James and Shirin's wedding celebration on March 21, 2009 honored not only their love for each other but the Persian New Year as well. The couple interwove various Persian wedding traditions and customs into their ceremony -- making for a beautiful and elegant way to celebrate their union.  James and Shirin were seated by the sofreh (a wedding spread) to begin the ceremony.  The spread contains many items, all to symbolize different qualities that the couple hopes to bring into their new life together. 

One of the most significant items on the sofreh is a central mirror placed directly in front of where the bride and groom sit.  The mirror represents the bright light that shines into the couple's future.  The mirror is flanked by two candelabras where the candles represent the sun and its energy.  The sweetness of life is represented in many items including a bowl of crystallized sugar or "kaseh nabat."  As part of the wedding ceremony, a long fine cloth was held above James and Shirin by their wedding party.  A couple of guests took turns rubbing two large pieces of rock suger over the cloth which then cascaded down onto the couple.

Following the ceremony, we dashed off to The Nines for some individual portraits of James and Shirin and of course made sure to capture them by the marquee at the West End Ballroom as well (the location of their ceremony and reception). 

Now, while it is becoming increasingly more popular to have a photo booth at wedding receptions -- I have NEVER EVER seen a groom actually make his own booth for guests to enjoy.  James not only designed the booth but also wrote the actual software to run the whole operation!!  It was absolutely amazing to watch.

Guests were treated to two separate buffet stations -- one containing Northwest cuisine and the other containing Persian fare.  A Persian wedding spread was also on display for guests to enjoy.  One of my favorite elements of the spread was a bowl of goldfish - meant to represent life.

The wedding was truly a unique experience and an absolute pleasure to photograph.  A huge thanks to Heather at Sorella Events and all the wonderful vendors for making the event such a huge success.