kamran and leila's persian wedding at the fairbanks ranch clubhouse in rancho santa fe

kamran and leila's persian wedding at the Fairbanks Ranch Clubhouse in Rancho Santa Fe was both a beautiful ceremony and a learning experience for us. it was our first persian wedding, so we had a lot to learn. kamran and leila, in their grace, answered all of our questions with a smile and walked us through everything. we also had help from kamran and leila's wonderful wedding coordinator Nahid at Wedding Elegance. it was an incredible experience that we will always remember. we feel so blessed and honored that kamran and leila chose us to record their amazing day.
it began with us going to meet leila. when we arrived at the residence where she was getting ready the door opened just a crack. once our identity was confirmed not to be kamran the door slowly swung open...

on the other side stood leila in her jaw-droppingly beautiful wedding dress by Pronovias of Spain and super cute shoes by Alfani. makeup artist Itzel Ceballos (itzel_ceballos@msn.com) did amazing work once again.
to sum up, leila looked absolutely stunning. kamran was definitely going to be in for a treat when he arrived.

as we were taking photos of leila and her dear friends, a classic white 1969 rolls royce silver shadow limousine from Rolls Livery arrived and a very handsome and striking gentleman in a tuxedo appeared with a gift of flowers in his hand.
hint, it was kamran.
when he walked into the courtyard where leila was standing he paused and covered his mouth with his hand. seeing his bride-to-be took his breath away.

after regaining his breath, kamran walked up to leila, grasped her hands, and gently kissed her.
i LOVE when couples do a "first look" on their wedding day before they walk down the aisle. without a crowd of people watching, the emotions and expressions the couple feel comfortable enough to show are amazing. as an added bonus the bride and groom get some time, if only a few minutes, to just enjoy each others company without all the distractions of the day.

moments later kamran escorted leila to the car and the couple was whisked away to the Fairbanks Ranch Clubhouse in Rancho Santa Fe where they would be united in marriage in front of their families and friends.

before the ceremony began leila and kamran went behind the clubhouse for a little fun. no, not that kind of fun. remember, this was before the ceremony :)

hey, uh, kamran. leila. you probably can't hear us right now but the, um, ceremony, it's going to be starting soon. guys? ok then. we'll just leave you two alone and head on over to the ceremony site. see you in a bit. :)

as leila took her seat next to kamran under a beautiful silk they saw before them on their Sofreh-ye Aghd, that was made by leila's aunt sarvy, a multitude of symbols to help them in their new life together.
the mirror of fate, or Aayeneh-ye Bakht, and two candelabras (representing leila and kamran and brightness in their future), one on either side of the mirror. these are symbols of light and fire, two very important elements.
as the ceremony began, leila removed her veil. the first thing kamran saw in the mirror was the reflection of his beautiful wife-to-be.

family members and friends rubbed sugar cones, or Kalleh Ghand, together above leila and kamran and showered them with sweetness as they sat beneath the beautiful silk during their ceremony.

also on leila and kamrans Sofreh-ye Aghd were:
a copy of the Holy Qur'an, representing the blessing of Allah (God) for the couple.
a Jaa-Namaaz, spread in the middle of the Sofreh-ye Aghd to remind the couple of the importance of prayer, both at blissful times and times of hardship. it includes a small rug, or Sajjaadeh, a small cube of molded clay with prayers written on it, Mohr, and a strand of prayer beads, or Tasbih.
a Sini-ye Aatel-O-Baatel, or tray of multi-colored herbs and spices, to guard the couple and their life together against evil.
Esphand, wild rue, to keep the evil eye away and bring plenty of health.
a specially baked and decorated flatbread, noon-e sangak, held a blessing of Mobaarak-Baad for the couple.
Gol-e Mohammadi, rosewater, to perfume the air.
decorated eggs, along with almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts in the shell, to symbolize fertility.
gold coins, representing wealth and prosperity.
silk bags containing sweets such as sugar coated almonds, Noghl, for the guests.

leila's aunt sarvy did an awesome job molding the esphand into flowers and painting them.

leila and kamran dipped their fingers in honey and fed it to each other, to sweeten life.

rings and kisses to seal the deal. CONGRATULATIONS KAMRAN AND LEILA!

i don't know who makes these shoes, but they are RAD!
i snapped this while everyone was enjoying some of the awesome food from Amir's Catering.

the floral arrangements by Ana at Floral Works and Decor Inc. were simply gorgeous. Their classic elegance brightened up the whole reception area.

and now is the time on sprocket's when we dance. heeeerrrrre's kamran and leila!

leila has one of the most amazing smiles i have ever seen. love it times infinity!

leila's cousin Kamiar, and his band KamyR, were incredible! they kept the dancefloor PACKED all night long. i didn't even know what they were singing and i still loved it! if you want your party to be awesome, hire these guys.

during a brief pause in the festivities kamran grabbed the microphone and said some very touching words to leila. it was such an amazing moment.

everyone at kamran and leila's wedding was beautiful. true story.

when it came time to cut the delicious cake, from The French Gourmet in La Jolla, we were in for another treat.

just as kamran was ready to cut a slice of cake for his bride someone snatched the knife away and began the Raghseh Chagoo, or knife dance. it was passed to several members of the crowd, excluding kamran and leila of course.
everyone, and i mean everyone, did an amazing job dancing. it was so much fun to watch.
this beautiful woman had some seriously hot knife dancing skills. i don't think this was her first time dancing with a sharp object :)

several benjamin bribes by kamran later, the knife was finally given back and the cake was enjoyed.
kamran and leila, thank you so so much. we had such an amazing time at your wedding. it was Fun with a capital F!
everyone at your wedding was awesome, especially you two. we are so grateful that you gave us the opportunity to be your photographers, and entrusted us to photograph our first Persian wedding. if every Persian wedding is even half as good as yours I hope we get to do many many more.
have a sweet life together with endless years of happiness.

just in case you missed kamran and leila's engagement session at balboa park and harbor island click here to go back in time and see the spot on harbor island overlooking the beautiful san diego skyline where kamran proposed to leila. at this point we all know how that turned out for him. it's kind of like watching a dvr recording of the last game your favorite team played after you've already heard that they won :)

on a side note, we'd also like to thank alyssa and simeon for lending a hand.

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contact us by phone at 858.663.3283 or email david@ohanaphotographers.com

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