Mona + Ali Persian wedding

Real Essense of Australia Bride Mona + Ali

With a nod to their heritage, real Essense of Australia bride, Mona, and her husband, Ali, hosted a Persian-inspired celebration that was absolutely beautiful! Soft colors, rich florals, and Mona’s lace wedding dress all came together to create a romantic look, while personal touches like a fire dancer kept things fun. Read on to see more of this amazing wedding!

The proposal

Ali and I had been planning a trip to Italy for six months. I thought there was a chance he would propose to me there but talked myself out of it because I thought he would be too scared to travel with the ring. He ended up proposing on the first night we got to Italy in Milan in front of the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral). It was so private and so special. Even though there were people around us, no one really noticed what was happening. The last night of our Italy trip we were back in Milan and they were doing a live concert with a full orchestra at the Duomo and it was such a special way to end our trip.

Mona + Ali Persian wedding

Finding the perfect wedding dress

I wanted to look and feel myself on my wedding day. I didn’t want to be one of those brides that were unrecognizable on their wedding day. I didn’t want to go overboard with hair and makeup. I wanted simple, clean styles. I went to three dress stores but I ended up choosing the second dress I tried on. I loved my dress because it was so comfortable and light and I wanted something that I could wear for both the ceremony and reception and stay comfortable. I also knew that I wanted an off the shoulder style and was so excited when I learned I could get straps for my Essense of Australia dress that would transform it into an off the shoulder.

Mona + Ali Persian wedding

Mona + Ali's persian wedding

The wedding details

Ali and I are both Persian and we wanted to take the traditional Persian ceremony Americanize it a bit. We didn’t want the officiant to be a stranger, so we asked a family friend to officiate the wedding. We also did our own vows which aren’t normally done during Persian ceremonies and had flower girls and ring bearers.

Mona + Ali's persian wedding

As far as theme goes – I was going for soft and romantic. I also wanted my flowers to really stand out. I love the color burgundy and our florist ended up incorporating burgundy, hot pink, purples, and greens. When I first heard those colors together I was skeptical if they would look good together but after she pulled a sample together I couldn’t believe how beautiful it looked! We decided the most important things to us were food, music, and flowers so we spent all of our energy focused on those three things. We were lucky because a family member of my husbands did the catering and it was so over the top and beautiful and delicious. We also had a fire dancer perform at the cocktail hour which was very special and was a nice nod to our love for Burning Man.

Persian groomsmen

Mona + Ali Persian wedding

Mona + Ali Persian wedding red bridal party

The most special memory of the day for me was walking down the aisle and seeing the most important people in my life smiling from ear to ear. I just burst into tears because I felt so honored to be surrounded by such a loving and supportive group of people.

Mona + Ali's persian wedding

Photos by Judy and Gavin