Category Archives: Real Jewish Weddings

Betsy was randomly playing on Facebook and did a search for Jewish, single men in Atlanta. She searched through all the profile pages that came up when one caught her eye – Elliott Schwartz! He looked adventurous and fun and made Betsy laugh with the pictures of him making faces and cooking in a wok in the bathroom. Betsy contacted him and after looking through her pictures, he decided it was worth a shot. They met up at a restaurant after work and ended up sitting and talking for hours!! Even though Elliott forgot to walk Betsy to her car (which he’ll never live down) they continued emailing each other, and set up a second date to the Atlanta Braves baseball game. It was at the Braves game that they say they fell in love!! The Braves won, but more importantly they cheered for all the between inning games, danced and sang to all of the songs on P.A. system, and just had a silly, fun time. After Elliott walked Betsy to her car this time, they shared their first kiss. Betsy called her mother on the way home and told her how crazy she was for Elliott and how she couldn’t stop staring at him and smiling!!

Three years later Elliott proposed to Betsy (who had been impatiently waiting for awhile). They decided they wanted a simple but elegant wedding rich in Jewish tradition. They were married in an old southern home on a beautiful day by an energetic Orthodox rabbi with whom they had been learning. Betsy and Elliott spent the night by each others’ side and felt that the night couldn’t have been more perfect! Their favorite parts were the first time they saw each other all dressed for their wedding and the 30-minute long hora that got everyone dancing up a sweat and having a great time. Many of their friends said it was the most fun wedding they ever went to, and their non-Jewish friends joked that they were ready to convert afterwards!

Mazel tov, Betsy and Elliott!

Venue- Kimball Hall
Officiant- Rabbi Karmi Ingber of The Kehilla of Sandy Springs
Flowers- Holland’s Flowers
Photographer- MyLife Photography
Videographer- James Futch Video
Music- The Moxie Band and Luna Strings
Wedding Dress and Bridesmaids’ Dresses- Wedding Angels
Cake- Ali’s Cookies
Jeweler- Factory’s Inc.
Yarmulkes, Benchers and Ketubah- Chosen Treasures

After a year of dating and some chit-chat about marriage, Erica knew a proposal was around the corner so, like any Jewish girl with weddings on the brain, she always had her nails done, ready to go. But like any Jewish boy who wants to surprise his lady, Adi never asked when she thought he would! After convincing Erica to go to ahem, a “party” at the SLS Hotel in Los Angeles, she went to meet their friends at the “pre-party” room where Adi was standing and got down on one knee. She jumped up and down with that cute girly excitement you see in the movies and she asked him to do it again. Because, really, it’s a vision.

For her wedding day plans, Erica had the help of the amazing event coordinator, Mindy Weiss, and she didn’t let a thing pass by without her own personal Erica touch. Erica planned every detail to the T making sure that the weekend was everything she wanted it to be. And it was! The first time Erica and Adi saw each other dressed and ready was a magical, dream-like moment. The couple wrote their own vows and Adi’s dad married them, which really made the ceremony so personal and special.

It should be noted that Erica is a sweet bride who loves her sweets. After all, she is the owner of Sweet E’s Bake Shop in Los Angeles where anyone with a love for sugar and spice and everything nice would find their happy place! Naturally, the sweets table at Erica and Adi’s wedding was a display of the best of the best. Her amazing pearly six-level wedding cake, surprise groom’s cake which was a replica of the couple’s furry loves, and collection of yummies like cookie dough cake pops and chocolate dipped marshmallows all delighted guests at the confectionary centerpiece of the wedding reception.

Mazel tov, Erica and Adi!

