Being the new girl in school, Natalie was in the tenth grade when she first met Kayvan at a pool party. “As a joke, my friend and I threw her and her friend into the pool,” Kayvan recalls. “The first time I really ‘saw’ Nat was a little while later when a group of us were in a car on the way somewhere. We were all chatting, and I kept noticing how we had so much in common. At the time, I thought I was interested in her best friend; after that, I never made the mistake again.”
Years later, on a random Tuesday night, Natalie and her two dogs went to Kayvan’s apartment. Kayvan was in the process of moving, and Natalie walked into a dark and empty space, except for Kayvan’s puppy. As the three dogs became rowdier, she frustratingly called for help and walked through the dark hallway towards the loft, where she found a teepee surrounded by beautiful lights. Inside, Kayvan was sitting with a huge smile on his face, surrounded by years of memories and mementoes he had kept over the past decade of friendship and dating.
"A RUSTIC SETTING WITH HIGH-END FINISHES."
After a nervous speech – and Natalie repeating “No way, no way” due to her shock – Kayvan reached towards the roof of the teepee, which was lined with galaxy printed cloth, and plucked the engagement ring that was tied to the roof with a string as if he were pulling a star from the sky.
Kayvan and Natalie enjoyed every moment of their wedding planning process. “We went a little non-conventional for a Persian Jewish wedding and decided to get married on a vineyard outdoors,” Natalie explains. “With that in mind, we had to make sure every complaint that would come our way was covered. We had heel stoppers for all the women, and fans and parasols to deal with the heat and sun. Ultimately, our decisions paid off and it was really a truly unique and incredible night.”
On their wedding day, neither the bride nor groom had a care in the world; they were simply taking in and savoring the whirlwind experience. “Seeing both sides of our families and all our friends together, ready to celebrate our love, built an amazing energy that filled the whole area,” says the bride. “We had a very rustic setting with very high-end finishes. The ceremony was performed on the ranch in front of a horse run, with a giraffe and peacock in the background.
After everyone walked down the aisle, as the Rabbi was getting ready to start giving his speech, the peacock decided to chime in and say a few words. It squawked for a couple minutes and got the crowd all laughing and in a great mood. It was an extremely unique way to start. The reception was a few yards away from the ceremony up on a landing surrounded by huge mature oak trees that were strung with lights. The dance floor was in the middle, which made you feel like you had entered some sort of fairytale. It was truly magical.”
For their honeymoon, the newlyweds traveled to Nicaragua and Costa Rica for the perfect blend of adventure and downtime on the beach.
WEDDING TALENT
Floral and Event Design: Butterfly Floral & Event Design, Los Angeles, CA: Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier; Groom’s Attire: Tom Ford
