There may be no more unlikely place for a tradition-minded couple to meet than amid the glitz of Beverly Hills. Look at Sam Saleh’s bio, and your first thought might be “playboy.” Raised in London, he’s got a charming accent to go along with his good looks, and surely it didn’t hurt his prospects with the ladies that he’s a successful cosmetic dentist whose clients include Hollywood celebrities in search of the perfect smile.
Sam met Nadia Nasrat at a Redbury Hotel dinner party, but the two didn’t hit it off immediately. However, a few months after their initial meeting, Sam found a Facebook friend request from Nadia in his inbox. Recognition failed to click at first — Sam even awkwardly sent a note asking Nadia who she was — but a date was soon proposed; a second became a magical night of dining, drinking, and karaoke spent in a rooftop pool cabana.
“THERE WERE SO MANY POSITIVE EMOTIONS WE WERE FEELING ALL AT ONCE – IT WAS OVERWHELMING."
Part of what brought the couple together was a shared heritage: Sam’s parents had emigrated to the U.S. from Iran, while Nadia’s parents hailed from nearby Afghanistan and Uzbeckistan. “Despite the fact that I’m very progressive, my core is very traditional,” says Sam. “I believe in equality, but also that there are roles and responsibilities that each person brings to the relationship.”
Dating quickly grew into a full-blown love affair, and within a year of meeting Nadia, Sam was already buying an engagement ring. He decided to propose on Valentine’s Day (“It was very easy to cover up what I was about to do”) during a return visit to the Keo restaurant at The Redbury, the site of their first great date. “I sat on the same side of the table as her and said, ‘I see you as my wife, as the mother of my children,’ then asked her to marry me,” recalls Sam.
Like so many grooms, Sam had been moved to tears when he first saw Nadia walking down the aisle in her Rivini gown, but both bride and groom said the most romantic part of their wedding day was a quiet interlude between the ceremony and reception.
The couple honeymooned in Bora Bora, reveling in plenty of “alone time” in an overwater villa at the luxurious Four Seasons resort before returning to their lives and work together in L.A.
WEDDING TALENT
Ceremony Location: Greystone Mansion, Beverly Hills, CA; Reception Location: London Hotel, West Hollywood, CA; Event Planner: Acresti Productions, Los Angeles, CA; Floral and Event Design: Stevenson Group, San Fernando, CA; Linen, Rentals and Lighting: Royal Events, Inc., San Fernando, CA; Ceremony Caterer: Wolfgang Puck Catering, Los Angeles, CA; Reception Caterer: Gordon Ramsay at London Hotel, West Hollywood, CA; Groom’s Attire and Shoes: Tom Ford; Wedding Gown: Rivini
Photography: Duke Images, Pasadena, CA
