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

If the shoe fits, you must a-clip

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Alison in Featured, Inside Scoop

After last week’s post about wedding shoes, I got on a shoe kick and started to look up creative and cost-effective ways to be fashionable on the wedding day. Sometimes you may already have the perfect pair of shoes in your closet that are comfortably broken-in, but may need a little spruce up for the special day. Some wedding bloggers get excited about cakes or dresses or flowers. I like to dress up the feet. So shoe me. Er, sue me.

Shoe clips from Emmaline Bride change the entire look of a shoe you may already own. These unique accessories are easy to attach to the shoe, adding a splash of color or texture depending on your personal style.

Buying new shoes for the wedding day could cost you hundreds of dollars depending on the designer and style you select. If you have a pair of shoes you already like and feel comfortable dancing and standing around in, then you can wear those and no one will even know that they’re not brand-spankin’ new. Plus, if you are wearing a long dress, the main body of the shoes won’t even show. However, your tootsies would look so caaah-ute with the little poof of color peeking out under the dress.

We love that even after the wedding day, you can rewear the clips on other pairs of shoes and you’ll enjoy nice memories every time you see them.

Chelsea Clinton + Marc Mezvinsky

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Alison in Inside Scoop, Real Jewish Weddings

It’s been a little over a week since the biggest wedding of the summer happened for Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky. The Rhinebeck, N.Y. affair appears to have been a beautiful and private wedding that allowed the bride and groom to shine on their special day.

It’s refreshing to see that the day was about them and not her father’s fame or inner circle. However, it was no tiny occasion either. About 400 people came to see Chelsea and Marc get married in a picture-perfect interfaith ceremony. Marc is Jewish so the wedding included some of our favorite traditions as detailed in the photos.

Chelsea, who is now 30, wore a gown by Vera Wang who also happens to be a friend of the family. The strapless ivory silk gown had intricate beading at the waist. Millie Martini Bratten, editor-in-chief of Brides magazine said, “She looked very much a modern princess in 2010 … simple and chic and modern.”

Venue – Astor Courts Mansion, Rhinebeck NY
Photographer – de Manio Photography
Floral Design – Winston Flowers and Jeff Leatham
Dress – Vera Wang
Coordinator – Brian Rafanelli
Mother of Bride Dress – Oscar de la Renta
Tuxedo – Christopher Bailey for Burberry
Rabbi – James Ponet
Gluten Free Wedding Cake – La Tulipe Dessert

What a stunning and breath-taking moment! Chelsea’s long, flowing veil and picture-perfect Vera Wang gown give her the ultimate bridal look. She has since grown up to become a strong and beautiful woman, and linked to the arm of her father on her wedding day reminds us of her special relationship and childhood in the White House.

Chelsea is one happy bride! We love Mark and Chelsea’s simple and beautiful ketubah, neatly framed and on display at the ceremony. While wrapped in his tallit, he looks at his bride adoringly and girls across America melt! We can’t help but notice how tightly and excitedly they hold hands. Random piece of Yentas advice #273: Make like “Titanic” and never let go. No, really! Try at all times to be near your partner; hold hands; touch shoulders. This is the most special day you two will experience together and little squeezes and hand holds throughout the day literally bring you closer.

Bliss! And wow! Here’s our chance to check out that amazing detail on that Vera Wang number. The rouched bodice with the beaded waistline fits Chelsea like a glove. She obviously had the fortune of having “people” but for those of us who are not daughters of United States presidents, we don’t get to have “people” so it’s important to understand what works with your body and your style. A narrow waistline like Chelsea’s is perfect for the beaded band. The strapless dress complements her gorgeous neckline and shoulders. The A-line frame of the skirt hits all the right points, complementing her figure in ever way. High 5, Mrs. Mezvinksy.

Hey, we know those people! They look great, too! Taking time for family photos is a must. Make sure you go over your timeline with your photographer so that you make sure you get the combination you want in the kind of light that the photographer wants. Many times, we see wedding days run late and when the newlyweds get their images back, they’re disappointed that they missed a few. If you’re having a cocktail hour, make sure that your family members who will be photographed are aware of where they need to be for pictures. Looks like mother and father of the bride got the memo!

Hillary’s take on the mother of the bride dress is a standout! Her dark-to-light fuchsia gown is perfectly seasonal for her daughter’s summer, beach town wedding. Hillary’s hairstyle is sleek and formal while still looking like herself. Sometimes, people take special occasions like weddings to change their whole look, but we believe that those kinds of changes should be reserved for Halloween. Weddings and other formal affairs are times to look like the best version of yourself, not change your look completely. It looks like everyone was styled just right!

So You Think You Can Yenta

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Alison in Featured, Inside Scoop

If you’re anything like us, you looooooove looking at pictures of Real Weddings! And if you’re a recent-ish bride or wedding vendor, you want to be part of an installment of Real Weddings! And we want you, too! It’s really a match made in Yenta heaven. Let’s face it. We all have an addiction and a right to enjoy some guilty pleasures. Get your head outa the gutter! We’re talking about dresses, and flowers, and centerpieces, oh my!

If you get twitches and jitters about how complicated it must be or that it takes soooooooo long, stop it right now! Stop it, we say! It’s easy as pie (why is pie easy? Who thought of that cliche? It’s horrible!). Today we’re give you a step-by-step guide for submitting your Real Wedding!

