Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met in June 2012 when I was living in London and Bahador moved from Toronto to London to study Film at London Film School and I was at the end of my Masters degree in Luxury PR & Marketing. Since then we are together as a couple and as business partners. For the past 7 years running a curated multi brand lifestyle platform working with independent Iranian designers/artists. After 10 years of working and living together we decided to get married.
It was right after the Euro cup finals in 2012 and me and a bunch of friends were watching the Spain vs Italy final and Kimia and a few of her friends were there too. Long story short, we went for dinner after the game (all of us) and afterwards as we were leaving, Kimia and her friend asked me where I live and we figured we live very close and decided to go by bicycle. Not having a proper pocket, I gave her my phone and when I got off I realized I don’t have my phone, but since I didn’t remember her name I kept whistling and yelling but to no avail. Got home and she had found me on Facebook and sent a message to let me know she has my phone, with enough LOLs in the message for me to ship myself asap to the address she gave. At the time she was in between moves and was staying with a couple of friends, they played a move which after one hour one by one sent everyone to bed, except me, who stayed up and watched until the end and then slept on the couch - cause I figured it’s too late to go out and the rest is history.
How many guests did you have?
160 people.
Tell us about your outfits.
As we work and collaborate with some of the best Iranian artists and designers from all around the world. Our best friend Sanaz Nataj, who has a Couture Atelier in Tehran made my dress and I call myself so lucky as she definitely designed, made my dream dress.
As we wanted to have modern, minimal design inspired from the traditional concepts, we used and designed the same approach for the dress. We went for Victorian exaggerated hips like a classic lamp shade. With a very fitted corset on the top part and then from the tip to the bottom we went for a very fine 100% soft silk net for the skirt which could pass through the light as I was moving. Only 4 months before the wedding that we went to Italy to visit and choose the venues, I went to Milan and bought all the fabrics needed which took a lot of my time sourcing the right shops for each fabric. I always think if I go back and do this all over again for the 100th time I will still choose Sanaz Nataj Couture to design my beautiful bespoke wedding dress.
My shoes were antique gold Francesco Russo heels which I adore for their feminine, sexy and romantic design.
Regarding to hair and makeup, I wanted to look like myself and not to do anything new that I am not use to. I went for classic Hollywood eyeliner and a touch of peachy lip color, after the dinner I changed my lipstick to a dark cherry.
I wanted to keep my hair effortless. My hair was short (above the shoulder length) and I kept it down with a classic Hollywood curl at the front. I was introduced to Milena Torelli, my hair and makeup artist by Shadi, the artist who designed my ceremony. Working with Milena was so easy and she really understood the look I’m going for.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We wanted to embrace the natural shapes in the design , the shapes and designs already available in the venue and a light weight design instead of heavy/strong. We wanted it to be romantic and colorful but not too much. We wanted it to be minimalist design inspired from the traditional concepts from both Iranian and Sicilian culture.
We made our candle holder centrepieces from the Sicilian head vases with shells and sands as I love the beach life and natural shapes. For our ceremony’s Sofreh, I worked with Shadi Malek (made in Tehran) multidisciplinary designer, she worked for 3 months putting together and finding every single piece. She designed our Sofreh inspired from the old Persian garden in a minimalist way.
Lucky us, we had the best wedding planner. Indira is a superstar! For our wedding planner two of my friends had Indira as their planner, and they both had very different style weddings, both wedding amazingly done and both happy with their work with Indira from D-Pleis Events.
We decided to do our wedding quiet late. We were so so lucky that we got introduced to Indira by Azadeh. The moment I realized she has done these two weddings that were both amazing and different from each other I knew she is the one I would like to work with. Then we spoke to her and everything just made sense on how amazing she is. There was no” No” answers when it came to our requests from the normal requests to the crazy ones haha. She is a true go-getter. She is creative, chill with positive vibes. Because of the very short time that we had and us being far from her, we actually never met in person until the wedding. We did everything together online and each time that I was getting stressed she would give me this feeling of trust and relaxed that I was sure we are on the same page and everything is going the way it should. (We were extremely lucky.)
