Like most 2020 couples, Tara, a registered nurse, and Avi, a government contractor in counterterrorism, went through several changes of plan before they finally got to throw the Jewish wedding of their dreams. The DC-based couple, who both grew up in the Boston area, had initially planned a Memorial Day wedding on the North Shore of Massachusetts – until COVID hit. Next, they postponed to Thanksgiving – but just seven weeks before the date that became their wedding day, they decided to bump things up to Labor Day.
And we’re so glad they did, because the end-of-summer date was the perfect time of year to get married outdoors at Seacoast Science Center on the gorgeous New Hampshire coast. When you’ve got the ocean as a backdrop, you don’t need much in the way of décor – but nonetheless, we’re obsessed with Tara and Avi’s gorgeous birch chuppah, which fit into the natural landscape so seamlessly. Don’t miss the breathtaking images by Alex Gordias Photography and Bob Accettulo’s moving trailer.
The couple had a traditional Modern Orthodox ceremony – with a few added touches to reflect their contemporary values. We love that, in addition to calling seven men up to the chuppah to recite the sheva brachot per Jewish tradition, they opted to also invite seven women up to read Torah verses selected by the couple. We’re also in love with Tara and Avi’s exquisite ketubah by mega-talented Israeli artist Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Attias.
We’ll let Tara fill you in on the rest…
How we Met
Tara, the bride: We met when we were 12 years old and went to the same sleep-away camp and middle and high school. We dated when we were in 9th grade for a short period of time and then rekindled our relationship when we were both camp counselors at Camp Yavneh in 2015 and have been together ever since!
Pandemic Wedding
We got married on Labor Day (9/7/20) in the end after countless changes in our plans. We were originally planning on getting married on Memorial Day (5/24/20) at a gorgeous venue in the North Shore of MA, but by the end of March, we already knew that a May wedding was not going to happen. We then planned to postpone Thanksgiving, however just 7 weeks before our actual wedding day, we (and our parents and families!) decided to just bite the bullet and cut our wedding down to a third of the amount of people and move it up to September.
After much deliberation and countless conversations, we decided on doing the wedding in New Hampshire and ended up getting married just 30 minutes away from our sleep-away camp, Camp Yavneh, where we met 13 years ago and where we rekindled our relationship back in 2015. The venue is called the Seacoast Science Center on the grounds of Odiorne State Park. We had a gorgeous tent and a picturesque view of the ocean. It was perfect.
Change of Seasons
We did use a wedding planner, Amy Goldman. She was an absolute rockstar and really kept our morale up when things were challenging with the planning and constant changes. Luckily the colors and decor we chose for an indoor May wedding worked out beautifully for an outdoor September wedding. Our colors were gold and creams. The overall decor style was rustic romantic with soft pinks and whites as well as pops of gold throughout the tent.
A Kelly Faetanini Dress
The dress is from a bridal store called Flair Boston on Newbury Street in Boston. The designer is Kelly Faetanini. Originally the dress came strapless, however the designer customized it for me by adding sleeves to the top of the gown. I went gown shopping on erev Rosh Hashana with my mom, 2 sisters and mother-in-law. We had 3 appointments planned and ended up only going to 2 because I bought my gown at the second appointment!
Accessories
The veil I wore was the veil my older sister wore at her wedding. We added some lace to the end of it to make it special for my gown. Hopefully my younger sister will carry on the tradition and wear it as well! The jewelry I wore was my grandmother’s. It was very special to wear her jewelry on my special day.
Shoes
I bought Badgley Mischka satin colored heels and put them on for 5 minutes and immediately switched to my platform white sneakers. I needed to be comfortable!
The handsome groom
Avi wore a brand new customized tuxedo from Enzo Custom tuxedo. He looked so handsome and dapper in his tux! We loved everything about it.
Bridesmaids
I originally had 6 bridesmaids, 2 sisters and 1 sister-in-law. Unfortunately, due to COVID, only 4 of my bridesmaids were actually by my side on my wedding day. Even though the group was small, my bridesmaids were truly my bride tribe and made me feel so special and loved on my wedding day.
They were extremely supportive, helpful and strong throughout the entire postponement process and truly redefined what it means to show up for those you love. My bridesmaids chose their own dresses within a tan/cream color scheme.
The sisters, mothers and grandmothers wore gold and the entire color scheme looked stunning against my white gown and with the ocean in the background. I am so happy with how it all worked out.