1. Go through your images. Select about 15 to 20 of your favorite hi-res photos and make sure to include key moments and details! Remember, The Wedding Yentas is a Guide for the Jewish Bride, so you’ll want to include traditional details like the chuppah, walking down the aisle with parents, drinking from kiddush cups, a tallit, breaking the glass, the hora, and chair lifts. You don’t have to include all of these; we’re just giving you ideas! Also, you can’t forget wedding eye candy: the details shots. Brides want to see escort cards, place settings, aisle decor, and programs. Sending key moments from the wedding day like getting ready, first looks, the ceremony, and gettin’ down on the dance floor are important as well. Remember: these have to be hi-res, professional photos so you can’t go clicking through your Facebook or iPhone albums for pictures. Only the best for Yentas readers!

2. Once you’ve selected your photographs, next you prep them for the site. We have created a Photoshop action that resizes the images and gets them all ready to be showcased.

The Photoshop download can be found at:
/yentas/wedding_yentas.zip

What if the idea of using Photoshop gives you the willies similiar to when you think about the Passover plagues? No fear! The Internet has provided us with other options. You can send us your wedding images as a .zip file (this may require 2-3 emails since the folders can get very big even as .zip files), or use the wonderful options out there such as Dropbox.com or YouSendit.com. These sites allow you to upload photos, enter our email address (info@theweddingyentas.com) and the files are sent right over so we can upload them!

3. Email us (info@theweddingyentas.com) with a complete list of vendors and links to their websites. We want to make sure we give your vendors team some Yentas love! Here’s a list of vendor types you may want to provide us:
Venue
Photographer
Videographer
Florist
Bakery
Band/DJ
Caterer
Bar
Coordinator
Makeup Artist
Hair Stylist
Ketubah
Bride’s Dress (store and designer)
Bridal Party Dresses
Groom’s Tuxedo
Shoes
Jewelry
Veil
Favors
Stationery (invitations, escort cards, table numbers)
Wedding Rings/Jeweler
Chuppah
Yarmulke Provider
Honeymoon Travel

You have no idea how much of a help this is! Any vendor that was part of your wedding — even down to bathroom rentals or wedding day insurance — should be sent to us! We like to link back to as many vendors as possible.

4. The last step in the process is emailing us (info@theweddingyentas.com) a story! We want to make sure our readers fall in love with you and your wedding! The photos you submit will be gorgeous, yes, but there’s often a great story about the couple that makes the gush even gushier! Consider a “how we met” story, the how/when/where of the proposal, or a funny and sweet anecdote from the wedding day. The story should be submitted in 3rd person (no “I” or “we” or “our”) and don’t worry about feeling pressured to make sure it’s English major-perfect (that’s our job!).

That’s it! We welcome brides, coordinators, photographers — anyone involved in a wedding! — to submit a feature for our Real Weddings posts. We showcase Real Weddings on Tuesdays and Thursdays and we’ll let you know if your submission has been prepared and scheduled for publication so you can brag, Tweet, blog, and Facebook all about your fame!

p.s. You can also submit a wedding via Two Bright Lights. What is Two Bright Lights you ask? TBL is an image sharing site that makes submitting weddings to a whole slew of editorial publications…including us very simple. Just click on the image below to be directed to the site and learn all about how to create an account, download weddings and submit them straight to The Wedding Yentas!

Winner Announced!

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Alison in Friday Favorites

Congratulations to JENI who has won a beautiful pearl bracelet for a special little girl in her life!! The pearl bracelet with an open Star of David is a great expression of Jewish heritage set in a timeless and classic style. Someone’s lucky wrist will enjoy this delicate piece of jewelry!

We are so grateful to Alef Bet by Paula for sponsoring this Friday Favorites sweepstakes. We think her jewelry is fun and unique with the perfect twist on fashionable Judaica.

Thank you to everyone who entered the sweepstakes! We always appreciate your support and hope you’ll continue to check back for more opportunities to win great products from our wonderful partners.

Mazel tov, Jeni!

Friday Favorites | Alef Bet Jewelry

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Alison in Friday Favorites

It’s Friday and on Fridays, we talk about our favorite things!

Supporting local, Jewish businesses is one of our favorite things and today we are gung-ho about Alef Bet by Paula! The Los Angeles-based jewelry company whose tagline is “Faith. Fashion. Forward.” is all about being fashionably Jewish in a modern world and we love that!

The Judaic-inspired pieces come from a mother-daughter team who use high-quality materials like sterling silver, freshwater pearls, and 14k gold.

Pieces from Alef Bet by Paula are perfect as gifts for family members, bridal party, and hey, even yourself! A simple Star of David or hamsa necklace is a wonderful gift that honors Jewish tradition and spirituality.

Have a younger sister or an adorable flower girl who deserves something sweet? Alef Bet has a wide selection of gifts for little ones, too!

Quality and fashion aside, the Alef Bet women are funny! They said it best: “No more wearing that huge Star of David pendant like your grandfather wore on the beach — these designs are sleek and contemporary.” Oy vey, we know just the guy they’re talking about, don’t we? Well, get that gold-buried-among-chest-hair visual out of your head and check out the many different jewelry options people of all ages can enjoy!

And because today’s Friday and our Wedding Yentas readers are the best, everyone wins: Use promo code A18 for $18 off your entire order ($36 minimum). That’s a wonderful way to honor our readers… and to life!

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
You could win the loveliest little freshwater pearl bracelet for a special young lady in your life! This bracelet is darling and will be a perfect accessory for a flower girl, favorite niece, little sister, angelic daughter… or even yourself if you have little wrists!

Enter to win! Just leave a comment below and share your favorite piece of jewelry from Alef Bet and the bracelet could be yours! And while you’re at it, shop around and use the promo code A18 — this is a total win-win! Deadline to enter is Sunday night at 11:59. Winner will be announced on Monday! Thank you, Alef Bet, for giving our readers a chance to rock the Judaic fashion! And that’s a sure bet!