Elegant Mountain Wedding with Persian Ceremony

Summertime mountain weddings are just the bee’s knees, aren’t they? They carry such dreamy imagery like the ones from this Savannah Chandler Photography wedding and if you catch your wedding day on clear afternoon like Pooneh and John did, you’ll be gifted well. Their elegant mountain wedding with their unique Persian ceremony offered up so many elements that caught our eye. From the sublime Sofreh Aghd wedding table at the ceremony to the whimsical, airy color palette and styling in their lodge reception, we can’t stop looking at this wedding!

How did you meet?

John and I have a very traditional, classic love story. We met on Bumble—the dating app where you where you swipe right if you like a candidate and the girl initiates conversation. The thing that struck us both was how genuine we felt around the other. We both love cooking (and, more importantly, eating), skiing, estate saling, and hosting (parties, dinners, baby showers, whatever). We started dating in October 2015, moved in together in August 2016, and got engaged December 2017. We live in Houston, Texas with our chiweenie, Petey. 

What is your proposal story?

It was around Christmastime and Pooneh was having a particularly rough month at work, juggling multiple deadlines. Pooneh mentioned in passing that she wanted a small Christmas tree, just to give the house a little more cheer. Well, John had been looking for a proposal opportunity, so he seized this one. While Pooneh was at work on a Saturday, John went out a bought the biggest Christmas tree and decorated the whole house. He also made sure that Pooneh’s best friend took her to get her nails done. So, when Pooneh came home from the salon (fully expecting to get back to work), John was standing in front of the tree and ready to propose. We later went to a patio bar by our house where Pooneh’s best friend had gathered her whole family and all their friends to celebrate. (John’s family, who live in New York, sadly could not make it). 

What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?

Our priorities were: (1) mountaintop, (2) alcohol, and (3) music. We wanted to make sure that we and our guests had an unforgettable experience. 

We splurged on our welcome bags and welcome reception. We really appreciated all of our guests traveling to Colorado, so we wanted to make sure that was clear from the minute they arrived in Keystone. 

What were your favorite parts of the day?

We have too many incredible stories to share. We both agree that our favorite part of the day was the ceremony. We wrote the entire ceremony (both the Persian and American components) ourselves and our officiants were Pooneh’s brother and one of John’s groomsmen. It was incredibly personal and a perfect reflection of us. It was also really sweet to hear our guests sniffling with happy tears as we exchanged our vows. 

What’s your biggest piece of advice for other couples planning a mountain wedding?

We loved the idea of taking over a ski village with all of our closes friends and family. Our biggest piece of advice to a couple planning a mountain wedding is prepare to deal with the logistics and limitations of having an event in the mountains. Everything is just a little bit trickier, so the sooner you embrace that the better. Also, expect rain, but don’t worry about it.

Seriously, there are so many things you can plan and control, but the weather is not one. We had a rain delay, and it ended up being the perfect opportunity to spend some time just us, our families, and bridal party in the reception space. Without the rain delay, I don’t think we would have seen our flowers because once the bride and groom enter everyone is already seated and the party gets going quick!