Tag Archives: Jewish Weddings

Alissa and Rich’s Rustic Elegant Wedding

A country affair with handcrafted old Hollywood glamour

This stunning wedding at Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse, a two hundred-year-old farmhouse on an ostrich farm, 9 miles up a winding hill in Los Olivos, California, features incredible paper details, a glamorous handcrafted bridal look, and a surprise performance by Alissa and Rich! Alissa and her friends created so many special handcrafted elements for the wedding that she was inspired afterwards to start her own wedding business! Read on for more about this unique bride and groom and their incredible wedding day…

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Kate & Matt’s New England Fairy Tale Wedding

A Beautiful Boston affair overflowing with dramatic calla lilies

Kate and Matt’s Boston wedding was a picturesque, elegant event filled with understated touches of grand style. The traditional style was perfectly suited to the couple, who have known each other their entire lives. Their mothers have been great friends since college and got to see their children get married! With a muted palette of ivory, yellow and green, and incredible views of the city and harbor from the gorgeous State Room, this classically beautiful wedding was like a fairy tale! And it was captured exquisitely by East Coast and international shutterbug Laura Parent of Relive Photography.

Kate got a great deal on her incredible Carolina Herrera gown at Vows Bridal Outlet.

Gorgeous calla lilies were *everywhere*! From the bridal bouquets to the chuppah to the cake, florist Michelle Bernard did a fabulous job incorporating chic, modern, pretty arrangements into all parts of the wedding.

Bridesmaids dresses by Aria are dressed up with green sashes and vibrant bouquets of — what else? — calla lilies!

Stunning views of the Boston harbor and city are an incredible ceremony backdrop.

I love how Kate and Matt placed this elegant sign in front of the escort cards to let guests know that a donation was made in lieu of wedding favors. Kindness, elegance, and conservation — what could be better?

These centerpieces are modern and elegant, and the vases can easily be reused or donated.

The GORGEOUS wedding cake!

Thanks again to Kate, Matt, and Relive Photography for sharing these fantastic images with Recycled Bride!

Jason & Kisha’s Travel Themed Wedding

Jason and Kisha wanted to share their love for travel with family and friends, so they decided to marry in Costa Rica. In keeping with the travel themed wedding, they set the ambience for guests with engraved compasses, suitcases, maps and postcards. They also added details that captured the essence of Costa Rica, which was very special to them because they had taken their first trip together there.

“One of my favorite authors is Ernst Hemingway and I thought, what better theme to express who we are than a travel theme?” says Kisha. This is where she came up with the idea for integrating Hemingway into the ceremony and reception. The couple’s passion for travel spilled over into their honeymoon as well!

They split up their honeymoon into several mini-honeymoons to make the experience last longer. The week before the wedding, they relaxed in Costa Rica at the beautiful Four Seasons and following the wedding they traveled to Napa Valley for the week to experience the best of California’s wine country. A few months later, they spent time together at the Four Seasons Nevis and Singita Lodge in South Africa!

Enjoy the travels and the gorgeous photos by El Velo Photography!

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Kim & Adam’s Fabulous Multicultural Yacht Wedding

An extravagant affair at sea marries Vietnamese culture with Jewish tradition

The incredible photos below are by the uber-talented Table 4 weddings, and a few are by their second shooter, Kim Le of Kim Le Photography. And you absolutely must must must also watch this insanely creative video by Joe Simon of Joe Simon Productions. When the wedding video is elevated to art like this, it makes me terribly happy.

As the product of a multi-ethnic marriage, nothing warms my heart more than seeing a beautiful wedding that seamlessly blends and honors different cultural traditions — especially when it’s done in super-elegant style! For Adam and Kim of New York City, their dream wedding meant inviting 100 friends and family members to spend 3 days aboard the Seadream yacht, for a celebration that included a traditional tea ceremony, a ketubah (Jewish marriage contract) and a chuppah (Jewish wedding canopy), fireworks (!), lots of groovy tunes, great food, and FUN!

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Embarkation was followed by a casual, fun rehearsal dinner.

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The busy wedding weekend itinerary still left plenty of time for r&r…and champagne!

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Kim’s tea ceremony outfit is gorgeous!

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And finally, the big day arrives…

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The bride and groom each sign the ketubah before the wedding ceremony begins.

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The bride wore — what else? — a gorgeous Vera Wang.

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Cornflower blue and fuschia are bright and cheery against the ocean backdrop and elegant white of the Seadream.

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Oh-so-elegant reception table centerpieces use an assortment of glass vases to showcase single-variety bouquets. The cornflower blue and fuschia color scheme works as well indoors as out.

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Elegant food is presented with a flourish — check out the video above for the wait staff’s synchronized unveiling of the entrees!

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Many thanks to Table 4 and Kim Le for sharing these amazing photos!! We love your work and look forward to seeing more of it!

