The Wedding Yentas™ | A Guide for the Jewish Bride!™

Trophy Wife

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Alison in Inside Scoop

Don’t let your maid of honor commit grand theft bouquet.

Chances are, you’ll need your hands free during your wedding ceremony, what with all the circling and drinking and kissing. There’s a lot to accomplish under that chuppah and you’ve got to chop-chop; there are hors d’œuvres and an open bar that your guests are ready to inhale and there’s no time to juggle a bouquet and all the wedding ceremony props. Your maid of honor is there to support you when you need a touch-up on the lips, an assistant on the toilet, or a smile when you’re stressed. She’s also there to do the fluffety-fluff of your dress under the chuppah and hold your bouquet while you’re taking care of ceremony business. And a good maid of honor, whether it’s your best friend, sister, or faaaaabulous ex-boyfriend will also give your bouquet back!

In all the excitement of the glass and the kiss, don’t forget to take your bouquet and march down the aisle with your new husband. Your bouquet is your trophy that indicates wedding victory! It screams “just married!” (high decibel squeals and all) and makes for some fantastic photos. You paid a lot of money for that bundle of beautiful blooms and once the reception starts, you won’t be holding on to it much. So as you take your first steps as a Mrs., carry your bouquet with you and smile: you’re married!

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Real Weddings | Baltimore, MD

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Alison in Real Jewish Weddings

Their prescription for love could have been written much sooner in life, but it wasn’t doctor’s orders to meet yet. Even though Randi and Ari grew up in the same town, they didn’t connect until the first year of medical school during orientation. He had Randi’s email from a mutual friend and sent her a message to introduce himself because, you know, it’s always good to have friends at med school. Throughout the mixers and meetings of orientation, Randi recognized his Ari’s name on his tag and broke the ice, making conversation that would forever change their lives. From then, they became best friends, and spent most of their days together whether it was attending classes, studying, cooking dinners, or going out to let off med school steam. The two were inseparable, but it wasn’t until the end of the first year that they started dating. As any good doctor in training knows, the heart beats for love and these two had on-the-job training. Planning a wedding and surviving medical school make this one powerful couple. Now they are in residency together at the same hospital and they’re love sick for the rest of their lives!

Mazel tov, Randi and Ari!

Venue and Catering – Tremont Grand
Coordination – Lauren Thurston
Photographer – Bob Blanken
Videographer – In Motion Video
Floral – Divine Designs and Events
Hair and makeup – Studio 921 Salon
Entertainment – Round Midnight
Ketubah – TheKetubah.com-Stephanie Caplan
Bridal boutique – Betsy Robinson Bridal
Wedding gown – Watters and Watters
Grooms tux – Calvin Klein

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It’s In The Cards

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Alison in Inside Scoop, Planning

Let’s face it. When guests come to a Jewish wedding, they are ready to eat! Present them with the exciting experience of finding out where they’ll be eating through creative, personable, and colorful touches that are extensions of you as a couple! The escort card — the personalized memo to a guest that informs him or her of the table assignment — is a perfect opportunity to express yourself in your wedding day. When you have fun with escort cards, you’re escorting your guests into a feast of fun.

Fruitilicious:
Summer or spring wedding? Crisp, bright colors? Are you two just known for downright healthy eating? Stick a label in a piece of fruit and ta da! Life, breathed into an escort card.
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It’s Easy Being Green:
If you are planning a green wedding or looking for a way to plant a little nature into your day, mow your escort cards into a patch of grass for a very unique display!
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Tag! You’re It!
If you’ve planned a destination wedding or if you’re known for jet-setting habits, an escort card that serves as a party favor luggage tag is an excellent way to personalize your seating arrangements. Practical, informational, and thematic: now that’s a successful take off!
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Life’s A Beach:
Beach-themed weddings are popular because they’re awesome. Playing with a color scheme of blues and greens, holding tropical flowers, and even offering a signature drink that’s basically Hawaii in a cup are all great ideas for executing beach weddings. But what about the escort card? Shells! Starfish! Coral! Bring the beach to your guests and to their tables and they’ll be ready to go on your honeymoon with you. Okay, on second thought…
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Let’s Hang Out:
If you’re into the shabby chic or whimsical styles, you’ll love this cute idea! Hanging your escort cards on a line with colorful clothespins looks Martha-tastic and provides the ultimate DIY wedding look. This display works great for garden or private home wedding receptions.
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Put A Cork In It:
If you’re having a vineyard wedding or you just like to drink a lot of wine (don’t worry, we don’t judge you for that!), collect corks, slice some slits, and place your escort cards inside. This gives the card a little height in addition to creating a theme. Go the extra step and use corks that come from your favorite bottle of wine. And then stock up on ibuprofen and lots of water. Happy escort carding!
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Let Them Eat… ?
Are you providing your guests an entree choice? Let the wait staff know who’s eating what with adorable decals on the escort cards. When guests pick up their cards and bring them to their tables, the wait staff will know who signed up to eat what when they see a graphical representation of what should be on their plates. A picture is worth a thousand words… and full bellies.
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Keeping Up With the Friday Favorites

