A Jewish Wedding on the Water at Chesapeake Bay Beach Club, Stevensville, Maryland, USA

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How we Met

Natalie, the bride and Jon, the groom: We met at Penn State University! We were just acquaintances at the time through mutual friends. We reconnected years later when Natalie came back to the Washington, D.C. area from New Orleans and Jon moved to the Washington, D.C. area to work at American University.

A Venue on the Water

We got married at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club on Kent Island in Stevensville, Maryland. Natalie grew up spending a lot of time on the water, and we both really enjoy nature! We also were lucky to have Natalie’s parents’ brand new home in the area as a home-base for the weekend.

All About the Details

We incorporated many small details into our wedding to make it us. Some that come to mind are adding Natalie’s favourite color (purple)  to a mostly neutral palette to let the natural colors of the water and greenery stand out. We also used it in our invitation. Jon also picked a particularly beautiful ocean blue glass to smash—it can one day be put in a mezzuzah for our future home. Another fun fact—Natalie’s dress had Italian lace in it, a place she worked that is near and dear to her heart!

Charlotte and Anthony from Reid Rodell were lovely to work with. They helped source almost all of our vendors which was an incredible help.

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Invitations / stationery

Natalie really enjoyed working with Tracy from Creative Parties to create the invitation. It was important to have something unique that also evoked the relaxed elegance we wanted the wedding to embody. We went bold with a plum invitation and rounded edges, but kept it simple using gold lettering. We also nodded to it being a Jewish wedding by having the Aramaic blessed by God (‎ב״ד) in the upper right-hand corner

Dress

Dress shopping was surprisingly easy for me. My mom and I went to a shop in Annapolis just to check and try out some styles. We got lucky enough to have our appointment with Mary, who happens to be very petite like me. She ended up having two dresses that she designed that I liked, and we incorporated elements from both to come up with mine! I wanted something that balanced formality with a bit of ethereal.

Hair + Make-up

Bride, MOH, MOB were done by Natalie’s long time hair stylist. Having short curly hair, Natalie deeply wanted to honor her curls while not letting the humidity get the best of them! It was important that Shannon styled it and it turned out gorgeous.

Bridesmaids

We wanted an elegant wedding that also felt comfortable, which we expressed through our bridal party’s attire. Although we had some guidelines, we allowed each individual to pick something that they felt comfortable in and that they loved!  We went with a champagne palette; some dresses had more gold and some more pinks or browns but we loved how it looked.

Ceremony and Chuppah

For our ceremony we had our sisters be “Chuppah Holders” along with two of our other friends. When circling, we circled each other individually 3 times each and circled each other once to make 7 times. We used Jonathan’s father’s tallit and Natalie’s grandfather’s along with the one provided by the temple to create a complete covering for the chuppah. We then had a florist decorate the poles; it came out beautifully.

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Our favourite part of the ceremony was feeling that we were deeply focussed on each other and had the support of all of our friends and family to share the moment with us.  Also, the rabbi has known Natalie since grade school which made it more meaningful.

Ketubah

We had our ketubah custom designed in Israel by Britt Yudell of BRITColors. We were looking to get a design that was a reflection of our relationship thus far, and represented the commitment we were making to each other going forward. Early in the relationship, Jon bought two similar pendants that we each kept when we were apart. We wanted that to be captured in our a ketubah which Britt absolutely captured perfectly.

Our Music Choice

People continue to share with us how much they enjoyed the band, 76 Degrees West. We HIGHLY recommend them. Our top party priority was the music and dancing – we wanted it to feel like a show! Natalie has a deep love for big brass and funk music from her time living in New Orleans and the band more than delivered.

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For the processional Jon and the Wedding Party walked into an instrumental version of ‘Here with Me’ by Marshmello, CHVRCHES a song that they shared with one another early in the relationship. Natalie walked into ‘Here comes the Sun’ by The Beatles. The recessional was ‘Siman Tov, Mazel Tov!’

Our first dance was by ‘Dressed Up In White’ by Cal. Cal is half of the group Timeflies if anyone is familiar! Jon danced with his mother to ‘How Sweet It Is’ by James Taylor, and Natalie danced with her father to ‘Unforgettable’ by Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole.

Flowers

Because our venue was so picturesque, we focused the florist on the bouquets and the chuppah. That didn’t stop us from having unique and gorgeous arrangements! With a Labor Day weekend wedding, we weren’t sure whether to lean toward summer or fall, but Stacy and Anthony helped us find a perfect balance. A special touch for Natalie’s bouquet was having David Austin roses which tend to open beautifully and are more fragrant than many other blooms.

Photographer and Videographer

We worked with a fellow Penn State alum, Stephanie Dee. Jon had met Stephanie briefly in 2013 during their involvement as students in Penn States Dance Marathon, and a mutual friend had mentioned that she was living in the DC, Maryland, Virginia working as a photographer. She made the experience really special, and a lot of fun.

For videography, we worked with DNA media and they did a wonderful job. We were a bit late to the game when it came to seeking out a videographer. At first we weren’t sure we were going to go that direction. When we decided we did want video, DNA media was quick to respond and meet our video needs. They were really fun to work with on the day-of as well!

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Cake

We found Abby by accident and we are SO glad we did. Truthfully it was the best tasting and most unique wedding cake we’ve ever had— it had a layer of cookie batter in it! She also is a true artist and matched our colors perfectly.

Advice to other couples planning their wedding

We would share a few things: First, when planning the wedding just know that there may be things that come up that you may have differences of opinion on. Good communication and making the effort to understand one and other is the best way to navigate those differences. Second, there is plenty that you will agree on…like marrying each other!

So really enjoy the special moments, like doing a walk-through of potential venues, choosing a cake, selecting music, and the other aspects of the wedding that you will put your stamp on. Finally, if you have the help take it. On the day of your wedding the focus should be on each other, not tied up in the details.

NATALIE & JONATHAN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK

Photography – Stephanie Dee
Videography – DNA Media LLC
Ketubah – BRITColors {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Wedding planner – Reid Rodell
Venue – Chesapeake Bay Beach Club
Bridal boutique – Marys
Hair + Makeup – Infinity Artistry, Priscilla M Beauty
Flowers – Lees Flowers DC
Band – 76 Degrees West
Cake – Abby
Stationery/Invitation – Creative Parties
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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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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