THERE ARE 1.5 MILLION IRANIANS IN THE UNITED STATES BY SOME ESTIMATES AND
MANY OF THEM LIVE IN CALIFORNIA. TODAY I'M GOING INSIDE AN IRANIAN WEDDING. IT'S IN ORANGE COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA. MY PARENTS IMMIGRATED FROM IRAN AND I GREW UP HERE. TODAY I'M ATTENDING THE WEDDING
OF MY FRIENDS BAHAR AND PARHAM. THEY BOTH GREW UP IN IRAN BUT THEY LEFT WHEN THEY WERE KIDS. HE'S
WAITING FOR THE REVEAL. IN THIS VLOG I'M HANGING OUT AS POWER HOME GETS READY FOR HIS BIG DAY.
CHEERS! THEN SHOWING YOU WHAT IT'S LIKE INSIDE A PERSIAN WEDDING. THIS IS MY COUSIN.
FROM THE CULTURE. AND ANOTHER SYMBOL OF FERTILITY. TO THE INSANE DANCING.
WHAT'S UP, TODAY I'M GOING TO MY FIRST WEDDING SINCE THE PANDEMIC STARTED SUPER EXCITED
THIS IS A PERSIAN WEDDING IN ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. LET'S GO! MY MOM IS GIVING BANANAS
PERSIAN MOMS ALWAYS GIVE YOU STUFF TO TAKE WITH YOU BECAUSE IT'S GONNA BE A LONG DAY. MOM SAY HI.
HI, CONGRATULATIONS! SO WHEN THE BRIDE AND THE GROOM EXCHANGE THEIR VALVE THEY NEED TO BE CLEAR: ARE
THEY ASKING FOR UNTIL DEATH DO US APART OR UNTIL ETERNITY? BECAUSE IF IT'S UNTIL DEATH DO US A PART
IT'S LIKE YOU'RE DONE. BUT ETERNITY.. THAT MEANS IN THE OTHER WORLD. YOU'RE GONNA STILL BE COMMITTED TO
EACH OTHER. AND WITH THE ISLAM, HAVING ALL HURIS WAITING FOR YOU OVER THERE
SO MAYBE YOU DON'T WANT TO MAKE A COMMITMENT OF UNTIL ETERNITY BECAUSE THERE IS LOTS OF IN ISLAM
THEY SAY THAT WHEN YOU DO GOOD IN THIS WORLD THERE IS ALL THESE VIRGINS ARE WAITING FOR YOU
40 VIRGINS WAITING- 72, SORRY 72 VIRGINS ARE WAITING FOR YOU. WATCH THE EPISODE OF LARRY DAVID
I HEARD YOUR ENTHUSIASM AND HE WAS ARGUING WITH HIS WIFE IT'S LIKE I NEVER MADE A COMMITMENT TO
ETERNITY I JUST MADE A COMMITMENT TO UNTIL DEATH DO US A PART
RIGHT HERE, RIGHT? WISH THEM AGAIN A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL MARRIAGE
OKAY, THANK YOU SEE YOU TONIGHT.
SO WE'RE GONNA GO MEET UH MY FRIEND PARHAM WHO IS THE GROOM. WE'RE
GONNA GO TO THE WEDDING VENUE FROM THERE SO THIS IS ACTUALLY WHERE THE WEDDING IS
OH YOU'RE DOING A WHITE JACKET? MY DAD DID A WHITE JACKET ON HIS WEDDING DAY AND IT'S LIKE SO ICONIC!
I'M A BUSINESS STUDENT AT UC UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE AND TODAY WE'RE AT PARHAM'S
WEDDING AND "I AM THE BROTHER OF THE BRIDE" YEAH AND I'M THE BROTHER OF THE BRIDE AND
THIS IS PARHAM! THE MOST EXCITING DAY OF MY LIFE! AND LET'S SNEAK INTO THE NEIGHBORS
GUYS? OH I SWEAR THEY WERE THERE JUST A SECOND AGO SO UM BAHAR WHO IS THE BRIDE, HER ROOM IS JUST HERE
WITH HER FRIENDS. YOU'RE NOT GONNA EAT ANYTHING EATING IS CHEATING DUDE
NINE YEARS AGO I MADE THIS YOU KNOW THOSE THOSE DAYS I PAID THREE
THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THIS. I STOPPED RECORDING. CHEERS! HOW DO YOU FEEL? SUPER HAPPY
I DON'T KNOW HOW THESE THINGS WORK SO YOU NEED TO KNOW WE'RE GONNA WE'RE GONNA INSTRUCT YOU NOW
YEAH AND KOREA I WANT TO VISIT IT. SO I WENT TO THE COSTCO JAPAN I NEVER FORGOT. YOU KNOW I
NEED JUST THE CONVERSION FOR THE SHOES. IT WAS WAY TOO BIG- HE'S USED TO CENTIMETERS
WHEN YOU HUG PEOPLE JUST THINK OF IT THIS WAY THERE'S A PIN RIGHT HERE OH SNAP THEM IN THE HEART
WILL YOU HUG YOUR DAUGHTER OH YEAH RIGHT SO THE PEOPLE ARE ONLY HIM ONLY YOUR DAUGHTER
OKAY SO THEN YOU'RE HUGGING AND HUG THIS SIDE OKAY
SAME THING FOR YOU WHEN YOU HUG TRY A HUG ON THIS SIDE. SO WE DO AIR HUG AIR HUG
IT'S COOL TO SEE HOW DIVERSE EVERYONE IS HERE THE WEDDING PLANNER IS MALAYSIAN, THE
PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE BRAZILIAN AND UKRAINIAN, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY WE'RE IRANIAN AMERICAN
AND PARHAM HIMSELF IS FROM BELGIUM SO HE GREW UP IN IRAN BUT THEN MOVED TO BELGIUM AT AGE NINE AND
THEN I MET HIM IN SINGAPORE THAT'S WHERE WE BECAME FRIENDS AND NOW HE STILL LIVES IN SINGAPORE THAT'S
ACTUALLY WHERE HE MET BAHAR WHO EVEN THOUGH SHE GREW UP IN ORANGE COUNTY SHE WAS VISITING HER DAD
WHO LIVES THERE AND IS UH NOW LIVING IN SINGAPORE SO IT'S TOTALLY LIKE THIS MELTING POT THIS GLOBAL
KIND OF THING RIGHT NOW THAT IT'S KIND OF COOL AND IT'S KIND OF COOL TO SEE ALL THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE AMERICAN BUT ALSO YOU KNOW CAME FROM OTHER PLACES BECAUSE THAT TRULY IS WHAT MAKES AMERICA SO COOL
UPTIN, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS WEDDING OH HOW DID YOU KNOW HOW TO TURN IT ON
THERE'S A- THERE'S ONE SINGLE BUTTON
AND THERE'S ONE BUTTON! I'M SUPER EXCITED
HOW DO YOU FEEL HOW DO YOU FEEL? I'M EXCITED! SO ADVANCED THESE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS
WE NEED THAT CLEAN AUDIO FOR WHEN HE TELLS HER YOU SHOULD
INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THE VLOG. HI MY NAME IS NATALIE I'M CHINESE
AND WE WORK TOGETHER. AMAZING! AND YOU'VE NEVER INTRODUCED. HI I'M KENDALL I'M HOLMEN'S GIRLFRIEND
HEY I'M FARSAD I'M BAHAR'S FATHER I LOVE HER SO MUCH
YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL
THANK YOU SIR
SO THE INVITE SAID 3 O'CLOCK AND IT'S NOW 3 37 AND THERE'S STILL A LOT OF GUESTS WHO ARE NOT HERE
THAT'S JUST VERY MUCH IN THE CULTURE HERE WHERE IF IT SAYS THREE PEOPLE SHOW UP AT 3:30
MAYBE EVEN 4. BEHIND THE SCENES!
EVERYONE'S EXCITED! SO THIS IS MY COUSIN. HI COUSIN! AND SHE'S GONNA EXPLAIN THIS TRADITIONAL SETUP
SURE SO THE 'SOFRA ACT' AS WE CALL IT IS A PLACE SETTING THAT WE USE FOR WEDDINGS AND IT COULD BE
AS YOU KNOW SIMPLE AND MODEST AS POSSIBLE AND VERY ORNATE DEPENDING ON THE BRIDE AND GROOM'S TASTE SO
EACH ITEM ON THIS TABLE REPRESENTS SOMETHING AND THERE'S A LOT OF SYMBOLISM OF FERTILITY ON THIS
TABLE THIS RIGHT HERE IS THE 'ESFAND' AS WE CALL IT. IT'S TO KEEP THE EVIL EYE AWAY AND OVER HERE
THAT SYMBOLIZE FERTILITY AND DON'T THEY SAY HOWEVER MANY EGGS IS HOWEVER MANY KIDS YOU'LL HAVE
SO HOW MANY WILL THEY HAVE TWO FOUR SIX SEVEN WOW. SEVEN BABIES. THEN WE
HAVE THE BREAD WHICH IS THE FEAST 'MAY YOUR PLATES ALWAYS BE FULL' AND YOU'RE
COULD YOU BE SATIATED DON'T GO HUNGRY AND THEN WE HAVE A LOT OF SWEET THINGS WHICH IS
SYMBOLIC OF THE SWEETNESS IN LIFE MAY YOUR LIFE BE SWEET AND IF YOU COME HERE YOU'LL SEE THE
THE MIRROR IS REALLY SPECIAL IN THAT IT SYMBOLIZES NOT ONLY A REFLECTION OF
THE BRIDE AND GROOM BUT ALSO A REFLECTION OF THE PAST AND A FORESHADOWING OF THE FUTURE
CONGRATULATIONS
AND I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE NATHALIE TO COME UP HERE TO PERFORM THE FIRST FIRST DANCE SONG I'M
BUT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING I'M VERY FAMILIAR SO I HAVE TO WRITE IT
AND YOU KNOW DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY
ARE YOU GUYS READY? LET'S DO IT ONE TWO THREE
LET'S DO IT ONE MORE TIME
ALL RIGHT LET'S CLOSE THE VIDEO FIRST HOW DO YOU FEEL? IT WAS A FUN NIGHT
WOW THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A PERSIAN WEDDING
WE'RE TOO EXHAUSTED THANK YOU GUYS FOR WATCHING AND WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME