The Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City
September 2
Planning & Design by Hoopes Events
Photographs by Nicole Aston
THE COUPLE
Cima and Paymon met by chance when they both picked up pharmacy shifts at their local hospital, where they each caught the other’s eye but at the time weren’t more than acquaintances. Later, the pair reconnected after discovering that their brothers were good friends. Acting as the perfect wingmen, those brothers brought the two lovebirds together, and the rest was history. After a couple years of dating, Paymon invited Cima to a “work dinner” at Red Butte Garden. Spoiler alert: His invitation was really a ruse for a beautiful garden proposal. Surprised but elated, Cima said “yes.”
THE WEDDING
Fixed on an elegant and princess-worthy event, Cima selected the stunning grounds and ballrooms of The Grand America Hotel as the setting for her early September wedding. The festivities began outdoors in the Grand’s gardens for a traditional Persian wedding ceremony. Dressed in a shining, form-fitted gown with draping off-shoulder sleeves, Cima joined her groom-to-be (clad in a black tuxedo and white-accented bow tie) at their wedding table, known as a sofreh aghd, piled high with symbolic items of their life together. Framed by a bursting arch of white and blush blooms, mothers and other family members sprinkled sugar over the couple to welcome a life of sweetness.
The party moved indoors to the resplendent ballrooms of the classic hotel, where a tried-and-true palette of white, gold and rosy pink welcomed guests to the reception. The wedding party dined on steak, salmon, red velvet cake and a pastry bar, all catered by The Grand, before hitting the dance floor.
Led by Persian-American DeeJay Al, guests danced long into the night to a playlist of perfectly mixed dance hits and Persian classics. From David Guetta and “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” to “Faghat Ba To Eshgham” by Shadmehr, every musical moment had the party stomping to the beat. To wrap up the celebrations, Cima and Paymon entertained with a traditional knife dance before their cake cutting and the crowd favorite gol bereez, or flower toss.
After their royalty-ready wedding, the newlyweds embarked on an equally luxurious Italian honeymoon.
UTAH WEDDING VENDORS
Planning and Design: Hoopes Events, hoopesevents.com
Venue and Catering: The Grand America Hotel, grandamerica.com
Photography: Nicole Aston Photography, nicoleaston.com
Florist: Intertwined Floral, intertwinedfloral.com
Gown: Berta Bridal, berta.com
Tuxedos: Nordstrom, nordstrom.com
Stationery and Signage: Minted, minted.com
Rentals: Diamond Event & Tent, diamondevent.com; Grander Events, granderevents.com
DJ: DeeJay Al, deejayal.com
