February 17, 2007
Instant Chemistry
On Mother's Day 2005, 33-year-old restaurateur, Chris 'Zippo' Xipolitas met the girl he now calls Princess, 29-year-old Home and Away starlet Ada. "We were out to lunch with family at Chrys' restaurant, Zippo's on the Marina, and we got chatting and there were real sparks between us," recalls Ada. "Everyone else could see it too." It was there and then that Chrys made a pact with Ada's mum Jenny that he'd marry her daughter if she was still single at 30. Chrys livedup to his word in record time; they married three months before her 30th.
Roses Are Red
The Shangri-La Hotel's Grand Ballroom, where the reception was held, housed 5000 red roses and 2000 candles. Luckily wedding stylist Anthony Del Col of Staging Connections had six months to plan, with the big day falling in Valentine's week. "As you can imagine, it was the hardest flower to get hold of," says Del Col.
Sheer Glamour
The theme Ada and Chrys chose was "sheer glamour" which incorporated black, white and red. Says Del Col, "Guests were brought through a journey from the invitation through to the reception and bomboniere." The black lace-like 'Caligula' print invitations were a stand out for Ada and Chrys. "Faye from Divine Concepts went out of her way to do extra things for us, without us even asking," says Chrys. Their bomboniere was a scented candle in glass wrapped in the same black lace that featured on their invitations.
Groomzilla
Chrys did 95 percent of the organising. Says Del Col, "I'm used to dealing with brides so it was a refreshing change to talk to Chrys. We'd meet at Zippo's for coffee and go through samples. He'd ask, 'Am I turning into a groomzilla?' And of course he wasn't."
Passionate People
"Red is Chrys' favourite colour but we also chose it as we're both passionate, strong people and think it reflects those qualities," says Ada. "When we walked into the reception, my face said it all: I was overwhelmed by the beauty. There was such a wow factor!" Ada says. The tables featured alternate centrepieces of roses and chandeliers falling from above; and wax dome bowls with rose ball centres. A black star cloth adorned the walls of the ballroom and created the illusion of being under an open sky.
"You do feel a different connection after you're married. I'm an independent person but it's nice to know I'll be tackling the world with someone covering my back," says Ada.
Couture Creation
Ada's strapless, fully corseted Italian silk gown was created by J'Aton Couture. The stunning hand-embroidered dress was everything she had hoped for. "It was sweet with the bow at the front, yet strong," she says. With silver bullion thread as well as antique beads from Paris, the gown looked rather weighty. "My uncle carried the dress up to house and was like, 'Jeez, how are you going to wear that all day?'," says Ada. "But it was fine. The main thing was I felt like a real princess." Fittingly, her signature scent was Vera Wang's Princess.
One Of A Kind
The bridesmaids and flowergirl wore Grecian-style gowns, also by J'Aton. Each dress was unique. "I have a real thing against grown women wearing the same dress," says Ada.
Family Ties
The church was filled with gardenias to honour Ada's late uncle who had recently passed away. "He was a very significant figure in my life," she says. Her mum Jenny escorted her down the aisle.
Modern Take
Ada was adamant that the formalities be over with quickly so the party could get underway. "The first thing we did was cut the cake and then had entertainment," she says. Planet Cake's white and chocolate mud three-tiered Madhatter-style cake displayed cute figurines of the couple on top.
Dancing Queen
The Dancing with the Stars' Victor shared her first dance with her new hubby to their favourite Michael Jackson song 'Speechless'. The 400-strong reception party were also treated to Ada's Dancing With the Stars partner Aric Yegudkin kicking up his heels.
Highlights
"I decided to limit speeches to 90 seconds each," says Ada. "Considering how much my husband hates public speaking, he was amazing. He spoke off the cuff and from the heart."
And then...
The party didn't stop when the reception wound up at 11.30pm. "We moved up to the Shangri-La Hotel's Blu Horizon Bar and raged on until 4am," says Ada, who changed into another J'Aton creation for the after-party. And the best thing about married life? "Saying hubby and wifey!" says Ada. "I'm so proud of us and looking forward to having kids."
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