Shaun and Sogol came together in an explosion of color and elegance at their California wedding. Sogol incorporated the traditions of Persian culture by setting up a sofreh aghd spread. Each item in this luxurious, decadent (and gorgeous!) wedding display has a meaning, ranging from sweetness in the marriage to financial wealth. Reception fun continued with a surprise samba dance troupe that got everyone up and dancing. Although bad weather delayed some of the way the day played out, this couple still rocked it and had a day that was very personal … and extraordinarily pretty!
Sogol + Shaun | April 25, 2015 | Del Mar, California | Dress Listing: Vera Wang, Georgina
The Ceremony
When Shaun and I first started talking about our future together, we both agreed it would be fun and romantic to have an outdoor “destination” wedding, where most of our guests would travel to so that we could have the opportunity to spend more time with them since we heard the wedding day flies by. After visiting ten venues in the San Diego area in one weekend, we both fell in love with L’Auberge in Del Mar, California, and booked it right away. We chose it for several reasons, mainly because of the beautiful ambiance when you walk into the hotel lobby and the quaint and scenic Seagrove Park, where we would have our Persian ceremony and cocktail hour.
The Reception
Our dinner portion was held outside on the Pacific Terrace, with breathtaking views of the ocean, with the dancing portion in the ballroom, where samba dancers and percussionists would perform at the end of dinner on the terrace to dance everyone down to the ballroom for the big party. We wanted to include surprise entertainment and wanted to avoid any guests from getting food coma after their amazing farm-to-table meal, made by talented Chef Brandon Fortune. We were both overjoyed with how things turned out.
Our vision for our wedding was to have a simple, elegant, romantic and most importantly, fun, wedding, with our closest family and friends. We didn’t want the atmosphere to be too formal or uptight, and I think our venue was perfect for that. We chose L’Auberge Del Mar because it gave us a magical view with an open space and three different areas to celebrate in, which was nice since we knew we didn’t want to have our entire wedding in one big ballroom. I knew I wanted the design to be modern, natural, simple and clean, with lots of votive and floating candles, gold accents, and soft colors with a pop of fuchsia. I love peonies, ranunculus and anemones and wanted a touch of succulents to add for some greenery.
Sogol’s Dress Search
I tried on at least 40 different dresses over three months in San Francisco (where I live) and many more during a weekend trip to Los Angeles with my mom and sister. I went to many different stores more than once and kept going back to the Vera Wang Georgina dress, which was by far, my mom’s favorite from the get-go. I tried on a ton of beautiful and elegant dresses, some of which I’d see in a magazine on a beautiful tall model and would hunt down until I could try it on, only to find that it didn’t fit my body…or my personality. And I knew that the minute I would try on the dress(es).
The most important thing when dress shopping is to make sure the dress you choose reflects the tone and mood of your wedding and your own style. Otherwise, it may feel like a costume.
How Sogol Felt in Her Wedding Dress
I pulled the trigger on the Vera Wang Georgina dress because it was the most me, it fit my body the best, and I found it very chic and elegant!
Why Sogol Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
Realistic that I am, I couldn’t fathom keeping a $9k dress in my closet as a souvenir on the chance that I’d wear it (maybe) a couple more times in my lifetime, so I purchased it with the intention of selling it.
