Most Gracious Hosts: This Couple Hosted Two Unique Wedding Ceremonies At Chateau Lill In Redmond

When planning their celebration, Evita Almassi and Christopher Main wanted their wedding to be an inclusive blend of their two cultures, so they chose to have two ceremonies. First, guests were treated to a traditional Persian wedding in honor of the bride’s family and heritage, centered around a sofreh aghd (a traditional Persian wedding table), on which were placed ceremonial items – filled with symbolic objects chosen by the bride’s mother - representing earth, fire, water and wind and meant to bring good fortune to the couple. For the second half of the ceremony, the couple stepped under a floral archway to say their traditional Western vows.

As the reception began, guests were given delicate blue-and-green painted dishes as escort cards, brought from Iran by the bride’s family, as gifts for those in attendance. The cocktail-style reception featured a performer walking around in a “live champagne dress,” serving celebratory drinks to guests, who also got a kick out of the tuxedo and flower leash worn by the couple’s dog, Teddy. “We wanted to make our guests feel at home,” says Evita.