I told my friends this is the man I am going to marry, Catherine Maurais said in 2001, shortly after her first date with Ori Dastmalchi. It was a momentary inkling, nothing more, but five years later Catherine's premonition turned out to be true.

The couple met at Alameda County Medical Center in Oakland where Ori was a resident physician in internal medicine and Catherine a clinical dietitian. Ori remembers noticing Catherine in the halls and wanting to know more. We glanced at each other a couple of times and I could see she was interested and of course, I was interested, Ori said.

So he made up an excuse and called her office at 5 o'clock one evening, asking her to consult with him about a patient. I leave at 5 o'clock, Catherine told him. No problem, perhaps we can go out sometime, Ori said, getting to the real point of his call. Catherine agreed and the couple started dating.

She was attracted to his dark, Persian looks. Ori was born in Iran, raised Muslim and fled his country along with his family at age 14. Catherine is of French ancestry and was raised Catholic in New England. She says the two had a major conversation about religion early in their relationship. We are both pluralists, she said, so religion was not an obstacle.

The couple worked hard to make their wedding ceremony non-denominational yet multi-cultural. They chose to be married outdoors at Rancho Las Lomas in Orange County, where the large estate could comfortably accommodate their 300 invited guests. Friends and family mean the most to us, Catherine said. She also liked the zoological park in the rancho, where guests heard the distant roar of Bengal tigers during the reception. Everything outdoorsy is where we feel closest to life, and that's what we wanted for our wedding, Catherine added.

Their ceremony actually consisted of two consecutive ceremonies, the first highlighting Christian traditions and the second highlighting Persian traditions. The Christian-oriented ceremony began with five bridesmaids and two flower girls walking down the aisle. Catherine chose a natural palette for her wedding colors and had her five bridesmaids wear taupe gowns with ivory sashes. The couple lit a unity candle to represent their union of both families through marriage.

When it was time for the Persian-oriented ceremony to begin, Catherine and Ori sat before a huge table called the Sofreh Aghd. Relatives held a fine cloth above their heads like a tent. The table was covered with symbolic items like a mirror to represent a bright future and honey to represent sweetness. An officiate speaking in Farsi led guests through the ceremony. Our marriage is double-sealed with two ceremonies, Ori said.

At the reception, guests enjoyed a surprise gift from Ori's mother. She hired four Kurdish dancers who came with music and hundreds of bright silk scarves. The dancers lead the couple into the ballroom and within seconds had guests waving scarves, jumping up and down, and enjoying traditional Persian dances. It was a phenomenal, spontaneous moment, Ori recalled fondly. The energy at the reception was just amazing.

The couple honeymooned in Italy, touring Rome, Positano, Capri, Florence, Tuscany and Venice by car. We stayed in a castle in Tuscany ... I felt like a true princess, Catherine said.