Monthly Archives: October 2011

A Video Speaks A Thousand Words

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Alison in Inside Scoop, Planning, Real Jewish Weddings

On Tuesday, Sarah and Zack lit up The Wedding Yentas page with their gorgeous Southern California Real Wedding spread. The photos by Chris Schmitt Photography were absolute perfection, marking all the important moments of a lovely Jewish wedding and showcasing an adorable couple that had love oozing out of each and every pixel of his images.

I will always always always love photography. I think a photographer should be one of the most important vendors you hire and I urge bride friends to go with quality of work instead of quantity of dollars because at the end of the day, the album that sits on your coffee table, the frames on your walls, and, let’s face it, the uploads to your Facebook page are the visual methods of remembering your wedding day.

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Visual methods.

But what about auditory methods? What about ways to hear your vows? Watch your horah? Relive your first kiss as husband and wife? That’s where one of my other favorite vendors comes in, your cinematographer. Ahava Films documented Sarah and Zack’s perfect day with a stunning series of videos. On Tuesday, you saw their trailer, and today, you see their highlights reel.

Highlights reels are the new “thing” that most cinematographers are creating for their wedding couples. Think of them as shorts or abridged videos of the wedding day, hitting all the best and iconic events. They are great for sharing the wedding day with others who don’t want to sit and watch an entire video that shows every chronological moment sans edits. Highlights reels that are uploaded on a video sharing site or blog are perfect for sharing through emails and, well, again, Facebook! In post production, editors will cut appropriate music and provide an artistic style to the final product, not dissimilar from a film you’d see in a theater.

Enjoy Sarah and Zack’s highlights reel and consider hiring a cinematographer like Ahava Films or many of the other fabulous video artists listed on The Wedding Yentas.

Sarah and Zack Short Highlights from Ahava Films on Vimeo.

Venue- Sherwood Country Club
Photographer- Chris Schmitt Photography
Coordinator- Under the Chuppah
Florist- Shirvan Designs
Officiant – Rabbi Ahud Sela
Cake- A Sweet Design Cake Co
Videographer- Ahava Films
Music- DJ FX
Hair Stylist- Union Salon, Veronica Mills

Tales From The Veil: Jewish Destination Weddings

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Alison in Tales from the Veil

Another “Tales from the Veil” story is brought to us by Rachel Kitt who is the Executive Assistant at the Jewish Federation of San Diego County. She loves to run competitively and for pleasure, bake gluten-free sweets, and hang out with her hubby, a San Diego attorney. After eloping to the island of Oahu in December of 2007, Rachel finds herself looking back on her Jewish destination wedding adventure and laughing out loud. Her story will show you how any bride can take wedding disasters and turn them into wedded bliss. Lemons into lemonade. Grapes into Manischewitz. We’ll be hearing more from Rachel as a regular contributor to The Wedding Yentas.

Tropical weddings are stuff that fairy tales are made of. You fly your family and close friends across the world (or, if you’re me, halfway across the Pacific Ocean) to say your vows in a new and exciting place. The colors are brighter, the ocean more sparkly, and yes, despite the cliche, the grass is even greener.

However, just because you are taking your wedding to a place you choose, it does not mean that your destination is accustomed to Jewish weddings. Or Jewish traditions. Some people at your venue may have never heard of the horah or the idea of signing a Ketubah. Getting married in Hawaii four years ago was a learning experience for all of our vendors.

It started with the wedding coordinator and setting up our “out of the non-traditional box” Jewish wedding and the accoutrements. Explaining the need for a location for the Ketubah signing was a little complex. We realized quickly that even though we wanted to share the important reasons behind the ceremony, that wasn’t going to make it easier for the coordinator. We got to the point where we broke it down by what we needed, who was invited, and how long it would take. Ketubah signing ceremony meant needing a table, an easel (for the Ketubah after it was signed), chairs for the grandparents, and a private area for 30 minutes pre-chuppah ceremony.

Explaining the Ketubah to our videographer was a challenge, too. He had no idea what to expect so when he videotaped it, he was unable to edit it in the same artsy, shmancy, fancy fashion that he did with the wedding ceremony. The video of our ceremony, however, is super artsy.

Yichud proved to be another road block. Again, we went with simplicity with the coordinator. Yichud translated to “we need a private room for ten minutes immediately after the wedding ceremony. Have the caterer bring in a small plate of cheese and crackers.” Done and done. Easy.

