Every wedding should tell a story, a love story of two people who want nothing more in this world than to share a little bit of their love and happiness with their closest family and friends. Nastaran and Mehran brought together family and friends from all over the globe for their gorgeous Persian wedding aghd (ceremony) and mehmoonee (reception). Every detail reflected their heritage, their love and most importantly to them their family ties. From the ceremony that included traditional Persian wedding songs sung in Farsi by Nastaran’s mom to the presentation of the gifts from the parents to the couple to the private vows presided over by Nastran and Mehran’s church priests every moment was part of a beautiful homage to their Persian culture and family values.
The Ceremony
Their ceremony, held in the beautiful entrance of Chateau Luxe under the gorgeous chandelier, was a mix of western wedding traditions and Persian wedding traditions. There was no wedding party, however Nastaran and Mehran’s sisters acted as ceremony emcee’s and guided the guests through the ceremony elements, read excerpts from the Quran and acted as witnesses to the signing of the marriage certificate. Nastaran’s mom sang traditional wedding songs in Farsi (a hauntingly beautiful language). The aisle was roped off so that Nastaran was the first person to walk down it towards their Sofra Aghd. The Sofra Aghd is a low table that is at the head of the aisle and in Persian weddings takes the place of the traditional arch or other item at the head of the aisle in a western styled wedding.
Mehran was waiting at the head of the aisle for Nastaran to enter with her mother and father. After a number of readings from the Quran read by their sisters, the couple was asked a number of questions by their priests. Unlike a western wedding, these questions and their vows were private and only the couple and the priests were aware of what they were at the time (they were repeated later for video purposes). After the ceremony, Nastaran graciously shared her vows with guests that asked – “I swear to our love. I swear to our lives. I swear to every single moment together. I swear to your smile. I swear to my life. I will always love you until the end of our every moment together. I love you and everything you are. I will stay your love until the last moment and beyond“ (this is the English translation of her Farsi vows).
The Reception
Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktail hour with traditional Persian appetizers - kibbeh maklieh (lamb with mince and pine nuts), falafel and puff pastry stuffed with beef. A mixed reception followed the cocktail hour (traditionally Persian weddings separate the genders and only the groom is allowed to be in the same room as the women). This is when the party began! Nastaran and Mehran wanted a western styled grand entrance with their families getting to dance into the reception space, and the dancing didn’t stop for almost 30 minutes! The majority of the guests finally took their seats to enjoy dinner – chicken shish kebabs and beef koobideh on a bed of roasted tomatoes, grilled carrots and saffron rice and were back on the dance floor in what seemed like minutes. There was a small break right after the traditional knife dance (to bless the knife prior to cutting the cake) and then the dancing continued for the remainder of the reception – almost four straight hours!
At the end of the night, the couple asked for one large group picture, gathered their gifts and left to enjoy their wedding night and honeymoon. They were still dancing as they left!
Meet the Fabulous Vendors
Venue/Catering/Cake - Chateau Luxe
Coordinator - Sweet I Do's
Photographer - Rachel Baker Photography
Videographer - Corona Films
Hair & Makeup - Makiaj Beauty
Pianist - Nathan Jude
Dress - Silhouette Bridal
DJ - Reza Ghorbani
Officiant - Mr. Dehghan and Mr. Mostaghim