Is this #chuppahgoals, or is this #chuppahgoals? Yep, we’re totally obsessed with the luxe, glam Jewish wedding of Heather, a dermatology resident, and Alex, lawyer who specializes in litigation defense. These two made the wise decision to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Best Bride to bring their divergent tastes and traditions – the Ashkenazi bride wanted enchanted garden vibes, while the Persian groom preferred to keep everything white and sophisticated – together into one seamlessly perfect day.
This incredible chuppah – featuring abundant white flowers and lush greenery – was the stunning compromise Leora, founder of Best Bride, helped the pair settle on. Don’t miss the gorgeous photos from Katie Beverley! And Leora’s also a master when it comes to combining different backgrounds, so needless to say the cross-cultural elements of the wedding went without a hitch.
We also love that these two put as much thought into the spiritual side of their wedding as they did to the aesthetics. Heather was especially moved by the idea of a Jewish bride serving as a source of blessing on her wedding day, and decided she wanted to pray for as many people as she could on the day – so she shared a Google doc on Facebook and let her friends submit prayer requests for anything, anonymously. Such a smart idea! We’re equally obsessed with Heather and Alex’s gorgeous papercut ketubah by Enya Keshet, which they purchased through Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com.
Now over to the bride, who looked simply ravishing in beloved Israeli designer Berta gown…
How we met
Heather, the bride : I moved from the East coast to Los Angeles in the summer after my third year of medical school to pursue a dermatology research year at USC. I thought that making a Hinge dating ap profile could be a good way to meet people in general. Alex was my first date in Los Angeles! The rest is history.
VENUE
We got married in the Millenium Biltmore in downtown Los Angeles. I am originally from New Jersey and Alex is originally from Los Angeles. I always dreamt of having a destination wedding, so it worked out perfectly having it in Los Angeles. We appreciated the historic glamour of the hotel, which made it a unique setting. We also appreciated the high ceilings in the reception room, as we felt this would make it feel like there was ample room for our 350+ guests.
THEME
Alex was raised Persian / Sephardic, and I am Ashkenaz. I wanted elements of both our cultural customs to be incorporated into the wedding. I specifically chose Leora of Best Bride to plan our wedding because I knew Leora has experience working with individuals from various cultures and could tell Leora understood and would uphold our vision.
INVITATION
We ended up doing solely a paperless post invitation. We both were extremely busy and did not have time to keep track of 700+ paper invitations. It was better for our sanity, the environment, and cut costs.
HAIR + MAKE-UP
I had more trials than I can count, and decided to use Samira Eid of Cristophe Salon in Beverly Hills for my hair because she did a beautiful job on my cousin’s bridal hair. She was on top of everything and ensured my extensions were washed and highlighted to match my hair, as well. She came to venue to style me and even trimmed some of my face framing layers to ensure it looked perfect the morning of!
DRESS
I absolutely love my Berta gown! I love Israeli designers and was looking for a long sleeve contoured gown that was modest in honor of Jewish tradition, yet sexy.
I tried on multiple gowns and I was torn between two. I bought one Berta gown at first, and after multiple tailoring sessions, realized it didn’t do me justice, so I called up the store and asked if they still had the other gown available and fortunately they did!
ACCESSORIES
My Jewelry was all custom made by Vivat & Co in Los Angeles. I sat with the owner and designer, Alon Vivat and he hand drew out my vision. I wanted elegant chandelier earrings with a matching necklace similar to an antique one my mother in law owned in Iran, which I admired. It was incredibly exciting seeing my dream jewelry come to life!
I had a really hard time finding a tiara that made a statement, but was not over the top. I looked in various stores and even ordered one online that was too heavy. I saw my friend from high school’s wedding photos and loved her tiara. When I asked where she got it, she said she actually borrowed it from another friend! That other friend generously loaned it to me as well.
SHOES
I wanted my shoes to be extremely glamourous and entirely bedazzled in gemstones to match the overall wedding theme of sophisticated glam. I found open toe heels that were just that!
THE HANDSOME GROOM
Alex bought velvet Ferragamo loafers from the namesake store months in advance, but did not buy a tux until the month before the wedding! It was a custom navy tuxedo with notch lapel.