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Katie & Justin’s Beautiful Backyard DIY Wedding

Dazzling DIY details make for a gorgeous garden party on a budget

Katie and Justin’s wedding, which they hosted in the backyard of their own home, was all about love, personality, and…bikes! Their wedding theme was based on the classic bicycles they love, and they used fun bicycle iconography to create table names, wedding favors, and uniquely whimsical decor. Photographed by Simply Knot Photography (who are currently hosting this awesome wedding photography giveaway), this sweet and stylish homemade celebration will warm your heart.

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Katie wore brilliant yellow linen flats, perfect for walking on grass, dancing, and matching the wedding’s bright yellow color scheme. Wedding favors were homemade mix CDs of the couple’s favorite music.

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Justin built the chuppah (a traditional Jewish wedding canopy) himself. A groom DIY project — how sweet!

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Recycled mason jars for drinks cut down on waste and look vintage chic.

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Every table was named after a type of bicycle. The children’s table was even called “Training Wheels”!

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The red velvet cake came from one of the couple’s favorite restaurants, and was the hit of the party.

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A Jeapordy-like game entertained guests, with Katie and Justin as MCs! Guests were encouraged to leave cards and keepsake notes on a ribbon display.

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Thanks so much to Simply Knot Photography for sharing these fabulous photos with us!

Dana & Michael’s Bright & Beautiful Winery Wedding

Eco-friendly details and sunny simplicity at a romantic vineyard wedding

According to uber-talented photographer Laura Grier of Beautiful Day Photography, Dana and Michael were one of the most relaxed and happy couples she’s ever worked with. And their sunny, laid-back attitude is reflected in every pretty detail of their green wedding at Ponte Winery in Temecula, California. This adorable duo worked in everything from eco-friendly florals to cool, non-matchy-matchy bridal party attire. The overall look is colorful, comfortable, and infused with the kind of joy and warmth that makes a wedding truly memorable.

{*What’s Wedding Porn Wednesday?}

The biblical text on their programs reads, “I have found the one in whom my soul delights.” *Sigh*

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The color! The texture!! We don’t know who made Dana’s incredible wedding dress, but based on the lace and beadwork, I’m guessing that it’s vintage or antique. If anybody can provide a clue, please share in the comments below!

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The boys look like they’re having a blast getting ready. (It’s easy to drink beer and go swimming when there’s no hair and makeup to contend with!)

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Beautiful bride!! Dana’s smile is infectious. It makes me smile right back at her.

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Oh, the simple beauty of getting married at a vineyard! With luscious violet grapes and greenery like this, the ceremony site needs no extra embellishment. Elegant wooden chairs, a simple chuppah, and breathtaking scenery are sweet perfection. Also, you can bet that the wine was good…and plentiful.

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Boutonnieres are made of sustainable succulent plants, along with potted succulents with limes and a stunning bridesmaid’s bouquet of fuschia tulips. This green wedding uses a variety of blooms, and is a great example of how you can reduce your impact and incorporate whatever your “dream flowers” are by mixing them with more Earth-friendly options.

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Mix n’ match bridesmaids dresses in vibrant, rich colors are complemented by an array of monochrome bouquets. Below, buckets of parasols shield guests from the summer sun.

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These eco centerpieces incorporate sustainable orchid plants and succulents. Notice how they’re displayed right in their planters, ready to be taken home and cared for by the bride and groom or their guests. Perfection!

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The best part of a Jewish wedding is the chairs!! Even the most staid guests whoop and holler in delight as the bride, groom, and their families are lifted over the crowd. Such fun!

May thanks to Beautiful Day Photography, and to Dana and Michael, for sharing these vibrant, joyous photos with us!

Joanna & Hebert’s Artful Museum Wedding

The Detroit Institute of Arts is a chic modern backdrop for an inspired affair

All I can say about this week’s wedding is thank you, thank you, thank you to photographer Jessica Johnston for sharing these breathtaking images. Joanna and Hebert had the very first wedding ever at the Detroit Institute of Arts, which houses an incredible collection of moden and contemporary art. The ceremony and reception are a lavish, elegant affair punctuated by sophisticated, artsy touches.

A little-known secret around here is that I was an artist for ten years before starting Recycled Media. So this wedding is like one of my crazy abstract dreams, where there’s incredible art and pretty wedding stuff and it’s all jumbled up into one great big ball of wonderful.

{*What’s Wedding Porn Wednesday?}

Joanna’s Ines di Santo wedding dress is spectacular. It has a luxurious detachable train with rosettes that provides mega-drama for photos and walking down the aisle. Once the train is removed, the dress transforms from a majestic ballgown into a chic, sexy, boogie-the-night-away kind of dress.

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Girlfriend has got style. Seriously.

I find it awe-inspiring that this couple got to share their big day with historically significant works of art. Here, Joanna and Hebert kiss in front of an iconic painting by one of my favorite artists, Alex Katz.

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Here, they’re just chillin’ in front of a Kehinde Wiley. Wiley paints masterful portraits of urban African-American men in grand, majestic scenes inspired by historic works of art. {At my wedding we took pictures in the hotel lobby.}

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