Congratulations Inez and Arjang!

Inez and Arjang got married at the Universal Hilton on Sunday, and it was an absolutely gorgeous and heartfelt event. This was the first wedding I’ve done where the guests applauded the wedding party as they came down the aisle! Nate and Jen have pictures on their blog – I tried to take pictures on my new digital camera, but let’s just say I need a little more practice. Inez is Chinese and Arjang is persian, so not only was there a full Chinese Wedding Banquet (the Univeral Hilton is one of the few hotels in L.A. that will do that for you) but there were some Persian dishes provided by the catering company owned by the Groom’s family. So, eleven courses, all delicious. There was a fruit station in the back of the reception with the biggest strawberries and grapes you’ve ever seen in your life, and about 6 different types of pastries, which were also part of the persian tea station during the cocktail hour.

There were a few other unique touches as well. After their first dance, Inez and Arjang had a parent’s dance – but they didn’t dance with their parents, their parents slow danced with each other to the song “Unforgettable”, and were joined by other couples on the floor. One of the guests even pulled me onto the dance floor! I thought that was really cool, because once the dancing opens up later in the night, there are usually no slow songs, and, you know, sometimes you just want to dance cheek to cheek, ya know? And secondly, Janet, the bride’s sister, had all 240 guests stand up and yell, “Congratulations Inez and Arjang!” at the end of her toast. Brought the bride and groom to tears. Me, too, actually.

Inez and Arjang also had a Lion Dance troupe perform right before the reception – two huge papier mache and cloth lions roaming through the crowd, and then saluting Inez and Arjang. Again, Nate and Jen’s blog has pictures. And, on that note, I’d also like to give props to the Florist, Louellen Pigot from Elegant Designs in Bloom. She made these beautiful two tiered centerpieces, connected with a golden pole, that were supposed to line the aisle, and then be transferred to the reception hall later. First of all, way to multi-task. But it was a little windy on Sunday, and the centerpieces kept threatening to topple over. What did Louellen do? Louellen packed ribbon and shorter poles, just in case. The ribbon didn’t work, but the shorter poles did. And that is why she is officially on my list of favorite florists. The bride and groom never knew a thing was wrong, which is exactly how I like it.

And kudos to my assistant Maya, who was pretty much the best back-up ever. She’s an event planner, too, which really, really helped throughout the day.

Oh, and the guests were so enthusiastic that they broke the dance floor later on in the night. Seriously. Got love people who know how to party.