BRIDESMAIDS
I also always loved the idea of being surrounded by those closest to me while getting ready for the wedding. I ensured I blessed each of my bridesmaids while we were getting ready in the suite.
I loved how my bridesmaids wore matching robes, and we had group shots as well as induvial shots of each bridesmaid with me, so I could remember those special moments.
I had all my bridesmaids wear sequined rose gold gowns. I felt the metallic sequins would enhance the glam vibe in pictures and go well with the overall theme. Our respective mothers and sisters wore yellow gold sequin gowns so they could stand apart from the nine bridesmaids.
CHUPPAH
I wanted an enchanted garden themed wedding, but Alex wanted everything white and sophisticated. We came to a compromise on the Chuppah by having all white flowers with some greenery. It was actually modeled after the arch in MJ Javid’s wedding, which was also planned by Leora of Best Bride. Leora enhanced the garden feel by placing some extra greenery and white florals at the entrance of and along the wedding aisle.
Alex and I really wanted a confetti bomb after Alex broke the glass to capture the essence of excitement, but the Biltmore did not allow it. Instead, Leora suggested sparklers at the chuppah and on the stage in the reception room, which was a brilliant idea because they photographed beautifully!
I felt strongly about having white carpet and dance floor laid in the reception space to make the space feel larger, more ethereal, and create a blank canvas for the mirrored and crystal tables.
I strongly value Jewish traditional components of a wedding including the ketubah signing, bedeken, and ceremony and wanted elements of Jewish tradition incorporated into the reception as well.
KETUBAH
For the Ketubah, we ordered the Luna Love papercut sandweave design by Enya Keshet and had it personalized via ketubah.com. In Persian tradition, both the bride and groom, their families, and members of the wedding party are present at the ketubah signing, so we started with that.
BEDEKEN
I then proceeded to sit on the bedeken sofa in the cocktail room and gave blessings to my guests as they came to greet and sit beside me. It was really moving because most of my guests were not familiar with the bedeken custom, but commented how special they felt to be receiving blessings from the bride!
Eli’s band led Alex and his groomsmen to me with an entire trumpet procession as Alex came to veil me at the bedeken, which created excitement and set a spiritual tone for the ceremony.
Then Eli Buzaglo of Eli’s band sang Shir laamalot live as everyone was seated in the ceremony room to further enhance the spiritual feeling of the moment. I had friends from various backgrounds who told me that song alone made them tear up.
In Persian culture, the bridesmaids and groomsmen and groom dance down the aisle to upbeat music. We maintained the Jewish traditional component by using upbeat Hebrew music. The bridal party danced down the aisle to “C’est La Vie” and “Feel the Magic” by Kobi Peretz. Alex danced down to “Sasson v Simcha” by Eli Zion. I walked down to Eli Buzaglo singing “Od Ishama” to the tune of Josh Groban’s “You lift me up”.
It was imperative to both Alex and me to have a Rabbi that could capture the spiritual essence, while being extremely entertaining. We, therefore, opted for Mendel Simons of Young Jewish Professionals Los Angeles to serve as our Rabbi. He set a tone of spirituality through his deeper explanations of the rituals and live singing of all the blessings, while cracking a lot of jokes and taking a chuppah selfie with us mid ceremony!
The ceremony was hands down my favorite moment of the wedding that I will remember forever. It’s really easy to get caught up in the small details, and small stressors, but standing with Alex under the beautiful chuppah surrounded by family and friends feeling so complete reminded me of what really matters.
OUR MUSIC CHOICE
Our first dance was Jason Mraz ft Colbie Caillat “Lucky” because Alex and I always tell one another how we’re each other’s best friend. Also, because we knew that I would be moving across the country from him less than a later to pursue my residency, and the song is befitting for a long distance romance.
FLOWERS
Butterfly Floral did a beautiful job bringing our vision to life. Alex wanted everything white and sophisticated so we had all white blooms in the reception with various sized candles and votives as well as candelabras flanked by white floral bouquets.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Our photographer was Katie Beverley. Her sweet personality and skill at capturing the essence of a moment made me opt for her.
FOOD
Our Kosher Table did our delicious catering. It was important to us to have a delicious and diverse food selection with an elegant presentation. My only regret is that I had no appetite to eat anything on my wedding day, but I heard it was delicious!
