Timeless wedding at the Ritz with afghan and egyptian traditions

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We love a trendy wedding as much as the next blog, but every now and then, we have to admit that it is refreshing to see a couple who dares to keep things classic. Instead of focusing on the decor to express their personalities and their relationship, they leaned into their families' cultural traditions. Oh, and it's definitely worth mentioning that this couple planned this epic wedding themselves...in just eight months!!! Keep scrolling to see more of these lovely photos by Vicki Grafton Photography and to read all about how they incorporated both cultures into their big day.

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a surreal moment at an iconic venue

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As an Afghan and an Egyptian and devout Muslims, we didn’t see ourselves represented in any of the wedding magazines while planning our wedding. It was very important that we had a traditional Afghan-Egyptian wedding combined with some modern elements.

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a celebration of culture

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The wedding was a celebration of Afghan and Egyptian culture. Our stationery was custom-designed and created in Egypt by the same vendor that my husband's family has used for years. Our invitations were custom-designed and made by hand in pink velvet. The invitations were in Arabic, Dari, and English representing all three languages. We also created a custom monogram that was on all of our stationery as well as our cake. All of the details we used for our reception ceremony as well as our henna night and cake cutting also came from Afghanistan.

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a timeless design

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The design and theme for the wedding was traditional and timeless. Our goal was to have a wedding that our children could look back on decades later and still find the design and decor relevant. We explicitly opted out of any trends or colors from 2023/2024. Our venue, the Ritz-Carlton, has a very traditional and elegant ballroom. The decor and flowers by Bee Inspired Events all reflected traditional wedding colors and traditional design elements.

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I did not have a full-time wedding planner and we planned our wedding ourselves despite a short engagement of eight months. The planning tools on Wedding Chicks were super helpful. Additionally, Wedding Chicks as a whole was a very helpful resource in navigating the planning process and making decisions, particularly the tips and advice section.

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the traditions

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During the wedding, my family also performed a traditional Afghan dance known as Attan while wearing traditional Afghan clothing. My sister performed Ragsheh Chagoo, a tradition where the groom must buy the knife from the bride's sister by paying her money before the couple can cut the cake. The knife we used was also an heirloom from Afghanistan.

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the gown

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My gown is the "Alexandra" by Monique Lhuillier which I wore with a custom bolero. I knew I wanted to wear a Monique Lhuillier bridal gown ever since I came across the designer. When we got engaged, "Alexandra" was the first gown I tried on, and absolutely fell in love with the strapless sweetheart corset dress with a drop waist and the unique sculpted ballgown. Afterwards, I tried on at least 100+ gowns from every major designer including Vera Wang and Oscar de la Renta but my heart was set on the "Alexandra" gown. The dress is the epitome of elegance. I also had a custom cathedral-length veil with matching lace created for the dress.

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mix-and-match bridesmaids' dresses

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The bridesmaids' dresses were shades of blush and light pink. However, the bridesmaids selected their own dresses from different designers. It was very important for me that my bridesmaids feel confident in their dresses. My two sisters, who were my Maids of Honor, have very unique and different styles. I wanted them to feel the best version of themselves and choose dresses that reflect their own unique styles. One of my sisters had her dress custom-created in Istanbul, Turkey. My other sister chose the "Henri" gown from the Bar.

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a classic wedding cake

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Similar to our wedding theme, we wanted a traditional wedding cake. The cake was designed and baked by Patricia SerryBurton of Ritz-Carlton who is one of the best pastry chefs in Washington DC. The cake included numerous pearls to reflect my dress and our monogram designed in gold. We chose two different flavors for our cake: 1) white chocolate mousse with fresh raspberries and buttercream frosting, 2) chocolate cake with caramel filling and buttercream frosting. We also served two types of Afghan and Egyptian desserts: Baklava and Firnee. Firnee is an Afghan dessert made of milk pudding infused with rose water and cardamom, topped with crushed pistachios.

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