Bubbling champagne, flickering lights from chandeliers, a vintage Rolls-Royce Phantom, and tiered cake with white and pink frosting - the Peninsula Shanghai Hotel has everything a bride could ever want. All that's missing is Prince Charming.

The hotel recently hosted a two-day dream wedding show and to make it even more attractive, showcased the brands Vera Wang and Harry Winston.

Harry Winston, the US luxury jewel company, gained worldwide fame from the 1953 musical film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes when Marilyn Monroe performed Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friends, which featured the brand's name.

Meanwhile, Vera Wang showcased some of its classic and latter day collections of dresses, featuring luscious layers of organza, tulle and lace shown, weeks after opening its flagship store in Shanghai.

Vera Wang is known as the "Bridal Queen" for her outstanding wedding dress designs and has clothed such celebrities as Victoria Beckham and Michelle Obama.

The latest show opened with a model in Vera Wang's Katarina dress from her 2013 Spring collection, stepping out of the Rolls-Royce, together with her groom and walking down the approximately 1,000-square-meter banquet hall decorated in white.

Also exhibited at the show was the famous Esther dress from Vera Wang's 2010 fall collection.

An elegant strapless gown with an unusual lace top, the gown first attracted attention when Ivanka Trump, the daughter of American property magnate Donald Trump, wore it in 2009.

Functioning like a shawl, the lace gilds the multi-tiered skirt featuring Chantilly lace appliqu like the icing on the cake. It is one of the few gowns that have elbow-length sleeves and is timeless.

It was also featured on the US TV show Gossip Girl, in a scene when one of the main characters, Blair Waldorf, became a runaway bride.

xujunqian@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/17/2013 page13)