We always say there’s nothing like a Jewish wedding on the beach – well, today’s couple, Kimberly and Darren, went one better and planned a full-fledged wedding weekend away from it all in beautiful Key West!
Chill island vibes, a chuppah on the beach, ‘20s Spanish-style architecture galore, all so beautifully photographed by Karrie Porter Photography – what could be better?!
And we’re obsessed with the couple’s gorgeous ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com. Kimberly and Darren picked a design by artist Shell Rummel, featuring an infinity symbol with the phrase “I Carry Your Heart” from the poem by EE Cummings – and as it turns out, the couple have a line from that same poem engraved inside of their wedding bands! So special.
Before we hand you over to the bride – who looked so elegant in Leanne Marshall – we’ve got to say we love that one of her main bits of advice to future brides and grooms is to book a day of coordinator! We are BIG fans of handing off logistics on the day to a pro so that the two of you can relax and enjoy the day, and we’re always so glad to see couples going this route.
Over to you, Kimberly!
How we Met
Kimberly, the bride: Darren and I met at a restaurant we were both working at. I had just graduated college and was serving, Darren had just come back to Florida after serving in the IDF and was a line cook. We had seen each other but didn’t go on out first date until after working together for a few months. Darren messaged me on Facebook and we discussed a mutual interest in poetry and writing. On our first date, I actually brought a collection of some of my favorite poetry books for Darren to read!
After dating for a year in Florida we decided on adventure and moved across the country to Denver, CO with our two cats. There Darren finished law school and I began a career in nonprofit work. Fast forward to now and Darren is a civil litigation attorney and I am in marketing for a nationwide nonprofit.
A Key West Wedding Weekend
We got married in Key West, Florida at Casa Marina Resort. We chose Key West because we wanted to be married in Florida closer to most of our family and friends. We also wanted our wedding to feel intimate and away from all of the craziness that can sometimes be south Florida. Key West was a perfect choice because we were able to spend the weekend with everyone we loved on a tiny four mile island.
Once we walked into Casa Marina, we fell in love with the 1920s Spanish style architecture and the gorgeous beachfront. There is a beautiful cement walkway that leads out to a dock and that’s where we were married. Our reception was on the beach and it was even better than we pictured. The day of our wedding, the weather was perfect. I remember our ceremony finished and the sun was setting over the water, the string lights were glowing, it was magical – we definitely recommend a dance party on the beach!
Island Vibes
We didn’t have a theme, instead we chose things that reflected our personalities and felt like us. We chose some our favorite flowers and colors but we didn’t do a ton of décor. We felt being on the beach on a beautiful island was perfect and we didn’t want to take away from that.
Invitations / stationery
We ordered our invitations from Minted. We looked at so many companies, and found the design we felt captured what we were looking for with our boho-y beach wedding at Minted. We also like that they support individual artists.
Hair + Make-up
I went with a recommendation from a trusted friend that lead me to Raphael Targino with Bombshell Makeovers. Raphael was very professional and listened to me, it was very easy and professional working with him. I went for soft glam makeup because I wanted to feel a bit made up but I also didn’t want to not look like myself. For my hair, I went with a low boho bun with pieces of hair framing my face and some pearl pins for accents.
Dress
Dress shopping was hard for me! The sheer amount of options were overwhelming and the pressure to make the “right” choice gave me anxiety. As I tried on more things though, it became easier and I felt more comfortable. I went with the dress that I felt most myself in. Comfort was important to me as well! I wanted to be in something that I could dance all night and feel good in.
I ended up choosing a very flowy A-line gown from Leanne Marshall. The bodice was embroidered with a coral design so it was just perfect for me. I’m not a huge fan of the floral patterns you find on so many wedding gowns so I really felt that this dress was made for me.
Accessories
For accessories I leaned toward in the minimalist direction. I wore statement earrings and nothing else other than my engagement ring for jewellery. They were white beaded flowers with gold wire from A. B. Ellie. The only other accessories I added was a veil because I just love that classic bridal look that you get with a long flowing veil.
