We just love today’s couple’s Jewish wedding theme: tree of life! Taylor, a nurse practitioner, and David, an orthopedic surgery resident, love the outdoors, and they settled on this theme as the perfect way to combine their enthusiasm for nature with their deep connection to Jewish tradition.
They found the perfect spot for their big day in the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead, Georgia, featuring gorgeous Japanese Zen Gardens where the duo held their chuppah (birch, and embellished with greenery, florals, and foliage – so on theme!). Don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Hellen Oliveira Photography.
A tree of life ketubah was a must for Taylor and David, and they found the perfect design on Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com, from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nava Shoham.
There’s so much more to say, but we’ll let the bride take it from here…
How We Met
Taylor, the bride: We went to high school together, however, we did not reconnect until years later on Jswipe (Jewish Tinder).
A Zen Venue
We got married at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead, Georgia. We decided on this venue because we fell in love with the Japanese Zen Gardens. The lush greenery and sounds of the 30 foot waterfall canceled out the buzz from downtown Atlanta and felt like the perfect place to get married under our chuppah.
Natural Vibes
We are both very outdoorsy people. We enjoy hiking, biking and just being outside. We knew we wanted to incorporate a lot of greenery, trees and florals into our wedding day. We used trees as our centerpieces and had fairy lights hanging from the ceiling which gave the ballroom a very whimsical feel. We used golds, greens, and blush pinks as our color scheme. We had the most amazing wedding planner, Alexa Spathelf from Alexa Eve Events. She truly made our wedding dreams come to life.
A Martin Thornburg Dress
I got my wedding dress from Bel Fiore Bridal in East Cobb, Georgia. Martin Thornburg was the designer. It was a stretch Mikado fit and flare bridal gown with an off the shoulder neckline, dramatic sheer back bodice with crystal buttons and tulip shaped cathedral train. I knew I wanted something elegant, simple and fitted. This dress was absolutely perfect!
Ketubah
We got our ketubah at ketubah.com from an Israeli artist named Nava Shoham. We knew we wanted the theme of our ketubah to be the tree of the life. Our ketubah is a multi color tree with a gold foil.
Ceremony & Chuppah
We had a traditional Jewish ceremony. We both used our late grandparents’ wedding bands for our ceremony which felt like such a special way to incorporate them in our wedding day. We also got married using David’s talit from his bar mitzvah and Taylor’s kiddush gift from her bat mitzvah. Our favorite part of our ceremony was sharing personal vows in front of all our family and friends and feeling overcome with all the love and support. Our chuppah was absolutely stunning! It was a birch chuppah embellished with greenery, florals and foilage. We feel like our chuppah so perfectly captured our “tree of life” wedding theme.
Our music choice
We used Fountain City Players Band from Music Garden Bands, which was a high energy dance and party band that played a variety of songs from Motown, to Top 40, to classic Rock, oldies, and Pop.
Flowers
Taylor’s bouquet was a hand tied, loosely gathered bouquet feating a mix of ivory, blush pink and terra cotta blossoms with foliage accents for a loose whimsical look. Our table center pieces were tall tree centerpieces designed in tall glass vases surrounded by shorter colorful centerpieces and lots of candles. Our chuppah was the main centerpiece of our wedding day! It was a birch chuppah, adorned with cream, ivory, blush pink and terra cotta florals with foliage to look organic and lush. Julie Coffin from Unique Floral Expressions brought our ideas to life.
Photographer
We used Hellen Oliveira Photography. Hellen and her team had the most beautiful portfolio and her style perfectly aligned with my own. Not only were her pictures beautiful but Hellen is also sweet, easy going and very professional. Every special moment and memory of our wedding was captured so beautifully.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Your wedding day truly goes by so quickly! Make sure you take a few minutes to pause look around and capture those special moments. At your ceremony look out into the crowd, you will feel overcome by the love and support of your family and friends!
DAVID & TAYLOR’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Hellen Oliveira Photography
Ketubah – Nava Shoham via ketubah.com {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Grand Hyatt
Planner – Alexa Eve Events
Bride’s dress – Martin Thornburg found at Bel Fiore Bridal
Bride’s shoes – Loeffler Randall
Bride’s accessories – sj bailey co.
Groom’s attire – Calvin Klein
Bridesmaids – Likely
Hair + Makeup – Brushworx
Flowers – Unique Floral Expressions
Band – Music Garden Bands
Cake – Frosted Pumpkin Wedding Cakes
Stationery/Invitation – Paper Matters
Linens – I Do Linens
Tables + chairs – Atlanta Party Rentals
T&D Marquee letters – Giant Letters of Atlanta
Rehearsal dinner – ASW Distillery
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.
