Roxana+Mark/ San Diego Wedding Photography

I'm excited to tell you about this Persian wedding. I was dancing as I was shooting away because the DJ was so awesome!

I'll tell you a little about my culture and how fun the  Persian weddings are but before I start, let me tell you a little bit about the Beautiful Bide and Groom. Roxana and Mark met in school 7 years ago and they dated  for 5 years. They decided to go their separate ways and they both dated other people but they could not stop thinking about each so after a year by the hand of destiny  they got back together and their bond became stronger than ever. I love these kind of love stories because  its not the normal 2 people meet each other, fall in love and hopefully get married story. Its the wow kind of love story :)

So now back to the Wedding. In traditional Persian weddings, the bride gets ready and married at her parents house and that's what Raxana wanted to do. I just loved her sofre Aghd. Each Sofreh Aghd is like no other – every one is individually prepared for the bride and groom and as uniquely tailored to them as are fine gloves, as uniquely expressive as a fine portrait. But there are some general guidelines. There are always twenty-four symbolic items placed on the wedding table. During the ceremony, the couple always sits at a special seat at the head of the table. The items of the Sofreh Aghd are always profoundly meaningful for the bride and groom. The central message at the core of each item are always good wishes – the sweetest imaginable wishes for the couple’s happiness, luck, prosperity, joy, health and closeness to God. The items are made, traditionally, by the family and friends of the couple; and always made with creativity, care and love. The Sofreh Aghd is always the dazzling core of the Persian Wedding, for it is always a dazzling revelation of the Persian heart.

Mirror & Candelabras:  A mirror called “Aayeneh-ye-Bakht” or the mirror of fate and two candelabras on either side of the mirror. These items are symbols for light and fire; two crucial elements in the Zoroastrian culture.
Holy Book: If the couple is religious, they will also have an opened Quran in the center of the spread. A prayer carpet is also placed in the center of the Sofreh to remind the couple of the importance of prayer in good times as well as hardships.
Colored Seeds: A tray containing colored “Esfand” which are seeds from an ancient plant are placed on the spread to ward off evil spirits and the evil eye.
Nuts and Eggs: A basket of decorated shelled walnuts, almonds, pistachios and eggs are used to symbolize fertility.
Gold Coins: A bowl of gold coins is used to symbolize a future of wealth for the couple.
Pastries: An assortment of sweets symbolizes a sweet life for the newlyweds. These usually include “Noghl” which are sugar coated sliced almonds, “Baghlava,” a sweet flaky Persian pastry and other traditional Persian cookies. The pastries are then shared with the guests after the Aghd ceremony.
Bread: “Naneh-e-Sangak” which is a baked flatbread is decorated and placed on the Sofreh to symbolize prosperity for the couple’s life thereafter.
Fruit: A basket of heavenly fruits such as pomegranates and apples are used to symbolize the divine creation of mankind.
Rose Water: A cup of rose water called “Gol-ab” is also on the spread to perfume the air during the ceremony.
Honey: A cup of honey to sweeten the life of the couple.  This honey is  used in the ceremony when the bride and groom dip their pinky fingers in it and feed it to one another.
Silk: A silk veil-like piece of fabric is held over the couples’
heads by their female relatives throughout the Aghd ceremony.
Sugar Cones:  Two whole sugar cones called “Khaleh Ghand” are used during the ceremony.  The cones are grinded together over the silk fabric over the bride and grooms heads throughout the ceremony by close female friends and family members; further symbolizing sweetness and happiness. 

Ok enough said.lets get to the wedding. Here are some of my favorite shots. To Roxana and Mark. I wish you both many years of joy and happiness.Cheers!