Today’s bride, Nicki, not only had to contend with COVID scuppering her original wedding plans over summer 2020; she was also in the midst of her PhD defense! Luckily, her mother just happens to be mega-talented wedding planner Susie, founder of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Pink House Productions, so when – just after completing her doctorate in biomedical engineering – Nicki, who’s now working as director of R&D for a biotech company working on rapid testing for COVID-19, and groom Ricky, a portfolio manager at a hedge fund in New York City, decided they wanted to make things official on an expedited timeline, they had the dream team on hand to bring their dreams to life.
And in just two-and-a-half weeks, Pink House Productions planned one of the most gorgeous micro weddings we’ve seen yet! The bride and groom gathered with their families to celebrate their love in a stunning, intimate outdoor ceremony in Nicki’s hometown of Westport, CT, and the outcome was truly exquisite – we’re obsessed with each and every gorgeous shot from photographer Mark Kornbluth.
Understandably, Nicki wasn’t in the mood for intense wedding planning just after having completed her PhD, and so she left most of the decision-making to her mom. Susie and the whole team at Pink House Productions went above and beyond, working in fun touches like personalized candle favors for each guest, candy stations containing the bride and groom’s favorite treats (individually packaged and set up in a COVID-friendly fashion, naturally, and even surprising the couple with a Mister Softee ice cream truck at the end of the night!
Nicki also happens to have been a beloved member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club, and we’re so touched to hear how helpful she found it to be able to, in her words, “see how so many other brides pivoted, and how they were able to deal with the stress and uncertainty of the situation.” She and Ricky also found their ketubah supplier, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com, through Brides Club, and can’t stop raving about how wonderful they were to work with – even rushing the ketubah to work with the couple’s expedited timeline!
If that’s piqued your curiosity to find out what our ultra-supportive Brides Club community’s all about, now’s your chance, because through this Sunday, November 1, we’re offering a FREE 30-day trial membership – but don’t forget to sign up ASAP, because the doors close at midnight Sunday.
Now over to Nicki, who’ll fill you in on all the gorgeous details of her day…
How we met
Nicki, the bride: Although we were both graduates of the University of Pennsylvania (Nicki from the school of engineering, Ricky from Wharton) we did not know each other at PENN, and were set up on a blind date four years ago by mutual friends!
Pandemic Pivot
We got married at Birchwood Country Club in Westport, CT, where the bride grew up. We were originally planning on a large wedding in New York City earlier in August, but of course plans were changed due to COVID. I put off thinking about the wedding until after my PhD defense, and then as summer was coming to a close we decided we just wanted to get married and to do a small intimate ceremony with just our families! We like to call it our ‘dress rehearsal’ (an ode to my ballet days!).
What ‘Smashing The Glass Brides Club’ Did For Us
Brides Club was a wonderful resource and it was nice to see how so many other brides pivoted and changed plans during this time, and how they were able to deal with the stress and uncertainty of the situation. We also found our ketubah vendor (ketubah.com) through STG and they were wonderful to work with! We love our ketubah.
When Your Mother’s a Wedding Planner
My mom, Pink House Productions, happens to be an event planner and an STG vendor, so she was able to make this wedding so about us with none of my help! We only had two and a half weeks to plan everything, so we just sort of went with it. To be honest, I had zero preferences, didn’t want to deal with it, and was so lucky and blessed to have a mom who could plan it to perfection and make it completely suit our personalities without me even specifying anything!
She went above and beyond and it was more than what I could have ever imagined. The colors were bright and summery and perfect, there were personalized candles for each person, we had our favorite candies, our favorite colors, our favorite cake flavors, she even surprised us with a Mister Softee truck (which we love and is an ode to our NYC life)! I have no idea how she did this in 2.5 weeks – but at the same time am not surprised at all at how she pulled it off. It was perfect and I couldn’t have imagined it any other way.
Invitations and stationery
No invitations – we just had immediate family members and we only had 2.5 weeks to plan. We did have personalized menus that were used as place cards, and the cutest touch was that since it was just family, they were informal and instead of formal names they said “Grandma Kaplan” or “Susie, Mother of the Bride”, etc. Each person or couple also received a personalized candle with their initial on it at each place setting, which were beautiful and something they could take home with them.
