InterContinental Buckhead Wedding | Atlanta, GA

Neeki and Matei’s jaw-dropping Persian wedding and reception at the InterContinental Buckhead is a day I look back on fondly. The rich cultural traditions, the elegant detail work, and the pure joy of everyone involved makes it an incredibly special day. You don’t want to miss the ceiling floral install at the reception!

Believe it or not, this is not the first time that I’ve photographed a Persian wedding. I was so excited to see what Neeki and Matei’s Sofreh table would look like. I also knew that the bride and groom’s families would absolutely bring the energy and joy to the knife dance during the reception. If you’re curious about these traditions, definitely check out the blog I linked above. I’ve broken both of them down with photos explaining what you’re looking at.

One tradition I didn’t know about from my previous work is the Persian First Look. Traditionally, the groom pays for the flowers. Part of this is bringing his bride’s bouquet to her as she is getting ready. The members of both of their families are there, music plays, and there’s dancing. I loved it so much!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Originally, the ceremony had been planned to happen outside in the garden. Sadly, it rained off and on all day long and all festivities were moved inside. It was still absolutely stunning!

Tips for my future brides: Always have a rain plan! If you are wanting to have an outdoor ceremony, reception, or both, keep the weather in mind from the very beginning of venue hunting. You’ll want to make sure that you venue not only has a great indoor ceremony option for a worst-case scenario, but also has pretty indoor spaces for portraits. When you’re in these venues, look for large open spaces to fit the size of your attendees, and big windows! If there are any outdoor covered areas, that’s a plus too!

It’s also rare for it to rain the entire day, so we’ll find pockets of time to step outside for portraits in between showers. If you’re wanting a first look before the ceremony, even more flexibility will be added into the day as well.

From Rehearsal to Reception

One thing I absolutely adored is that this wedding covered the entire story of how they met until the beginning of their life together. Neeki and Matei held their rehearsal where they met: the Atlanta International School. We even snuck off and took some portraits in the very classroom they first saw each other!

Definitely take some time to explore their photos below. I am absolutely obsessed with the ceiling install and estate table. But most of all, the amount of joy and love I see on display throughout the day and captured in these photographs reminds me why I love what I do so much.