Kimia & Jamisen's Biltmore Wedding - GSE REAL WEDDINGS

Kimia & Jamisen’s Biltmore Wedding

I’d been excited for Kimia and Jamisen’s wedding since I first met them at the beginning of the year! These high school sweethearts are the whole-package, other than being extremely good looking, they’re both smart and dedicated. The two of them now carry the titles of Doctor, as they just graduated from the UF dentistry program – can you imagine planning a wedding and finishing dental school at the same time?

At our initial meeting, I quickly learned that Kimia is Persian and that both her and Jamisen are very devoted to their Bahá’í faith. I hadn’t done a Persian wedding before, so I’m not sure if it’s my interest and fascination with different cultures, or the fact that one of my best friends is also Persian (and in their family, every small-family-gathering is a full out party), but I knew then that this would be a fun wedding. I also really love it when couples are religiously dedicated, it always makes for a beautiful wedding ceremony, which is exactly what happened for Kimia and Jamisen.

Their wedding day started out beautiful, but dark skies quickly threatened us with showers as we began setup. With all wedding events being indoors, we weren’t too worried, but rain would certainly limit the happy couple’s photo opportunities in the historic Biltmore Hotel. Luckily for us all, the clouds were replaced by gorgeous sunshine by the time Kimia was done with hair and makeup.

It may have taken me a full 10 minutes to get her buttoned-up (so many buttons), but once Kimia was in her gorgeous Milla Nova gown, she looked like a real-life Persian Princess. With Kimia looking like the newest member of the royal family (with a much more beautiful bouquet – Sorry Megan Markle), we needed a first look location fit for a queen, so our awesome photo and video team suggested the staircase overlooking the fountain.

Both Jamisen and Kimia each walked into their ceremony with both of their parents (which I always love!), but only after a few of their closest family members kicked off the processional by literally dancing down the aisle – totally setting the tone for the fun night ahead! The happy couple went on to recite their vows to each other during a touching Bahá’í ceremony with beautiful readings and prayers by family and friends.

After officially becoming husband and wife, the newest Mr. and Mrs. Kohlman were ready to celebrate, and so were their guests! Their reception included delicious food, followed by belly-dancing and fire-dancing performances, photo booth fun all night, and non-stop dancing. After the cake was cut and everyone enjoyed an incredible Persian dessert display, the newlyweds were lifted on top of chairs as their guests danced around them and then were showered with rose petals in the middle of the dancefloor. After more dancing, the happy couple bid farewell to their friends and family during a beautiful sparkler exit.