Tahmina and Brad, both attorneys, met in law school and dated for four years before getting engaged on a snowboarding trip to Tahoe. “It was snowing hard and I was trying to put my snowboard on to go down, and he told me he’d help me with it,” says Tahmina. “I had no idea what he was doing; when I looked up, he was on both knees with the ring. It was very sweet.” A little over a year later, they married in a short ceremony at the Grand Island Mansion in Walnut Grove.
Tahmina, who stunned in two dresses—one for the ceremony and another for the reception, loved her flowers and was overwhelmed seeing her groom. “I thought he was the most handsome man in the world,” she says. “I also couldn’t stop crying because I was so happy for the day and the moment.” Brad loved watching his bride walk out of the front door and down the stairs. “Only one word came to mind: perfect,” he says.
The wedding party featured seven bridesmaids, six groomsmen and two “groomsladies,” female friends of Brad’s. This was the second ceremony for the couple—months earlier they had a traditional Muslim nikkah ceremony, officiated by Dr. Yossuf, a well-respected member of the Afghan community. “Because Afghans can be conservative, he asked Brad to give me a ‘matrimonial kiss on the forehead’ when it was time to kiss, which we thought was hilarious—of course, we didn’t listen to him,” says Tahmina.
Their nuptials at the Grand Island Mansion were focused on fun. “We just wanted to eat, drink and dance,” says the bride, noting the reception was in a tent at the back of the mansion. The party included a traditional cake cutting, a first dance, a mother-son dance and a father-daughter dance. “My dad and I cried the entire time,” says Tahmina, noting the reception also included the garter and bouquet toss. The 250 guests (from all over the world, including Australia, the Philippines and Germany) dined on a buffet dinner featuring items like prime rib and fettuccini Alfredo.
A memorable moment? “Brad and our friends did a serenade lip [sync] thing to John Legend’s ‘All of Me’ at the end of the night, which was very sweet and romantic,” says Tahmina, explaining she sat in a chair on the dance floor while Brad and their friends sang to her.
