There’s something so special about all the gorgeous Jewish weddings of couples whose big days were disrupted by the pandemic – like Rebecca, a health economist, and Benjamin, a software engineer, who were originally slated for a May 2020 wedding at the historic Boston Exchange. Needless to say, things didn’t go to plan.
When the pair first got engaged, they booked Luba of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Primavera Dreams to help them plan their wedding – they knew they wanted someone who knew Jewish weddings and could help them craft a meaningful day centered on a traditional ceremony, pick the right vendors, and take the stress out of planning. That last bit proved extra important as the couple navigated the rollercoaster of multiple reschedules leading up to their eventual May 2022 wedding.
Pandemic or no, Rebecca and Benjamin strongly believe choosing to work with Luba was one of the best wedding planning decisions they made. In Rebecca’s words, “We always thought of a wedding planner as an extravagant extra… [but] our planner introduced us to amazing vendors whose prices were more competitive than those we found ourselves. She also negotiated contracts on our behalf and helped us effectively prioritize where to cut and spend money. Having her organize last minute details and communicate with vendors in the days and weeks leading up to the wedding allowed us to focus on our families and enjoy the wedding.”
One thing Rebecca and Benjamin did that we love: they set up a Judaica registry (in addition to their traditional Zola gift list)! They registered at Kolbo Fine Judaica Gallery in Brookline, MA, and loved being able to add handmade Judaica to their list online. The duo also purchased their gorgeous ketubah, crafted in Israel by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Danny Azoulay, at Kolbo.
There’s so much more we could say about this fab wedding – for starters, don’t miss the wonderful floral chuppah in Lynne Reznick’s luminous photos – but we’ll turn you over to the bride for the rest…
How We Met
Rebecca, the bride: We met in Boston in 2014 and had our first date at a coffee shop in Harvard Square! Four years later (to the day), we got engaged after having dinner in the same building.
A Venue with History
We got married at the Boston Exchange, at the end of the Boston Fish Pier. We loved that the building has historical significance, panoramic views of the water from the main space, and gave us indoor and outdoor options. We worked with Alanna at the Exchange who couldn’t have been more helpful and communicative.
Theme & Wedding Planner
Luba at Primavera Dreams helped us plan our wedding. We met Luba right after we got engaged and worked with her leading up to our original May 2020 wedding date. She continued to help us through multiple reschedules until our eventual May 2022 wedding. Luba was terrific at helping us stay on track with our budget, picking the right vendors, and making sure the whole process was fun. We wanted a traditional Jewish wedding, so it was important to us to find someone familiar with all the traditions and rituals!
Invitations / stationery
We purchased all our stationary from Minted. We selected the initial invitations and day of stationary to match the florals.
Hair + Make-up
Luba introduced us to Layza from Glamour Cosmetics and Rachel from Beauty Boston, who did a great job for the whole bridal party.
Dress
Rebecca’s dress came from L’elite Bridal in Boston. Rebecca fell in love with all the detail in the hand appliqued crystals and flowers. She also liked that the dress provided options for both a strapless and portrait neckline. Lena, the tailor at Elite, was amazing. She is an exceptional seamstress and made Rebecca feel confident that the dress would look how she imagined.
Accessories & Shoes
Rebecca wore her grandmother’s pearl and opal bracelet. The earrings and hair piece were selected to match the dress and were purchased from L’elite Bridal. Rebecca selected silk heels from Naturalizer and a pair of white wedge sandals (Croc’s Brooklyn) which allowed her to be comfortable the whole time.
Bridesmaids
The bridesmaids’ dresses came from BHLDN.
The handsome groom
Benjamin selected a blue sharkskin suit from Jack Victor. He accessorized with a tie to match the bridal bouquet and his great grandfather’s cufflinks.
Ceremony and Chuppah
We had a traditional egalitarian ceremony officiated by Benjamin’s family rabbi. Our wedding took place on Pesach Sheni and the rabbi gave a sermon on second chances, which was fitting for a wedding rescheduled so many times! For our first cup of wine, we used a kiddush cup engraved with “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine” gifted to us for the occasion.
