Featured Wedding: Narbe & Evie

About a month ago, our Bride's Story Blogger Manifa went to Armenia for her Kavor and KavorKin’s wedding (best man & maid of honor). She posted amazing pictures and videos and we knew we had to feature their wedding on our blog. We were so excited to get in touch with Narbe and Evie and find out all about their wedding. Evie shares with us how she planned her beautiful Armenia wedding from Los Angeles and provides some tips to anyone planning a special event in Armenia. 

Hey Harsanik readers. My name is Evie and I am so excited to share my wedding story with you. I should probably start from the beginning. Narbe and I met through our jobs. I worked as a Dental Assistant for a dental office and Narbe was the Dental Lab Tech. Every time he would come into our office we would have lunch and eventually he asked me out on a date. After about two years of dating he proposed to me in Big Bear, a few days before New Year, with all our friends there to celebrate.

When Narbe and I sat to talk about planning our wedding we both thought that Fall of 2019 would probably be the most logical time for us to have the wedding. I needed time to plan and we had a lot of guests who would have to find a way to come to LA from Armenia and Iran. A few weeks after my proposal Narbe’s nephew, who lives in Armenia, contacted us telling us he would be having his wedding in Armenia on August 8th, 2018. When I called my family to let them know I would be coming to Armenia, my mom jokingly said that we should just get married there too. When I mentioned it to Narbe he said it would actually be a smart idea. After all, his whole family was going to Armenia already for his nephew’s wedding and it would be much easier for our family in Iran to come to Armenia vs. the US. A month after he proposed, Narbe and I picked our wedding date, August 1st, 2018 in Armenia. I had 7 months to plan. 

I never really envisioned my wedding being in Armenia in the summer time. I always wanted a Spring or Fall wedding, but I had to work with what I got. Luckily for me my brother had recently gotten married in Armenia in September so I just went ahead and booked his wedding photographer, videographer, and the same wedding designer. I already knew they did a fantastic job with my brother’s wedding so I knew I could trust them. My wedding designer, Narine Sargasyan is absolutely amazing. She is basically the person who coordinated my wedding as well as designed all the floral arrangements. In Armenia you usually hire a designer who does the floral arrangements not a separate florist. From there we began planning. We found our DJ through Narbe's nephew. He had hired him to come all the way from Iran for his wedding so we decided to just have him DJ at our wedding as well since he would be in Armenia anyway! One fun surprise was when Spitakci Hayko came to perform at our wedding. We had actually gone to Parvana Restaurant a few nights before, where he had performed, and Narbe's Brother- in- Law asked him to come perform at our wedding!

I was on a bit of a time crunch so I really had to make my decisions quickly. Unlike planning a wedding here in LA, I wasn’t able to directly talk to all my vendors or go pick venues on my own. I had to send my mom to do it and send pictures for me to approve. I would say that was the hardest part of planning a wedding in Armenia from LA. I wasn’t actually able to see what things looked like in person. I really had to use my imagination. I also couldn’t have such high expectations. This also made it difficult for me once I got to Armenia a few weeks before my wedding. I had to approve or change things last minute. It was very difficult finalizing everything. 

Even though there were a lot of obstacles I had to get over during the planning process it was all worth it. Being able to have all my family and friends, who I hadn’t seen in years, come to my wedding was amazing. I was able to plan a small intimate Bridal Shower which was so much fun. We played games and got to just hang out and have brunch. My family got to meet Narbe’s family for the first time. Our parents had never even met until a week before our wedding! I got to take AMAZING engagement photos at Lake Sevan. One great thing about Armenia is that you can seriously wait until the last minute to do everything! I picked my cake two days before my wedding! It was also extremely affordable for us to have the wedding there rather than in LA. It is ridiculous how expensive it is to plan a wedding here. Overall, I’m really happy I took that big step and had my wedding in Armenia. 

Evie's Bridal Shower in Armenia

Narbe & Evie's Engagement Photoshoot at Lake Sevan in Armenia

 

One of the most special things about my wedding was that my dad married me and Narbe. All of our guests told us it was the best ceremony they have ever gone to. It was a very emotional and happy moment for everyone. My dad was really able to express how Narbe and I felt about each other and what a marriage actually means. I was also very happy that I got to share a special moment with my younger brother when he put on my wedding shoes and also when he blocked the door when we were leaving the hotel. I wasn’t sure if any of these things could have happened if I had done my wedding in LA because none of my family lives in the United States. 

Evie's Father Officiated the Wedding Ceremony

 

Evie's Brother Putting on Her Shoes, a Special Armenian Wedding Tradition

My wedding was honestly one of the best days ever. I am so happy with how everything turned out. My advice for anyone planning a wedding in Armenia is to really trust the people you work with 100%, especially if you aren’t going to be in Armenia to do everything yourself. Remember that what you get in LA is different from what you can get in Armenia. Don’t have such high expectations. Be ready to hustle the week before your wedding to finalize everything. But most importantly understand that it’s just one day. It’s not the main part of a marriage. It’s just the beginning of your life with someone you love. It’s so important to understand the concept of the marriage and not dwell over the materialistic things. And remember, it’s so important to not expect your partner to just understand you. You have to open up and talk about every little detail, especially before your wedding day, but remind yourself it’s just a wedding. You have a whole life to live with this person you are marrying. 

Highlights from Narbe & Evie's Wedding

We're so touched that Narbe & Evie chose to get married in Armenia! And we're impressed to see how beautiful their wedding turned out, even though Evie did not get a chance to see and pick many of her vendors. Congratulations to Narbe and Evie on their beautiful wedding. We wish them a lifetime of happiness and we are so thankful that they allowed us to have an inside look to everything happening on their wedding day and then working with us to feature their wedding. Also, a big thank you to our Bride's Story Blogger Manifa who agreed to take over our Instagram during her whole trip. Watch highlights from her trip to Armenia in our featured Instagram Stories and read all about her Armenia trip on her blog!

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