Behnaz Salimian and Christopher Molina were immediately drawn to each other when they met during their law school orientation. “Although we were surrounded by hundreds of other people, it felt like we were the only ones there,” Behnaz muses. “We went from being friends, to best friends, to law-school sweethearts, and now husband and wife.”
Once Chris was ready to propose, he wanted to make sure the moment was special. Knowing his beloved has a big sweet tooth, he created a special dessert menu when they were out on a dinner date. Each item’s name was based on something significant from their time at law school, but Behnaz was so focused on choosing a delicious treat, she didn’t notice. It all became clear when Chris got down on one knee and asked her to marry him, and the entire moment was captured by both a photographer and videographer.
They chose a beautiful ranch in Malibu for their wedding venue. “We got married at the location of our dreams,” the bride gushes. Despite hearing how much work planning the event would be, the couple still felt unprepared by all the time required. “We wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without our incredible coordinator, Charley [Izabella King, of Bluebell Events],” admits Behnaz. To create a romantic, elegant aesthetic, blush and ivory hydrangeas, along with quicksand roses and dusty miller, were displayed with an abundance of candles – thanks to the work of Butterfly Floral and Event Design. “We loved our flowers!” the bride exclaims.
Though Chris and Behnaz each say their favorite moment was the bride walking down the aisle, a standout for the guests would have to be when Chris serenaded his new wife with “The Way You Look Tonight” for their first dance.
Naturally, a large array of desserts was available for guests, in honor of Behnaz’s love of sweets that inspired Chris’ proposal. There was a candy station in addition to a three-tier cake, which featured red velvet with cream cheese frosting, butter yellow with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, and German chocolate with coconut pecan and chocolate fudge.
The newlyweds feel lucky in that their families offered support and advice for planning the big day without exerting any pressure on them to do something differently. As a result, the bride and groom were more than happy with how the celebration went. “We wouldn’t have changed a thing, not then and not now,” asserts Behnaz. “It was our dream wedding.”