Author Archives: Alison

Real Weddings | Washington, DC

Some couples learn how to turn up the spice as they bond. But this Real Weddings couple started with the spice right away. You see, D’Alizza and Lonny met in a Miami salsa-dancing club. Both of them were competitive salsa dancers, and D’Alizza noticed Lonny’s amazing moves. They danced their way into each other’s hearts and got engaged. D’Alizza, who is Dominican, also fell in love with Judaism, and had an Orthodox conversion to become an observant Jew. She was really excited to showcase her Orthodox wedding to her friends and family, and to share how vibrant and rich Dominican culture is to her religious community. D’Alizza is one of the most expressive, excited brides we’ve ever seen. She was literally jumping up and down with joy after coming off of the bimah.

Cool fact: The photographer, Kelly Prizel, is also a convert to Judaism from Catholicism, which naturally bonded D’Alizza and Kelly immediately. Kelly says, “I’ve never seen such a beautiful Jewish bride and never been so convinced that two people were each other’s beshert.”

D’Alizza and Lonny got married at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, an amazing non-denominational Jewish space in Washington, DC. D’Alizza and Lonny were instantly attracted to it because of its history and also its incredible early 20th century Sephardic architecture. Their Orthodox community from Woodside Synagogue in Silver Spring helped them plan and execute the wedding. It was truly a communal affair.

We love this story and the happiness that explodes from each photograph!

Mazel tov, D’Alizza and Lonny!

Venue – 6th & I Historic Synagogue
Photographer – Kelly Prizel
Officiant –Rabbi Barry Freundel
Florist – Sidra Forman Flowers
Makeup – Ana Merces

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Dancin’ with Dad: Tunes to Ponder

In honor of Father’s Day last weekend, we asked our Facebook friends what they thought were great songs for father/daughter dances. We got some great responses and thought we’d share them with you in addition to listing some favorites of The Wedding Yentas.

You have so much to think about during your wedding planning as it is! We want to give you a head start in the brainstorm so you can select a great tune that really means something to you and the other special man in your life! The parent/child songs could act as a 2-fer, as well. At my wedding, we had a father/daughter dance and a mother/son dance at the same time so that we could get back to the partying and group dancing right away! Remember, it’s your wedding! You make up the rules!

So, after a hora that’s like a cardio workout, you’ll rest, hear some speeches, and then most likely create new family memories with a special dance.

Our Facebook poll brought out these ideas:
You’re The Inspiration by Chicago — submitted by Nicole
Unforgettable by Nat King Cole & Natalie Cole — submitted by Ellen
You Make Me Feel So Young by Frank Sinatra — submitted by Sharon
Father and Daughter by Paul Simon — submitted by Shelby

Additional ideas we love:
The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra
In My Life by The Beatles
Just The Way You Are by Billy Joel
Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion
I Turn to You by Christina Aguilera
Blessed by Elton John
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) by James Taylor
You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban
Through The Years by Kenny Rogers
I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack
Lullaby by Billy Joel
What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Hero by Mariah Carey
A Wink And A Smile by Harry Connick, Jr.
Times Of Your Life by Paul Anka
Forever Young by Rod Stewart
Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder
I’ll Stand By You by The Pretenders
Gracie by Ben Folds Five
How You’ve Grown by 10,000 Maniacs
That’s How Strong My Love Is by Otis Redding
Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole
I Get A Kick Out Of You by Frank Sinatra

…and, because what sacrilegious business would a A Guide For The Jewish Bride have NOT including this tried and true tune on the list:

Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler On The Roof

Image courtesy of DrewBphotography

Winner Announced!

Congratulations to DANA who participated and won the Friday Favorites giveaway!

Dana left a comment about her favorite product at The Eco Luxe Life and won a gift certificate to enjoy her own little shopping spree!

Thanks for participating in this green giveaway and we hope you’ll continue to play with The Wedding Yentas!

