PHOTO BY KRISTI TELNOV PHOTOGRAPHY

Coming from different backgrounds and cultures meant that Courtney O’Toole and Nadeem Farah got to share a lot of new traditions with their guests. 

Courtney was raised Catholic and attended Catholic school, while Nadeem is Syrian Orthodox. The pair has known each other since elementary school but didn’t start dating until their mid-20s.  

For their wedding on Oct. 7, 2023, they chose an Orthodox Church, St. George Antiochian Cathedral, in Oakland. Following Syrian tradition, the whole family went to the bride’s parents’ house to lead Courtney out with dancing, drums and music. They did the same celebration as the couple exited the church following the ceremony.

“It’s a big party basically, in the street outside of church before the reception happens,” Courtney says. 

PHOTO BY KRISTI TELNOV PHOTOGRAPHY

She says it was the first time some of her family and friends were exposed to some aspects of Syrian culture — and they loved it. 

“Everyone was dancing all night and had the best time,” says Courtney in an email. “My family thought the Syrian traditions were so special and they were all wanting to learn the dances.

“I’ve been around this now for 10 years,” Courtney says. “Even at his graduation party from high school, they had Arabic music and traditional dances. I vividly remember at his graduation party learning how to Dabke [a traditional Levantine folk dance] with his aunts.”  

PHOTO BY KRISTI TELNOV PHOTOGRAPHY

Prior to the wedding, the couple made all of the appetizers, which was a full Mediterranean menu, by hand, with the help of Nadeem’s family. 

“That was a really special part too because we got to show my family, ‘Hey, this is how they do things and this is their food and their culture,’” says Courtney. 

The wedding also featured a traditional Pittsburgh cookie table, filled with hundreds of baked goods. 

The couple is making sure to pass on their traditions to the next generation, too. When Nadeem proposed to Courtney, he had their two boys, Taye and Georgie, hold a sign saying “Will you marry our Baba,” which means father in Arabic. Taye and Georgie served as a groomsman and ring bearer, respectively, and the couple’s 5-year-old daughter, Kaliya, was the flower girl. 

“I’ve just really embraced his culture, and I want my kids to know that part of them,” Courtney says.