Shoes
Heels have never been my thing so I went in the opposite direction. For our ceremony I wore leather beaded sandals from Mago Sisters . They shipped so quickly from Greece and were absolutely perfect.
For our reception I changed into custom Converse and they were one of my favorite things! I went with all white low top Converse embroidered by Embroidery by Darlene with our wedding date on the side and my new name on the tongue. They came out perfect and I wore them during our honeymoon as well!
The handsome groom
We decided on a suit over a tux because our wedding was on the beach. Darren wanted to stand apart from his groomsmen who were all in light blue rather than matching them. He wore a mid blue Canali suit with brown dress dress shoes from Allen Edmonds. For his boutonnière we chose yellow billy balls to compliment the blue suit.
Bridesmaids
My bridesmaids wore taupe dresses from Birdy Grey and they were able to choose whatever style they wanted in that color. I wanted everyone to be comfortable and I didn’t want them to have to pay too much for a dress they would only wear once. Also, Birdy Grey will take their dresses back to donate them after the wedding!
Ceremony
To prepare for our ceremony we read Beyond Breaking the Glass by Nancy Wiener. Learning about the history and reasons behind Jewish wedding rituals and traditions empowered us to choose what was meaningful for us and cut out what wasn’t.
The Rabbi who married us, Rabbi Jordy, was the same Rabbi who I studied with when going through my conversion so it was very special to have her there. We worked closely with her as we designed our ceremony but the execution was even better than we imagined.
Things we incorporated into our ceremony that made it special : Circling! Instead of just me circling Darren, I circled him three times (My long flowy veil kept getting caught around his feet which was very sweet but perhaps have someone carry your veil if it is long!), then he circled me three times, and then we circled each other once.
For the seven blessings (Sheva Brachot) we had each of our parents and their significant others say a blessing (there were six in total) and our Rabbi said the final blessing. For the kiddish, we used crystal wine glasses that belonged to my great grandmother. They were actually a wedding gift to her and her husband in 1920!
Ketubah
We purchased our ketubah from Ketubah.com, and we chose a design by Shell Rummel. This design is special to us because it features an infinity symbol with the phrase “I Carry Your Heart”. That phrase is actually a poem by EE Cummings and we have a line from that same poem engraved inside of our wedding bands.
Chuppah
We worked with our florist to help us design our chuppah. We wanted something that would be beautiful but also minimal and timeless. This lead us to a birch wood chuppah with white chiffon draped over the top and florals cascading. With the ocean behind our chuppah, it was stunning!
Our Music Choice
We hired an Israeli DJ, DJ Leeor, for our wedding and he was amazing! We had him do our entire wedding from ceremony to reception. For our ceremony and cocktail hour we went with all instrumentals. Darren walked in with his parents to Here, There, and Everywhere by The Beatles, followed by the bridal party. I walked down the aisle with my grandfather to Here Comes the Sun also by The Beatles.
Our cocktail hour music was totally inspired by Bridgerton so we did a lot of Vitamin String Quartet!
For our first dance we actually took dance lessons and did a choreographed first dance. The original plan was of course to only dance to one song. But, we had so much fun that we ended up doing two songs that Darren spliced into one song! The first song was Ahava Kazot by Idan Raichel and the second was Como El Agua by Rotem Cohen and Descemer Bueno.
For the first part of our dance to Ahava Kazot was a slow Rumba that was very ballad-y and sensual. Then we transition to a fast paced Bachata for Como El Agua, it was really fun and all of our guests enjoyed. The rest of our reception was upbeat dance party music and we of course started with the hora!
Flowers
Our florals were a mix of cream and orange spray garden roses, coral ranunculus, yellow billy balls, and white snap dragons. The colors I asked for were, white/cream, pale peaches, and pops of yellow with olive greens. For centrepieces, instead of going with one large arrangement, I opted for multiple bud vases scattered around, gold candle sticks, and mercury votives. Our super talented florist, Duarte Floral Design, pulled everything together so nicely.