For the second cup, we used a silver kiddush cup passed down from Benjamin’s great grandfather. The chuppah was built by our florist and adorned with pink peonies and greenery. We purchased a new tallit for the chuppah and plan to use it for future life milestones.
Ketubah
Our Ketubah was made in Israel by Danny Azoulay and purchased at Kolbo Fine Judaica Gallery in Brookline.
Our Music Choice
International Strings Trio provided music for the ceremony and cocktail hour. Having klezmer and jazz music during our cocktail hour contributed to the upbeat and relaxed atmosphere we were aiming for. Everybody loved them.
Andy Sussman of TSG weddings served as our DJ and keeping the whole wedding moving at a nice pace. He also had a great Hora set. Everybody loved the music- young and old. For our first dance, we selected Ingrid Michaelson’s cover of ‘I can’t help falling in love’. We then danced to ‘Days Like This’ by Van Morrison and ‘Sous le Ciel de Paris’ by Pomplamoose for our parents’ dances.
Flowers
Rebecca loves flowers and therefore the florals played an important part in the wedding and planning process. Luba introduced us to Kseniya from Floristika early in the process. Kseniya was wonderful in working with Rebecca at every step of the way – from choosing the flowers, the color scheme, the vases, and even doing a mock up together a few weeks before the wedding. Everything turned out even more beautiful than Rebecca had imagined.
Photographer
When we first met Lynne Reznick, we were struck by her professionalism and expertise. She impressed us as being both creative and detail-oriented and we were confident that she would be able to help gather large groups of family members for portraits. She understood what we were hoping for, and we felt confident that she would capture the essence of our wedding that we could enjoy for years to come. Our intuition was confirmed during our initial engagement shoot where she managed to capture wonderful photos of us and our rambunctious dog.
Food and Cake
The food, which was catered by East Meets West Catering, was amazing. Given that our venue was located at the historic fish pier in Boston – we went with local cod for the main entrée! Everybody also commented on how delicious all the vegetarian options were. They were especially accommodating for our guests with celiac and food allergies.
The cake came from Konditor Meister, a bakery that Benjamin’s family has frequented since he was a child! East Meets West also provided Rebecca favorite dessert, fruit tarts, and a gluten free option.
Wedding List / Registry
We registered at Kolbo Fine Judaica Gallery in Brookline. We loved being able to register online for handmade Judaica in addition to more traditional registry items at Zola.
Honeymoon
After our wedding, we spent two weeks in Hawaii. We spent the first week at the Holualoa Inn on the Big Island, which was a romantic and small resort on a coffee plantation. We spent the second week at Napili Kai Beach resort in Maui, which had fantastic snorkelling.
Advice to other couples planning their wedding
We always thought of a wedding planner as an extravagant extra for over-the-top weddings. Yet, given our time restraints – we thought it might be necessary. We quickly came to realize how smart that decision was. Not only did Luba help us work within our budget, but she also made sure the whole process was fun and the wedding exceeded our expectations.
Our planner introduced us to amazing vendors whose prices were more competitive than those we found ourselves. She also negotiated contracts on our behalf and helped us effectively prioritize where to cut and spend money. Having her organize last minute details and communicate with vendors in the days and weeks leading up to the wedding allowed us to focus on our families and enjoy the wedding.
REBECCA & BENJAMIN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Lynne Reznick
Wedding planner – Primavera Dreams {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Boston Exchange
Bride’s bridal boutique – L’elite Bridal
Bride’s shoes – Naturalizer
Bride’s accessories – L’elite Bridal
Groom’s attire – Jack Victor
Bridesmaids – BHLDN
Hair + Makeup – Glamour Cosmetics, Beauty Boston
Flowers – Floristika
DJ – TSG weddings
Strings – International Strings Trio
Catering – East Meets West Catering
Cake – Konditor Meister
Ketubah – Danny Azoulay
Stationery/Invitation – Minted
Wedding List – Kolbo Fine Judaic Gallery
Smash The Glass Pouch – Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}
