Today we’ve got the perfect Jewish wedding to take in as you savor the last weeks of summer: the fabulous nuptials of our Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Erin!
Erin, who runs an ecommerce site, and Jared, who works in real estate, went for an all-outdoor wedding at Turnip Rose Promenade and Gardens – and while the decision was driven by Covid safety, with a venue so stunning who wouldn’t want to make the most of every single moment to take in the gorgeous scenery?!
Erin and Jared’s modern classic theme, featuring tons of white, green, and gold – with all white flowers and plenty of romantic candles – made the most of the venue’s natural beauty. Erin’s simple, elegant Justin Alexander gown continued the theme – and Taylor Kinzie Photography’s light and airy style was the perfect fit to capture it all.
We’re also obsessed with the couple’s champagne tower seating chart – read on for all the details!
How we Met
Erin, the bride: We met on Jswipe, our first date was grabbing coffee. We share a love for sports (Red Zone for Fantasy Football is must), crime television, and spending time with family & friends.
A Garden Wedding
Our venue was Turnip Rose Promenade and Gardens. We wanted a venue that was near where we live as well as a place that allowed for an outdoor ceremony and indoor reception since our wedding was in early April. In end we moved the wedding completely outside to keep our guests safe which allowed for such a beautiful event.
What ‘Smashing The Glass Brides Club’ Did For Us
I joined the Brides Club more than anything to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, the guides online were super helpful. Jewish my entire life, it definitely had been awhile since I attended a Jewish wedding! If anything came up, the Facebook group was super helpful in suggestions and support.
Perfectly Planned
I knew that I would need help pulling the vision together as well as vendor selection, in came Shauna from Palm and Pine Events. We went with a modern but classic theme using lots of white, green and gold which fit in great with the space. She definitely elevated my vision, the event was amazing based on her recommendations and guidance.
Invitations / stationery
I love stationery and letter press so the decision to go with Shine Wedding Invitations was clear from the day the samples arrived. We ordered a lot of samples from other companies, their quality and attention to detail made for an easy decision. Simple black and white with a modern fonts, we added a little pizazz with an herringbone liner for the inner envelope.
Hair + Make-up
Hair and make-up were done by Ashley from Flawless Faces. I can say she definitely made me feel beautiful on this special day!
A Justin Alexander Dress
Dress was purchased at Mon Amie Bridal and made by Adore by Justin Alexander. I wanted something classic but modern with clean lines (no lace or beading). The fitted dress was great for everything other than dancing, I changed into a shorter dress from Aidan by Aidan Maddox after our dances with our parents. Highly recommend a second dress if you love to dance!
Accessories
I opted to go with a simple chapel length horsehair veil purchased from Etsy, turns out Yuri Chang Bride was just around the corner located in the same city as us. For jewellery, I picked up pearl stud earrings that paired with my borrowed pearl bracelet that was my grandmother’s.
Shoes
One does not need to choose comfort over fashion, since the main dress was long – I got custom Vans from Shelbpez Boutique that were covered with pearls! With dress two, nude platform heels were a must for navigating on the grass and dance floor.
The handsome groom
When thinking about renting a tuxedo, Jared decided to mark the special day by purchasing one! He had a great experience at Nordstrom and selected a Hickey Freeman tux.
Ceremony
Our processional and wedding party was focused on family, involving our siblings and Jared’s nephews serving as the ring bearers. Both of us were walked down the aisle by our parents, Jared to ‘Canon in D’ and Erin to ‘A Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri played by the string duo from Lucky Devils Band. Before entering the Chuppah, we split the circling 3 each rounding out with one circle together.
The ceremony was officiated by Rabbi Arnold Rachlis with Cantor Ruti Braier, both from University Synagogue in Irvine, California. Jared proposed using his grandmothers ring, during the ceremony I placed his grandfather’s ring on his finger which is now his wedding band.
Ketubah
I love modern art, immediately knew I wanted a papercut ketubah when looking at the different options. We found David Fisher Art online, he was great to work with and our beautiful all white ketubah from Israel is truly a work of art. A companion based text that focused on equality and growth together was written beautifully.
