Category Archives: Real Jewish Weddings

Real Weddings | Closter, NJ

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Alison in Real Jewish Weddings

Today’s Real Wedding is a lovely whirlwind of serendipity. Carly and Jack are from the same town, went to the same grade school, and had some of the same friends. They even played tennis at the same club. Yet, they never knew each other until Carly’s freshman year of college. Jack was a sophomore, and his roommate started going out with one of Carly’s best friends. They began seeing each other at parties, but nothing special happened until Jack was chaperoning a ski trip and asked Carly to help out. They went to Ottawa for a three-day trip and the rest is history.

The couple love jogging together, and on the first sunny Tuesday morning of July, Jack had Carly run to the field of their lower school to find the entire field covered with streamers spelling out the words “Will You Marry Me?” Then, she went to find her ring on the monkey bars surrounded by posters of the two of them over the years. Gush!

By May of the next year, all the wedding planning was done, and they were ready to get married. The wedding day was perfect: fun, relaxed, and beautiful. Carly made a stunning bride and Jack’s big smile showed just how much he loves his wife. They’re totally that adorable couple. We love adorable couples.

Mazel tov, Carly and Jack!

Venue – Temple Emanu-El
Catering – Northern Valley Caterers
Photographer – The Jason Groupp
Videographer – Seth David Cohen
Entertainment – Nafshenu
Flowers – Flowers on the River
Hair – Vanity & Mascara
Makeup – Tali Haddad

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You can now search for Real Weddings by state and then by couple. Click on Real Weddings in the navigation bar on top and look through all your favorites! Thank you to the awesome web team behind The Wedding Yentas!!

Real Weddings | Chicago, IL

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Alison in Real Jewish Weddings

Their names may not be Sandy and Danny, but they could probably tell you that their summer days drifted away, but oh! those summer nights! Lauren and Todd met in the summer of 2000 at overnight camp where they were counselors. They had both been campers several years before their summer of love, but they somehow never crossed paths.

After that summer, Todd started his freshman year at the University of Illinois and Lauren was in her senior year of high school. The following year she went to Indiana University, and they spent the next four years in a long-distance relationship. Despite those tough four years, they made it through and have been together ever since. Todd proposed to Lauren eight years later at the very place they met when they were visiting camp with friends. Talk about a kumbaya moment!

Lauren and Todd were married at the Ivy Room in Chicago on August 9, 2009. Their sweet story was told through sweet touches at the wedding. Our favorite was their wedding favors! Todd’s grandma’s famous fudge cookies were placed in little boxes for guests to take with them at the end of the night. Grandma made almost 400 cookies and it was literally a labor of love.

Mazel tov, Lauren and Todd!

Venue – The Ivy Room
Photographer – Amanda Hein
Caterer- Levy Events Catering
Florist – Bloom City Flowers
Entertainment – David Rothstein Music
Wedding Dress – Wtoo
Shoes – Nina
Bridesmaids Dresses – Two Birds Bridesmaid
Ketubah – MP Artworks

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Real Weddings | Liverpool, UK

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Alison in Real Jewish Weddings

When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. Ben and Victoria met when they were teenagers through the same youth group. As it occurs in most love stories, the two lost touch until four years ago when they went to synagogue for a Jewish festival, started chatting, and the spark was relit… then smoked, sizzled, and flamed. It was true love like a fairytale… or a Shakespeare comedy minus the cross dressing (the Bard did love the gender swap trick)… or, as the mop-headed Fab Four said, “all you need is love.” This was the British invasion… of loooooove.

Ben surprised Victoria with a weekend in Bath (for you non-Englanders, Ben surprised Victoria with a weekend in the charming hot springs town, not a visit with Rubber Ducky). He whisked her away to be pampered at an outdoor rooftop spa, with a beautiful moon shining above them. The other shining thing? Ben’s grandma’s wedding ring in his pocket. In his swim trunks! So Ben’s a romantic, and a risk taker! Eventually, he stunned Victoria with the ring and proposed.

This bring us to enjoying Victoria and Ben’s romantic Real Wedding. The traditional Jewish ceremony honored their families, faith, and values. The reception was festive and glamorous, but that’s what you get when you party in a neo-classical building that was built for the purpose of providing the people of Liverpool a venue at which to attend concerts and festivals. Victoria and Ben never wiped the smiles off their faces and it’s very clear that their wedding day was, indeed, pure satisfaction.

Mazel tov, Victoria and Ben!

Ceremony Venue – Princes Road Synagogue
Reception Venue – Liverpool at St George’s Hall
Photographer – Segerius Bruce Photography
Catering – Marco’s Catering
Floral Design – Fishlocks
Entertainment – Creation
Wedding Gown – Maggie Soterro
Hair – Amy Goodman
Makeup – Charlotte Carter

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Real Weddings | Phoenix, AZ

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Alison in Real Jewish Weddings

We love when a couple expresses themselves through their wedding details. There’s no better to way to personalize the best day of your life! Including favorite colors, hobbies, foods, or even experiences guarantees that the wedding belongs to the bride and groom and the guests feel like they’ve learned a little something along the way, too.

