Gabriella and Michael were married in Minneapolis and made every inch of their wedding a reflection of them. The play-by-play of their special day is here in Gabriella’s words.
We had a great time getting ready out the beautiful Grand Hotel Minneapolis. They were extremely accommodating and lovely to work with. They gave us the Presidential Suite (totally unexpected!) for me and my bridesmaids. My sister Jessie and I spent the night before at the hotel and we had a great time enjoying all the beautiful amenities with my bridesmaids!
Mike and I did our “first look” at the hotel. I made a grand entrance coming down the staircase, and it was truly magical. Being that Mike’s Russian, he doesn’t always show his emotions very openly, as compared to me (Brazilian and Egyptian); I wore my emotions on my sleeve! He was very emotional and looked at me as if he was looking at me for the first time. It was a very special moment that I will never forget.
We did photos with our bridal party at the gorgeous Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. It was a lot of fun, and the view is truly breathtaking.
Mike’s tish was held on the balcony of the main ballroom, with all guy friends, male family members, and groomsmen. We signed our ketubah on the venue’s bridal suite. While we were researching ketubahs, we spent a lot of time online until we found the perfect one! We approached this part of our wedding and marriage as if it were a piece of art. We wanted it to be unique, special and reflect us as well as the tradition. We found a fantastic ketubah artist on Etsy, who was not only able to incorporate our logo/monogram, but also added 2 angels (archangel Michael and Gabriel), in honor of our namesake. I truly believe that these angels brought Mike and me together.
The ceremony included all of the important traditions that have been part of Jewish weddings for generations and generations. Part of the magic of the ceremony was the venue. The setting was so important to our overall vision. We knew we wanted something unique, spacious, modern and truly unforgettable for our wedding. We wanted it to be a reflection of us and our taste, and most importantly, we wanted to infuse our vision in the space…rather than the vision of the space taking over the wedding. I had my heart set on the Jeune Lune even before we were engaged! While celebrating the 2011-2012 New Year, Mike and I and a few friends went to a New Year’s party hosted at the Jeune Lune. It was the venue’s inaugural debut from being a theater to becoming a premier venue hall in the Theater District of downtown Minneapolis. I remember walking in to the Jeune Lune and being completely mesmerized by the space! I leaned in to Mike and whispered in his ear: “This would be the perfect spot for a wedding.” And it was.
At our reception, we had a very fun sweetheart table! Each table is slightly different. We wanted a very intimate atmosphere without table designs. We chose all different shades of white and pink flowers, and also had a lot of candles as part of the decor.
Since ARIA was previously a theatre, we entered stage left onto the dance floor, and had the DJ get everyone up from the chairs and onto the dance floor! It was so much fun to walk into the venue and see our guests already up, animated and having a great time!
We went right into the hora after the grand march, and that was a HUGE highlight for me! The cantor and our good family friend Yossi sang a medley of Jewish dancing longs LIVE with an accompanying track, played by the DJ. I think we looped that medley at least 3 times, and we were dancing for a good 15 minutes! Having him sing Hava Nagilah was one of the most memorable moments for us and our guests. He has such an amazing voice, and the energy level was through the roof!
My dad surprised us right after the Hora with a special treat! He had a belly dancer do a performance and then everyone got the chance to shake their stuff of the dance floor! Since my family is Sephardic, we almost always have a belly dancer and Middle Eastern music accompany our family celebrations, so this was no exception. For Mike’s Russian family and guests, this was a lot of fun!
Since this was a little more than half a Russian wedding, we HAD to include Vodka! And boy, did we. There is a very well-known Russian restaurant in St. Paul, MN called Moscow on the Hill and they distill their own flavored vodkas. We ordered several cases of various flavors (Ginger, Spiced Pear, Raspberry, Caramel, Tiramisu & Horseradish) and hosted a “Vodka Social” on the balcony in the main ballroom. It was just a great time! After the meal portion of the reception, and right around the time desserts were being served, we invited our guests to sample the different vodka flavors on the balcony.
Mazel tov, Gabriella and Michael!
Photographer: Yuriy Kormin
Linens/decor: Natalya Kormina
Videographer: Matt Jasper Motion Design
Catering: Crave
Venue: ARIA Le Jeune Lune
Officiant: Rabbi Avram Ettedgui
Florist: Aneta’s European Floral
DJ: Nora Events
Hotel: The Grand Hotel Minneapolis
Ketubah: Jerise via Etsy
Hair: Marni Force Flores Makeup & Hair
Makeup: Julie Martin Makeup
And don’t forget to enter the custom jewelry giveaway! After enjoying all the bling in Gabriella and Michael’s wedding, aren’t you wanting a little bling of your own?
Enter below!
