When they set out to plan their Jewish wedding, New Yorkers Samantha, a software engineer, and Alex, an endocrinologist, knew they wanted their big day to be all about dancing and celebrating.
They turned to their phenomenal planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Andrea Adelstein of NYLUX Events, and she went above and beyond in making the day of their dreams a reality. She helped them find the perfect NYC venue, Riverpark restaurant, and craft the perfect relaxed evening full of dancing and fun.
A few special touches we can’t get enough of: the gorgeous birch chuppah, the 11 PM espresso martinis and fries, and the fact that Samantha and Alex each smashed a glass at the end of the ceremony! Oh, and we can’t forget Samantha’s stunner of a gown from beloved Israeli designer Galia Lahav!
Take one look at Karlie Louise’s wonderful photos and you can tell what a blast the duo – and everyone around them – was having! Read on for the rest of the story.
How We Met
Alex and Samantha met at a math competition in high school, where they were both competing. Samantha offered to put her number in Alex’s calculator and the rest is history. 14 years later, they are newlyweds.
Venue with a View
Samantha, the bride: We got married at Riverpark restaurant. We walked into the space and knew it was the one! It had everything we wanted – it was light, airy and right on the water with incredible views of two bridges.. The bonus – it happened to be located right next to Alex’s work and a block away from where we got engaged. Our incredible planner, Andrea, helped us find our dream venue. It was meant to be.
Planned to Perfection
We had the most phenomenal planner, Andrea Adelstein of NYLUX Events, and she took our dreams and dreams went beyond. She did a great job listening to our priorities. We made the entire night about dancing and celebrating. People were on the dance floor all night, no sit down dinner, it was totally relaxed and fun! We handed out espresso martinis and french fries on the dance floor around 11pm to keep the party going!!
A Galia Lahav Dress
My dress designer was Galia Lahav. I bought it at Bridal Reflections New York City. It was beautiful and fit perfectly. Every time I look at the photos I fall in love with the dress all over again!
Bridesmaids
I asked my bridesmaids to wear any shade of blue and wear whatever makes them feel most beautiful. It turned out stunning!
Ceremony & Chuppah
We had a family friend officiate the wedding, which made it so personal and beautiful. The chuppah was built of birch branches and was gorgeous. Carlos Rivas NYC did a phenomenal job of bringing our vision to life. For the 7 blessings, we had a member of our family each read a blessing. We both love the symbolism and tradition of breaking the glass, so we each stepped on a glass at the end of the ceremony. I think that was our favorite part!
Ketubah
AlexRachel Art made our ketubah. It was a beautiful, round paper cut ketubah that we loved when we saw it. The best part of the ketubah signing was that we had a very large group of family and close friends all witness the signing. It felt like the wedding was beginning at that moment and was really special.
Our music choice
For our first dance, my best friend from childhood Ilanna Starr sang ‘Lover’ by Taylor Swift, personalizing the song for us and my dad accompanied her on the guitar. It was even more perfect than I could have imagined. We had a phenomenal combo of a hybrid band from Generation Events – DJ and 3 musicians. It was incredibly fun and interactive. Both the violinist and trumpeter were on the dance floor with us throughout the night and I love the photos of my father and me playing bongos together!
Flowers
Carlos and Antonio from Carlos Rivas NYC are two of the nicest guys and they completely understood what I was looking for! I wanted the florals to be relaxed and natural, warming up Riverpark and complementing the venue decor. The birch branch chuppah was gorgeous.
Photographer
Alex and I loved Karlie Louise’s portfolio as soon as we saw it. Her photos are ethereal and beautiful. When we met for our engagement shoot, Karlie made us relax and laugh and feel comfortable in front of her camera. We had a blast! One look at the wedding photos and you can see what fun we had. That resulted in the best pictures we could imagine.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Make sure to celebrate the aspects you find most fun. We had a cake tasting party where our wonderful planner, Andrea, helped us get cakes from 6 different bakeries and we invited 15 of our closest friends to try each of the 6 cakes and vote on their favorites. We cared most about having everyone dance the whole night and we were able to focus on the parts most important to us because we had the most incredible planner. I knew she had impeccable taste, so I was really able to let go of all of the small decisions and let her pull together Alex and my dream wedding.
SAMANTHA & ALEX’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Karlie Louise Photography
Planner – NYLUX Events {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Ketubah – AlexRachel Art
Venue – Riverpark
Bride’s dress – Galia Lahav found at Bridal Reflections
Flowers – Carlos Rivas NYC
Hybrid Band – Generation Events
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.
