Zainab and Zain began planning their wedding in the height of Covid-19, and after a planning journey that included many challenges, they came to me in the final few weeks for help.
Recommended by their wedding venue, beautiful Morden Hall in South London, they needed help securing their final suppliers, bringing their vision to life with the design and styling, and managing their wedding day.
Their wedding was a cultural combination of Persian and Pakistani, and began with a ceremony at the Sofreh Aghd (wedding table) which was led by a Celebrant, along with both fathers.
The Sofreh Aghd is a is a very elaborate table that includes:
- The Q’uran – The Holy scripture used to represent God’s blessings
- A mirror, to represent the coming of light and brightness into the future of the couple
- Candles, to symbolise energy and bright future
- Decorated eggs, which symbolise health and fertility
- Grapes, Pomegranates and apples, to represent the fruit of the heavens
- Decorated Esfand Flower, to protect against evil eye
- Decorated Nabat (crystallised sugar shaped into flowers), symbolising sweetening life
- Honey, which is exchanged between the bride and groom and represents sweetening each other’s life
During the ceremony, a piece of fabric such as a scarf or shawl fabric is held over the bride and groom’s heads while they are sitting at the Sofreh, by a few unmarried female relatives. Two sugar cones are softly ground together above the bride and grooms heads by a happily married female relative to shower them in sweetness. It was such a beautiful ceremony, filled with emotion and tradition.
Once the ceremony was finished, guests enjoyed drinks and canapes on the beautiful lawns with live music performed by a violinist and pianist.
Creating an elegant, and sophisticated feel was important to Zainab and Zain, and we used a colour palette of soft peach, soft pink and cream with accents of hot pink for the florals and décor.
Once guests took their seats for dinner, the celebrations began with a traditional Persian cake knife dance – a Persian wedding tradition that begins the cake cutting. When the couple are ready to cut the cake, they have to earn the knife. A female family member or friend will begin to dance with the knife (most typically to Persian music), the couple must offer money to the dancing friend in exchange for the knife. The dancer may act coy and take the money, only to give the knife to another woman to continue the knife dance. This will continue until one of the dancers decide that they have been won over by the given money and will give the bride and groom their cake knife in exchange.
This was such fun element of their wedding that got everyone on their feet! An abundant Indian feast followed, along with speeches and their first dance.
Zainab and Zain’s wedding is a great example of how you can incorporate cultural traditions while still keeping your wedding modern and personal to you. Details were hugely important to them and I loved helping them bring their cultural details into an elegant and sophisticated wedding filled with personality and love.
Creative team: Wedding Co-ordination – Georgina Alexander Weddings & Events | Venue – Morden Hall | Photographer – Galileo Photography | Floral Design – Flowers By Eve | Catering – Laguna | Cake Design – Simply Irresistible Cake Design | Celebrant – Bill Barr | HMUA – Olivia Mills | Violinist – Mirabelle Arts | Pianist – Nike Jemiyo | DJ – We R DJs | Videography – Trilion Productions