Jessica and Andrew met in 2015 when they were 19. They were in Chicago with their families attending a Ramallah Convention, where Palestinian Christians have the opportunity to connect with others of the same culture. They stayed in touch and developed a long distance relationship.

In their culture it is custom for the families to be involved in an engagement. Jessica and Andrew’s families met together, traveling from all over the country to be at a “toulbeh.” A toulbeh is when the families meet together (after the soon to be engaged couple have decided to take the next step) and speak about it in person, asking for the bride’s hand in marriage. The next day, they had their technical “engagement” which was a beautiful party where a priest came to bless the rings and pray with the happy couple and their families.

Jessica and Andrew chose Aria’s Wedding Banquet for its very elegant ballroom. It had plenty of space for their 200 guests who all enjoyed dancing the night away! The couple incorporated many beautiful and personal cultural details including: grand entrances down the staircase, a candle dance for the bride, a chant with canes and hats for the groom, and wedding favors of prayer beads from their hometown of Ramallah in Palestine.

We hope you love these pictures and thank you for choosing us to share in your special day!