Location – St. Regis, Monarch Beach
Photographer – Duke Photography
Cake & Dessert Table – Sweet E’s Bake Shop
Coordinator – Mindy Weiss Party Consultants
Bridal Gown – Monique Lhuillier
Bridal Shoes – Stuart Weitzman
Formal Wear – Theory
Wedding Rings & Jewelry – Zadok Jewelers
Floral Design – Tick Toc Couture Florals
Videographer – Vidicam Productions
Stationery – 2HeartsB1
Ketubah – Gallery Judaica
Entertainment – West Coast Music
Caterer – Someone’s in the Kitchen
Make-up – Jeanine Canter

From the Bride:
I grew up in Houston. So Jewish geography had Adi’s cousin from Houston make the connection and scheme up a plan to set us up. Got that? Adi’s cousin called me to place an “order”. At that time he happened to somehow get my permission to have his cousin Adi call me and needless to say an “order” was never placed. Adi and I were both burnt out after being set up on many dates, but because family was involved we had to meet. And so glad we did. An hour long phone call led to our first date and from then on we pretty much never left each other’s side.

Feast your eyes on Rebecca and Joshua’s wedding that dazzles with deep warmth and a special glow. The bride is two words: Stun. Ning. Wow. Dear Brides Magazine, please put Rebecca on the cover of your next issue. Love, The Wedding Yentas. There, now that that’s been made clear, let’s dish about the details. Big love for the purples: the plums and lilacs and lavenders all blend together in a flirtatious pop for this on-the-board late summer/early fall Jewish wedding. Rustic inspiration makes total sense at this pristine outdoor venue, nestled in a remote and quiet pocket of Southern California. The couple and their guests enjoyed the many traditional and festive Jewish wedding milestones, like a ketubah signing and celebratory chair lifts. Grand exits are not as common these days as most newlyweds like to close out their party and really, who can blame them?, but the classic sparkler au revoir to Rebecca and Joshua makes for a brilliant scene and as they head off into their new husband-and-wife life, they literally sparkle!

Mazel tov, Rebecca and Joshua!

Photographer: Chelsea Elizabeth Photography
Venue: Walnut Grove at Tierra Rejada Ranch
Hair Stylist: Rebecca Loniero
Caterer: Command Performance
Floral Designer: Belle of the Ball Designs
Videography: Cinevent Productions
Cake Designer: Skiff’s Cakes
DJ: Gold Dust Entertainment
Makeup Artist: Kiss the Bride Makeup
Officiant: Rabbi Craig Wyckoff
Ketubah: Judaic Connection

Patricia and David, are a beautiful young couple from Brazil and New York, got married at the Trump Soho Hotel in New York City following the Modern Orthodox Jewish wedding.

They met in a quite special way just like they were in a romantic film. They were hanging out at the Bowery Hotel garden and Patricia was reading a book when David quoted a line from the book. Swoon! From there, a true bond grew between them.

Their wedding evening was absolutely gorgeous with perfect weather and a peaceful breeze which would set the pace for the whole event. The young and beautiful bride and groom made a wonderful pair, totally fresh and joyful, but at the same time very focused on the Jewish traditions with the utmost respect for their families and friends, who came from very different backgrounds, but still united by the same vital spirits.

One of the highlights was perhaps when David saw Patricia in her wedding dress for the very first time. Tears coming from their eyes and true love reflected on their faces.

Mazel tov, Patricia and David!

Venue: Trump Soho
Photographer: Leila Jacue. LL Style Photography
Videographer: Juan Marigorta. Estudios tripolares
Florist: G! Designs
Makeup Artist: Johanna Sanchez. Youngblood mineral cosmetics
Caterer: Esprit Events

Don’t forget to get your entry in so you can win a fabulous flower hair accessory from Fascinate Me! The giveaway is going on now through May 14th at 11:59 p.m. PST, and you can enter with a comment about your favorite piece on the Fascinate Me Facebook page AND The Wedding Yentas post here for a maximum of two entries! The winner, who will be chosen at random, will be announced May 15th. Read here for all the juicy details!

