Merrydale Manor

Iranian Wedding at Merrydale Manor, Cheshire

Oh my, one of my fave weddings I have photographed recently! Shima and Zach planned a spectacular wedding for their guests at the lovely Merrydale Manor in Cheshire, set on a beautiful landscape with a separate purpose built ceremony room and man cave!

Shima wore the most gorgeous dress, with delicate makeup and jewellery, and looked absolutely beautiful, even Zach cried through the ceremony.

A very emotional wedding, with family coming together from different cities in the UK, to table settings featuring different cities in Iran bringing all the guests together in so many ways.

I think one of my fave parts of this wedding was how elegant and timeless Shima and Zach kept their outfits and makeup.

After an emotional ceremony with Zach crying to the sound of piano keys awaiting his bride and so many guests in tears, with Shima telling him to make sure he kept his ring on always through the vows (haha!), the couple exited the Merrydale ceremony room with a sky full of confetti and sunshine.

We took some gorgeous wedding portraits around the grounds of Merrydale Manor to then join the guests for the Reception.

A common Iranian and Afghani wedding custom, is for the brides sisters and friends to dance with the wedding cake knife teasing the groom into giving them money, followed by the groom trying to snatch the knife to cut the cake.

The night finished with sparklers, a heavy dance floor filled with gorgeous outfits and dance moves, and lots of fun.

Are you looking for a wedding photographer in Cheshire or Manchester? Feel free to get in touch, I’d love to hear from you 💗

Photography: Zehra
Dress: @Heradesign_bridal
Venue: Merrydale Manor
Makeup hair: @HeatherJacksonBeauty
Video: @richpattinsonweddings

Sana and Umar

A magical day at one of my fave venues, Avington Park in Winchester

When Sana booked me for her wedding I was super excited, I just knew it was going to be super special. With the help of her family, Sana made her day beautiful in so many ways, from the pastel florals to her super chic shoes.

“So Sana what are you wearing for the Ceremony?” I asked, she said “Oh you know nothing special, just a dress from ASOS”. I had to laugh when I saw it wasn’t any old dress, it was a gorgeous Needles and Thread design with pretty embroidery details. She picked the most beautiful shoes to match, and her hand tie bouquet completed her look perfectly.

The whole day had a sense of calm, with guests enjoying the weather, the peacocks, cocktails and beautiful grounds of Avington Park, the perfect setting for wedding photography.

After the ceremony, Sana changed into her Pakistani wedding lengha in soft gold and pink, awaiting the arrival of her groom in a classic Rolls. The guests cheered on the great lawn as the couple entered to cut the cake and begin the evening reception, filled with lots of speeches and laughter. My thanks to Sana and Umar’s families and Avington Park for their hospitality.

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Here are some of my faves from the day:

Sana and Imran

Intimate Nikah photography

““Literally insane how much power photos have.. can literally relive the entire day of emotions!! Thank you so much Zehra for just being the best, to capture the start of all our wedding celebrations, and all the relief to finally be able to do this after all our changes and rearrangements in lockdown!”

— Sana

After postponing multiple times, after many tears (Sana burst into tears on a site visit, then I started crying). and many many stories this couple could tell you about their wedding and what they’ve been through, they started their celebrations finallllly after what felt like forever.

Their intimate Nikah ceremony took place in lovely family grounds with their close ones that could attend. There were lots of tears as unfortunately many of Sana’s family couldn’t attend from abroad. Sana already cries a lot so this made her even more sad :(

Even though it was sad many guests couldn’t be there, I loved how intimate and relaxed the day was, with close ones able to spend time together and eat and be happy with a little bit of sunshine, cake and paan. Special guest was Shufi the dog, who Sana has a special place for in her heart, dressed suitably in a lilac dupatta especially for the occasion. My special thanks to Shiza and all the family for making me feel so at home x

Sana’s look:
Outfit by Kanwal Malik
MUA @reenamuax
Floral jewellery @classictrends_flowers

Here are some of my faves from the day.

Planning your wedding or ceremony? Get in touch below! x

Sophia and Rameez

Sophia and Rameez, like every other couple this year have had a rocky wedding planning journey. Not only were a lot of guests meant to fly in for the wedding, both Sophia and Rameez are medics. When lockdown kicked in over spring, I called Sophia to see how she was doing. She said “Zehra forget the wedding, what if my mum and Rameez’ family can’t fly over?”

With Rameez and Sophia both busy during the pandemic, the outfits they seemed to be planning to wear more than wedding outfits was the heavy PPE gear!! Sophia actually ordered her outfit online and prayed it would arrive as she hoped. The outfit was stunning!! I couldn’t believe she ordered online!!

Rameez’ sister sadly couldn’t come to the UK for the wedding, but she designed his outfit, and I LOVE the white!! One of the nicest groom’s outfits I’ve seen! Clean, simple, understated yet so classy. Thanks to zoom she was able to see her brother and the nikkah ceremony live.

What was meant to be a grand affair, became a gorgeous intimate one, with close family and friends and more loved ones over live stream video calls.

Sophia had chosen a light peach pink, silver and grey outfit with the most delicate embroidery. Sophia had no time to buy jewellery with her mum, but I think it turned out to be a blessing, as she wore the most beautiful heirlooms worn by her mum. I love Sophia’s delicate and sophisticated style with a little sass injected in, and her intricate rose hairstyle was absolutely perfect on her!