Straight away after our first call she realized we didn’t want a typical wedding, we wanted something different with a few traditional elements in the wedding. We told her our main priority is our friends’ and family’s experience and what is going to give them the best time, then we went for the design, aesthetic and other stuff.
We couldn’t have done any of it without Indira from D-Pleis Events and her team. From concept and design to execution. It was Indira’s first time organizing a wedding in Sicily and she went over and beyond to find the best vendors, suppliers, entertainments and so on. To this day me and Bahador keep saying I wish we could do another wedding with Indira all over again. We call her a very dear friend now. Not to forget one of the highlights was her beautiful family as they were part of the team as well. Her sweetest young daughters were helping in organizing the wedding favors and helping their mum with some decoration details.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
The Aghd Ceremony for me was very memorable and touching. Everything from the entrance music, the design of the Sofreh and every little detail in the ceremony and our family and friend’s presence.
As of entertainment/music which was one of the most important things for us in the wedding which directly affects the experience of all the guests. After the ceremony during the aperitif we had a young Sicilian band (Quartet Folk) until the beginning of the dinner. Then we brought an Iranian Dj, Dj Reza Jalilian, from Berlin playing international and Iranian songs. For the after party Bahador’s best friend (one of the groomsmen) surprised us with this amazing playlist that he was working on for a while and ended up DJing the last part of the night, till 4 or 5 am.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We were truly eager to include analog photos from Volvoreta in our collection, especially given our background in the arts. We hold a deep appreciation for the nostalgic quality of film, which beautifully complements the intimate story of our family and relationship. This aesthetic not only captures the essence of the moment but also creates memories that will last a lifetime.
Alongside the analog shots, we also wanted to ensure we had stunning digital images. Our idea was to hire another team, allowing each photographer to express their unique artistic vision freely. We looked for photographers for a while and finally we decided on Rosita and Michele from Primopiano Photographica since their photography was real yet delicate and romantic but not trying too hard.
We were thrilled with how well both teams collaborated, creating an atmosphere filled with positivity and energy. It was incredible to witness the magic that unfolded when these two perspectives came together, enriching our experience in such a meaningful way.
At the start of our wedding planning, I found myself scrolling through countless wedding videos on Instagram, but somehow, none resonated with us. Given Bahador’s background in film, we became quite discerning, to the point where we even considered forgoing a video altogether.
However, everything changed when Indira truly connected with our vision. She recommended an incredible team from Spain called Volvoreta, who proposed something truly unique: to film our wedding on 16mm film. With a talented filmmaker as part of their team, along with a focus puller and Jimena as the leader of the team, they brought a level of professionalism that we absolutely loved. The aesthetic and emotion that film captures are simply unparalleled.
We engaged in several brainstorming sessions and discussions, allowing them to understand us better and share what mattered most to us. The prospect of a creative collaboration rather than a standard wedding video filled us with joy and enthusiasm. Despite the challenges of working with large cinema cameras, the team was wonderful, and our guests were thrilled to be part of such a unique project. We were all in, ready to embark on this artistic journey together.
Film Photographer & Videographer: Volvoreta @volvoreta | Digital Photographers (Images not shown): Primopiano Photographica @rosita_lipiari_wedding | Planning, Styling & Floral Design: D-Pleis Events @dpleis_events | Floral Production: Mary Fiori @mary_fiori | Ceremony & Reception Location: Castello del Solacium @castellodelsolacium | Hire: Genimaison Events @genimaisonevents | HMUA: Milena Torelli @milenatorelli | Catering, Cake & Beverages: Natale Giunta @chef_natale_giunta | Stationery: Shima Karimi @shimzygraphicdesign | Entertainment: Quartet Folk @quartet_folk , Dj Reza Jalilian @rezajalilian & Max And Mellow @maxandmellow_ | Dress: Sanaz Nataj Couture @Sanaznatajcouture | Tuxedo:Tom Ford @tomford | Wedding Rings: Engelbert Stockholm. @engelbertstockholm | Shoes: Francesco Russo @francescorusso_official | Watch: Cartier @cartier | Sofreh: Made in Tehran @madeintehran