Category Archives: Real Jewish Weddings

Emily and Seth’s story is sweet and inspiring! The Ph.D. students met studying biology at MIT and lab work brought them together as friends and soon as, well, more than friends!

When it was time to start planning a wedding, they wanted to include unique and personal touches. Seth is Jewish and Emily is not, so we they chose a place that was an expression of them and also ideal for an interfaith wedding. The Rockport Art Association would fit all of their guests and could serve as both the ceremony and reception venue. To add to the art theme, crafty Emily made a DIY invitation suite based off a love bird design from an invitation template. To tie in the love birds, she ordered custom-made matching love bird stamps from Etsy and embossed them on the wedding favors. Their friends were delighted to find that the favor was a card game that Seth and Emily often play!

Their perfect day began with portraits around Rockport. Seeing a bride and groom during Memorial Day weekend caused quite a sensation! They literally stopped traffic and got many car honks and cries of congratulations! Rabbi Eiduson did an incredible job of getting to know Emily and Seth, incorporating many tear-inducing personal moments into the ceremony. Their bridal party was small, just Seth and Emily’s sisters, so they included friends in the ceremony by having them read one of the Seven Blessings that Seth and Emily had personalized. They took the final sips from Seth’s mom’s kiddush cup, Seth broke the glass, and then they were married!

Mazel tov, Emily and Seth!

Venue- Rockport Art Association
Photographer- Kate McElwee Photography
Coordinator- Robin Perry of Friend of the Bride
Florist- Blue Gate Gardens
Cake- Konditor Meister
Engagement Ring- Barmakian Jewelers
Wedding Rings- Long’s Jewelers
Entertainment/Music- Ron from C-Zone Music
Caterer- Harvest Catering, Inc.
Dress- Berkachi Bridal
Officiant- Rabbi Joseph Eiduson of Congregation B’nai Shalom
Makeup Artist- Your Makeup Face
Invitations- Invitation Download & Print
Stationery- Paper and More and Paper Source
Custom Stamps- Cupcake Tree
Tuxedos- Syms
Yarmulkes- Weinfeld Skull Cap Manufacturing Company
Ketubah- Gallery Judaica
Wedding Dance Lessons- Wedding Dance Boston

Love blossoms in the spring, according to the woodland animals of Disney movies so it’s no surprise that Dan and Karen met in the spring semester of their junior year of college. And as Jewish geography would have it, their mothers met first while in the school’s bookstore.

Dan and Karen made sure to touch on the important Jewish traditions on their wedding day. They signed the ketubah, were married under the chuppah, they both stood under a tallit, and were married by a rabbi. They followed a traditional Jewish wedding format and included a lighting of a candle to honor those who could not be there, which was an Irish tradition that was derived from Karen’s roots as well.

From the unique black and white two-tone shoes that Dan wore to the special custom Hershey bar favors, the thoughtful details didn’t go unnoticed by guests. Family ties are tight in this bunch, so it was extremely touching that Dan chose his dad for his best man. And Karen is a daddy’s girl, so the tears flowed during their father-daughter dance. Warmth and love filled the day!

Mazel tov, Karen and Dan!

Reception Venue- River Creek Country Club
Photographer- Ever After Visuals
Transportation- Chariots for Hire
Wedding Cake- Patisserie Lille
Makeup Artist- Victoria Stiles
Ketubah- The Ketubah Company

Despite the fact that Stacy and Drew spent roughly 8 years living about an hour apart in South Florida and had a number of mutual friends, the two did not meet until after their first year of law school at Syracuse University. After finishing their final two years of law school together and getting engaged, Drew and Stacy moved to Buffalo NY together in August 2010.

After law school, Drew booked a weekend away for Stacy’s first trip to Skaneateles, New York. The vacation was a present to Stacy and she did not suspect a thing. However, Drew had something more planned than a delayed Hanukkah gift. Since December, Drew had known he would propose to Stacy in April and for her November birthday, he even bought her a practice ring in order to figure out her ring size so that he would have the perfect ring for the big night.

After a great dinner (and a couple glasses of vino to help Drew ease his nerves), Drew and Stacy took a stroll by the lake. Because Stacy’s heels were getting stuck in the grass, they found a bench to take a seat and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. As Stacy turned to the bench to make sure the seat was not wet before she sat down in her pretty dress, Drew knew it was the perfect opportunity to kneel down while Stacy was not looking. As she sat down, she noticed Drew was on one knee. Drew popped the question and then took out the ring box. Stacy was shocked, and not sure if Drew was serious until Drew opened up the box to reveal a stunning engagement ring.

Mazel tov, Stacy and Drew!

Venue- Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach
Photographer- Photography by Rosie Hernandez
Officiant- Cantor Debbi Ballard
Entertainment/Music- Drew T Productions
Dress- Paloma Blanca
Make-up artist- Touch Cosmetics
Bridesmaids’ Stylist- Yaneth Gray
Invitations- Occasionally Yours
Day of Coordinator- Couture Soiree
Videography- Senderey Video Productions

This Real Weddings feature was made possible via Two Bright Lights! The Wedding Yentas is always looking for fresh and beautiful Jewish weddings to feature and they may be submitted through Two Bright Lights, which is easy and efficient!