Check the blog for more opportunities to win! We’re always updating Facebook and Twitter so keep an eye out there for more information!

We hope you enjoyed Green Week!

Friday Favorites | The Eco Luxe Bride

Good things come to those who green.

This week we’ve been offering you a discount code at The Eco Luxe Life. Just type in WEDDINGYENTAS at checkout for your savings! We are also excited to announce this week’s Friday Favorites giveaway! Read on for details on how to enter!

We’re so excited to gush about today’s Friday Favorites store! Some of our favorite green products can be found on The Eco Luxe Life!

When you visit T.E.L.L., the largest, chicest online green store, blog and community forum, you’ll find products for daily life, domestic living, and –our favorite — wedding bliss! It is your go-to, one-stop, hip shop for learning and shopping green! By creating the largest online eco-friendly destination with products that runs the entire lifestyle spectrum, you are able to enjoy tons of fabulous healthy, greener options at all different price points. Just by looking at T.E.L.L. you can see that going eco isn’t about compromise anymore… these products are phenomenal, and they are housed in a website that is totally fab and feminine. You won’t be disappointed!

Let’s get started with your must-have list. You need these items for your pre and post-wedding life anyway, so why not buy them green?!

Makin’ Up
So many brides wear caked on, too heavy makeup on the big day. Switch to a lighter, mineral based makeup so you look perfect like an angel! Try these awesome lip glosses from Cheeky Cosmetics and eye shadows from Modern Minerals. These will lighten you up in more ways than one!


Honeymoon SCENTuality
Smell so good he can’t keep his hands off of you with Ambre Blends essential oils. Phthalate-free, it’ll continue to be safe to use when you’re onto the baby phase, since, we’re warning you now, the minute after you say “I do,” everyone will ask you when you’re going to start making little ones. It’s always something! Anyway, even after the champagne’s run out and your dress is hung back up in the closet, keep him coming back for more of his bride with these essential oils that are, essentially, super romantic.


Scrub a Dub Dub
Slough off your old single girl self and exfoliate prior to the wedding in order to have glowing, healthy-looking skin. Sumbody’s chocolate bon bons let you get your choco fix without all the calories. If you have any wedding stress, don’t eat your feelings; scrub ’em.


It’s In The Bag
Your bridesmaids will need to put their stuff somewhere during all of your wedding weekend Olympics. Let them schlep their stuff in style with an Envirosax bag. We love this super chic print that matches any wedding color scheme. A practical, earth-friendly bag also serves as a great memento from your special day! Your gals will continue to use it and spread additional earth-loving vibes.


Take A Deep Breath
Nerves got you up at night? Got wedding plans on the brain? Relax with Zen’s Purple Garden’s Sleep Sachet that fits right in your pillowcase to help calm you down so you can sleep. Lavender is a natural way to relax and improve sleep quality. Oh, and it’s pretty, too.


Avoid a Hairy Situation
Tame those tresses with El Serum by Rare Elements. It’ll moisturize and nourish your locks so they’re glowing on game day. This pre-shampoo serum is ideal for hair that’s dry or has been chemically treated. The blushing bride shouldn’t blush out of embarrassment over her split ends! This hair-crack will rejuvenate your locks so you can look your best while locking up your love!


Fire Up Some Love
Set set the mood with these beautiful Soular candles. The wax is natural and free of colorants, so it assures an ultra clean, edge to edge, 50-hour soot-free burn with each lighting. These will fill your space with a truly intoxicating aroma. Perfect for welcome baskets for your out of town guests, bridesmaids gifts, or even wedding night romance, you can find a lot of reasons to fall in love with these awesome GREEN candles!


Nail It!
Gorgeous colors. No stinky smells. Easy to remove. What isn’t there to love about Natural Watercolors Non-Peel Off Nail Polish By Honeybee Gardens nail polish? Bring this with you to your mani/pedi appointment or do it yourself at home. Either way, your hands will be worthy of holding your bouquet on your wedding day!


