October 20, 2018
La Jolla, CA
#tyingtheknottlieb
Sarah & Benjamin
Persian wedding customs
Perhaps the most important piece of a Persian ceremony, the Sofreh Aghd represents elements of and blessings for the couple’s new life together. It is a traditional wedding ceremony spread.
Because it's a cultural element -- not a religious one --
the Sofreh Aghd is traditionally used by Iranians of all faiths. We will be incorporating this, as well as Jewish traditions, in our ceremony.
Many symbolic items make up the spread. Here are a few:
An assortment of homemade sweets shared with guests directly after the ceremony.
Honey is consumed after the bride and groom exchange rings. They dip their pinky fingers in honey and place them in each other’s mouth to represent sweetness for their life.
Two sugar loaves that are rubbed together over a “ghand cloth” by women close to the bride and groom as shower their marriage with sweetness.
Eggs, almonds, wheat and walnuts represent fertility for the couple.
Fruits, usually pomegranates and apples which represent a joyous future.
Wild rue seeds that are burned (in a coal brazier) as part of the ritual of purification.
Decorative display of flat-bread which symbolizes prosperous feasts in the newlywed’s future.
Rock candy symbolizes a sweetened life for the newlyweds.
Mirror & candelabras represent light, clarity and love in the couple’s life.
An assortment of seven herbs and spices in seven colors meant to guard against the evil eye.
Traditional Persian embroidered cloth called “termeh” handed down from generation to generation that symbolizes family and tradition.
The needle and thread symbolize two people -- and two families -- becoming one.
For all the days along the way
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