I loved photographing the\u00a0Persian wedding of Deena and Cyrus, which took place at\u00a0a gorgeous custom Sofreh surrounded\u00a0by manzanita trees at the beautiful Santa Barbara Four Seasons Biltmore Resort in\u00a0California. This stunning couple actually live in New York, while I live in Los Angeles, so I was delighted that they tapped my team of\u00a0photographers to document their stunning three-day destination wedding in Santa Barbara. The festivities started off with a welcome party at El Paseo\u00a0Mexican restaurant, where\u00a0hundreds of guests partied into the wee small hours. The next day,\u00a0Deena and Cyrus both got up early to start preparing for their big day. After a first-look and endless images of friends and family, the sun began to lower in the sky, and the Persian wedding ceremony finally began.<\/p>\n
Deena and Cyrus sat behind an elegant and uniquely designed Sofreh that was three feet high. The symbolic items placed on\u00a0the traditional Sofreh all represent a different component of a couple’s new life together. A Sofreh may include walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, honey, candelabras, fruits, a Koran or poetry book, herbs and spices, eggs, coins, pastries and, of course, a place for the bride and groom to sit, which is called the mokhaddeh. A Sofreh also always includes a mirror. Sofrehs can be made in all shapes and sizes,\u00a0and every Sofreh I have seen has been beautiful.\u00a0I always love when married women rub\u00a0kaleh\u00a0ghand (or sugar\u00a0cones) together over the\u00a0tooreh ghand (or cloth that is held over the couple’s heads), as it represents showering the couple’s new life together with sweetness.<\/p>\n
After the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktails in front of a beachfront sunset, then filtered into the ballroom for an evening of incredible music, dancing and heartfelt toasts. The couple rounded out their celebration by hosting an ocean-front farewell brunch complete with dazzling arrays of food and plenty of spicy bloody marys, which delighted guests. I love photographing Persian Muslim weddings and this one was no exception.\u00a0With coordination by Iconic Event Studios<\/a>, furniture and\u00a0decor by Revelry Event Designers<\/a>, florals by Mille Fiori<\/a>, rentals by Classic Party Rentals<\/a>, lighting by Daylight Events<\/a>, music performances by Rouge Band and\u00a0Saga Strings<\/a>, and videography by Impressive Creations<\/a>. The Sofreh consultant was Parisa Kaprealian at Pretty Please Design<\/a>. Hair was provided by\u00a0Monika Michalska\u00a0while\u00a0makeup was artfully executed by by Kira Nasrat<\/a>. The ceremony was officiated by Golnar Djahanbani<\/a>, with invitations created by Ceci New York<\/a>. Finally, the bride’s wedding\u00a0gown\u00a0was by Galia Lahav<\/a>, her headpiece, veil and garter were by Homa Creation<\/a>,\u00a0and her\u00a0shoes were by Jimmy Choo<\/a>. The groom and his groomsmen all wore Tom Ford<\/a>.<\/p>\n Indispensible second camera by the talented Yoshi Morimoto<\/a>. And that lovely image of a girl crying? That’s Deena’s sister, who quietly started crying after she first saw her sister in her beautiful wedding dress.<\/p>\n\n\t\t