We love it when a couple plans a Jewish wedding that’s totally, 100% THEM – and that’s exactly what today’s duo did. Juliet, who works in human resources at a technology company, and Michael, who runs his financial planning company, combined a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony with so many wonderful personal touches, and we are her for it!
One thing we adore is the way Juliet and Michael worked elements not part of a traditional Jewish ceremony into their day, both before and after the chuppah. During their first look pre-chuppah, the pair exchanged private vows, and then after the yichud room they did a private ring exchange.
During the chuppah itself, we love the way Juliet and Michael incorporated friends and family, by asking loved ones to do everything from covering them in Michael’s tallit to reading the signed Ketubah to saying the seven blessings, and more.
When it came time to choose a ketubah, the couple naturally wanted something that both kept to Jewish tradition while at the same time embodied their relationship. The found the perfect design on Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com, where they fell in love with “Sky Over Aquamarine Seas” by Hadass Gerson. Juliet and Michael included both Aramaic and English text and worked with Ketubah.com to get everything exactly how they envisioned. Don’t miss it in the beautiful photos by Jenny Smith and Co.!
There’s so much more to say about this fabulous wedding – we haven’t even touched on the exquisite floral chuppah, or Juliet’s ever-so-chic gown by Pronovias – but we’ll let the bride herself fill you in on the rest…
How we Met
Juliet, the bride: We met as babies and grew up together as family friends all thanks to a lifelong friendship that our dads shared.
Our dads grew up together in Israel and after not seeing each other for years they reconnected after moving to Los Angeles, CA. It was as if no time had passed. Our families were inseparable with trips to the snow, backyard pool parties, and summer BBQs.
Our families happened to lose touch just as we were heading into our high school years. After not seeing each other for over 10 years, Michael recognized me at a local bar in Sherman Oaks, CA and the rest is history.
An Outdoor Venue
Our venue was McCormick Home Ranch in Camarillo, CA. We wanted a venue that was fully outside for both the ceremony and reception, while still having an intimate space. It was really important that we found a venue that allowed kosher catering. The property owner was so sweet and accommodating, it felt so comfortable being there. We loved how naturally beautiful the venue was with succulents, gardens, and large trees all throughout the ceremony and reception space. It was everything we were looking for!
Theme & Wedding Planner
We wanted the wedding to represent us as a couple, from the design and decor to the traditions that took place on the big day. We wanted an elegant and timeless feel, so we went with navy blue with gold accents.
We worked with Morgan Pine and her team at Cluster Event Planning and Design and I truly do not know what I would have done without them! They helped with all aspects of our wedding: finding our dream venue, booking our vendors, and perfecting our design and aesthetic. She took care of all coordination and communications with vendors and made sure everything was seamless on the wedding day.
Hair + Make-up
I worked with Bliss Bridal Beauty for hair and makeup and knew I was in good hands. I did two trials leading up to the wedding day and loved how they put everything together. We ended up doing a tight low bun with classic pearl hair pins to compliment the beaded back of my dress. I went with soft-glam makeup with gold and bronze tones for a timeless and elegant look. I stayed within my comfort zone for hair and makeup, as I wanted to feel confident and beautiful while still feeling like myself.
My bridal party helped me so much during the planning process and I wanted to be able to treat them to hair and makeup on the wedding day. Bliss Bridal Beauty did a great job at accommodating a large party, and we had so much fun getting ready the morning of the wedding.
A Pronovias Dress
My ceremony dress was the Caceres gown by Pronovias from Bella Bridal Couture. It was a beautiful long-sleeved crepe gown with a beaded back and train. I knew it was the one when I realized that I never wanted to take it off. I felt so elegant and confident and loved how it naturally matched my style. I bought the dress as is and I was able to take it home with me that day!
I knew I wanted to change into a lightweight dress for the reception and found a beautiful Willowby by Watters gown from Lili Bridal. I love how I was able to show another side of my personality. It was the perfect dress for a night of eating and dancing!
It was so special doing a first look with my dad. I gifted him a customized tie where I added a childhood photo of me and him to the back.
