{Real Jewish Weddings} Jersey City, NJ

From the Bride, Lauren: Andy & I decided to get married in our hometown of Jersey City, on the banks of the Hudson River, across from lower Manhattan. We held the ceremony in the observation tower of the Liberty Science Center, which happens to be in walking distance of our 1885 brownstone. The private penthouse, enclosed in a pyramid of glass, sports breathtaking panoramic views of Liberty State Park, Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. And since the sky is visible through the glass ceiling, the venue was perfectly suited for the traditional Jewish wedding we were planning.

There was never a question in our minds as to the location of the reception. Andy owns one of Jersey City’s top restaurants, Satis Bistro, in the historic Paulus Hook neighborhood. Satis was our original date place and has become our home away from home. We couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate our marriage and share our passion for great food.

We were extremely pleased with our talented florist and cake decorator who furthered our vision of simple elegance with a touch of playfulness. We opted for an untraditional cake design which told the story of our long-distance relationship, between Boston and New Jersey. The cake was a stack of old-school suitcases and satchels with badges indicating the places we had spent time together while dating. It was topped with bride and groom sculptures. We also included sculptures of our stuffed animals, aka, our kids: Shrek and Green Monkey. You know you’ve found the perfect match when the most random things in your lives are in sync. In our case, our dolls both happened to be green.

Mazel tov, Lauren and Andy!