Attention all interfaith couples! We know it’s not easy finding resources on how to craft a big day combining two different religions and backgrounds, and we’re always on the lookout for wise words from couples who’ve been there.
Today, we totally hit the jackpot. Crystal and Evan had a joint Jewish-Catholic ceremony, with a priest and a rabbi, and we love how involved they were in creating a personal ceremony that embraced both of their backgrounds.
This also happens to be a totally gorgeous wedding — Crystal and Evan took full advantage of their late September wedding date with seasonal blooms and a color scheme heavy on moody autumnal hues. Jessie Casey’s photos and Fantasy Flash’s video captured all the gorgeous details.
We’re crazy about their wild floral ketubah, which took full advantage of the venue’s permanent gazebo to craft a totally unique look. And how cool is the outdoor ballroom tent they held their reception in?!
Now over to the bride, who was pure perfection in Martina Liana…
Outdoor Ballroom
Crystal, the bride: Evan and I got married at West Hills Country Club in Middletown, NY. We chose it because we absolutely fell in love with the atmosphere, the service and most importantly the beautiful outdoor ballroom tent.
An Interfaith Wedding
Evan and I planned every detail of the wedding. We met with the priest and rabbi to thoroughly discuss the ceremony, which was very important to us being that we were having a joint ceremony. We combined both the Catholic and Jewish religion as much as possible. I made all of the signs, place cards and special details by hand.
Invitation, Simplified
Our invitation was an “All-In-One” – spending money on our invitations was not too important to us.
Hair + Makeup
I used Studio One for my hair; I have my cosmetology license (from a high school vocational program) and used to do hair with my wedding day hair team. That made my day even more special! I used Simply Elegant Beauty for my makeup.
A Martina Liana Dress
I got my dress from Jahee Bridal in Englewood, NJ. My dress was Martina Liana, style #888. I have always wanted an open back dress, but something with a lot of detail. This was the first dress I tried on, I then tried on 10 more and nothing could top it – we knew it was the one!
Etsy Accessories
I ordered my hairpiece, veil and bracelet from Etsy.
Badgley Mischka Shoes
I went with wedges from Badgley Mischka – comfort was important to me!! I needed something that would work for the whole night, my husband is 6’4. To make them even more special, Evan stole them and bought a sticker with our wedding date to put on one shoe and wrote a love note to me on the other (a complete surprise!)
The handsome groom
My husband wore a gorgeous navy blue “wedding suit” from First Class Formal Wear. Evan wore cognac shoes and an ivory shirt and had a simple boutonniere. As a wedding gift, I gave him cuff links with a personalized note from me engraved in them.
Bridesmaids in Gold
My bridesmaids also got their dresses from Jahee Bridal. I let them choose their dresses. I chose the gold color to stick with our theme. They wore mismatched dresses and my sister’s dress was full of sparkle! She was the MOH.
A Floral Chuppah
We wanted something that felt very natural and wild. We told our florist our vision and gave her the reins!
An Interfaith Ceremony
For our ceremony we merged the Jewish and Catholic traditions. We had a reading from the Old and New Testament. We used Evan’s late aunt’s tablecloth to keep the wine and unity candle on. Also, I got married with Evan’s grandmothers ring, which is a family tradition — all of the women in his family used that ring during their ceremony.
Love Never Felt So Good
Our wedding party walked in to ‘Cannon D’. I walked down the aisle to ‘A Thousand Years’. Our recessional song was Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson, ‘Love Never Felt So Good’. Our first dance song was ‘Cinema’ by Jason Evigan, which played on our very first date.
Seasonal Flowers
We used all flower that were in bloom! We used ferns, palms, dahliahs, roses, and tons of buds – along with many others. Our beautiful floral were done by a freelance florist, Jessie Weaver, out of Warwick, NY.
Photography and videography
We used Jessie Casey. We knew she was the right choice because her pictures just felt so natural – which was so important to us. She was so laid back and just let us do our thing. We also got video footage, done by Fantasy Flash out of Westchester, NY.
Strawberry Cake
We got our cake from Pastry Garden in Poughkeepsie, NY. It was a strawberry cake, with Baileys cream and kahula cream. It had butter cream frosting. Our FAVORITE cake is strawberry with chocolate frosting, so this was our take on it.
Entertainment
We had a DJ. We used Vargas Entertainment and also added a saxophonist who played alongside the DJ all night!
Donations Instead of Favors
In lieu of favors we donated to a charitable foundation that is near and dear to our hearts, Cranio Carebears.
Involving our families
Our wedding was special because we incorporated our families and friends in every way possible. Our siblings were all in the wedding. Our parents walked us down the aisle. Our in-laws were our ketubah witnesses. Our flower girl and ring bearers did a dance for the whole wedding party before dinner – which was adorable. I danced with my mother for our first dance, rather than my dad, and my “something blue” were two blue ribbons from my two late aunts’ memorial services.
Honeymoon in Greece
Evan and I went to Greece. We went to Santorini, Mykonos and Athens.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Stay true to what you want! Take time on that day to breathe and enjoy it with your new husband! It goes by so fast!
Crystal & Evan’s little white book
Photography – Jessie Casey
Videography – Fantasy Flash
Venue – West Hills Country Club
Bride’s dress – Martina Liana found and fitted at Jahee Bridal
Bride’s shoes – Badgely Mischka
Bride’s accessories – Etsy
Groom’s attire – First Class Formal Wear
Flowers – Jessie Weaver
Cake – Pastry Garden
DJ – Vargas Entertainment
Ketubah – Anna Abramzon Studio
