Fairies – we’ve seen some beautiful wedding dresses in our time, but the one worn by Parnaz Aminian on her wedding day is arguably the most spectacular. A contemporary shade of nude blush with a stunning low back, the Demetrios-designed creation was worn to perfection by the gorgeous bride-to-be, with it’s clusters of embellished flowers and intricate lace detail turning heads and leaving guests gasping.
Held on a warm Autumn day, the joy on groom Dharmendra Raron’s face was obvious as he saw his wife walking towards him for the first time. Their original meeting, however, was a little less romantic to say the least. “We met on Orientation day of university,” Parnaz tells us. “We had been allocated into the same group for the university tour and I found myself standing next to him. He had his hands in his pockets and in my opinion, looked a little too cool for school. Neither of us knew anyone and we were standing on our own so I decided to say hi.”
Food had always been a central part of the couple’s relationship, with the pair spending endless evenings dining at restaurants, experimenting with different cuisines and finding the perfect wine together, making Dharmendra’s proposal even more thoughtful.
“He had booked us for our very first degustation,” Parnaz describes to us. “Despite being a very intimate restaurant, there are great distances between the tables – making you feel like you are the only one’s dining. It was very romantic. We had just started on the sixth course when he turned to me and said, “Can I ask you a question?” As soon as he said that, I had a good feeling of what was coming. As he asked the question, he brought out a ring from his jacket pocket. No one around us noticed what was going on our table but I could see, from the corner of my eye, the waitress giving me a sweet smile.”
And the wedding itself? A seamless blend of old and new, both Parnaz and Dharmendra paid homage to not only their heritage (Persian and Indian), but to their history, with the ceremony taking place under a white marquee on the tennis court of Parnaz’s childhood home.
“The pathway in which my father led me to the wedding aisle was among the greenery of his garden. My Aunty was our celebrant and she married us in front of 150 of our closest family and friends.” The newlyweds paid special attention to the coming together of their two cultures, taking every opportunity to unify not only their souls, but their backgrounds.
“I feel the most unique part of our wedding was the fusion of two rich cultures,” says Parnaz. “In our ceremony, we performed a sand ceremony whereby Demo poured green sand and I poured yellow sand into a vase of white sand. This symbolised the coming together of two families, two cultures and two people. As the sand mixed, the grains become inseparable. Our ceremony whole-heartedlyembraced where we had come from and celebrated the deep love and adoration we have for each other.”
And the reception? “Our bridesmaids hit off the dancing with our traditional knife dance; whereby the bridesmaids tease, through dancing, the bride and groom and keep them from cutting the cake. The music was a mix of Persian, Indian and English and the whole room was on the dancefloor for most of the night. It was a celebration of epic proportions.”
Held on level 17 of the stunning RACV City Club in the heart of Melbourne, guests were treated to a spectacular view of the the city’s skyline, with the shimmering lights the perfect backdrop to the art deco and antique-inspired styling. “When I first walked into the room, I was so overwhelmed with emotion on how magical the room looked. All that planning and vision boards had led to this very moment.”
Photographer: John Deer @cleverdeer http://cleverdeer.com
Ceremony Venue: Private residence (Family home)
Reception Venue: RACV City Club @racvcityclub, https://www.racv.com.au/travel-leisure/racv-club/city-club/conferences-events/weddings.html
Cinematographer: C2 Films @c2films www.c2films.com.au
Entertainment (i.e.DJ, live band, etc.) DJ: DJ Shahyad, Pianist: Ben Martin http://www.benjamindmartin.com/
Bridal dress designer: Demetrios Bride @demetriosbridalaustralia @thesposagroupaustralia www.demetriosbride.com.au www.thesposagroup.com.au
Bridal shoes: Alan Pinkus Shoes @alanpinkus http://www.alanpinkus.com.au/
Bridal jewellery: Arman Jewellery @armanjewellerymelbourne http://www.armanjewellery.com.au/
Bridal headpiece: Windsor Bridal Jewellery @windsorbridaljewellery www.windsorbridaljewellery.com.au
Engagement rings: Janai Jeweller @janaijewellery
Bridesmaid dresses designer: Rachel Gilbert @rachelgilbertau www.rachelgilbert.com/ and Adrianna Papell @bridesmaidsonly https://www.bridesmaidsonly.com.au/
Flower girl dresses designer: Custom made
Groom’s suit: Rhodes & Beckett @rhodesbeckett www.rhodesbeckett.com.au/
Groomsmen suits: Peter Jackson @peterjacksonau www.peterjacksons.com/
Pageboy suit: Industrie Kids @industriekids https://www.industriekids.com.au/
Cake designer: Jessicakes @jessicakesbrunswick www.jessicakes.com.au/
Invitation designer: Wedding Paper Divas @weddingpaperdivas https://www.weddingpaperdivas.com/
Stationary designer: Lauren Skorsis @laurenskorsis https://www.laurenskorsis.com.au/
Florist: Floretta by Grace @florettabygrace https://www.floretta.com.au/
Favours: Donations to One in Five https://oneinfive.com.au/
Hairdresser: Hair by Deanne @hairbydeanne www.hairbydeanne.com.au
Makeup artists: Ashleigh Evans @ashleighevans_mua
Article written by Alison Donnellan