Chuppah
From the beginning I envisioned a gold medal chuppah with a simple tallit cover. We provided the tallit to go the top while Shauna found the perfect structure from Enticing Tables that we covered with flowers.
Flowers
Third and Park did all the florals for the day. The arrangements were whimsical yet modern with all white flowers. Arrangements of white roses, ranunculus and flowers of various sizes were repeated from the Chuppah to the aisle arrangements to the low and high centerpieces. Candles were also key to the setting the mood at the tables as the sunset early during the reception.
Photographer and videographer
The first thing we booked after the venue and planner was the photographer. From the moment we got on a video call with Taylor from Taylor Kinzie Photography – we knew she was the one. Her use of light and airy photography as well as her easy-going nature made her great to work with. We did an engagement session with her prior to the wedding which made us feel much more at ease on our wedding day. She captured the essence of us and the used the venue to the max.
We used Boffo Video for our videographer, the team was easy to work in both the planning and the day of.
Food and Cake
Catering was done by Turnip Rose, we featured a duo of Filet and Chicken for all our guests. Rave reviews all around on the quality of the food. The Sangria Margarita signature drink makes me want to replicate at home on the regular!
We also had a “festival of strawberries” that infused liquor into chocolate covered strawberries and a candy bar when people were leaving. The champagne orange flavoured cake was done by Plumeria Cake Studio and decorated with flowers. Jared loves chocolate but when we had out at home cake tasting, he knew this was the one!
Entertainment
Our Jewish wedding would not have been complete without a live band. With Shauna’s help, we selected Lucky Devils Band – and MAN did they entertain! From string duo during the ceremony, to the jazz music during cocktail hour, custom first dance music, the hora and so much more. Our guest enjoyed the music so much at the end of the event they called for an encore.
Extra details
We didn’t want to go overboard on unique touches, but when Shauna shared the vision board with a Champagne Tower Seating chart – we knew we had to have it! This too was from Enticing Tables and created a nice division between the ceremony and reception site. The guest loved being able to grab the glass of champagne prior to the toasts with their seating cards.
Our ceremony and reception had a focus on family with Jared’s brother serving as the best man and Erin’s sister serving as the maid of honor. All the siblings and parents stood with us at the Chuppah. We limited speeches to our parents, Jared’s sister and Erin’s sister at the reception.
Our final must was the photo booth, we now have great memories of the fun our friends had on our special day.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Leading up to the big day, everything was about delegation and making it clear what I needed help on. Working full-time – hiring Shauna was a life saver as it allowed me to focus on enjoying the experience vs getting involved in the nitty gritty (like the timing of the band for one). As the wedding came closer, I made sure to do what I needed to try to reduce the stress as much as possible – mainly by working out and trying to get some naps in. And maybe a few glasses of wine!
The day of I wanted to make sure there was no unnecessary stress or pressure, I went for a walk then had a quiet breakfast with my sister. I am super outgoing but knew I wanted the day to be quiet so only had my sister and Mom in the room as I got ready (and the photo/video crew). The biggest thing, you know what calms you down and relaxes you, nothing is different on your wedding day. Everyone says it – things will go wrong, some small maybe something large but NONE of your guests will know. Try to enjoy the wedding and party, you are MARRIED!
ERIN & JARED’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Taylor Kinzie Photography
Videography – Boffo Video
Wedding planner – Palm and Pine Events
Venue/Catering – Turnip Rose
Bride’s dress – Justin Alexander
Bridal Boutique – Mon Amie Bridal
Bride’s shoes – Shelbpez Boutique
Bride’s accessories – Yuric Wedding Shoppe
Groom’s attire – Hickey Freeman from Nordstrom
Hair + Makeup – Flawless Faces Inc
Flowers – Third and Park
Band – Lucky Devils Band
Cake – Plumeria Cake Studio
Ketubah – David Fisher Art
Stationery/Invitation – Shine Wedding Invitations
Rabbi – Rabbi Arnold Rachlis
Signage- Look Good on Paper Co
Chuppah/Champagne Tower- Enticing Tables
Rentals- Signature Party
Photobooth – Pixster Photobooth
Bride Getting Ready/Guest Hotel – Avenue of The Arts Hotel
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.
