We love it when a couple plans a Jewish wedding that’s totally, completely them – and that’s exactly what Natasha, a risk analyst at a real estate investment company, and Ryan, a development associate for Hillels of Georgia, did.
For starters, we’re obsessed with the custom ketubah the pair commissioned from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink with Intent to feature the famous University of Georgia Arch – since these two met at college there and are both diehard Bulldog fans!
We also love the fact that the bride crafted most of the décor herself! But most special of all is the fact that Natasha was given the surprise gift of a special necklace of her late mother’s. Natasha had thought her mother was buried in the necklace, but turns out her uncle had been holding onto it with the intention of gifting it to her on her special day – how beautiful is that?! We love all the emotion of the day that comes through in the beautiful photos by Katie Tiller and video from Snguyen Media.
Now over to Natasha, who looked beautiful in Justin Alexander…
How We Met
Natasha, the bride: We met our freshman year of university at The University of Georgia.
Indoor/Outdoor
We got married at TPC Sugarloaf located in Atlanta, GA. The venue was absolutely perfect for my vision of an outdoor ceremony with an indoor reception. It checked all of my boxes and fit well within our budget making it a no brainer choice. The venue came with a coordinator, Amelia, who was an ABSOLUTE DREAM. I honestly couldn’t thank her enough for all the time, consideration, and effort she put into making sure our day was absolutely perfect. I could talk all day about Amelia… EVERY bride needs someone like her.
DIY Vibes
Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE rose gold. I’ve always been allergic to gold and silver but rose gold seems to not make me react. So since I was young I’ve always been a fan of rose gold. Needless to say our wedding featured a LOT of rose gold!
I knew I wanted to emphasize the beautiful greenery of our venue so greens and blushes were an absolute must. The boys navy tuxes rounded out our color scheme and accents of marble here and there made it perfect!
The most creative thing about our day is probably that every piece of décor (other than the cake, marquee sign, and flowers) was hand made by me 🙂
Invitation
We got our invitations done by Robyn Feinberg of Only RSVP here in Atlanta. We loved working with her to design our perfect invitations.
Hair + Makeup
I decided to go for a classic half up half down look with a natural glam makeup look by Jacqueline Cuilla.
A Justin Alexander Dress
My dress is Justin Alexander Asymmetric Draped Ball Gown with Pockets. I got it form Sweet Elegance Bridal here in Atlanta. I knew it was the one as soon as I put it on and realized IT HAS POCKETS!
Accessories
My veil and blusher were custom made by Rodica Lazarian who also did my wedding dress alterations. My necklace, earrings and bracelet were from Kendra Scott and our wedding rings were from Solomon Brothers.
The most special part of the day was probably getting surprised with my mom’s necklace. She was gifted it at her Bat Mitzvah and when she passed away in 2010 I thought she was buried in it. Little did I know my uncle had been saving it and surprised me with it to wear on my special day. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room when he gave it to me and it was the most special thing for me to wear on that day.
Shoes
I chose super comfortable rose gold Sam Edelman block heels for the day. During the reception I changed into Alexander McQueen Platform Sneakers with rose gold detailing.
The handsome groom
Ryan, the groomsman, and our fathers all rented their tuxedos from Savvi Formalwear. He wore a custom made tuxedo shirt I gave him. The sleeves and back were made out of UGA fabric that showed when he took his jacket off during the reception!
Bridesmaids
I had 8 bridesmaids. They all wore the After Six Bridesmaid Dress 1514 in color “Desert Rose” from Dessy. I loved the color and ordering from Dessy was an absolute breeze for my girls!
Chuppah
We knew we wanted a floral chuppah but we also wanted the chuppah itself to stand out. Ednita, our florist, did a beautiful job creating the perfect balance between the two.
A Very Personal Ketubah
Our custom made ketubah was from Ink with Intent. Our ketubah features the infamous University of Georgia Arch to symbolize where Ryan and I met, which was incredibly meaningful to both of us (as diehard Bulldog fans).
Our music choice
My processional was ‘Speechless’ by Dan + Shay, recessional was ‘Marry You’ by Bruno Mars, our first dance was to ‘Can I Have This Dance?’ by Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron from High School Musical 3.
Flowers
Ednita Tingle from Roots and Blooms actually made Ryan’s boutonniere and corsage for his senior prom in 2012. So it was a no brainer that we would use her for our special day! We gave her creative license to bring our simple/classic vision to life and she absolutely knocked it out of the park!
Photographer and videographer
About 4 months after we got engaged I went to a bridal expo where I met Katie Tiller for the first time. I loved her style and couldn’t get her beautiful photos out of my mind. After 6 months of looking at practically every photographer in the state of GA, I couldn’t find anyone that compared to her photos and style. Not to mention she is the SWEETEST person I’ve ever met. We decided on Katie and we are SO happy we did. I couldn’t have asked for a better photographer.
Our videographer was an amazing up and coming videographer from Atlanta, Steven Nguyen from Snguyen Media. He was absolutely amazing and took so much time to make sure we got the best wedding video. I still cry every time I watch it!
Food and cake
We used the venue for catering. Our cake was made by It’s a Sweet Life Bakery. I got to sit down with the owner and described to her my “perfect cake”. She sketched the cake and it was PERFECT. It came out better than I could have ever imagined. Not to mention it was absolutely delicious!
Entertainment
We had a Simon Rimmer from SiFi Entertainment DJ our wedding. HE ROCKED THE HOUSE! From beginning to end, we could get people off the dancefloor! The highlight of the wedding was when Ryan and his groomsmen burst into a choreographed dance to “Thriller”.
Favors
We had personalized fans made for gusts to use during the outdoor ceremony. We also had custom pompoms made to mimic the ones used at University of Georgia Football games for our send off.
Honeymoon
While we have not gone yet, we are planning to honeymoon in Greece sometime in 2020! Ryan’s family immigrated from Rhodes so we would love to go visit!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Even though everyone likes to pretend it doesn’t happen, THINGS WILL GO WRONG. However, normally when they do, only you and the wedding coordinator will know that they did. None of your guests will ever know what was “supposed” to happen. So don’t let it get to you! Enjoy the day!
What ‘Smashing The Glass’ Did For Us
My favorite part about STG was reading that I was not the only person going through some of the hurdles I went through. From menu choices to wedding traditions, all my questions were answered and many times there were real brides going through the same thing as me!
NATASHA AND RYAN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Katie Tiller
Videography – Snguyen Media
Ketubah – Ink with Intent {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – TPC Sugarloaf
Bride’s dress – Justin Alexander found and fitted at Sweet Elegance Bridal
Bride’s shoes – Sam Edelman , Alexander McQueen
Bride’s accessories – Kendra Scott
Alterations and Veil – Rodica Lazarian
Groom’s attire – Savvi Formalwear
Bridesmaids – Dessy
Hair + Makeup – Jacqueline Cuilla
Flowers – Roots and Blooms
DJ – SiFi Entertainment
Catering – TPC Sugarloaf
Cake – It’s a Sweet Life Bakery
Stationery/Invitation – Only RSVP
Wedding Rings- Solomon Brothers
Smash 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.
