Real Wedding: Chrissie & Rashid

Palm trees, a sparkling bay, and vibrant cultural traditions came together to set the stage for a beautiful early fall wedding at the Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa. A little ruffled Vera Wang action didn’t hurt either.

A beach wedding was fitting for Chrissie and Rashid, who proposed while the two were on vacation in Thailand. “Our hotel on the morning he proposed had a gorgeous view of the teal water, wooden boats and limestone cliffs,” she says. “We were having a lazy morning in bed enjoying our view and [Rashid] told me he wanted to take a photo of me with the view as a nice backdrop. Then he put the camera on video recording—without me realizing it—so that his proposal was on there for us to watch in the future. As soon as I said ‘yes!’ he quickly turned off the video and told me ‘OK, I have more to say, but the camera was making me nervous!’ It was really sweet and personal.”

Both originally from the Midwest, Chrissie and Rashid moved to San Diego at different times but for the same reasons: sunshine, beaches and the city’s low-key vibe. Naturally they wanted their big day to take place where they could take advantage of the natural beauty but also wanted to pay tribute to Rashid’s Iranian heritage. That meant a ceremony performed in both English and Farsi, Persian playlists during the reception and the traditional sofreh aghd, a Persian spread filled with fruits, nuts, and other items that each hold symbolic meaning and is displayed during the ceremony in front of the bride and groom.

At the reception the couple surprised their guests with an elaborate choreographed dance that they spent 6 weeks learning for the occasion. As Chrissie put it, “The energy in the room was so high, and we had so much adrenaline pumping through our bodies, the two of us could barely sit down and eat dinner afterwards!”