Where Cultures Collide: Sophia & Tanner's Palatial Nuptials in Ciragan Palace

Love Story

Sophia Cheng and Tanner Thexton's love story is one for the ages, spanning continents and adventures. The couple first met in 2019 over drinks at the iconic Rose Bar in New York City's Gramercy Park Hotel. Though they spent the next few months traveling the globe for work and leisure, their connection couldn't be denied. As Sophia shares, "It wasn't until a few months later when we had our second or third date, and shortly after I invited him to be my plus one at a wedding in the South of France, and the rest was history!"

Five years later, their whirlwind romance came full circle when Tanner proposed during a romantic weekend in New York's Hudson Valley. "He proposed at a beautiful estate overlooking the mountains," Sophia reminisces. "Afterwards we went to a diner and celebrated over champagne and wings just the two of us, it was very us. We love going upstate as a couple to spend quality time together as the city gets so busy. It's one of the only places that we can truly relax and enjoy each other's company."

For their dream wedding, Sophia and Tanner sought to craft "a once-in-a-lifetime experience for everyone." Drawing inspiration from their globetrotting lifestyle, they chose the breathtaking Ciragan Palace in Istanbul as their venue. As Sophia explains, "When I was 18, I went to a wedding at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, and at that moment I knew that was the place,where I wanted to get married, it was one of the most unique and breathtaking places I've ever been to, and I grew up traveling the world."

With a remarkable 160 guests joining them and 9 months of planning, Sophia and Tanner's spectacular three-day destination celebration kicked off with a welcome dinner cruise and sunset yacht party. "We danced the night away," shares Sophia.

The couple envisioned an "imperial extravagance" theme that paid homage to the palace's cross-cultural legacy. Sophia expounds, "The Ciragan Palace is one of the last Ottoman Palaces to be built. It is opulent, and so unique given the architecture is a blend of Ottoman, Asian, and European influences and there is truly nowhere else like it in the world. It sits right on the Bosphorus -- the strait that divides continental Europe and continental Asia. The palace itself was our inspiration, letting our guests feel the history, beauty, and opulence, but most importantly the cross-cultural nature of it given we are a cross-cultural couple:where east meets west. The experiences we've had in such a beautiful place and country -- is what ultimately inspired the entire wedding. We wanted to bring a small slither of our adventures to our guests."

The second day continued the lavish festivities, with Sophia enjoying a pampering morning at the Sultan Hurrem Hamam Turkish bath followed by a "welcome white party along the Bosphorus" and another sunset yacht cruise serving Turkish street food. Of course, it all culminated with the storybook wedding at Ciragan Palace itself and an extravagant afterparty they dubbed "Rose Bar at the Palace" - a recreation of the iconic New York bar,where they had their first date.

As Sophia fondly recounts, "The day is about celebrating our love, but also a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of all the people whom you love in your life." One of the most memorable moments was "watching our guests walk into our afterparty… and watching them be mesmerized, but also emotional was something that moved me - Rose Bar was place,where many of us (our family and our guests) have spent countless blurry and memorable nights together with us as in our 20s."

The next day, the newlyweds kept the magic alive by hosting a farewell dinner that doubled as Sophia's parents' birthday party right at the palatial venue. Truly, this was a celebration that transcended the ordinary from start to finish.

Bride getting ready

Sophia's bridal look was simply breathtaking. After a lengthy search, she found her dream dress at the iconic Vera Wang Bridal House. “Once I went to Vera Wang I knew it was going to be a dress from there,” she shares. Her stunning gown, accessorized with a dramatic cape, Jimmy Choo shoes, a family heirloom necklace, and solitaire diamond earrings, perfectly captured the regal vibe of the day.

Her bouquet, featuring orchids in a nod to her Singaporean heritage, added another personal touch. "Orchids are Singapore's national flower," Sophia explains.

The bride's remarkable getting-ready setting matched the grandeur of her look. As Sophia and her bridesmaids prepped in one of Ciragan Palace's sumptuous suites, the butler tended to every need - including preparing "a table full of sweets and candies like Turkish delights and baklava, it was imperial luxury at its best!"

Sophia's bridesmaids also channeled opulence in their gowns carefully curated to a "silk, dramatic and sharp" vision. Each woman wore a different designer like Sau Lee, Ulla Johnson, or Derek Lam in a vibrant gemstone shade like a canary yellow, emerald green, or royal purple. Matching flower chokers provided a cohesive touch. As Sophia notes, "I wanted them to stand out, look sharp, and dramatic, and comfortable in their own dresses."

