In what was touted as the wedding of the year, around 4,000 guests came together to congratulate the youngest daughter of Dhanin Chearavanont, chairman and CEO of Charoen Pokphand Group, Tipaporn Chearavanont, and her groom Dr Jwanwat Ahriyavraromp, on their big day at the Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld on Saturday.
The two families and the president of the ceremony Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and his wife Naraporn Chan-o-cha.
And what a big day it was — the wedding was a magical night that brought together the biggest names in Thailand's business, political and social scenes.
Themed as a fairytale wedding, the entire hall was transformed into a fantasy land with a castle as a backdrop of the stage. The bride, who is the CEO of DT Group of Companies, certainly looked like a princess in a flowing white dress, with a sparkling tiara on her head. The groom, who runs Shellhut Entertainment, a company specialising in animation, looked like a true Prince Charming and beamed happily next to the beautiful bride throughout the ceremony.
The magnificent night was attended by Thailand's top movers and shakers, from Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, who presided over the event, to top business leaders and A-list celebrities. Among the guests were the characters from Birdland and Shelldon animated TV series by the groom's company.
The wedding started with Khemanit "Pancake" Jamikorn singing Nat King Cole's L-O-V-E, before the MCs of the night, Patcharasri "Kalamare" Benjamas and Piyawat "PK" Kempetch officially welcomed the guests to the celebration of love.
The happy bridal couple —Dr Jwanwat Ahriyavraromp and Tipaporn Chearavanont.
Next came a video presentation that showed the story of how the two first met and fell in love, through an animation with the song It Might Be You as background music. Tipaporn and Jwanwat first met at an award presentation ceremony. After a brief introduction, they exchanged name cards, and the love-struck Jwanwat later sent her an email asking for her phone number.
Following this heartwarming presentation came a performance by National Artist Suthep Wongkamhaeng who sang the song Saneha. He was later joined by Thanin Intharathep in the song Rak Khun Khao Laew, before Settha Sirachaya took to the stage and sang Chua Nit Nirandorn.
To please the younger crowds, there were also contemporary artists, such as Mai Chroenpura, Prin "Mark" Suparat, Urassaya "Yaya" Sperbund, and Patcha Anekayuwat.
The bride and groom entered the room as Anchalee Jongkadeekij sang the two beautiful songs — Rak and Rak Khue Kham Kham Nee. The singer even helped the bride with her dress, as it was evidently too heavy for her to walk up the stairs.
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha then gave a congratulatory speech to the couple, which brought many smiles and much laughter. His speech was followed by a video message by Thongchai "Bird" McIntyre, a close friend of the groom who unfortunately could not make it to the wedding.
In an interview conducted by the MCs, Jwanwat said that it was love at first sight and he knew in two minutes that she was his soul mate and his destiny. Strangely, the two families had so much in common — the parents of both families got married in the same year, and they both have five children. The first, second, third, and fourth children of the two families were even born in the same years.
As a declaration of true love, the groom had prepared a surprise for the bride and sang the song Khu Thae (Soul Mate) on stage before the cake-cutting ceremony. From the way they looked at each other on that day, the couple look that they will live happily ever after.
The bride and her father Dhanin Chearavanont.