Show Your Best Face
It’s your wedding day and after you walk down the aisle and kiss your groom, the veil is no longer hiding your face! So show off your mug, especially if you’ve used Facial Mask By Pangea Organics – Japanese Matcha Tea With Acai and Goji Berry. This mega award-winning facial mask does all the fancy, sciencey things to make your face bright, refreshed, and radiant.


We love sharing some of our favorite products with you! Now’s your chance to share something YOU would like to try! Take a walk through The Eco Luxe Life store, pick some products that interest you, and leave them in a comment below to enter to win the sweepstakes! This week, The Wedding Yentas and The Eco Luxe Life have partnered to offer one lucky winner a gift certificate to their store! You can’t win if you don’t enter. We’re accepting entries through Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. The winner of the giveaway will be announced on Monday via The Wedding Yentas blog and Facebook page.

GOOD LUCK!

Real Weddings | Tarzana, California

This wedding was absolutely breathtaking, while still utilizing the green bag of tricks to be eco-friendly! Paola of Just Chic Events created a thorough and warm event that honored Jewish traditions and also saluted our planet.

Since there were no cut flowers, the centerpieces were florals that could be replanted. The bride wanted to make sure that whatever was used for centerpieces could be easily added to her her mom’s garden the following week. The only cut flowers were her own personal bouquet and even those were florals that the florist had used at an event the night prior. The petals that lined the aisle were also from roses used at a previous night’s event.

The bride borrowed the veil from one of her sisters. Not only was the veil considered her “something borrowed,” but borrowing it minimized the impact that the wedding had on the environment. This is a nice way to honor a family member or friend!

The bride and her entourage enjoyed getting pampered at a green nail salon before the wedding! Talk about beauty AND brains! What a great way to spruce up your tips AND Mother Earth.

Since it was a daytime April wedding and the food had to stay out of the sun, canopies made out of burlap, an eco-friendly material, shaded the food stations. Guests selected their meals from gourmet stations instead of being served at a sit-down lunch in order to avoid unnecessary waste. Since people served themselves, there was less food thrown out. Stations included an amazing interactive salad bar and a grilled cheese bar — yum! Guests also enjoyed shots of tomato soup because, really, what could be better with grilled cheese?! And the gelato! Mmmm, gelato! A gelato bar should make any guest plotz with excitement! The food and cake were organic, and the ingredients were fresh and locally grown.

Classy details even went into napkin decor! They were tied with a piece of eco-friendly raffia. Table numbers were recycled from a past event that the bride’s mother had held at her house. Wedding favors were from Tree In A Box, offering the gift — and mitzvah! — of planting a tree to help the environment. The boxes were personalized and looked super cute!

Many of the vendors are not actually “green-only” vendors, but worked with the couple to make sure that everything they produced was eco-friendly. This just goes to show that you don’t have to do extra work to find “green-only” vendors. Just explain your vision to your dream team and build a wedding together that is is a symbol of you and the ideals in which you believe!

Venue – Private Home, Tarzana
Coordination – Just Chic Events
Photographer – Mi Belle Inc.
Entertainment – DeBois Entertainment
Floral Design – Flowers and Design by Gina
Makeup – Blushing Bridal Makeup
Hair Stylist – Howard Kurtz Salon
Catering – Cornucopia Caterers
Officiant – Rabbi Paul Kipnes
Ketubah – Modern Ketubah
Bakery – Doan’s Bakery
Harpist – HarpWorld
Rentals – A Rental Connection
Favors – Tree In A Box
Bridal Manicures – Soak Nails

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In honor of Green Week, we’ve partnered up with our favorite green online store, The Eco Luxe Life! TheEcoLuxeLife loves The Wedding Yentas and all of our readers! So, just for us, they’ve created a coupon code for $5 off any purchase of $20 or more! Start shopping: http://www.theecoluxelifestore.com/Just type in WEDDINGYENTAS at checkout and your loot is all yours for $5 off!