With her beloved ladies by her side and every luxurious detail attended to, Sophia was undoubtedly a vision of regal elegance on her wedding day.

Groom getting ready

Tanner looked equally dashing in a tailored Ralph Lauren Purple Label tuxedo. As he prepared with his groomsmen amid the palatial grandeur of Ciragan Palace, it's easy to imagine the groom's anticipation building for the momentous day ahead.

Photoshoot before the ceremony

Given the incomparable backdrop of Ciragan Palace, it's no surprise the couple chose to have their pre-ceremony photo session right within its historic walls and grounds. As they explored the European side overlooking the Asian shores of the Bosphorus, Sophia and Tanner must have felt the magic of their east-meets-west celebration coming to life.

Ceremony

Sophia and Tanner paid homage to the bride's Chinese heritage by incorporating two special traditions into their wedding day. Before the ceremony, the couple took part in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony to honor their elders and families by serving them tea.

The festivities also included a lighthearted "gatecrashing" where Sophia's bridesmaids playfully tested Tanner's determination to marry his bride through "a series of silly games," as the bride describes.

When it came time for the magical ceremony itself, it took place in yet another exquisite room inside the majestic Ciragan Palace. The atmospherics were straight out of a fairytale as a strings quartet set the mood playing an instrumental rendition of "Can't Help Falling in Love" for Sophia's iconic entrance. Her bridesmaids had preceded her down the aisle to a string version of Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful."

In a romantic touch, the best man held the rings as the couple prepared to exchange vows. Two especially memorable moments stood out among the proceedings: "Watching Tanner sob at the altar, which made me start sobbing too!" Sophia recalls. She also describes how "a gush of wind blew my cape all over the place" - surely making for a dramatic visual.

With their tears of joy, wind-tossed cape, and nods to heritage and whimsy, Sophia and Tanner's ceremony beautifully captured the kaleidoscope of emotions on their dream wedding day.

Photoshoot after the ceremony

Following their emotional "I dos," the newlyweds continued celebrating their union with a post-ceremony photo session. “Outside of the Palace garden spaces along the Bosphorus, standing on the European side looking across the Asian side across the water, again what could be more us as a couple and more special and magical?” mentions the bride.

Wedding Venue & Decor

For their décor, the couple doubled down on the opulent, cross-cultural vibe, working their custom wedding logo and rich hues like pink into the lavish palace settings. Personal touches like customized coasters and matchbooks for their "Rose Bar at the Palace" afterparty added to the air of festivity.

As Sophia reflects on their venue choice, the deeper meaning shines through: "When I first went to a wedding at this venue I knew this was the place,where I wanted to get married; We had friends and families coming from most continents and dozens of countries. Istanbul was a direct flight for everyone and truly the middle meeting point for our friends and families, we didn't want anyone to take more than one flight.” She continues: ‘It represented us well as a couple:where east meets west, and we wanted our friends and family to experience this magical palace and city and fall in love with a culture so full of history and life, fall in love with the chaos, and fall in love with the people, just like we did. We wanted everyone to really have a once-in-a-lifetime experience of experiencing this rich history firsthand while partying in a real-life Palace!"

Reception

After rejoining their guests, Sophia and Tanner kicked off the celebratory reception in showstopping fashion with their first dance to the Bee Gees' "How Deep is Your Love." As the final notes played, sparklers rained down and dancers ushered the crowd onto the floor for an energetic ensemble performance of "Dancing Queen." As Sophia describes, "It was a magical moment of love and joy when everyone flocked to the dancefloor and really started having fun."

The joyful party vibe continued all night, fueled by a sumptuous Turkish fusion menu featuring delicacies like lamb dolma, lobster risotto su borek, beef tenderloin with red peppercorn crust, and a passionfruit and mango cake. During the afterparty dubbed "Rose Bar at the Palace," servers even offered the bride's beloved "junk food" like mini hamburgers, doner wraps, and fries.

Topping it all off was the stunning yellow orchid nuts and chocolate ganache crispy praline wedding cake created by the talented team at Ciragan Palace itself. Sophia praises all the vendors: "Just an amazing group who wants nothing but to make you happy on your big day, they all bent over backward to make the magic happen!"

From the sparkler-filled first dance to the incredible spread of cultural cuisines, every detail ensured Sophia and Tanner's guests experienced an imperial-level fete.