Hair + Make-up
Just went to a local salon, Katie at Headliners, where we have gone for years. And makeup was done by Tara Colberg. Both local vendors and after all of the NYC planning, there was something really nice about giving local vendors business.
A Cinq a Sept Dress
Got it on sale at Saks by Cinq a Sept the week before – my original dress hadn’t been fitted yet and was a full ballgown that I didn’t feel suited the smaller, more intimate wedding we ended up having.
Accessories
I wore a pair of my mom’s earrings and my original veil, which I loved! From Marionat the bridal veil company, in Brooklyn. Julie Levitt was a dream to work with.
I also wore my nana’s bracelet and got married in the ring that she got married in and that my mom also got married in.
Shoes
Again, got them at Saks the week before but I loved them! They were Stuart Weitzman with pearls and I can’t wait to wear them again.
The handsome groom
Ricky wore a navy suit, no tie. To match his blue eyes!
Bridesmaids
No bridesmaids, could only have 25 people. Just immediate family and our two ketubah signers, and everyone wore whatever they wanted to! I have two sisters and two sister-in-laws, though, so they are built in bridesmaids!
Ceremony
My rabbi from growing up did the ceremony and we were very happy to have him there! My favorite part was that the rabbi had us each write letters to each other beforehand, and he read them during the ceremony (we didn’t know this). It was really special and we loved it.
Ketubah
We got our ketbuah from Ketubah.com ! They rushed it for us and were wonderful.
Chuppah
We were going for a rustic farmhouse feel and didn’t have a lot of space. I love pink roses and just wanted something small but beautiful.
Music Choice
We decided on our processional song on the way to CT for our wedding! We walked down to ‘Home’ by Philip Philips and loved it!
Flowers
Pink House Productions did all the flowers and they were absolutely stunning. The colors fit perfectly with our late-August, farmhouse feel and were really just beautiful. We used gold, rustic containers and different sized arrangemements down two long tables. We wanted something low key but special and they turned out wonderfully.
Photographer
Our photographer was Mark Kornbluth who also captured our engagement and did an amazing job!
Food and Cake
The food was catered by Birchwood Country Club, our venue. We wanted a casual, outdoor summer vibe so paired the steak and fish entrees with shareables like corn salad, watermelon feta salad summer vegetables and truffle fries! very seasonal and local.
Entertainment
We had Nacim from On the Move come play and sing a little during cocktail hour, but that’s it. Our friends organized a video from everyone each sharing a message and it was played on a large screen during dinner.
Candle Favors – and an Ice Cream Truck!
Pink House Productions made them! We had beautiful personalized candles for each guest. It featured their initials on top and the LOVE icon on the side, which is meaningful to us as we both went to the University of Pennsylvania and love spending time in Philadelphia, where the original LOVE statue is located!
We also had “Nicki’s Favorites” and “Ricky’s Favorites” candy stations for the guests to pick and choose from on their way out. Everything was COVID-friendly and individually packaged. Lastly, the Mister Softee truck came by and people could get whatever they wanted on their way out!
Extra details
The details were endless and planned impeccably by Pink House Productions – I can’t believe every little touch she thought of – the place settings, the overall design, the menu, the desserts, we had beautiful embroidered napkins with our monogram which we will have to match our china – she thought of everything and executed it all and it was perfect! Our parents and siblings made short speeches and we hadn’t prepared anything but there was so much love and we were so grateful for our families for making this happen that we ended up saying a few words.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
I was very hesitant to do the wedding – I felt very rushed (we had to move it up to accommodate another family member) and was sad that I didn’t have my dress and the other things I always pictured on my wedding day. That being said, it was more than I could have imagined and I will always remember this day! It was so special just having our families and each other and not worrying about everything else that often surrounds a wedding day.
At the end of the day, we just wanted to be married and we are so glad that we are! We can’t wait to hopefully celebrate with friends next year when it is safe to do so, but for now we are still smiling thinking about our wedding day and enjoying the first few weeks of married life!
NICKI & RICKY’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Mark Kornbluth
Wedding planner – Pink House Productions {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Ketubah – Ketubah.com {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Birchwood Country Club
Bride’s dress – Cinq a Sept
Bride’s shoes – Stuart Weitzman
Bride’s veil – Marionat
Singer – On the Move
Catering – Birchwood Country Club
Rabbi – Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn
Smash The Glass Pouch – Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}
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.
