PUTTING ON THE RITZ
FOR A PERSONAL AND ORIGINAL WEDDING, THE RITZ-CARLTON, TYSONS CORNER WAS THE PERFECT PARTNER. BY CASEY TRUDEAU
For a personal wedding, The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner was the perfect partner.
After having known each other for close to 10 years, a reconnection in 2014 led to love for Shadi Baftechi and Armin Raoufinia, taking the pair by surprise. The couple started planning their wedding right after the engagement, but with Baftechi completing dentistry school in Boston, the planning fell to Raoufinia. “We knew from the beginning that we wanted something very special for our wedding— everything had to be unique, with out-of-the-box thinking,” he says.
When searching for a venue in Washington, DC, the couple chose The Ritz-Carlton (1150 22nd St. NW, 202-835-0500; ritzcarlton.com) because of all the ways in which the staff could help them personalize the experience of their wedding. A top priority for them was a menu that reflected Raoufinia’s Persian heritage. The Ritz-Carlton was happy to oblige, with sought-after chef Ahmed Masouleh creating a custom Persian menu, including tachin, gormeh sabzi, bademjoon (served on an edible spoon!), and even a Persian tea station. “We asked him and his team to come up with unique presentations of each dish, particularly appetizers,” says Raoufinia. “We were so excited to have our guests try the food, and they delivered on all categories.”