A Glamorous Ballroom Wedding at Cosmos Club in Washington, DC

Catherine Cano and Hamed Alaghebandian had two separate weddings: a traditional Persian ceremony for family members and a Western ceremony for close friends. The Persian ceremony (sofreh aghd) took place inside Cosmos Club in Washington, DC, and included "the bride and groom sitting in front of a spread, where each item on the table has a specific meaning," Catherine says. The couple stood beneath a glamorous chandelier near arrangements of white hydrangeas, roses, spray roses and lemon leaf foliage cascading to the floor. Catherine wore a stunning ball gown with lace sleeves, which paired nicely with her white bouquet of stephanotis. "My father passed away when I was 14, and I pinned a little charm that he had given me to the bouquet," she says. Hamed wore a bespoke tux from his personal tailor. The reception, which took place in the same room as the ceremony, continued the luxurious details. The space stunned with tall centerpieces of white flowers and greenery, elegant chandeliers, gold chiavari chairs and ivory table linens. "My husband is Persian and I'm Colombian, so I wanted the favors to have a tie to both of our cultures," Catherine says. "They were Colombian coffee beans with saffron sugar sticks."