See Inside Olympian Evan Lysacek's Opulent Thai Wedding — Including an Ice Palace After-Party! (2024)

'A Fusion of Thai and Western Culture'

Lysacek's wedding to Bodiratnangkura, a real estate developer and member of one of Thailand's most notable families, spanned several days. They married at 12:12 on Dec. 12 in a Buddhist ceremony and then, on Dec. 14, they celebrated with some 300 friends and family in a Western-style reception. Among the guests were various Thai deputy prime ministers, foreign ambassadors, dignitaries and Thai royals.

"We didn’t just want to welcome our guests to Thailand but give them a unique experience here in Bangkok," says Bodiratnangkura, 41. "We wanted our guests to be immersed in Thai culture, music and cuisine. Our lives will always be a fusion of Thai and Western culture, which has been a major consideration in the planning of our wedding."

'Love at First Sight'

About 70 guests attended Dec. 12's wedding ceremony.

The new bride and groom exchanged rings designed by Patcharavipa, Bodiratnangkura’s sister’s jewelry company. Hers is a band of book-matched taper baguette diamonds, and his is a clean platinum band.

Both rings were inscribed with 12.12 — the exact time they wed.

“It was love at first sight,” says Lysacek, 34.

'I Want to Spend Every Day with Her'

Days before his marriage, Lysacek said he didn’t “feel nervous or anxious at all.” Why would he?

“I’m 100 percent sure that Dang is the right woman for me,” he said. “And hopefully I can be the right man for her always. But I know that I love her and that I want to spend every day with her.”

She and Lysacek were first introduced through mutual friends after his Olympic victory in 2010. It took years for them to finally embark on a relationship after being separated by their lives and careers, even as Lysacek says he felt the tug of that immediate connection with Bodiratnangkura.

He proposed to her in Miami on April 1: her birthday.

What She Looked Forward to Most

"In Thai culture, our elders give us each a blessing, something like reciting vows to us, which will be so emotional for me," Bodiratnangkura (seen here with her parents) told PEOPLE ahead of the wedding. "The Western tradition of the ring exchange is so romantic, but the moment that I look forward to most is kissing my husband and knowing that we’re truly united as one forever."

What They Wore

The wedding and reception were fashionable affairs.

Lysacek wore two custom Ralph Lauren tuxedos and a custom Ralph Lauren suit. Bodiratnangkura had yet one more outfit change: In total, she wore two dresses by Vera Wang, including a custom gown in ivory macrame lace to greet guests, and one by Oscar de la Renta.

For the ceremony, she chose a traditional Thai dress by the dress-maker to Sirikit, Thailand’s queen mother, accessorized by the gold-and-diamond belt worn by Bodiratnangkura’s own mom while getting married 43 years ago.

The Guest List

In attendance at the festivities, which included a rehearsal luncheon a day before the reception, was a cross-section of the couple's mixing worlds. About 70 people were in attendance at Thursday’s wedding, with 120 at the rehearsal luncheon and 300 for Saturday’s large party.

For Lysacek came Tessa Virtue, a fellow Olympic medalist in figure skating (seen here with Vogue Japan's Mayumi Nakamura), and Frank Carroll, his longtime coach.

Ralph Lauren, a mentor, was unable to travel because of a prior holiday engagement but the custom tuxes he designed for Lysacek were a thrill in his stead.

And for Bodiratnangkura came a lot of people. She is a great-granddaughter of Nai Lert, one of the most important businessmen in Thailand’s history, who made his fortune in part on importing ice and buses to the country and whose family still runs the real estate and hospitality business that bears his name.

The Decor

The Dec. 14 dinner and party were held at Bodiratnangkura’s family’s Nai Lert Park — a kind of mini Central Park, which Lysacek says remains a lush, “incredible sanctuary” amid bustling Bangkok, followed by an ice palace-themed after-party.

Featured at Saturday’s reception: a gallery covered in white flowers and, in the dining room, “a giant white flower tree in the center,” Lysacek says, “and an LED video projected on the ceiling which progresses from the stages of sunset to the night sky.”

The Food & Party

The reception menu included filet mignon Rossini and sea bass filet, angel hair with light truffle cream and Osetra caviar, purée of cauliflower and artichoke and many desserts, Lysacek says. (He means it: There was an entire dessert room with 70-plus options.)

The party's ice palace theme was a nod to Lysacek's skating success. It was held at a deco glass house within Nai Lert Park.

Inside, guests were greeted by an ice bar, a champagne bar and a nine-layer, almost six-feet-tall cake.

The Revelry

The night’s entertainment included “an orchestra of hand-picked musicians” and “five young Thai opera singers,” plus a DJ, John Bellone, for the dancing, Lysacek says.

The receptions’s decorations were overseen Sakchai Guy, according to the couple.

The Happy Couple

"Evan knows me better than anyone and always protects me in every sense of the word," Bodiratnangkura tells PEOPLE. "I feel so loved, cared for and protected by him. I’m marrying my best friend. I can’t wait to go through every step of life and love together.

The Start of Forever

The weeks since the wedding have hardly been idle for Lysacek and his wife. They planned to travel to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand followed by a trip to India and then back to Thailand.

In the new year, they look forward to “nesting,” Bodiratnangkura says.

"I can’t wait to see her dress. I can’t wait to see her smile,” Lysacek told PEOPLE before the wedding. “I want to make sure that I remember everything about that day.”