Real Beirut wedding: Taline + Raffi

Domaine de Zekrit reception venue

This past July Chad and I traveled to Beirut, Lebanon to attend the wedding of my dear friend Taline.  Having never been before (though my mom grew up there), I wasn’t sure what to expect, but whatever it was, it exceeded anything I could have imagined.  The reception was held at Domaine de Zekrit, a converted monastery that dates back to earlier than the 6th century AD, and nestled between the hills.  Juxtaposed with the modern white and lucite furniture that was brought in , it was the perfect location for a wonderful evening spent outdoors.  The photos can’t do it justice, but it was pretty spectacular in person!

Domaine de Zekrit reception venue

This is what awaited us for the cocktail hour…

Domaine de Zekrit reception venue

Domaine de Zekrit reception venue

veggies at cocktail hour

Domaine de Zekrit reception venue

Domaine de Zekrit reception venue

Domaine de Zekrit reception venue

The layout of the dinner portion of the evening was pretty great….flanking the dancefloor were 2 long rectangular tables which had round tables on either side.  Check out that view!

Domaine de Zekrit reception venue

Domaine de Zekrit reception venue

pyrotecnics at beirut wedding reception

Not a bad entrance when you’ve got pyrotecnics!

white and green tall centerpiece

Normally I’m not a fan of tall centerpieces, but these really worked because there no limit to how high they could go!  It really filled the space nicely.  These were found on all the round tables.

long tables at beirut wedding reception

The long tables had lower centerpieces that cascaded down.

candle decor at outdoor wedding reception

buffet at outdoor beirut wedding reception

This had to be one of the more elaborate buffet spreads I’ve ever seen….all different stations for Lebanese, American, Asian, salads, BBQ and more, ripe for the picking!

buffet at outdoor beirut wedding reception

dance floor at outdoor wedding reception

Beirut’s known for its nightlife, and for this wedding, they really got the club atmosphere down…

dessert buffet at outdoor wedding reception

Insane dessert buffet…

cake cutting with fireworks

Cutting the wedding cake with a sword leading into a fireworks show!

The happy couple!  Congrats Taline & Raffi!

[images by me & Chad]