This French-Blue and Gold Wedding Was Inspired by Versailles and the French Baroque Period

Private-equity professionals Nadia and Shahriar met in Massachusetts when Nadia was a senior at Wellesley and Shahriar had moved to Boston after graduating from Wharton. On vacation in Croatia two years later, Shahriar proposed on the way to dinner at one of Nadia’s “hit list” restaurants.

They wanted their June wedding—decorated in French blue, gold, white, and warm pink—to evoke Versailles and the French Baroque period, with Eastern touches from their Pakistani and Persian backgrounds. A Persian sofreh aghd ceremony was the groom’s favorite part, and during the arsi mushaf at their Pakistani nikah, they saw their reflection for the first time as a married couple using the same mirror Nadia’s parents had looked into 32 years earlier. Another highlight was the entertainment, including a harpist, a dance group that led traditional dances, and the drum troupe that lifted the newly­weds above the crowd at the reception. The sweet finish: an assortment of Pakistani treats and a regal seven-tier cake.

The Details

This wedding originally appeared in the August 2024 issue of Washingtonian.

Amy Moeller

Fashion & Weddings Editor

Amy leads Washingtonian Weddings and writes Style Setters for Washingtonian. Prior to joining Washingtonian in March 2016, she was the editor of Capitol File magazine in DC and before that, editor of What’s Up? Weddings in Annapolis.