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Alison in Friday Favorites, Planning

Nothing gives us a bigger laugh than watching funny Hava Nagila videos on YouTube. Geeky, yes, but there are so many ridiculous versions online, so if you need a chill pill and haven’t refilled your Xanax, let the glory of the Internet guide you to your happy place.

This particular Hava Nagila is from one of the greatest in a category I like to call “Jewishy movies” where Jewish icons fill the screen and Yiddish plays on words are abundant in the script. Keeping Up With The Steins stars everyone’s favorite HBO foul-mouthed and steaming-tempered Hollywood agent, Ari Gold, who’s so good at playing Ari Gold that we don’t even care to call him by his real name (Jeremy Piven). Guess what? He basically plays Ari Gold’s twin brother in Keeping Up With The Steins so naturally, Jewishy, Hollywood hilarity ensues. Now, the story revolves around planning a boy’s Bar Mitzvah and, yes, we know, we are a wedding planning site, but let’s face it: except for the pubescent boy and a Torah and a potential gift of a Mont Blanc pen, planning a Bar Mitzvah and planning a wedding are similar experiences (okay, and it’s possible you might even receive a Mont Blanc pen for your wedding). In this day and age, it seems like weddings get bigger and fancier and everyone’s got to have the newest, trendiest feature (last year was definitely The Year of the Photobooth, and it’s going strong… which we LOVE! Yentalicious!!).

So, to honor the biggest and the best, we present to you a Hava Nagila sung by one of the biggest and the best, not only in music, but in The Tribe.

Enjoy and happy Friday!

Real Weddings | Mitchellville, MD

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Alison in Real Jewish Weddings

It was a warm Saturday afternoon in the fall of 2003 and the smell of beer and grilled hot dogs wafted through the air the University of Maryland’s football tailgating season. Emily’s good friend, Michelle, had invited her to pre-game with Eric and his friends. It was then that the two were first introduced. A few weeks later, Emily and Eric found themselves sitting next to each other at the Midnight Madness basketball game. From there, it was a slam dunk.

Emily and Eric combined many special touches on their wedding day. Eric is Jewish and Emily is Catholic, so the couple was married in an interfaith ceremony integrating both religions by having a Jewish cantor and a priest. They included several traditional elements from both religions in the ceremony. Emily and Eric’s program clearly explained the different rituals to guests (chuppah, kiddush cups, ketubah, breaking of the glass, sign of peace, unity candle, etc). They mixed some cultural elements into the reception, too, drawing from Jewish and Italian backgrounds. The newlyweds and their guests danced the festive Hora and chair lift and also a slow-to-quick speed Tarantella. To honor their current lives, the bride and groom ordered cookies from a Baltimore bakery to serve a combination of both Italian and Jewish cookies. Also, Emily cleverly made up specialty signs for the cookie display and bar using Hebrew and Italian sayings like “Salute!” and “L’chaim!” Fun! Cheers!

Mazel tov, Emily and Eric!

Venue – Newton White Mansion
Catering – Caribbean Caterers
Day-Of Coordinator – Tina’s Creative Touch
Photographers – Borrowed Blue
Cantor – Ellie Shaffer
Ceremony Entertainment – String Poets
Flowers – Homestead Florals
Hair and Makeup – Updos for I Dos
Cake – Occasional Cakes
Cookies – Piedigrotta Bakery
Invitations, Favors, Programs and Place cards – LizArts Designs