Katie and Justin’s wedding colors were inspired by their vintage baby blue bicycle and a yellow floral arrangement. Due to the Sunday morning wedding, Katie and Justin’s concept for the wedding was a charming garden party. Men wore sport coats; women wore sun dresses. They used vintage accents whenever possible, like mason jars as glasses, eclectic second-hand silverware, and lace napkin rings. Katie and Justin named the tables after different bicycles. The kids table even had a special name — training wheels! Cute! This theme made Katie and Justin’s old blue cruiser (aka Big Blue) a welcome addition to the decor.

The intimate wedding was created on a budget! It can be achieved! Katie and Justin’s biggest challenge was the expense of having a wedding during an economic recession. A tight budget meant attention to detail. They purchased a cake for $70 from a local restaurant that they decorated with extra flowers (for free) from the florist. Katie’s dress was chosen based on the minimal amount of alterations necessary. They purchased, not rented, their silverware from Goodwill for a total of 35 sets for almost $10. Katie and Justin now have a mixture of “vintage” silverware that can be used for parties or family get-togethers in the future. The groom’s attire was also carefully planned and purchased, not rented, so it could be worn again.

Jewish traditions. Garden chic. Personal details. Tight budget. Katie and Justin specifically chose these elements and succeeded in planning the wedding of their dreams.

Mazel tov Katie and Justin!

Venue – Private Residence, Arizona
Photographer – Simply Knot Photography
Florist – Petal Pusher
Wedding Dress – Venus Bridals
Bakery – Le Grande Orange Cafe
Rentals – Y-Knot Party Rentals

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Real Weddings | Beverly Hills, CA

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Alison in Real Jewish Weddings

The mother of the bride and the mother of the groom are patting themselves on the back for this Real Wedding! Jason’s mom and Runya’s mom went to high school together and kept in touch over the years. Runya’s mom would send Jason’s family yearly holiday cards which had photos of her along with her family, hoping to catch his eye and to perhaps make a nice Jewish match (download the Fiddler on the Roof song on your iPod!).

Jason and Runya were at USC at the same time, both with significant others, and except of a few close calls, they never crossed paths on campus. In 2004, just four years after Runya graduated (five years for Jason), she and Jason finally connected through a mutual friend. Soon, Jason and Runya were inseparable! Just a few years later, at Casa Del Mar Hotel in Santa Monica, Jason orchestrated a special marriage proposal which culminated with a surprise…a lobby packed with all their family and friends to help them celebrate their engagement!

Runya and Jason created a ceremony that not only encompassed Jewish tradition but also included their love of music, humor and family heirlooms. Rabbi Miller who officiated at their wedding was the same Rabbi who married Runya’s parents, who blessed Runya as a baby as she was given her Hebrew name, and was a part of her Bat Mitzvah. Under the chuppah they were wrapped in Runya’s maternal grandpa’s tallit, and they knew he was smiling down on them. Jason’s maternal grandpa gave them special kiddish cups to use at the ceremony and to help them start a new tradition and pass them down from generation to generation. The couple was also grateful to have Runya’s very close friend and sorority big sister, who moonlights as a cantor, sing the beautiful blessings.

The bride girlishly giggled her way through the ceremony, and the groom’s smile warmed the already-beautiful spring evening. Then, 300-something close family and friends began celebrating! The damask cupcake tower stood tall as the guests entered the ballroom, and the dancing never stopped which was exactly what the bride and groom wanted! Runya was having such a fabulous time out on the dance floor that at the stroke of midnight, she forgot that she was still wearing her 4-inch Stewart Weitzman heels — 10 hours in heels, oy vey!!

Mazel tov, Runya and Jason!

Venue and Catering – Beverly Hills Hotel
Wedding Coordination and Design – Ariel Yve Design
Photography – Dahl Photographers
Flowers – Fiore Designs
Wedding Gown – Kenneth Pool
Veil Designer and Bridal Salon – R-Mine Bridal
Lighting – Barker Décor Services
Cupcakes – Vanilla Bakeshop
Videography – James Reid, Manifest Media
Reception Entertainment – West Coast Music
Ceremony and Cocktail Entertainment – Keith Chagall
Bridal Party’s Makeup – Latoya Daniels
Bride’s Makeup – Michele Stewart
Hair – Vicky Garcia
Bridesmaids Gowns – Vera Wang and Badgley Mischka
Groom’s Tuxedo – Hickey Freeman
Groomsmen Tuxedos – Men’s Wearhouse
Honeymoon – Grand Wailea, Maui and Princess Mediterranean Cruise