On August 16, 2009, at 4:30 P.M. in the Astoria town of Queens, New York, wardrobe stylist Nicole Brewer and industrial designer Damien Gurganious became husband and wife.
By: Bridgette Bartlett
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Nicole now weighs 145 pounds and wears a size 8. She was formerly a size 24! The new wife had no idea her desire to become fit and work out at the local Brooklyn Y would lead her to her husband, Damien.
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Damien gets dapper in a Calvin Klein tuxedo as he eagerly prepares to meet his bride.
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Nicole dazzles in her Amsale wedding gown. A renowned Ethiopian bridal designer, Amsale ensured that Nicole had the dress for her nuptials.
“I was blessed and flattered to have Amsale custom fit my wedding gown! The custom fit made me feel like a queen, it was va va va voom, and my hourglass figure was truly emphasized,” Nicole explains.
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Although Nicole and Damien did not win as contestants on the reality show “The Biggest Loser,” they still fulfilled their weight loss goals in their own time. And now they have the ultimate prize—a lifelong commitment from one another.
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Veteran makeup artist Roxanna Floyd ensured that Nicole was picture perfect for her big walk down the aisle. Floyd has worked with divas such as Queen Latifah and Whitney Houston.
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The gorgeous bride is flanked by her lovely bridal party dressed in ravishing red. There is more than 50 years of friendship represented in this photo.
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An adorable ringbearer Cornell, Damien’s nephew, is flanked by an equally precious Sierra, Nicole’s niece, and K’lah, Damien’s niece.
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“The most amazing part of the ceremony had to be Nicole at the top of the staircase coming down to meet me. When I saw her up there, the lighting made her look so angelic, my heart damn near stopped. I knew then that my future was going to be that much better with her in it,” shares Damien.
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“Damien is so unselfish with his love,” shares Nicole. “He taught me how to love,” she adds.
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A snippet of Nicole’s wedding vows:
“I love you for loving me and my mother, for truly embracing my family as well as my friends.
“Your patience and generosity has inspired me. Loving you has taught me how to love, but most of all how to listen.
“I promise to be the wife you deserve and the mother you’ve always dreamed of for our children.”
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“Nicole makes loving me look easy. Life can be difficult, but when loving someone seems fun and even the bad times don’t seem as trying as you thought they would be…then that there is something special,” expresses Damien.
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The New York City skyline provides a breathtaking backdrop for Nicole and her bridal party.
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A groomsmen assists Damien to meet his beloved for their big moment. The groom has slimmed down from a size 60 tuxedo to a size 42 tuxedo!
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“Damien is the funniest person I ever met in my life!” exclaims Nicole about her new hubby.
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Brooklyn-based pastry chef Rodney LoveJones created this heavenly vanilla bourbon-praline and sweet potato orange layered cake filled with bourbon candied yams and frosted with vanilla praline buttercream. The delectable delight was topped with fresh gladiola flowers.
Nicole admits that the wedding cake was the one element of the reception cuisine where calories weren’t spared.
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A few of the male guests get a kick out of the groom’s garter-toss prank during the wedding reception.
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Guests leave their well wishes for the newlyweds on a souvenir plate that the groom saved from the couple’s appearance on “The Biggest Loser.”
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Nicole and Damien weaved elements of their personalities throughout the reception. Table centerpieces were given names that hold strong significance to the couple. This one was inspired by “The Biggest Loser.”
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Nicole gets her groove on in a Soul Train line during the reception. “Magic” by Robin Thicke was the first dance tune for the newlyweds. Guests had a ball dancing the night away.
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Scrumptious entrees of grilled sirloin, lemon chicken, mustard salmon, roasted potatoes, garlic string beans and penne ala vodka were served during the reception following appetizers that included vegetable spring rolls and crabcakes.
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Guests raved about the decadent three-tier Rodney LoveJones wedding cake.
“I had two pieces!” confesses Nicole.
LoveJones also created the cake for Nicole’s bridal shower.
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The newlyweds use their Brooklyn ties as the source of this creative centerpieces at their reception.
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Nicole catches her guests up of the behind the scenes details of her big day. She has some words of wisdom for future brides:
“No matter how much you plan, something will go wrong.”
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Damien recalls meeting Nicole for the very first time at the Brooklyn YMCA water aerobics class:
“My curiosity got the best of me so I just had to find out more about her. Once we spoke, I knew at that moment she was someone very special.”
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Nicole and Damien met in February 2006 at their local YMCA water aerobics class in a quest to in in better shape. A friendship quickly turned into romance and Damien proposed to Nicole on November 24, 2008, her 37th birthday. The duo postponed jumping the broom for over a year in order to appear on the hit reality show, “The Biggest Loser.”
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Nicole’s mother passed away in March of 2007 and credits Damien with helping her to cope with her loss.
“I really couldn’t do anything or be around anyone but him after she died. He stayed in touch with my friends for me and helped me to function,” reveals Nicole.
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A svelte Nicole prepares to toss her bouquet of dalias, hydrangea, roses and calla lillies to her single female guests during the wedding reception. The bouquet was designer another former contestant on “The Biggest Loser,” Carla Triplett.
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The happy couple raises their glasses before loved ones in celebration of their new marriage.
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In addition to her custom fitted tulle trumpet gown from Amsale, Nicole wore a convertible veil also from Amsale accented by pear cut diamond earrings from Leto.
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