Ceremony
Our entire wedding was a traditional modern orthodox wedding. We brought in special pieces from our lives to make the chuppa more personal for us as a couple and for our families. The top of the chuppah had both mine and Avi’s late grandfathers’ talitot hanging over our heads. The kiddush cup we used was Avi’s grandfather’s who was unable to travel to the wedding and the glass that we broke was recreated into a beautiful mezuzah that is now hanging in our apartment.
Additionally, in a traditional orthodox wedding, seven men are called up to read the sheva brachot under the chuppah. We decided to include seven women, in addition to the seven men, to read psukim (Torah verses) that we chose that relate to us as a couple. It was a beautiful way to incorporate our strong values into the tradition of the chuppah.
Ketubah
Our ketubah was designed by an Israeli artist: Noa Attias. Unfortunately, the actual Hebrew text of the ketubah has our original May date on it so it was used as more of a decorative piece at the wedding and our actual legal ketubah is taped onto the back of it. It makes for a great story to tell our future children!
Chuppah
I have always had a vision of what I wanted our chuppah to look like and our chuppah was definitely what I had envisioned. I wanted something rustic with flowers and with birch tree pillars. We decided to face the audience when under the chuppah and everyone had a stunning view of the ocean behind us with sailboats in the background.
The sun was shining and the ocean air was blowing and refreshing. It almost took down our chuppah, but it was saved thank goodness! We are extremely happy with how it turned out!
Music Choice
The most special music piece at our wedding was that mine and Avi’s siblings sang me down the aisle. They sang ‘Lecha Dodi’ to the tune of ‘Hallelujah’ by the Maccabeats. It was such a special moment and is one we will never forget. Our first dance dance was to ‘Still’ by Seinabo Sey. I have always loved this song since the moment I first heard it in the show ‘New Girl’ for a wedding scene.
In the months of quarantine leading up to our wedding, Avi and I rewatched the show and absolutely fell in love with the song. It was the perfect choice for our first dance.
Flowers
Yvette Viard was our florist and did an absolutely fantastic job. She was able to take our vision and put it into fruition with just 7 weeks notice of our new wedding date. We had a wide variety of flowers that included: English roses, dahlias, peonies, olive branches and blush roses. My bouquet and all of the flower arrangements were exceptional. I especially love the flower arrangement that was created for our bedekin. It was stunning!
Photographer and videographer
Alex Gordeev of Alex Gordias Photography was our photographer. He was utterly amazing. We happened upon him by chance through a friend of a friend that used him for her wedding. Alex did a ton of research on the venue and arrived extremely early to find the best spots and lighting for the photos. He is now the go-to photographer in our community! Bob Accettulo was our videographer. He also did a spectacular job in really capturing the energy in the tent.
Food and Cake
Catering By Andrew was our caterer. They have catered every single one of both mine and Avi’s family events in the Boston area. The food was absolutely delicious!
Entertainment
The band Nafshenu was our entertainment. They were phenomenal!
Favours
Customized lavender hand sanitizer of course! I have one little bottle left and am holding onto it for as long as I can!
Extra details
One of our favorite parts of the wedding was when our friends and family all gathered around us during the simcha dancing and did their “shtick.” It was so fun to see the different people in our lives bringing back old inside jokes. We loved it. Many of Avi’s friends from college had never been to a Jewish wedding so this was their first time at a traditional Jewish wedding.
Even though they had never been to one, it was as if they had been to a million! They had a ton of ruach (spirit) and even planned their own shtick. It was amazing. Something that also stood out at our wedding (and is a family tradition in my family) is to stand and dance on serving platters. It was a little scary, but definitely worth it! The photographers captured amazing photos of us up there!
Honeymoon
Luckily we didn’t make any honeymoon plans for after our original wedding date. We hope to go on a honeymoon in the summer!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
You will NEVER know what issues may arise, like a global pandemic! So you just need to roll with the punches and play the cards you’ve been dealt. Everything will work out one way or another and as long as you are having fun, everyone else around you will too!
TARA & AVI’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Alex Gordias Photography
Videography – Bob Accettulo
Ketubah – Noa Attias {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Wedding planner – Amy Goldman
Venue – Seacoast Science Center
Bride’s dress – Kelly Faetanini found at Flair Boston
Bride’s shoes – Badgley Mischka
Bride’s accessories – Family jewelry
Groom’s attire – Enzo Custom
Bridesmaids – Various different dresses!
Hair + Makeup – Meghan Fennelly , Marlo Freedman
Flowers – Yvette Viard
Band – Nafshenu Orchestra
Catering – Catering By Andrew
Cake – Catering By Andrew
Stationery/Invitation – Mark Harris Stationers
Rabbi – Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph and Rabbi Noah Cheses
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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