Monday

Adrienne & Jeff!


If I graded my couples based on the planning advice they took from me, Adrienne and Jeff would get an A+! After our first meeting, I took notes and understood how they moved as a couple. They took all of the information in, they'd consult with each other and then come back to me and tell me their final decision, which was always what I suggested. I always told them to trust the experts and they did...all the way until the end. 

Now, as much as I'm praising these two, I had a bit of a struggle convincing them to do a first look. They were determined not to see each other before the ceremony. They felt that it took away from the actual moment, which I understood. Logistics were a huge factor in the photographer and I pushing for their first look. Ultimately, they trusted the experts and had one of the most magical first looks that I've ever witnessed. 



Karida & Derrell's Surprise Engagement!


The idea of getting engaged at someone's wedding is normally a no-no. You know how it goes: it's the bride's day and all of the attention should be solely on her. While that's true in most cases, I can't help but LOVE the idea of bride's allowing their friends to get engaged during their wedding. It takes a very special bride to share some of the shine with someone else on her special day.  

While everyone was gearing up for Joy and Lateef's destination wedding in San Francisco, Bahia, Joy's daughter, received a phone call from Derrell, Bahia's close friend. He told her that he was going to propose while they were in town. Joy overheard the conversation, grabbed the phone and insisted that he propose during their reception.  She said,"You'll be surrounded by friends and family. That'll be the PERFECT place to do it!" 

After all of the formal pictures had been taken, Joy and Lateef changed into their reception outfits, thanked everyone for coming and gave Derrell the signal, "Thank you all for coming and celebrating this beautiful day with us...but first..." When Karida and Derrell were done with the traditional African dances they had practiced, all of the dancers stayed at the front of the room, swaying from side-to-side. Karida didn't know what dance this was but she stayed up there and swayed with everyone else. As Derrell played the drum, he made his way over to Karida and the rest is history.  It was an honor to have been able to witness it all unfold. For Joy and Lateef, the proposal was the icing on the cake.  


{Photo Credit: Ifanyi Bell}

You can watch the magic unfold below:


Thursday

About the Sofreh Aghd


The sofreh aghd is a traditional wedding ceremony spread where legal marriage + ceremonial traditions are exchanged. The ceremonial traditions have been practiced for thousands of years + sofreh aghd spreads are usually very customary at Persian weddings. Like most, Iranians have diverse religious backgrounds and the sofreh aghd is a chosen cultural ceremony commonly practiced regardless of faith. There are many symbolic items in which make up the sofreh aghd spread, all in which represent an element of the couple’s new life + marriage together. The word “sofreh” means “spread” and “aghd” means “ceremony.

 While most aim to keep the traditional elements of the sofreh design, each sofreh is unique in its own + designed around the bride + groom's style. Every sofreh aghd design has traditional must haves, however based on the taste + budget of the couple some sofreh designs are more elaborate + intricate than others + some may be more simple + understated than others. 


|| AYEENEH {Mirror} ||
Represents bringing light + brightness into the future for the married couple. Traditionally the couple look into the mirror together.

|| SHAMDOON {Candles/candelabras} ||
Symbolize energy + clarity in the couple’s life together.