was scary. My friends and I went out for dinner after and we couldn’t believe that they followed us in to the restaurant and took pictures. That’s HK for you.

So how did Patrick muscle out all those suave Hong Kong fellas (so I hear bout men over there!)

I was on my way to Beijing to study Mandarin and planned to move back to Hong Kong after. Then I met Patrick. I just dropped everything and followed my heart. He proposed six months after we got together and a year later we were married! He had actually arranged for the ring to be made in Hong Kong and kept it from me for two months, as he was waiting to meet my mum before he popped the question in Tokyo. Patrick has old school manners and charm which I find so attractive. Also, Patrick is smart and I find his confidence such a turn on. And he is romantic. For one birthday he surprised me and took me to see my favourite singer Andre Boccelli perform under the stars up in the Tuscan Hills in Italy.  At the end of the day, we have a really good time together and he completes me.

When you are married you play as a team. Remember that you are not in the relationship as individuals but as a couple. You need to work at it constantly to make it strong. Its important to make the other person feel special and appreciated.

And you must become an expert in compromising! I have learnt to negotiate and meet half way. So that both of us are happy.

Tell us about the wedding. How did you decide on a vintage wedding?

Our wedding was all about vintage elegance and romance. I have always been interested in vintage things. I like that they have a story and I think it adds character. Our decorations for the wedding were vintage inspired. All the tables were dressed up with chandeliers, pearls, tassels and gold wooden chairs. We rode in a vintage white jaguar and I wore a lace dress. There were white flowers and candles everywhere.

Our wedding venues also had names. The church was called The Blessing room, our evening reception at the Hilton was called The Vintage soiree and the afterparty was called The Casbah (70′s inspired).

We both love music so we wanted it to play a big part. My dad sang us a few songs and I made a CD as a gift to our guests. It was a compilation of songs we loved. The CD cover was a romantic picture of us taken in the Maldives sipping champagne and watching the sunset.

My husband took care of the drinks and chose our first dance song ‘You make me feel brand new’ by Simply Red. We had a string quartet play classical music at the church service and a jazz band play during the dinner.

After dinner, we turned a part of the ballroom into the afterparty! It looked like a 70′s night club with shaggy rugs, disco balls a mirrored bar.

How many guests did you have?

There were 350 guests. We had family from Ireland, Indonesia, Australia and the USA. I had friends from HK, S’pore, London, Australia and Italy come down. All of my Hong Kong modelling agency people came to join us. An old friend of mine Zing (famous make up artist to the HK superstars) also came to do my makeup. And my HK girlfriends threw a surprise hens party for me the night before! Which I had to slip away from as things were getting a little crazy.

Tell us about ‘the dress’.

My KL wedding dress was made by Valentino. It was the first dress I had tried on in KL. I fell in love with it and it fit like a glove. It was made of lace and had a satin belt, so it had a vintage feel to it and was elegant. Yet at the same time, the belt made it look modern. When I found it, I called Pat up and told him I think I found the dress! Told him how much it was and he said that if I really loved it then I can get it. So I did! Hehe.

Was the wedding what you wanted to be? Or anything you would of done differently?

I just wished it lasted longer because it was perfect. We worked closely with family, friends and our wedding planners. Everyone helped in their own way. And I loved everything. It all looked very beautiful and sophisticated. When I walked in to the ballroom I had goose bumps… it was just so beautiful and intimate. Our wedding planners, WGA vendor The Occasions, paid attention to all the details.

* All photos courtesy of The Photoz