We did not use chargers, but my maid of honor DIY’d name cards that were pre-set on everyone’s table. She dehydrated oranges and grapefruit, and then printed our guest’s names on vellum paper that was then pinned onto the fruit.
Photographer
We worked with Karrie Porter Photography to capture our wedding and she did an excellent job. Karrie’s style of photography is very vibrant and we loved the way she plays with light in her photos. Her pictures really stood out to me as just a little something different.
We were actually down to two photographers and trying to decide between them. I spoke to each person on the phone and Karrie was so friendly and personable. That’s what ultimately tipped the scales for us. I think people sometimes forget that your photographer not only helps to run your timeline day of, but they pretty much spend the entire day with you! Karrie was such a pleasure to work with and she made sure everyone was having fun and felt comfortable in front of the camera!
Food and Cake
Our catering was luckily through our venue which made everything super simple. We went with short ribs and of course fresh fresh for meal options. We wanted straight forward delicious food that would make everyone happy.
I love cake, it is one of my favorite foods! That being said, (and I think most Floridians will agree) Publix has the best bakery! We got sheet cakes from Publix and had our caterer slice them up to serve our guests. We were able to save money by doing this and everyone loved it. We had coconut cake with guava filling and a vanilla buttercream icing.
We also had a small six inch cake for cutting from Key West Cakes, a local bakery. We actually got the same flavors as our Publix sheet cakes and we did an unannounced cake cutting. We really enjoyed this because no one had to stop dancing to watch us cut cake and we had a nice little intimate moment with ourselves and cake!
Favours
We tried to be as eco friendly as possible and so knowing that most people don’t care for the favors, we nixed them. Instead we made a donation in our guests honor to Reef Relief!
Extra details
One of our favorite memories from our wedding was the trolley ride to our after party! Key West has a famous little strip called Duval Street that is known for it’s eclectic collection of bars. So, for our after party we rented a trolley to pick everyone up from the venue and take us to Duval Street to go bar hopping. The trolley over was such a blast! Our driver began our ride with the question “Lights on or off?” Towhich everyone screamed “Off!”
The whole ride was full of singing our favorite songs, and chants, we even sung Dayenu at some point! The whole experience was surreal, everyone we passed on the streets was was waving and cheering with us. The next day even we heard people on the street talking about the crazy trolley the saw pass by the night before!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
My biggest pieces of advice are go with your gut and hire a day of coordinator!
I know it sounds cliché and vague but when planning your wedding you should go with whatever feels the most authentic to the two of you. Try to worry less about how others might feel and choose things that embody what makes you and your partner unique. Second, you need a day of coordinator. They are your best friend the day of your wedding and they make everything happen so that you can relax and enjoy your wedding day!
What ‘Smashing The Glass’ Did For Us
I loved that Smashing The Glass felt so accessible. As a Jewish convert it is sometimes hard to understand where you fit in and sadly some communities are not the most welcoming but Smashing The Glass was wonderful!
KIMBERLY & DARREN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Karrie Porter Photography
Ketubah – Ketubah.com {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Casa Marina Resort
Bride’s dress – Leanne Marshall
Bride’s shoes – Mago Sisters
Converse customisation – Embroidery by Darlene
Bride’s accessories – Jay Kay Braids and Bridal, A. B. Ellie
Groom’s attire – Canali
Bridesmaids – Birdy Grey
Hair + Makeup – Raphael Targino
Flowers – Duarte Floral Design
DJ – DJ Leeor
Catering – Casa Marina Resort
Cake – Key West Cakes, Publix
Stationery/Invitation – Minted
Rabbi – Rabbi Jordy
Day of Coordinator- Island Times Events
Trolley – Trolley Tours
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.
