In her vows, Shima Baradaran admitted that her romance with Ryan Baughman had been a whirlwind: "If someone had told me I'd start dating and marry anyone within four months, I would have laughed," she said. "But I can honestly say that I loved you immediately." It was a sentiment shared by Ryan, who at 38 was teased by buddies about being a perennial bachelor. It turns out he just hadn't met the right girl yet.
After chatting with Shima, a law professor, at a mutual friend's party in April 2015, "I was smitten," says Ryan, a real estate investor. He asked Shima and her two young sons to a movie the very next day and, just seven weeks later, proposed while the couple were in Paris for a friend's wedding.
The Salt Lake City-based couple decided to throw an August wedding at Montage Laguna Beach, near Shima's parents' home—which gave them just six weeks to plan. They quickly settled on a cheerful pink-and-red palette and, inspired by the Beyoncé lyrics "I love you like XO" and their affectionate personalities, a graphic motif of the letters symbolizing hugs and kisses.
On Friday evening on August 7, 2015, at six o'clock, Shima walked down the aisle with her sons, Kian and Darian, as ring bearers. Ryan's friend and business partner conducted the civil ceremony (the pair, who are Mormon, will mark their first anniversary with a sealing ceremony at the Salt Lake Temple). For both, exchanging their self-written vows was a highlight. Because their relationship had progressed so quickly, "we used the vows to inform everyone of our love story," says Shima.
The bride, who is Persian, incorporated Middle Eastern music into the reception entertainment, including a traditional dance during which the couple were lifted into the air on chairs by family and friends. Ryan recalls that, as he looked out at his loved ones and at the woman who had finally won his heart, "I felt like a conquering hero."
