A Romantic Armenian wedding at Taglyan Cultural Complex in Los Angeles California

Shant Tegelecian and Datevig Mesrobian first met as classmates, attending junior high and high school together.

Although they were friendly acquaintances with mutual crushes on each other, they didn’t start spending much time alone until they both started school at the University of California in Irvine.

Shant would always help Datevig with her math homework, and they soon discovered they had a great deal in common. “Datevig’s smile and laugh is what drew me to her,” Shant describes. “It felt so effortless to be around her. We could be doing the simplest things together, like watching a television show, but I felt like I was the happiest then.”

After eight years of dating, and with Datevig still in dental hygiene school, Shant decided to plan a trip together to England. On their first night, the couple was staying at the 900-year-old Amberley castle in the West Sussex countryside, and Shant asked his girlfriend if she wanted to go for a walk. Despite being pitch-dark outside, he found a spot where there were flowers and some lighting, and set up his phone’s camera on auto-timer so they could take a picture together. Before Shant knew what was happening, he was down on one knee with a ring.

The wedding planning process soon began, with the couple setting their wedding date while they were still overseas in London. Since they’re both Armenian, it was an easy choice to decide on the St. Leon Armenian Cathedral in Burbank, California for the ceremony. “The grand ceiling is what took our breath away,” Datevig describes. “The high ceilings, natural light, and the bigger-than-life feeling we both get where we’re inside made it the church we wanted to stand in while exchanging our vows in front of God, family, and our friends.”

With Anita from Fancy That! Events as their wedding coordinator, the couple successfully pieced together their dream wedding. Their vision was to have a timeless and romantic celebration with flowers in cream and blush colors, and wedding décor with a similar color palette – plus touches of gold. There was a champagne tower for guests to enjoy during the cocktail hour, as well as passed hors d’oeuvres. The cocktail area was also decorated with their favorite love quotes, written in calligraphy and displayed in gold frames.

For the reception, the head table was decorated with cascading flowers, candles, and two framed signs with the names “Mr. Teg” and “Mrs. Teg” – a shortened version of Shant’s last name. Since the bride’s father was born in Ethiopia, one of the highlights of the evening was a live Ethiopian singer performing wedding songs and playing traditional instruments for the newlyweds.

By the end of the night, Shant and Datevig couldn’t believe it was already over. The day had been filled with nothing but love, laughter, happy tears, and the two of them repeatedly exclaiming, “We’re husband and wife!”

“The one feeling we both remember is looking around the dance floor, and actually feeling all the love that was surrounding us,” says Datevig. “Every aspect of our wedding came together so beautifully, and we feel so lucky and blessed to have been able to share that day with everyone close to us.”

WEDDING TALENT