My favorite Jewish wedding obstacle in Hawaii was explaining our customs to our disc jockey. While DJ Fudge (could there be a better name?) was not only a native Hawaiian recommended by our wedding venue, he didn’t know nothin’ about Jewish customs, let alone about Jewish people or their needs. However, DJ Fudge was a professional and did a great job following our lead. We hired him three days before our wedding (my dad decided that since the hotel threw in a dance floor for free, we needed a DJ!). Oy. Before we did the official entrance into the reception, we sat outside of the ballroom and explained to DJ Fudge how to pronounce Horah (hoe-rah) and to let it go on and on until the music ran out or we passed out from exhaustion.

So, if you are either a mainland bride getting married in Hawaii, the Caribbean, or anywhere that has one synagogue (or none), here is my advice:

1. Assume they know nothing. Literally nothing. It’s okay. They would rather you over-explain than have a wedding day disaster (like no chairs for the grandparents during the ketubah ceremony, grrrrr, don’t get me started).

2. Try to explain the custom first. If it is difficult to explain or difficult for your coordinator/vendor to understand, resort to simplification. Just explain what you want exactly: what, where, when, and for how long.

3. Go with the flow! Give these places some credit for trying. If you really wanted a super Jewy wedding, you’d be getting married at your family synagogue. Well, you aren’t, so be nice. Trust me, they appreciate it.

4. Do your research! I really wanted to go to the mikvah (ritual cleaning in a religious bath house) before we got married and thought, I’m sure they have one on Oahu. Um, yes, but super far away. Didn’t happen. Should have done it at home.

5. Prepare for your religious relatives. This one requires another story for me as the rabbi I flew in kept kosher, as did my brother. We were able to find a kosher restaurant (halleluyah!) after we got there. We bought our big rainbow-sprinkled challah and all kosher meals from them. That could have been a disaster!

6. Rabbis! If having a rabbi ordinate is important to you, as it happened to be for me, you may need to fly your rabbi with you. That’s right. Rabbi Lewis got an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii as a thank-you for officiating our wedding. Oahu has one rabbi and one synagogue, but it isn’t associated with the Conservative movement, so due to our personal requirements, we had to bring a rabbi with us. Trust me, it comes with a price, but we got the wedding we wanted.

7. The dress. Oh the dress! FYI, you will be carrying your dress on the plane with you. Unless you have a plan to get the dress steamed upon arriving at your destination, the safest thing to do is carry on. That means you’re schlepping that sucker through the airport and onto the plane, doing your best to ignore the fact that your hands and arms are going numb. This is super important, but also a biiiig pain in the tushie. This is not advice. This is me begging you to carry your dress on the plane because who else can you trust more than yourself? No one. Not mom, not dad, and certainly not fiance/soon-to-be husband.

(Cute anecdote: as we boarded the airplane, me with my gigantic wedding bag in front of me, the cute old man in the first row first said, “congratulations” to me as I passed by, then to the fiance, “it’s not too late to run.”)

8. Respect your family and friends. If people are traveling for you, thank them. Help pay for their room, give them a goodie bag, invite them to the rehearsal dinner, invite them to the Ketubah signing ceremony, whatever you can do and afford. They are spending hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to be with you. And no, they didn’t have to. They chose to.

9. Have fun!! You are getting married in your own personal paradise! Live it up, be flexible and remember how lucky you are to have the wedding of your dreams.

Real Weddings | Westlake Village, CA

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Alison in Real Jewish Weddings

Zack, the musician-turned-lawyer and Sarah, the artist-turned-doctor, first met on JDate. Although Sarah was in Australia for the summer after her first year of medical school and Zack was in L.A. after his second year of law school, the Internet knew no geographical bounds and they hit it off right from the start. They wrote back and forth for several months before finally meeting in person at a John Mayer concert. Zack was the first JDate guy that Sarah had ever agreed to meet in person — she was nervous, to say the least.

After the concert, Zack and Sarah extended their evening at a bar in Hollywood. After talking and laughing for several hours, Sarah went home and soon received a text from Zack, “Just wanted to make sure you made it home safely. I had a great time with you tonight! Sweet dreams.”

