We love that Jennifer, a clinical social worker, and Michael, who owns an engineering and construction Firm, made their Jewish wedding at Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa all about family.
The couple’s kids – Jennifer and Michael have six boys between them – were with them under the chuppah, and the cantor who officiated is one of the duo’s best friends and crafted an ultra-personal ceremony – including a moment for a family hug! Jennifer’s four boys walked her down the aisle, and all six of the couple’s sons gave speeches – which were followed by a family dance! Don’t miss the ultra-emotional photos by Heidi Green.
Shortly after Jennifer and Michael met, they hired an Israeli tattoo artist named Gabriel Wolff to design an infinity sign with their names in Hebrew. They never ended up getting the tattoos, but they did use the design as the basis for their beautiful bespoke ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Once Upon A Paper, who brought their vison to life.
Read on for the full story in Jennifer’s own words…
How We Met
Jennifer, the bride: We met on Match.com. We were both divorced and I was dating a lot. Michael says he knew when he saw my photo on the site. I hadn’t even dated anyone from Match and was seeing two other Michaels when we met. I didn’t really pay him much attention.
I’m a big sports fan and he wanted to take me to see the Rangers, the Yankees and was offering great seats. I kept saying no. But he was persistent! I finally said ok to just meet for a drink. Well we met at a restaurant near me. I was sitting at the bar and he walked in the door and walked up the length of the bar and I thought. Oh shit. I’m done. We had a drink that turned into dinner and we never went a single day since then without each other.
Venue
We got married at Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa. We had been looking for a farm wedding location. Michael is an avid polo player and had a horse farm in Millbrook. We spent a lot of time there and considered doing the wedding there. But the details were too demanding and neither of us had the bandwidth to manage that. I have four sons and Michael has two. We each own our own businesses. We couldn’t build all the infrastructure needed to do it at our farm.
We initially booked Blue Hill at Stone Barns but we got Covided 2 months beforehand and had to postpone the wedding. We were scheduled for May 2020. We canceled at Blue Hill and then after covid (or almost after covid) I just wanted something more relaxed and “us”. Michael grew up near Buttermilk Falls Inn and I just fell in love with it immediately. Right on the Hudson River with massive willow trees. My husband’s polo team is called Willow Tree Polo and willows have always been my favorite tree. They’re flexible and I’ve learned that flexibility is the key to this journey!
Summer in a Bottle
Don’t laugh but I planned the whole theme around the wine bottle label for Summer in A Bottle. I’m obsessed with how beautiful the bottles are and I’m a Long Island girl so Wolfer Vineyards is a nod to my home.
Hair + Makeup
My hair was fine by Maria at Continental 109. They are my longtime salon and Maria is a total pro!
A Claire Pettibone Dress
I got the dress Claire Pettibone at Bridal Atelier in Montclair NJ. I saw a designer I liked and they were having a trunk show at this particular shop. I went down there with a friend and loved the dress but it was different than my initial plan. I actually went back with Michael to show it to him and try it on for him.
Bridesmaids
My 4 boys walked me down the aisle. They all wore navy linen suits from JCrew. Having my boys walk me and stand with me under the chuppah was the most special thing. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. They are my people!!!
Ceremony & Chuppah
Our ceremony was so special. One of our best friends is a cantor and he officiated at the ceremony. Because he knows us so well, it was super personal. Our 6 boys were with us under the chuppah and my favorite part was when Mo had us take a moment and we all hugged together in a circle under our chuppah.
Funny, my other favorite part was circling Michael. When I was young I didn’t like the idea of walking around a man. Now it symbolizes how Michael is the center for me and that feels so grounding. I found it very meaningful. We wrote some words to each other. Michael quoted my favorite lyrics from Bruce Springsteen who is my favorite. “I’ll wait for you / And should I fall behind / Wait for me”. My heart swooned.
Ketubah
Shortly after we met, we hired an Israeli tattoo artist named Gabriel Wolff to design an infinity sign with our names in Hebrew. We never got the tattoos lol! We decided that best way to use the design was the Ketubah. We found Elena and Gena at Once Upon A Paper and they were able to make our vision come to life!
Our music choice
We took forever to decide our music! But our first dance, that was decided before we even got engaged. We really have “our song”. Both of us are into country music and singer songwriters. We fell in love with Drake White, a singer/songwriter out of Alabama and his love song “Making Me Look Good Again”. It spoke to us both about where we were in life when we met and how we made each other feel. Drake wrote it for his wife. We’ve traveled to see him play in Nashville and if you can, we highly recommend seeing him. He’s a phenom. We originally had a whole big band for our Blue Hill wedding. But our covid redo had to be smaller due to covid restrictions and space at Buttermilk Falls. So we pivoted! Flexible! Our band morphed into a DJ/Live music mashup with 3 live singers and some Saxophone for good measure.
Flowers
Our florist was the greatest! Enza at Enza Events. She knew exactly what we wanted and she was so easy to work with.
Photographer and videographer
We worked with Heidi Green for photography. I went to college with Heidi and I always like working with people who I know and have history with. Heidi and her team were amazing. We had a lot of family dynamics and she was on top of it all. One of my boys has special needs and Heidi was able to work with whatever we threw at her. We didn’t do any video except for whatever anyone shot on their own phones!
Food and cake
The food was all done by Henry’s At The Farm. It is the farm to table restaurant at Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa. We go there now on our anniversary so I can tell you that the food is excellent. On the day of the wedding I was so excited I never ate!
Wedding List/Registry
I didn’t really have a registry. This is a second marriage and we didn’t need much. But for the few things I used The Knot.
Extra Details
Our 6 boys gave the speeches. Each of them were loving and funny. They cracked up the whole room. Hearing their thoughts and their observations, hearing them express their love was beautiful. After their speeches Michael spoke and we had a family dance. We didn’t do father/daughter or mother/son. We did the 8 of us as a family and we danced to The Coast Is Clear by Drake White.
Honeymoon
It was still Covid-ish when we got married. So we didn’t fly anywhere. We drove up to Maine where neither of us had ever been. We stayed at the incredible Cliff House. It was stunning. We kept marveling about how beautiful our own country is and how everyone runs off to Europe while there are so many gems right here. Covid made us explore our own area and we were grateful for it. The Cliff House is a special place for us now.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Go easy. Everything will work out. I’ve found that if you have fun, everyone will enjoy and be happy. The truth is simply that is all about the love in the room.
JENNIFER & MICHAEL’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Heidi Green
Ketubah – Once Upon A Paper {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club} & Gabriel Wolff
Venue & catering – Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa
Bride’s dress – Claire Pettibone found at Bridal Atelier
Sons’ outfits – JCrew
Hair – Continental 109
Flowers – Enza Events
Wedding List/Registry – The Knot
Honeymoon – Cliff House
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.
