Roozbeh + Christina | Wedding Ceremony & Reception at CityFlats Ballroom in Grand Rapids
Roozbeh and Christina wanted their wedding day to be the coming together of two cultures, his Persian world and her American world.
The wedding at CityFlats Ballroom was exactly that.
From the elaborate Persian wedding table, to traditional Christian wedding vows to the cake knife dance during the reception, the day was one we will never forget.
The day began with Christina getting ready at The Parlour at CityFlats, followed by the great bridal suite at the hotel, getting ready was a simple process for her and all the women involved in putting together the details of the wedding day.
Roozbeh spent the morning with family from all over the world, getting ready in the new CityFlat Suites (and enjoying a nice glass of Glenfiddich).
As we planned the wedding day, these two wanted as many photos as possible done prior to their ceremony so they could spend time with friends and family. That meant a first look in the ballroom at CityFlats, followed by wedding party portraits and family photos.
With temperatures in the mid-90s, we made sure to keep everyone inside and cool as much as possible. We didn’t end up going outside until later in the day.
The ceremony had many traditional western themes: the walk down the aisle by Christina’s father, vows, ring exchange, first kiss.
In addition, it had many Persian elements including: the wedding table (Sofreh Aghd), the unity cloth and bridesmaids grinding sugar above the bride and groom.
In the end, these two became husband and wife after a beautiful ceremony.
With the ceremony and reception at the same location, the staff at CityFlats (as well as the wedding planner, RSVP Events) needed time to flip the room.
This meant guests headed to a lower ballroom space at CityFlats and we took the wedding party out for portraits.
And when it’s extremely hot and raining in downtown Grand Rapids, what do you do?
You find locations that have natural cover for portraits.
We didn’t keep the wedding party outside long, but the images we captured from the brief time in downtown Grand Rapids were wonderful (and everyone was in great spirits).
Then it was back to CityFlats for dinner and dancing.
The staff did a great job resetting the room and welcoming guests to take their seat for an evening of great food, music and dancing.
The evening events included the cake knife dance (known as Raghseh Chagoo) which is a Persian wedding tradition that begins the cake cutting. When the bride and groom are ready to cut the cake, they have to earn the knife. The dancer may act coy and take the money, only to give the knife to another woman to continue the knife dance.
In addition, the dance handkerchief (Dasmal Bazi) was a huge hit of the evening with the accessory making its way onto the dance floor during the Persian line dances.
Wedding Vendors
Wedding Planners: RSVP Events
Ceremony + Reception: CityFlats Ballroom
Catering + Bar: CityFlats Ballroom
Makeup Artists: The Parlour
Hair Stylist: Alyssa Walters
Officiant: ForeverTwogether
Florist: Eastern Floral
Baker: Connie’s Cakes
DJ: WOW Factor
Photographer + Videographer: Tiberius Images
Love the images you see of Roozbeh and Christina? Looking for a photographer that can make you feel confident? We would love to connect with you about your photography needs!