Weddingbee Blog

…which, if you’re Persian, is days or weeks before the wedding. In Persian culture, weddings are a time to Party with a capital P. Close family members and friends throw feasts (or dinner parties) honoring the bride and groom. The parties are called paghosah—”clearing the path”—and they’re a time for the two families to come together.

As soon as my parents arrived a week before the wedding, the festivities kicked off. A lot of brides are busy with last-minute DIY projects the week of their weddings; I was dancing my booty off and partying with the Persians. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little stressed by everything left to do on our checklist, and I was worried I would be exhausted by the time the actual wedding day rolled around. But my parents came to the rescue and helped with an incredible number of last-minute tasks while I was at work that week, and we somehow pulled it all off. I owe Mama and Dad Wallaby a hundred times over for their help. (When I told Dad Wallaby that, he responded that all he wants as a thank you is for Mr. W and me to visit them in Seattle as often as we can. Awww.)

The paghosah parties were so.much.fun. I think they really helped me de-stress the week of the wedding and enjoy the precious time we had with both of our extended families in town. My parents had already gotten to know Mr. W’s family and they get along famously—but the week of the wedding, those relationships were really strengthened. Mr. W and I were really humbled and honored by parties that were held in our honor. And each gathering contributed to the momentum building up to the Big Day.

My favorite party was Thursday night, two days before the wedding. Thursday was my last day of work for 19 days (!!!), so I was finally able to really kick back and clear my mind, and get excited!!! My extended family had all flown in at that point, so my parents, grandma, aunt, uncles, cousins, and old friends from Seattle were all invited over to Mr. W’s parents’ house. We were joined by Mr. W’s out-of-town relatives and a lot of Persian family friends. I’m not sure how many people were there that night, but it was a gathering the size of some weddings. Like I’ve said before, Persians love to p-a-r-t-y.

Maid of Honor A, Maid of Honor N, me, and friend K / Personal photo

A lot of drinking went down—here’s Father-in-Law Wallaby bringing out a round of shots:

Personal photo

And in our crowd, drinking = dancing up a storm:

A group dance-off. My dad is the guy in the Hawaiian shirt, copying Father-in-Law Wallaby in the purple polo. / Personal photo

Bubba Wallaby takes the center of the dance floor / Personal photo

The Persian guests showed my family and friends some Persian dance moves, and I was really impressed that every single person danced at some point (including my 81-year-old-grandma!), even if it was a little awkward. Maybe the alcohol helped.

That night (or actually, in the wee hours of the next morning), we all went to bed buzzing with excitement for what was to come. Up next: the girls get their nails did, and the men do manly things like move heavy boxes.

Did your family throw any pre-wedding festivities? Is your grandma a party animal like mine?

Miss a recap?

• We got our pro pics in the mail, and I freaked out just a little.
• Orlando and his crew at A Sweet Film whipped up a sweet little teaser from the wedding.