Accessories & Shoes
I wore my late grandmother’s pearl diamond earrings and I loved being able to honor her in my bridal look. It was hard not having her there on the wedding day, but wearing her earrings somehow made me feel like she was there with me. To tie everything together, I wore an ivory cathedral length veil with a blusher.
I wore Sam Edleman Sandals for the ceremony, which were extremely comfortable with the block heel. I changed into white Converse All Star High Top Sneakers for the reception so I could dance the night away!
Grooms Attire
Michael wore a navy blue tuxedo from Suit Supply, Hugo Boss cufflinks, and a black MVMT watch.
Bridesmaids
My bridesmaids wore royal blue velvet dresses from Revelry. They were able to pick any style that they liked, since all that mattered was that they were comfortable and felt beautiful.
Ceremony and Chuppah
After we signed the Ketubah, Michael and the men had a Tisch in a separate area of the venue, where they gave toasts and l’chaims! During that time, the women gathered together to share blessings, stories, advice, and support as we entered this new chapter. After some time apart, Michael made his way back to greet me for the Badeken where he placed my veil over me in front of our friends and family.
We really wanted to incorporate our friends and family in our wedding ceremony by including them in various traditions. We had different family members cover us in Michael’s tallit, read the signed Ketubah, say the seven blessings, finish the wine in the kiddush glass, and even place the kiddush glass under Michael’s foot for the final smashing of the glass!
A very special touch that we added to the ceremony was hanging my late grandfather’s tallit above us across the chuppah. We also asked the Rabbi to mention those who had passed and were there in spirit, giving us a beautiful moment to honor our loved ones.
My childhood nanny and her husband made us a custom hand-blown glass kiddush cup. It was so special using the kiddush cup during the ceremony for the blessings, as well as the smash glass! My favorite part of the ceremony was when I was walking down the aisle and saw Michael at the chuppah. I remember not taking my eyes off him and being so excited to get to marry my best friend. Once I got to the chuppah I did the seven circles and felt like it was just the two of us for a few moments.
We wanted something whimsical and romantic for our chuppah design. Our florist, The Little Branch, took all my rough ideas and created something truly magical. She used a birchwood chuppah and used garden roses, greenery, and many other delicate flowers to compliment the gardens of the venue. There were butterflies circling all around us during the ceremony, it truly felt like we were in a dream.
Ketubah
When we were looking for our Ketubah we wanted something that was beautiful and colorful that matched our relationship. We saw it as a special art piece and we wanted something that really embodied us.
We got our ketubah from Ketubah.com. We fell in love with the Ketubah called “Sky Over Aquamarine Seas” by Hadass Gerson. We included both Aramaic and English text and worked with Ketubah.com to get everything exactly how we envisioned.
Our Music Choice
We hired Ace at Vox DJs to handle all the music the day of the wedding. We really wanted a DJ that we could trust to read the crowd and keep everyone on the dance floor. We let him know a few artists and genres for the reception, and from there he handled the rest! We got cold sparklers for the dance floor, which created a fun and high energy vibe for the reception. One of the best moments was when he played ‘All the Small Things’ by Blink 182 as one of the last songs. There was not a single guest in their seats and it was the perfect song to finish out the night!
We had our first dance to ‘Dressed up in White‘ by CAL. We would sing that song to each other whenever it played, so it felt natural to have that be our wedding song. We took dance lessons three weeks leading up to the wedding and had so much fun learning a full routine. For anyone in the LA area, check out Alexis Massey from Dance with Alexis. She was so patient and was wonderful to work with.
For the processional, Michael and his parents walked down to ‘Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007:I Prelude’ by Johann Sebastian Bach as a tribute to his late grandfather who loved classical music and was a lifelong pianist. The bridal party walked down to ‘What a Wonderful World’ by Stringspace, and Juliet and her parents walked down to ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love (Instrumental)‘ by Vesislava. For the recessional, we played ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ by Toploader which was a fun start to cocktail hour.