A second date turned into a third, the third lead to the fourth and, a month later, they decided to date each other exclusively. Zack came to Sarah’s “MedProm” and Sarah sat in the front row at Zack’s law school talent show. Zack learned that Sarah had always imagined being proposed to by being serenaded with the song “Marry Me” by Train. Without hesitation, Zack jokingly replied, “Well, IF I propose, it will be at a McDonalds after we watch a screening of Blood Diamond…” He smiled. Sarah didn’t.

A few months later, they were sitting in the lobby of the Ritz Carlton in Maui when a guitarist Zack hired started to play “Marry Me.” At the line “You wear white and I’ll wear out the words I love you, and you’re beautiful,” Zack got down on one knee. Thinking Zack was messing with her, Sarah got down on one knee too. That is when Zack took off his claddagh ring and handed it to her, asking, “Will you marry me?” The answer was an emphatic YES!!

Mazel tov, Sarah and Zack!

Check out the bottom of the post to see the beautiful wedding day video trailer by Ahava Films and swing back on Thursday to see the official highlights reel!

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Sarah & Zack Trailer from Ahava Films on Vimeo.

Honeymooning 101

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Alison in From the Expert, Inside Scoop, Planning

You may as well pack your e-bags and put on your “Just Married” flip flops because we’re about to take you on a tour of honeymoon options and locations. No airline fees, no mini hotel shampoos, and no layovers to your final destination — just your computer, your excitement, and The Yentas! It’s exciting to bring on Runya Simon, a Honeymoon Planning Specialist who is a newlywed herself and is expecting her first baby! You may remember her gorgeous day we featured in Real Weddings! Enjoy!

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Wedding planning can be quite a megillah: so many florists to meet, so many cakes to taste, and many gorgeous gowns to try on! While you are over the moon with excitement and busy hashing out all the details, don’t forget that after you say “I do” and after you dance your little tushie off at your reception, you and your honey will get that much needed alone time and relaxation on your very own vacation made for two: your honeymoon!!

There are many ideas of the derivation of the term “honeymoon,” one of which can be found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary that dates back to 1546: “the idea that the first month of marriage is the sweetest,” and in Hebrew it translates to “yerach d’vash,” or honey month.

With iPhones, Blackberries, computers, and iPads sadly taking over our everyday lives, going on a honeymoon is not only a chance to take the much-awaited trip with your honey and escape work and life’s responsibilities, but it’s also a way to truly unplug from the hustle and bustle and focus on your new life together as husband and wife. It’s also pretty awesome to bask in the glory with all the travel perks that come along with being newlyweds!

Couples always ask me when they should plan and book their “moon” and my answer is always right away. The ring is on your finger, the date and venue have been booked, so start thinking about the type of trip you want to take and when. Most traditional honeymoon locations book up and you want to stay ahead of the game and make sure you get exactly what you are looking for! Depending on the departure date of your honeymoon, be sure to prepare as best you can for the upcoming trip.

This is not just any old vacation; you have many things on your mind and wedding plans that are coming to fruition. So make yourself a checklist and ask these simple questions: Is my passport up to date? Do I need travel shots? Do I have the right wardrobe? Should I pack before or after the wedding? Should I wear my sparkler of a ring, or play it safe with a simple band? Your honeymoon planning should be totally stress-free, so don’t wait until the last minute to plan. Pamper yourself and use an expert honeymoon travel agent, such as myself, to help you with every detail to make this the dreamiest “moon” that’s all about you: the happy couple!

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Honeymoons have evolved over the years and I am here to tell you that it’s 100% acceptable to break the mold! Your “moon” should be special and specific to whatever you want it to be. There are no rules that apply! Traditionally, the couple leaves on their honeymoon the following day or two after the wedding, but this is not necessarily the case anymore. Couples are now carefully taking into consideration where they want to go, what they want out of their “moon” (besides just alone time, wink wink), and what time of year they want to make this sweet trip! Depending on the locale that you choose, you may need to wait a few month. Let’s be honest: if you get married in December/January and your dream honeymoon is a trip to Alaska, it’s probably not the best time to visit the land of glaciers and salmon. Likewise, if your wedding is planned for July and you love the idea of visiting Australia, you probably have forgotten that it’s mid-winter there! It’s okay to wait. You have waited so long to find your soul mate, and have patiently waited for your turn down the aisle, so it’s all right to take your time and plan your perfect honeymoon!

