Elegant Persian Wedding at The Bradford in North Carolina

The Planning
Design / Vibe / Vision

Saba & Moein are based in Chicago and absolutely fell in love with The Bradford near Raleigh, where they also have family. The original vision was to marry Persian culture with the bride’s sense of modernity and fashion. That includes lots of jewel tones, gold, and of course the most beautiful array of florals. Fruit is also very symbolic in Persian culture, especially pomegranates. They symbolize fertility, beauty, and eternal life. Saba thought adding fruits to each of the guests table was a fun and unique way to play up the design while incorporating some cultural aspects. When creating the initial design vision, C&D Eventspulled inspiration from ornate palaces and coupled it with mid century furniture and whimsical floral elements.

The Fashion
Wedding Gown

The Wedding Gown by designer Dany Tabet fromWhite Bridal Boutiques was chosen with care due to Saba's love of fashion. She selected a lace off the shoulder gown that complimented the classic venue style perfectly, a delicate lace fabric with a flattering silhouette that didn't overpower her floral details and long floor length veil. She paired her gown with timeless pale pink Dior heels.


From the Bride... I didn’t know I wanted a full lace mermaid style gown until I tried on MANY princess cut gown and realized it just wasn’t me. As soon as I saw this gown, I 100% knew it was going to be my wedding dress. The classic lace with the off the shoulder style had me head over heels in love.

Bridesmaid Dresses
For the bridesmaids, Saba wanted to give them the chance to let their own personal style shine through their gown choices. She gave them a color palette and let them run with it. It turned out so much better than she could have even expected! What came together was a gorgeous mix of colors and styles that really gave the bridesmaids photos a more editorial, fashion forward feel.
The Details
Food & Drink

The couple worked with Rocky Top Catering to create a delicious and seasonal menu customized for their fall wedding. Guests were greeted with passed tuna nachos, hot chicken poppers and creamy tomato shooters with mini cheddar grilled cheese. The colors of the season were present in the plated beet salad featuring roasted red and gold beets and fresh greens. The couple opted for a plated meal with a guest entrée choice of chimichurri grilled flat iron steak, roasted salmon, or sundried tomato & asiago stuffed chicken breast. The Persian sweets provided by the bride and groom were paired with a fresh fruit display and peach streusel cheesecake squares.

Florals & Decor

Saba and Moein gravitated towards earthy sophistication that Mood Fleuriste executed using accents of rich burgundies and pomegranates against a backdrop of taupes and clays. They wanted the blooms to feel like they were rising out of fruit pilings, so the blooms were arranged in a mounding fashion, with the larger, heavier blooms at the bottom and luxury sweet peas and ranunculus soaring out of the tops. The deep browns were achieved with orchids that had all of the deep burgundies and light taupe accents in the petals to tie it all together.

Wedding Cake

The Lambeth cake by Bestow Baked Goods drew on the elegant and classic aesthetic that our bride loves, with more ornate icing details still in white to add a touch of minimalist luxury.

Special Detail #1

It was important to the couple to incorporate personal elements such as their two dogs who were included in their live painting by Art By Kelsey Rae of their Sofreh Ceremony. They also wanted to feature fun elements such as a contemporary DJ, mixing in cultural music while honoring traditions such as the Persian Knife Dance. This dance involves someone "stealing" the knife from the couple and dancing with it, then passing it around until the couple retrieves it again.

Special Detail #2
From the Bride: The sofreh aghd ceremony was of utmost importance to us. The sofreh aghd, or ceremonial table, includes symbolic items ranging from mirrors and fancy candelabras to honey and sugar canes that will be used to bless the bride and groom in a sweet marriage. This was where much of the design energy went towards. Typically, Persians will hire someone to do the entire setup. With there being a smaller Persian community in NC, we had to improvise. Our planner Sterling really helped bring my vision to life. It turned out better than I could have ever imagined and was truly the most beautiful sofreh aghd I had ever seen.
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Cinematography: Betts Films | Design: Art By Kelsey Rae | Event Planning: C&D Events | Floral Design: Mood Fleuriste | Wedding Dress: Dany Tabet | Wedding Dress: White Bridal Boutiques | Cake: Bestow Baked Goods | Invitations: Theresa Jatko Designs | Ceremony Venue: The Bradford | Catering: Rocky Top Catering | Rentals: Curated Events Raleigh | Rentals: Greenhouse Picker Sisters | Beauty: Hair by Autumn