Heather and Brady were married on June 8th, 2013 at the Baronnette Renaissance Hotel in Novi, Mi., which also happened to be Heather’s Birthday! Heather and Brady assembled an excellent team to pull off their nuptials.
Panache Entertainment provided both the string quartet and the DJ for the evening. Music consisted of both pop music and Persian music and the dance floor was hopping all night! Sweet pea Floral provided all the beautiful flowers and some of the mercury glass elements. My favorite element was the boutonnières. Brady is big into fly fishing and handmade all the fish fly’s that were incorporated into the boutonnieres. Chair Covers and Linens provided the lovely ivory satin stripe linens paired with a natural chivari chair to tie off the look. The fantastic Rachel Shomsky shot all these amazing photos and was so much fun to work with!
Persian elements were also carried out through the ceremony and reception space. The wedding ceremony was part traditional, part Persian where it is tradition that happily married women and close female friends or family members, rub hardened sugar cones over the Bride and Groom’s head during the ceremony which symbolizes “sweetening” of the marriage. Once the vows have been exchanged, the Bride and Groom will feed honey to each other to “sweeten life”.
It is also customary to have a spread known as Sofreh Aghd which is placed on a table and houses many meaningful items for the Bride and Groom’s marriage. The spread was set up within the reception room and included the following items with their meaning:
The Mirror (Ayne-Ye Bakht): In ancient Persian culture, the Bride’s veil is lifted and the Groom sees his Bride for the first time within the mirror’s reflection, the mirror symbolizes light and brightness in the future.
Two Candelabras (Sha’am): Representing fire and energy.
Spice Tray (Sini-Ye Aatel-O-Baatel): Tray of seven herbs and spices to guard against the evil eye. These include: Poppy Seeds (Kash-Kaash), Wild rice (Berenj), Angelica (Sabzi Khoshk), Salt (Namak), Nigella Seed (Razlyaneh), Black Tea (Chai), & Frankincense (Kondor)
Flatbread (Noon-e Sangak): Prosperity for the Feasts & the Couple’s life
Decorated eggs, walnuts, almonds (Tokhm-e Morgh, Aiil): Representing Fertility
Pomegranates & Apples (Anar-o-Sib): For a joyous future, pomegranates are the fruit of heaven and apples symbolize the divine creation of mankind.
Rose Water (Gol-Ab): Usually extracted from specific Persian roses called Gol-E Mohammadi to perfume the air.
Treasure Box, Gold coins (Sekeh)-Representing wealth and prosperity.
Honey (Asal): Consumed after vows to ensure sweetness of life.
Sacred Texts (Shahnameh)- Long epic poem written by Persian poet Ferdowski symbolizing blessings for the couple.
Sweets & Pastries (Shirini): Representing gifts of sweetness for the couple.
2 Large Sugar Cones (Kalleh Ghand): Made of hardened sugar and are to be rubbed over the couple’s heads during the ceremony to symbolize sweetness & happiness.
Ghand Cloth: Cloth made of fine material to be held over the Bride and Groom’s head during the ceremony.
Wild Rue (Esphand): A brazier manghal holding burning coals sprinkled with esphand a popular incense to keep the evil eye away and to bring good health.
Thank you Heather and Brady for allowing us to be part of this amazing time in your lives. We loved learning all about your Persian culture and were honored to be a part of your day! 
Wedding Professionals:
Florist: Sweet Pea
DJ/Strings: Panache Entertainment
Linens/Chairs: Chair Covers and Linens
Photography: Rachel Shomsky
Venue: The Baronnette Renaissance Hotel
Written by Kristen Bongard, TwoFoot Creative – Detroit
Thank you for the lovely post it was a pleasure to work with you on Heather and Brady’s wedding!