Maria and Yousef first bonded as they learned about each other’s richly diverse cultural backgrounds. Both are from very different parts of the world- she is from Mexico while he is from Iran- and were fascinated to learn about the different cultures. This fascination sparked an immediate friendship between Maria and Yousef that turned into something so much more…

How did you meet and when did you know he/she was “the one”?

It all started when Yousef and I started working together in 2009. It was so much fun getting to know one another. I am from Mexico and Yousef is from Iran, so learning about each other’s cultures was fascinating. We definitely had a connection and instantly became great friends. I really enjoyed his company at work but after I noticed his kind gestures I realized he had awaken some unexplained warm feelings in me. After one year of being friends we had our official date. When he held my hand for first time I felt butterflies in my stomach, no doubt the chemistry was there. From that night forward I realized I had found my perfect man!!!!

Do you have a super romantic proposal story or engagement memory?

The best day of my life was December 10th 2016 with almost 7 YEARS into our relationship my ESGHI popped the question and “I SAID YES” to my soulmate. Yousef and my friends did a great job getting everything together. This magical event took place in beautiful New York City by far one of best trips ever, they just knew it would be memorable. Yousef is very silly and honestly when he proposed I thought he was joking hahaha I had to get very close to the ring to make sure it was real.

Tell us about your wedding style. When you sat down to really figure out how your dream wedding would look, did you start with one central color, a palette of colors, or a theme that served as your inspiration?

Our wedding was perfect and exactly how I wanted it to be. Our venue did such a great job getting everything together and following our desires. Kim was very knowlogeble and very organized. Our guests were amazed in how beautiful our wedding was and well organized, her work is amazing and it was a pleasure to have her as wedding planner and cordinator at our wedding. Our wedding had to be elegant with a clean concept, nothing too extravagant or too simple. I love bright colors but for our wedding I went for a clean and chic look,Purple was the go to color for us  with a touch of gold accents.

What did you enjoy most about the process of planning your wedding?

What is there not to love about this amazing journey? Yousef agreed with everything I wanted and made my life so much easier. Being from two different countries and cultures made things more exciting since we will be combining traditions. I would love to do it all over again.

Looking back, was there a really special moment that you remember from your wedding that stands out as the most magical?

Everything was so perfect from beginning to end. My favorite moment had to be our first look!!! We strongly encourage couples to do this! You won’t regret it.

Did you have a special song that you danced to as your first dance? How did you choose it?

Choosing our first song was not easy task since we have some singers we both love. We narrowed down to three singers with three different songs. “Everything I do” by Bryan Adams was our favorite song, it brings back memories from our lives back in our countries where we would listen to this specific song and even though we didn’t know English we loved it so much. We also wanted to add a little from both cultures so we added two more songs one in Farsi and one in Spanish to be part of the first dance. It was so much fun, we only practiced one time and it ended up being a great dance!

Do you have any tips for couples planning their wedding?

The only thing I could advise to any couple is not to stress and enjoy the beautiful process.

How did you choose Svetlana Photography?

Choosing a photographer was a challenge since my husband was a profesional photographer back in his country, he is extremely picky when it comes to photography. I had shown him different photographers’ work but he did not approve of any of them. Then I remembered Svetlana from a wedding we attended in Austin for one of my friends. She was very nice and took some pictures of us, weeks later our friend received her pictures and we really loved them. So we decided to hire Svetlana. We had our engagement session with her which was great to get to know each other. At the wedding we felt very comfortable with her since we had worked together previously.  Svetlana did an amazing job on our engagement and wedding photos and we would definitely recommend her to anyone!

VENDORS

Wedding Ceremony and Reception: Villa St Clair

Dress: Allure Bridals

Shoes: Nordstrom

Tux: Custom Made

Florist: Villa St Clair

DJ: DJ Fuzion

Band: Mariachi Relampago

Caterer: Villa St Clair

Cake: Classic Cakes by Lori

Photographer: Svetlana Frolova

Videographer: Purely Ruined Studios

Invitation: Zazzle

Hair and Makeup: The Look Agency

Lighting: Villa St Clair

Sweet Table: Persian sweets by Maryam

Event Rentals: Unique Design & Events

Transportation/Getaway Car: Austin Classic Limo