The Chairs for the Couple

Sandely

The wedding couple has seats especially assigned to them at the Sofreh Aghd. The couple’s chair is called the Sandely. Symbolically, it is not too much to consider them thrones. This tradition stems from ancient days – like the Japanese, ancient Persians often seated themselves on or near the floor, and so the traditional Wedding Spread table is not placed at waist height, like most Western dining tables, but is placed either on the floor or very near it. Since the Wedding Spread table is often only a few inches above the ground, it follows that seats generally are too.

In the spirit of all else at a Persian wedding, the chairs are specially decorated for the couple and often reflect their personal tastes of individual traditions.

Christen Flack Behzadi, MD, is the author of the internationally selling book The Persian Wedding Book.   She live in Houston, Texas, with her beloved husband, Dr. Pedram Behzadi, M.D.