Your honeymoon doesn’t have to be completely paid for out of your own pocket either! Register for memories that will last a lifetime with a honeymoon registry! This is a popular option for couples that would like to add experiences to their gift list: great as a stand-alone registry or to complement a traditional one. A honeymoon registry lets you create a unique gift list of all the parts of your dream vacation, such as the fantasy suite you’ve had your eye on, relaxing massages, romantic dinners, and exciting excursions.

It works perfectly whether or not you know exactly where you want to go because the gifts are virtual and you receive the cash to use when you’re ready, however you like. Deposit a Gift is a perfect option for a honeymoon registry because of how user-friendly it is it is for you and guests: they offer pre-made lists for easy set-up (look for the blue ‘Rapid Registry’ button!), accept credit cards, and even offer a customer service number in case granny gets fermished.

Here’s how it works:

Users make gift registries just like people do with a traditional store registry, using a database of images or by clicking on a pre-made list.
Guests choose a gift to purchase, finding the right price point for their budget. They are not actually buying the present, but it feels more personal than sending a check. The money gets deposited into the recipient’s Deposit a Gift account.
When users are ready to spend the money, they cash-out in the form of check, VISA gift card or direct deposit.

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My husband and I got married in the month of March, yet we dreamed of a Greek/Mediterranean honeymoon, but we soon found that our “moon” would have to wait until June in order to have optimal weather and other tourism factors, so three months later, still newlyweds, we embarked on a wonderful Mediterranean Cruise adventure which we will never forget. Two days after the wedding we were lucky enough to escape to Maui for just a few relaxing days in paradise to unwind and enjoy our “Just Married” status (Brides, I know you want to wear your Mrs. ____ Juicy track suit on the plane!). If you choose this postponed honeymoon, you can always get away for a night, use air miles to go somewhere not too far from home, or drive to some romantic location for a few nights, all while your official honeymoon awaits you! If you are a traditionalist and must go on your honeymoon the day or two following your wedding — you go girl (and guy)! When and where you plan to celebrate the sweetness of your new nuptials doesn’t matter as long as you’re both happy. Whether it’s on a white sandy beach in paradise, or amongs lions and tigers on an African safari, you will be snuggled close with your beshert!

Honeymooning with your honey will be the icing on the cake, the cat’s meow and the bee’s knees! Saying “I do” is just the start to the many adventures you will have together, so don’t let your honeymoon be just an afterthought! This trip marks the newlywed phase of marriage and should you have a little too much fun “honeymooning,” you will soon need to book a Babymoon — but that is a whole other type of trip that we can discuss when the time is right!

Mazel tov and happy travels!

Runya Simon is a Honeymoon and Wedding Travel Specialist. Just like a wedding coordinator helps your wedding dreams come true, she assists you with every step of planning and booking the “moon” of your dreams. Runya is based in Los Angeles, but can help jet-setting brides and grooms everywhere. Her vast knowledge and passion for travel make her your ideal honeymoon coordinator. You can email her with questions and reservations at runya.simon@gmail.com. Runya is looking forward to hearing from you! Enjoy the rest of your planning!

Put A Ring On It

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Alison in Featured

Chelo Keys, an east coast wedding and lifestyle photographer, is a big believer in photographing the moments that make weddings special, but she loves to take spare time to give the weddings rings their time in the spotlight and make a little magic.

Many times, Chelo will look for an interesting surface, something that will make the viewer wonder “What is that?!” She likes to try to use an object or area from the wedding, like cool DJ lights or sparkly table decorations. If she’s in a hurry and she has to improvise, sometimes the most ordinary objects set the best scene for the rings. Chelo has used everything from the wet reflective surface of a ping pong table to an aqua-globe (that round, shiny thing that waters your plants!). When it comes to processing the images, Chelo lets the image speak to her and lets the art — the color or the texture — take the lead.

Work with your photographer to get the must-have shots. You must trust your photographer, too, and know that he or she will capture the important events of your wedding day, but sometimes specialty shots get overlooked if you have something specific in mind. Communicate those unique moments or objects you’d like to have photographed and you’ll be able have those images to last a lifetime. Just like some brides love to have a photo of their dress hanging on the hanger to preserve their splendor, Chelo likes to take pictures of her couples’ bling! Here are some of her favorites that may also inspire you to have the same artistic photos!

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