Today’s Jewish wedding is just SO quintessentially NYC, and we can’t get enough of it! Gabby and Daniyel wanted their big day to feel like a night out at a jazz club in NYC – with incredible cocktails and food and endless dancing – rather than a traditional wedding.
From their choice of the Lower East Side’s Nine Orchard Hotel – a 1912 building steeped in Jewish history – as a venue, every decision the couple made went toward curating the perfect ambience. Nine Orchard brought the perfect mix of old-world charm and modern chic, and Gabby and Daniyel kept the flow of the evening organic by keeping everything cocktail-style, rather than doing a traditional seated dinner. We’re obsessed with the vibes – catch it all in the wonderful candid photos by Ari of Daystar Visuals and video by TMT Weddings.
We also love that Gabby and Daniyel brought some special Jewish food touches to their wedding menu, namely black and white cookies and latkes served with sour cream, apple sauce, and caviar – especially fitting since the wedding took place just before the first night of Hanukkah!
Read on for the full story in Gabby’s own words…
How We Met
Gabby, the bride: A few years ago, when we were both single, our best friends (who are also dating, and are now married) told us we would be the perfect match. Dani invited me to a party, that he threw on instruction of our friends, so we could meet, and from that moment on we knew this was something special.
A Venue with History
Nine Orchard Hotel. Definitely significant. We went to the roof for a friend’s birthday party a while back and literally said, this is where we will get married. We were not even engaged yet.
It also played a huge role in our wedding, in the history and spirit it established. It was founded in 1912, as a Jewish founded-bank building. Today, the building is still rooted in the history of the Lower East Side and the Jewish stories and owners that shaped it. The building carries an old-world charm, but is also reimagined with modern chic, city style.
That blend of history and new elegance completely shaped what we celebrated and how we did it. We wanted to honor our Jewish roots, and ground our marriage in tradition, while also making our wedding feel entirely our own. It was the perfect place for the start of our marriage, and truly the only place that felt right to do so.
We had our afterparty at Carriage House, a sick spot close to Nine Orchard. Not only was it easy for guests to get to, but this allowed us to party all night. We wanted to mirror one of our favorite early-on dates, dancing all night long at Club Space in Miami. The flexibility at Carriage House made this possible.
Night Out in NYC
As an account manager, I decided I could totally plan our wedding myself. It would be easy! Not true. With the help of truly incredible vendors and contacts at Nine Orchard, we somehow pulled it off – but lesson learned, I am not a wedding planner.
We did have a day-of coordinator (thankfully!) from Mostest, which was essential and allowed us to actually enjoy the night.
From the beginning, we knew we didn’t want a traditional wedding. We worked through every typical wedding moment and asked ourselves, does this feel like us? If the answer was no, we let it go.
Looking back, I think the biggest way we made it feel personal was keeping everything cocktail-style, and not providing 100% seating. We wanted everyone up, dancing, moving, talking, and running into each other all night. So we set 2 long tables on one side of the room, and some soft seating around, which kept the night flexible. The food was served buffet style and without announcement, so everybody was flowing in and out of the area – to me, this was ideal.
Our dream wedding wasn’t a formal ballroom dinner, it was meant to feel like a night out in New York City, like stepping into a jazz club, with incredible cocktails, food, endless dancing…and we just happened to also be getting married.
Hair + Makeup
This was the part I felt most anxious about — I’d been wearing essentially the same hair and makeup since I first picked up a flat iron and started using makeup in middle school.
Galina came highly recommended by so many people, and I immediately loved the work on her Instagram and website, so I decided to book my trial with her. I truly could not believe what she did. She made me look like the most gorgeous, glamorous, yet still completely natural version of myself, I was literally stunned. She spent hours with me, making sure every detail was perfect, and we tried every single idea I had until I was completely thrilled and decided on what I wanted.
I felt more beautiful than I ever have in my life, and I will always say this was the best money I have ever spent.
Wedding Attire
We both had so much fun with our wedding wardrobe…Dani probably even more than myself.
Our wedding attire was “Dress to the Nines” and we encouraged everybody else to have fun with it too. We wanted Black Tie, but with a fun, stylish twist. Everybody showed up for it.
I found my dress at my first appointment. It was a Kyha dress. I had always loved the brand and was super excited but did not love any of the first few dresses I tried. The sales associate was really pushing me to try on one last dress and I was against it by the look of it on the rack, but she convinced me. Once I put it on, it was no question. This was it. I immediately took it, plus a few accessories to help me dress it throughout the night and that was it. It was exactly what I was looking for and I’m so thankful she pushed me to try it. I got my alterations done with Nadin Fashion Alteration, she was absolutely incredible.
