Attracted by the similarity of their names, it was romance and love of travel that led Shahrzad Shariati and Shazad Berenjian down the aisle. After a brief meeting at a Giants game, Shazad, visiting San Francisco from San Diego, knew he wanted more time to get to know Shahrzad. His friend organized a group meeting and once the two had a chance to talk, according to Shahrzad, they clicked immediately. I asked him to stay for a while longer than he was supposed to and, being the romantic he is, he did.

In May of 2005 Shazad invited Shahrzad on a trip to his favorite country: Spain. What she didn't know was that Paris, her favorite city, was their actual destination. According to Shazad, it was the perfect location for the surprise engagement he had planned with the help of her family. Shahrzad has been in love with France her whole life. She is anchored there, Shazad says.

On the couples first night in the city, they went out to dinner and a stroll along the Rue de Rivoli. They soon found themselves alone in a beautiful courtyard, where Shazad could not wait any longer and asked Shahrzad to marry him one day earlier than planned.

Preparations for the July wedding were carefully handled by Shahrzad. The ceremony and reception were held on a private estate in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., described by Shahrzad as, Very European looking. Very Italian. The setting fit well with the couples desire to have a wedding which was both Iranian in tradition, but with elements to satisfy their multicultural guests.

Holding true to custom, guests lined the entry to the main house as the bride (beautiful in a custom-made gown and long veil) and groom (handsome in a modern take on the tuxedo) passed through them. Shahrzad explains that everyone followed them to the sofreh, which was covered in silk and laid out with candles and food. According to Shahrzad, they parted with convention slightly in that they added glasses of water representing where we all came from, to the typical spread of eggs to represent fertility and rosewater to perfume the air.

After the ceremony, which was officiated in Farsi, came the cocktail hour. Guests enjoyed an assortment of beverages and hors d'oeuvres and later moved to a custom tent with an open roof for the reception. It was [just] the skeleton above you could see the sky and hanging candles, Shahrzad says. The tabletops were chocolate brown with hot pink floral arrangements. Satisfying their love of a lounge-style atmosphere, the couple had a trendy glow bar for their guests to relax at complete with couches and pillows. Here they were entertained by Brazilian samba dancers (a surprise from Shahrzad to her groom) and renowned, Iranian singer Morteza, whom the couple had brought over for their wedding.

For their honeymoon, Shazad says, We actually went to Spain for real this time. Flew into Bilboa, rented a car and drove the entire country.