Pooneh and John | Timber Ridge Lodge Wedding

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Bride and Groom in the mountains

Savannah Chandler Photography | Keystone Wedding Photographer

I’ve had the honor of meeting some of the most amazing people over the years. I first met Pooneh and John last September for their Vail engagement session (which you can view HERE). They flew out from Texas on one of their only work breaks to see their amazing venue, and to take some awesome mountain portraits.

Fast forward to this past July, and it was time for their Persian and American fusion wedding at Timber Ridge Lodge in Keystone. When Pooneh and I first spoke on the phone and she told me about all the amazing traditions that they would be incorporating into their wedding, I was giddy with excitement. Witnessing cultural wedding traditions is one of my favorite things about my job. I love to be invited to partake in all the unique ways humans around the world celebrate the union of two people. For their mountain top ceremony atop the North Peak, they first began with a traditional American ceremony. The wedding site faces both the stunning Gore and Tenmile mountain ranges – with Mount Guyot and Bald Mountain booming up in the background. Once it was time to begin the Persian ceremony, Pooneh and John made their way behind the Sofreh to be showered with all things sweet. I love the tradition of bestowing the newlywed couple with sweet items, to signify a “sweet start”. Another portion of the wedding that I loved was when Pooneh was asked if she would take John – to which she waited to be asked three times and finally responded BELLA, BELLA, BELLA!! I think anytime anyone wants something from me, I’m now going to respond bella, bella, bella.

For the ceremony, we all moved into the Lodge at Timber Ridge, which is only a hop, skip, and a jump away from the ceremony site. It’s quite nice to just walk a few yards and be at the reception area (especially after two gondola rides to get there 😁 ). During the planning process, I got an email from Pooneh to be ready for the “Knife Dance”. Without any previous context or Persian wedding experience, I was quite intrigued by what that meant. I made sure to ask for more details, as my head was spinning with all the possibilities of what that could mean! Turns out, it’s super awesome and involves the groom throwing money at the bridesmaids who are holding the cake knife hostage. Speaking of money… it was thrown into the air quite a bit at the reception 😝. Literally. It was such a fun reception, as there was always something awesome happening in every corner of the dance floor.

Thank you for inviting us to celebrate with you, Pooneh and John. It was an amazing day, and I truly had such an amazing time. I wish you both the best in Houston. 💗

Cheers!