Flowers
We worked with Megan and her team at The Little Branch to design all of the floral aspects for the wedding day. We wanted the floral to compliment the natural beauty of the venue. We went with blush tones and light pink hues for our color palette. She included garden roses, ranunculus, and other delicate floral to match the romantic and ethereal style. The centerpieces were a mixture of bud vases, small arrangements, and candles.
We added some personalized touches to the florals. I asked our florist to wrap my bouquet in my mother’s wedding dress, as well as attach lockets that had photos of my late grandparents. I also surprised my mom and Michael’s mom with small flower bouquets with photo lockets of their loved ones who had passed away.
Photographer and videographer
We worked with Jenny Smith and Co. for both our engagement photos and wedding photos. We worked with Press Films and Media to capture video of all the special moments on our wedding day. They have worked many weddings together and we really loved their approach of keeping everything very natural and in the moment. It was important that our photos wouldn’t be staged or forced, and they did an amazing job at keeping everything true to us.
When looking for a photographer and videographer, we really wanted to make sure that they were experienced with Jewish weddings and all the traditions that take place. After speaking with them, we felt reassured that nothing would be missed. We feel so grateful to have had such a wonderful photo and video team!
Food and Cake
It was important for us to have kosher catering at the wedding. Our main goal was to have lots of food for guests during the day. We served cookies and bourekas during the Ketubah, Tisch, and Bedeken from Unique Pastry Cafe. Nes Catering did a great job putting together a menu for the passed appetizers, dinner, and dessert. The dinner buffet had chicken pargiyot, short ribs, pasta, and lots of vegetables!
We had a small ceremonial cake from Unique Pastry Cafe for Michael and me to cut together. We decorated the cake with a gold cake topper from Etsy and extra floral provided by our florist. Instead of serving slices of cake, we had lots of different bite-size treats. Nes Catering brought desserts, such as donuts, brownies, churros, cookies, and so much more.
Extra details
We had a religious ceremony while still being able to incorporate other meaningful traditions throughout the day. One of my favorite moments was the first look with Michael, where we exchanged private vows. It was so nice to have some private time before everything started, and it really allowed us to be in the moment together.
After the Yichud room, we did a private ring exchange with just the two of us. We were drinking our signature drinks and were giggling with excitement the entire time.
The hora was one of our favorite moments. It was so much fun that we actually went up in the chair twice, because why not! We got fun fact napkins from Etsy to tell our guests a little more about us!
We not only had a mother-son and father-daughter dance, but I surprised my mom with a mother-daughter dance as well. My parents mean the world to me, so it was so special being able to honor them both.
We had a memory table to display photos of all our loved ones who have passed away. It was a really special way to honor them at the wedding.
Honeymoon
We went to Thailand for our honeymoon, as we wanted to go somewhere we both have never been. We used Exotic Voyages to plan our itinerary and made sure to mix in relaxing and adventurous activities.
Advice to other couples planning their wedding
Try to remember that things will happen that are out of your control, but at the end of the day you are marrying your best friend and the love of your life!
One suggestion for the wedding day is to pause for a second to take it all in. I recommend stepping away for a moment and looking back at all your friends and family who are there celebrating your special day. It is a beautiful reminder of all the amazing friends and family who will always be there to support you and your spouse in this exciting new chapter.
JULIET & MICHAEL’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Jenny Smith and Co.
Videography – Press Films and Media
Ketubah – Ketubah.com {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Wedding planner – Cluster Event Planning and Design
Venue – McCormick Home Ranch
Bride’s ceremony dress – Pronovias from Bella Bridal Couture
Bride’s reception dress – Willowby by Watters from Lili Bridal
Bride’s shoes – Sam Edleman
Groom’s attire – Suit Supply, MVMT
Bridesmaids – Revelry
Hair + Makeup – Bliss Bridal Beauty
Flowers – The Little Branch
DJ – Vox DJs
Catering – Nes Catering
Cake – Unique Pastry Cafe
Honeymoon – Exotic Voyages
Smash The Glass Pouch – Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}
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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