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Anna’s goal was to do something really incredible, but keep the wedding on a tight budget. She has always been a “frugalista” with a great eye for making inexpensive things look much more high-end. Her overall inspiration was the Great Gatsby summer party – she wanted to keep a slightly old-world feel, while making it relevant and low-key.

She and her husband, Phil, fell in love with the venue as soon as they saw it. They had always wanted to get married outdoors, and this was the perfect setting. Their color palate was a joint decision – as hard as it may be to believe, lilac is Phil’s favorite color! Anna loved the ivories and gold tones to make it feel warm and welcoming.

Anna had a definite idea in mind when it came to flowers and actually shopped that idea around until she found a florist that met both her vision and budget. She loves orchids wove the flowers into all the arrangements. She also wanted to continue the vintage feel in the flowers – and so each arrangement was clustered with pearls and small rhinestones, and the branches were gilted. Anna also hand-wrote all the placecards and table numbers, and made the bridesmaid’s necklaces.

The couple also wanted to find a way to bring in Anna’s Ukrainian heritage. The cocktail reception featured an ice bar with the couple’s monogram (designed by her cousin Gary Pikovsky!) and a selection of Russian vodkas, with the traditional accompaniment of pickled vegetables. The couple also had two wedding cakes – one a traditional American wedding cake – and other a traditional Ukrainian cake, appropriately named Kievskiy.

Mazel tov, Anna and Phil!

Venue: Pierce House
Photographer: Henry Photographers
Engagement ring: Alex & Co.
Wedding ring : E.B. Horn
Entertainment / Music: Horns In The House
Caterer & Cake: Swartz Catering Company
Dress: David’s Bridal
Makeup Artist / Hair Stylist: Dellaria Salons and Spas
Favors: Donation in honor of our guests to the Alzheimer’s Association since both families have been affected
Yarmulkes: Kippah.com
Ketubah: Ketubah.com
Honeymoon Travel: A national Geographic adventure to the Galapagos

From The Bride:
We had just come to New York after a week in Mexico, and were planning to go to a friend’s New Year’s Eve party themed “Party Like it’s 1929.” Phil suggested, very casually, that we should go to 11 Madison Park, the restaurant where we met for the first time, for a quick bite before the party. I really thought nothing of this – although this place has a lot of memories and significance for us, this was such a casual, last minute decision, that the possibility of anything more than dinner did not even cross my mind!

So we went to a very early 6 p.m. dinner on New Year’s Eve, dressed up in costume for the party (me in a flapper dress, and Phil in a tux). We were seated at a beautiful corner table, and the Assistant Manager came by our table to introduce herself, since we had been there a few times before and since Phil was good friends with General Manager of the restaurant. She offered to introduce us to the chef, since we are huge fans of the food at 11 Madison Park – and I was thrilled! I could not stop telling Phil about all the dishes I wanted to ask the chef about!

We had a delicious meal, with wonderful wine – and right before desert, the assistant manager came by and said that the chef, who was setting up for the staff holiday party in the upstairs private room, had some free time to meet us at that moment. We followed her upstairs, and I was bounding ahead telling her how I excited I was to meet the chef. She opened the door to the private dining room, which was a gorgeous room filled with balloons, that overlooked the 2-story high main dining room. She left us alone, and in anticipation of meeting the chef I could not stop staring at the staff door.

Suddenly I heard, “Hunny, turn around.” I turned around to face Phil, and he was down on one knee with a small jewelry box open in front of him. And then, of course, I realized what was happening! I started crying and could not stop repeating “oh my god, is this really happening?!” Phil had to calm me down and tell me he hadn’t even asked anything yet!

And then he said: “I had a whole speech prepared, I promise, but now I can’t remember any of it. All I know is that you are my best friend, my home, my love – and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

“Yes!!”

Because of my focus on meeting the chef, I had overlooked the fact that the room was set up with a table for two, with beautiful white flowers and champagne. We finished the wonderful evening with desert at our own little private table! Although at that point, I was too overwhelmed and excited to eat!