Persian Engagement Party.

This past weekend I was hired to shoot an engagement party. I actually met with Tina and Fabion a few months back to get all the details about the event down, but this past weekend was the big day. The months of planning for this engagement party really showed. From the moment I walked into the venue, I was blown away by the effort that went into decorating the room that the engagement party was held in. The couple told me that it would be like this, but it was even beyond what I imagined it would be!

I arrived to a pretty hectic scene as people were getting ready for the event. That was to be expected though. If it's not hectic, things probably aren't going right. I found Tina getting her make-up done in her house. In fact, all of her immediate family took the time to get make-up and hair done during this time. These types of shots are great to capture, so I went to town getting shots of the make-up artist applying make-up on the girls.

Tina's stunning dress for the party also needed to be photographed. She told me I could take it and bring it wherever I needed it to go to get some good shots of it. I took it to the main event room (shown above) for some photos... but I found that a window back at home worked just as well or even better. Still, I do like the shot of the dress I took above. It looks like it is set up against a mirror, but in fact that is an interior window that looks out into the main entrance of the room.

Of course besides getting shots of the dress I had to get shots of the shoes as well. Luckily, Tina had a lot of nice looking pillows and coverings on her couch. I just took her shoes and tried to place in the best possible angle to make them look good. I was pleased with the results I got. I think the golden shoes go very well with the colors in the background.

As I mentioned before, the main room for the engagement party was completely decked out. Each table had beautiful plates and silverware with gorgeous decorations on them. Here's a shiny gold heart, but other plates had silver eggs on them. The dessert table had glittery swans, and there were things to catch the eye wherever you looked. 

When Fabion came into the room, he came with an entourage of guys. They had prepared a skit to come into the room! The skit portrayed how Fabion came to be engaged to Tina. It was a lot of fun, and the guys really hammed it up good.

Tina came in and stunned everyone with how great she looked - her entrance was definitely on point! Tina is not shy and she came in with confidence and energy. She definitely lights up a room when she enters it!

Fabion and Tina re-enacted the ring proposal much to everyone's delight. The skit was a great idea, and a perfect way to introduce the special couple. I think more couples should think of doing something like this in their wedding events - it's so much fun!

With Tina and Fabion now in the room, the party could officially start. One of Tina's favorite things to do is dance... so there was dancing... LOTS OF IT! Dinner was delayed a bit so the couple decided to start the dancing right then and there. The guests were more than happy to oblige and join in.

Check out these stunning cakes. I have never seen cakes like this before. Each cake is encased in a hard shell adorned with jewels. They were so grand! 

Before Fabion and Tina could cut the cake, a procession of women teased them with the cake knife. They had to be patient as woman after woman came with the knife they needed to slice the cake.

They did eventually get the knife and got into the cake. And of course they fed each other pieces of the delicious cake when they got their slices. 

After dinner and dessert it was time for more dancing to celebrate the engagement. I had a ton of fun at this wedding and I think Tina and Fabion for having me experience this special day for them. I had never been to a Persian wedding before, and I was so grateful to be able to join in this one as their photographer.

Best wishes to both Tina and Fabion as they begin planning for their ceremony!