We love a DIY Jewish wedding, and Shoshana and Mark’s is SO packed with wonderful personal touches. The couple planned every detail of their glamping wedding weekend getaway at River Mountain themselves, from the invitations to the music playlists for every event.
We’re obsessed with Shoshana and Mark’s gorgeous outdoor ceremony, officiated by a humanistic rabbi and attended by no fewer than four family dogs! The bespoke ceremony blended Shoshana’s Jewish upbringing and Mark’s non-religious background and featured a blessing over wine and another over beer, egalitarian circling, and humanistic versions of the seven blessings. And how fun is it that the duo included a crossword puzzle on details and traditions from the ceremony in their wedding program?! Don’t miss all the special details in the wonderful photography by Mariah Fisher!
Shoshana and Mark went for a beautiful custom ketubah designed and hand-painted by Elena Berlo of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Once Upon a Paper. The art captures the pair’s love of nature, with two trees intertwined and two golden birds sitting amid colored circles representing the changing seasons.
There’s so much more to say about this ultra-personal wedding, but we’ll hand you over to Shoshana for the rest…
How We Met
Shoshana, the bride: We met by chance at a beer garden in Washington, DC, while out and about for Halloween celebrations. We were engaged nearly 5 years later and married the following June.
Glamping Getaway
We were married at River Mountain in Everett, PA. We discovered the glamping getaway several years earlier while on a cross-country road trip. It had only recently opened, and we had an amazing stay with our Australian Shepherd pup, Zahvi. We chose River Mountain for our wedding venue because it gave us the unique opportunity to spend an entire weekend away with close friends and family in a way entirely reflective of us – glamping, dancing, and enjoying the outdoors.
A DIY Wedding
We planned every detail of our glamping wedding weekend getaway ourselves, from the invitations to the music playlists for every event. Colors, decorations, table layout, cabin care packages, games, signage, activities, drinks, and food (for the entire weekend) – we had our hands in everything!
River Mountain staff helped us pull off our crazy DIY wedding with day-of support, amazing dinner and breakfast catering, and other fun offerings, including optional massages, evening campfires, and sunrise yoga. Guests had the opportunity to be on site in cabins or yurts. Those looking for more private or luxurious accommodations stayed at nearby bed and breakfasts, hotels, and airbnbs.
A BHLDN Dress
My dress was originally from BHLDN, Willowby by Watters Hearst. I tried on a version of it while dress shopping with friends; but I didn’t have my heart set on just one style, and I followed up by searching secondhand wedding dress websites for several dresses I had liked. I fortuitously found this one secondhand and unused from someone who had changed her dress choice before her own wedding. It was in a discontinued color – Titanium – that was perfectly whimsical for me. The original owner was local, and I was able to try it on – the tailoring on top was perfect. Bustling the bottom proved more difficult and ultimately took several tailors before someone got it right, allowing me to dance without tripping over myself. To make the weekend all the more special, I was able to wear my mom’s original ’70s wedding dress for our dinner and celebrations the evening before the ceremony.
Ceremony & Chuppah
We had our wedding ceremony officiated by a humanistic Jewish rabbi, a friend of a family friend. We were married in a hilltop field overlooking a valley and trees on a beautiful June day, our guests seated on wooden benches as they shared in the occasion. Our siblings accompanied three family pups down the aisle at the start – there were four family dogs in attendance that day, one of which was our own fur-child. Shoshana walked with her parents to the tune Fields of Gold, which had played at the Irish pub where we had our first date. Our chuppah was made from fabric that Shoshana’s grandparents had brought home from overseas many decades earlier. And artwork by Mark’s late mother was displayed at one corner.
The rabbi had given us a beautifully written outline for a Jewish humanistic ceremony ahead of time – we took this and carefully personalized it to make it our own, a mix of Shoshana’s Jewish upbringing and Mark’s non-religious background. We said a blessing over wine and another over beer. We circled each other in egalitarian fashion while Shoshana’s father sang a beautiful tune, and we read aloud and signed our ketubah with close friends and family all around. Family and friends helped recite humanistic versions of the traditional seven blessings. To keep everyone entertained, our wedding program included a crossword puzzle on the back testing attendees on details and traditions from the ceremony.
Ketubah
Our custom ketubah was beautifully designed and hand-painted by Elena Berlo with Once Upon a Paper. It includes humanistic text in English and Hebrew, with small changes by us to make it more personal. The art captures our love of nature, with two trees intertwined, from the roots to the branches, and two golden birds sitting amid colored circles representing the changing seasons.
Our music choice
We personally selected each and every song played at our wedding, creating custom Spotify playlists for every event, from the dinners and campfires to the ceremony and dance party. Songs were taken from all parts of our lives and included everything from classical to EDM. We used our own sound equipment and asked friends to help MC. We self-choreographed our first (salsa) dance to Marc Anthony’s Vivir mi vida. Mark danced with his grandmother and Shoshana with her father for the second dance to the Beatles’ song In My Life.
Flowers
Shoshana grew more than 40 pots of marigolds from seedlings on their porch roof in the city to use as cheerful centerpieces and decorations at the ceremony, on dinner tables, and throughout the wedding weekend. The seedlings were descended from a few plants given to us by friends several years earlier (these friends were thanked in our welcome speech on Friday evening); they were carefully transplanted from our garden after coming up in droves that spring. The wedding bouquet flowers were purchased at Wegmans on our way to the venue, and the bouquet itself was created by two of Shoshana’s closest friends in a feat of artistry the morning of the ceremony. The potted marigolds were gifted to friends and family when the weekends’ celebrations were over – their decedents still live on in many of their gardens (as well as our own)!
Photographer
We found our wonderful photographer Mariah Fisher while searching for someone willing to make the trek out to River Mountain. We wanted our photographer to capture the happiness of our wedding ceremony and celebration with light and bright images. It was also important that this person catch the moments without taking us away from them. A close friend was able to record video snippets throughout the weekend so we could enjoy reliving some of the most fun moments in a more casual format.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Make sure your wedding is what YOU want it to be – find ways to personalize the details and make the experience more meaningful. Involve friends and family where you can, though a professional day-of coordinator may be worthwhile – we wish we had hired someone for this! If you need to stick to a budget, do not be afraid to DIY it or look into unusual venues. If you have the opportunity, we suggest making your wedding a whole weekend rather than just a few hours. Having that extra time to spend with friends and family is absolutely amazing. We invited family to come early and stay long, which gave us the chance to spend time with loved ones, and for our families to get to know each other.
SHOSHANA & MARK’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Mariah Fisher
Ketubah – Elena Berlo with Once Upon a Paper {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – River Mountain
If you’re a Jewish or Jew-ish bride-to-be, you’ll want to join Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club. Guided by the world’s number 1 Jewish wedding expert, Karen Cinnamon, Brides Club is the private community for Jewish and Jew-ish brides that removes wedstress and indecision and gives you what you need to plan with confidence during these uncertain times. Join our Brides Club here.
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