Sophia has lived away from her parents for a long time and was sure she wouldn’t get emotional on the wedding… but as soon as Daddy walked in she burst in tears and even got the rest of us going!

There always seems to be a story behind the ‘dupatta’. Sometimes it’s a brides heirloom-her mum or grandma’s from their wedding outfit, or someone burnt it while ironing it on the wedding day (yes I’ve seen this happen) or it’s been custom made with specific personal embroidery.

For Sophia, the dupatta she is about to be covered in belongs to a dear friend, that gave it up just moments before the nikah...

Sophia had her dupatta pinned beautifully to her outfit. Then we all said “Sophia but you need a dupatta to cover your head” she said “but my hair” 😂😂😂. Luckily her bestie Foujia came to the rescue with her gorgeous scarf that matched perfectly. And yes... Sophia’s gorgeous hair stayed intact...

Both Rameez and Sophia wanted matching wedding bands and went for classic Cartier wedding bands. Sophia says she can’t wear an Engagement ring to work, , having to wash her hands a million times a day between patients, and would cry if she lost it. She said she’d get broken heart syndrome -she says it’s an actual real medical condition (she’s a cardiologist so let’s take her word for it 😂!)

We got some gorgeous portraits outdoors, and Rameez said “Thank God, now Sophia should have enough photos so I shouldn’t have to take any for a few months” Haha!! He said “I hate photos”…yet Sophia and I laughed when he was secretly enjoying having his pictures taken!!

The speeches were super emotional, and there were lots of tears and laughter. Thank you Sophia and Rameez for letting me be a part of your special day, and thank you even more so for being so dedicated to your day jobs to save so many lives, I pray you get to have the honeymoon and big party you’ve been waiting so long for…x

So peeps, here' are some of my faves from the day. Show some love and leave some comments at the bottom, we love hearing what you think. Do you have family heirlooms you’d love to wear on your wedding? Does Sophia’s style inspire you?

Photographer Zehra Jagani
Hair Arpita Karania
Makeup Sana Ismail
Sophia’s Outfit Saira Shakira
Groom’s outfit
Rings Cartier
Shoes Jimmy Choo
Hair flowers Blooms by Vanita
Rameez’ watch and pen, Rolex and Mont Blanc, gifted to the couple by Rameez’ dad in honour of their nikah.

Hawkstone Hall

Persian Wedding at Hawkstone Hall

Part One: Sofreh Aghd Ceremony

Hawkstone Hall in rural Shresbury has recently been renovated to accommodate weddings, with some gorgeous interior elements. With wedding planner Abigail, a styled shoot was planned to showcase goregoues florals, two stunning dresses from The White Closet, with a traditional Iranian Wedding Ceremony with the Sofreh Aghd (loosely translated as wedding table spread).

As I walked into the Winter Garden Room at Hawkstone Hall, I had to hold my breath for a moment, to take in the detailing of such a stunning summer room. High ornate ceilings with floor to ceiling windows with light softened by voile curtains floating gently with the breeze. I’d highly recommend a trip here for a night’s stay and Afternoon Tea.

Mat from Red Floral had created insanely huge and beautiful floral structures. If you’ve seen Mat’s work, you’ll know he doesn’t do things by halves, everything is big, bold, creative and fun. The injection of colour with big blooms from coral and purples to soft pinks and yellows with soft green foliage was unbelievably stunning.

The Sofreh is found across the Persian land and Arabian states with the custom dating back centuries. The table consists of items to represent different elements to a marriage, from the Ayeeneh va Shamdoon (mirror and candles) to represent light, clarity and love, Shakheh Nabat (sugar) symbolising a sweetened life for the newlyweds, to the Tokhmeh Murgh, Badom va Gerdom (Eggs, Almonds, Walnuts) to represent fertility for the couple. The Divan (Holy book), is placed on the Sofreh to symbolize a blessing for the couple.

During the ceremony, the Kalleh Ghand (sugar blocks) are rubbed over a traditional cloth canopying the bride and groom to shower the couple with sweetness, After exchanging rings, the couple dip their pinky fingers into Asal (honey) to represent sweetness in their marriage. I’ve only mentioned a few elements, but each table is personalised for the couple with some beautifully decorated items.

Our gorgeous bride wore the low backed cowl dress by Charlie Brear from the Iconic Collection, a bold draped look, with a loose low bun and barely there elegant makeup whilst the groom sported a classic black tuxedo.

It was a pleasure to shoot this set with some amazingly talented vendors, here are some of my fave images from the first set (set two features a to-die-for Jesus Peiro dress eek!!)

Photographer Zehra Jagani
Wedding Planner Abigail Lucy Events
Cinematographer Dwiko Arie
Venue Hawkstone Hall
Florals Red Floral Architecture
Dress The White Closet , Didsbury
Cake Rosalind Miller
Makeup Made up by Cathryn
Hair JustJasleen
Fabrics, ribbon Lancaster and Cornish
Accessories Botias Accessories,
Watch JaegerLecoultre
Shoes Jimmy Choo and Hugo Boss
Stationary Lily Anna Rose
Tableware White House Crockery
Sofreh accessories John Lewis