The afterparty dress was Retrofete, and Dani helped pick this for me. He has an incredible eye!
Dani had a custom tux made with Thom Sweeney. We had so much fun going to so many fittings, and trying on tons of options. He ended up with a midnight blue navy tux, as they told us is better for photos (and James Bond wears one) with a gorgeous velvet jacket to change into. He also opted for a 70s style undershirt with a pleated bib.
Bridesmaids
I did not have bridesmaids. I love my friends so much, and I truly wanted them to relax that day. I told them, please sleep in, rest up all day and hydrate so you can stay up with me dancing until the sunrise! That was more important to me than having them wake up to eat breakfast and get their hair and makeup done with me. I absolutely love being a bridesmaid, but I knew what I would’ve rather chosen for myself. And they did just that – they stayed up all night to dance with me until the morning!!!
Ceremony & Chuppah
We read our own vows which was extremely emotional, I think everybody in the entire room shed a tear. We had only our siblings and grandparents (who could make it) walk down the aisle. It was very intimate.
For the chuppah, we went with a simple draped chuppah. The room for the ceremony was very simple, and we wanted to stay with that simplicity. It felt perfect and completely us. Our florist Jin with Tovert brought this to life.
Ketubah
Our ketubah has a gorgeous Hamsa, with gold leaf and papercut layers. It was designed by Enya Keshet, an Israeli artist.
Our music choice
We had the incredible Mike D on Violin during our ceremony. He brought so much energy and had a huge repertoire, but also learned any songs we had requested ahead of time.
Next we had a wonderful jazz trio – TrioNYC – play as guests entered the party space upstairs. This completely set the vibe and let people mingle, get drinks, and explore the incredibly gorgeous space without jumping right into any intense music. They were amazing.
Lastly, we had Duane Harriott who we hired through 74 Events, and we cannot recommend them enough. He played the grooviest and most fun music, and that was probably our received feedback of the evening. All ages were dancing throughout the entire night and he completely captured the vibe we were going for.
Flowers
Nine Orchard is so incredibly stunning already, and already super eclectic and full of design elements, so we didn’t see too much of a need to bring in too much else. That said, Jin with Tovert helped us add in a few touches of florals that felt so aligned with the space – fun, funky, and in color that warmed up and personalized the room so well. It felt green and wintery, cool, and unexpected. She was super thoughtful about everything.
Photographer and videographer
Ari with Daystar Visuals and I connected through Reddit – and right away she made me feel super comfortable and clearly understood our vision. Nothing too formal or overly polished and posed…which can be super common in wedding photography. She provided us a trial / engagement session where we totally clicked and were obsessed with her style images and knew it would be a perfect match. We love her candid style, with a mix of flash, film, and motion. Her presence was always calm, and she always let us lead the way with a light and helpful guidance. It was a perfect match in every way!
For video we used TMT Weddings. Max was incredible on site!
Food and cake
Full catering was done by Nine Orchard and it was outstanding. That said, we brought in some incredible latkes from our local Jewish deli in Philadelphia – served with sour cream, apple sauce, and a HUGE tin of caviar to celebrate Hanukkah! We also had black and white cookies served with the dessert trays. It felt like a great way to tie in some fun Jewish details, plus the fact that Hanukkah started that following day.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Don’t get carried away. If you want a big, all-out wedding, go for it.
But if you don’t, it’s easy to get swept up thinking you have to do everything by the book. You don’t, you can make it your own.
Skip the Friday night if you just want to relax. Skip the bridesmaids if you want to honor friends in different ways. You’ll be so much happier celebrating in a way that truly feels like your relationship and honors the celebration of the wedding, not just going through the motions of what it should be.
GABBY & DANIYEL’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Daystar Visuals
Videography – TMT Weddings
Ketubah – Enya Keshet
Venue & catering – Nine Orchard Hotel
Bride’s dress – Kyha Studios
Dress alterations – Nadin Fashion Alteration
Afterparty dress – Retrofete
Groom’s attire – Thom Sweeney
Hair + Makeup – Makeup by Galina
Flowers – Tovert
DJ – Mike D on Violin, TrioNYC, and Duane Harriott with 74 Events
Day-of coordination – Mostest
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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