ENTERTAINMENT
Eli’s band is inarguably the best wedding band. We even changed our original wedding date venue booking, in part, because we wanted to ensure we could have Eli’s band. They know how to bring life to any party with their lively, engaging performances.
Their live vocals are also unique and fantastic across all genres: Hebrew music, Persian music, Spanish music, modern pop, R&B. My wedding guests tell me they listen to Eli’s band’s performances on youtube just because they are that skilled and entertaining.
A substantial proportion of our wedding consisted of tons of guests dancing with the band on out large two tier stage! Someone commented that it was as entertaining than a Britney Spears concert!
FAVOURS
For those who came from out of town, we wanted them to feel welcome so we provided embroidered tote bags with candles and a matchbox with our engagement photo, for those who wanted to light candles for shabbat. We also provided other snacks and amenities for a comfortable travel stay. We ordered these from Bonita Goldmeier of Rikma Art and she did a fantastic job!
We also provided birkat hamazon prayer books on the tables.
SPECIAL TOUCHES
I recognized that it is really easy to get lost in the details of wedding planning, but it is equally important to be mentally and spiritually prepared for such a life changing day. Therefore, prior to my wedding, I completed several one-on-one learning sessions about Jewish wedding/marriage philosophy and values with Jamie Kleinman of the Los Angeles Jewish Graduate Student Initiative.
The idea of a bride serving as a source of blessing resonated with me, and I wanted to pray for everyone I could on my wedding day. My sister created a google doc which I shared on my facebook and sent to my friends in which anyone could anonymously submit a prayer request for anything. Jamie loaned me her personal bridal prayer book from her wedding day, which I used, and made it all the more special.
In Persian culture, it is not usually the norm to have wedding speeches. My father really wanted to make a speech so his was the only one, but it was extremely comedic and loving.
HONEYMOON
We plan to go to Italy and Montenegro. We love culture and learning about Jewish history and Italy is perfect for both.
ADVICE TO COUPLES CURRENTLY PLANNING THEIR WEDDING
Practical planning tips:
- If you want to use paper invitations, it is really helpful to also use an online invitation service i.e. paperless post to automate tracking RSVPs.
- I had so much to take care of in the weeks before my wedding while working approximately 75-80 hours each week. It was exhausting. Do whatever you can to delegate as much as possible and minimize last minute tasks. Your family and friends love you, don’t be afraid to ask them for the help you need.
- Communicate clearly what your vision is to each of your vendors, so that you have the best chance of enabling them to fulfill your vision. They want to make you happy!
- If you want your Rabbi leading the ceremony to mention relatives who have passed away, ensure you notify him, and provide the names in advance.
- Try on your bridal robe that you intend to use for getting ready pictures in advance. I didn’t try mine on (because I ordered the size I normally wear) until the day of and it was too big.
Photo tips:
- If feasible, try to get as many outdoor photos as possible because the lighting is usually always best outdoors.
- Look at photos of other couples at your wedding venue to get an idea of good areas where you’d like to guide your photographer to take photos.
- My planner, Leora of Best Bride is brilliant and she had me make a list of “must have” photos and the name of every individual to be included in that list. This definitely helps keeps things organized and ensure you get all the photos you want!
Post wedding:
- As I mentioned above, it is totally normal to feel a bit bummed after your wedding concludes. Talk to your loved ones and reminisce on the beauty of the day and all the joys your have to look forward to. I loved my wedding, but being married to the man of my dreams is even better.
What ‘Smashing The Glass’ Did For Us
I loved the Smashing The Glass content. I went through various featured weddings on the blog and got ideas on décor and photo ops!
HEATHER & ALEX’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Katie Beverley
Videography – Shlomotions
Planner – Leora of Best Bride {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Ketubah – ketubah.com {ketubah.com offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Millenium Biltmore
Bride’s dress – Berta Bridal
Bride’s accessories – Vivat & Co
Groom’s shoes – Ferragamo
Hair – Samira Eid of Cristophe Salon
Flowers – Butterfly Floral
Entertainment – Eli’s band
Catering – Our Kosher Table
Favours – Bonita Goldmeier of Rikma Art
Lighting – Dark Bright Production
Rabbi – Mendel Simons of Young Jewish Professionals Los Angeles
Smash The Glass Pouch – Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}
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