Okay, HOW amazing is today’s chuppah?! Is it dreamy, or is it dreamy? For that matter, today’s entire floral scheme is pretty much #goals. Bay Area couple Alexandra, a manager of product operations, and Alec, a data scientist and product manager, have got seriously impeccable taste when it comes to flowers.
The pair’s whole vision for their day was “sophisticated dreamy garden,” and did they ever execute it to perfection! Even Alexandra’s stunning Reem Acra gown featured 3D floral embroidery. The incredible photos of the day from The De Jaureguis are truly unmissable – and how cool is it that Alexandra and Alec repurposed their chuppah after the ceremony by moving it to the dessert lounge and adding seating underneath?
As a counterpoint to all this floral splendor, we love that the duo chose an elegantly simple ketubah from the amazing Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Ketubah – with artist Stephanie’s exquisite hand calligraphy, you don’t need much else.
There’s so much more we could say about this incredible wedding, but we’ll leave it to Alexandra to fill you in on the rest…
How we Met
Alexandra, the bride: We met on the dating app Hinge in 2017 in San Francisco. Our initial messages were standard, then I was struck at how communicative we continued to be even before meeting for our first date. We went to dinner and continued the night at a cocktail bar across the street, all the while talking and discovering more about one another. Most importantly, we realized we wanted to spend more and more time together, to share our families and celebrations, and to build a future together.
A California Venue
Our shared history as a couple is in California. We chose to get married in a region we love, and started looking at locations around the Bay Area, which is where we call home. We’ve spent many weekends and day trips in Sonoma as a couple so choosing the town as our hub felt like the perfect fit.
We considered multiple wineries and venues before deciding on Annadel Estate Winery. We were drawn to Annadel’s multiple outdoor areas that all offered natural beauty without being overly wild or too manicured. We especially loved the stone ruins where we held our ceremony and the towering oak trees that provided a beautiful backdrop to the wedding events.
A Fantastic Planner
We didn’t have a theme, per se. We worked with our fantastic wedding planner, Pilar Mustafa – Flutter Events, and narrowed our inspiration to “sophisticated dreamy garden.” My vision for the color palette was a modernized version of a dutch oil painting of flowers.
I love how all the colors and textures of those paintings look harmonious together, without anything being too matchy-matchy. We definitely wanted the overall event to be luxurious and sophisticated, with guests feeling really well taken care of.
Overall, we chose to invest in the things that were really important to each of us including food, fashion, and flowers, all through the lens of making our guests feel special and appreciated.
Invitations / stationery
I absolutely love stationery and paper goods – I always have! I worked with my great aunt Jackie who has run her own custom invitation business for over 30 years to create our custom invitation suite. I absolutely loved the coordinated suite we used, and really enjoyed the special collaboration we had along the way.
For the day-of paper goods, I found Stephanie Sobierski’s amazing custom watercolor and calligraphy on instagram. I reached out and we started a great collaboration. I shared with her my color palette and overall concept and we worked together to create the beautiful handmade watercolor paper goods.
She designed a “day” watercolor and an “evening” watercolor to mirror the floral progression from brighter/lighter colors during the ceremony and cocktail hour into darker/richer tones for dinner and dancing.
Hair + Make-up
I worked with Jane from The Glamourist for both our Friday ketubah signing and Saturday wedding. She was absolutely incredible!
Three Dresses
I used to work in the fashion industry in New York, so I knew fashion would be a particularly fun part of the wedding planning process for me! I had three bridal outfits actually: one for Friday ketubah signing and events, a gown for the wedding on Saturday, and an afterparty dress.
My Friday outfit was a top and skirt by a small Australian design house called J. Andreatta. I fell in love with the style on instagram and found the specialty bridal shop Spina Bride in New York to help me order the pieces.
My wedding gown was from Reem Acra. I traveled to New York City in search of this specific style and had a great experience working directly with the designer. I had tried on many gowns at home in San Francisco, but traveling to New York also enabled me to bring my Dad, brother, and cousin to the appointment (who all live on the East coast). It was amazing to have my family there to share in the joy.
I absolutely loved the 3D floral embroidery and since I’ve never been attracted to poofy princess dresses, I loved the sleek silhouette and train. I felt glamorous and like myself when I tried it on! When it came time to travel back to New York for the final fittings, we collaborated on the custom tulle “wings” – I’d had the idea for them to float behind me but not cover the dress as a veil attached to my head would do. It turned out perfectly.
My afterparty dress from The Attico was black with feather trim at the wrists. I knew I wanted something short and lighter to put on towards the end of the evening so I could feel free and dance. Apparently brides never wear black, but I fell in love with this dress!
I had help along the way from my amazing bridal stylist Sam Levis from The Bold and Bridal. She provided significant support in selecting my shoes and the afterparty dress, and strategizing about the styling for each of my outfits. I had so much fun working with her.
Accessories
I wore earrings and a bracelet that my late mother used to wear for special occasions, so I could carry memories of her with me during the wedding. The earrings were originally men’s cufflinks (very bling-y ones!) that she had converted into earrings.
The handsome groom
Alec worked with a custom shop called Tailor’s Keep in San Francisco on a beautiful custom suit for the wedding. The lining fabric he chose featured a wine country pattern to represent our wedding in Sonoma.
Bridesmaids
Traditional bridesmaids as a concept has never quite resonated with me. Instead, I invited a group of family and friends, men and women, who I consider my “special people” to spend time with me the morning of the wedding while I got ready.
They popped in to chat, eat some breakfast, and take photos with me in a more intimate setting. My stepmother, mother-in-law, and both my sisters-in-law helped me put on my dress and attach the wings before seeing Alec for the first time.
Ceremony
We worked with our Rabbi Carol on a Jewish ceremony that would represent tradition and allow space for us to share our own vows. The entire theme of the ceremony was the power of our choice. Alec and I chose each other to reach this day together, and we will continue to choose each other every day forever.
I cried a lot during the ceremony because I was so moved to be standing under such a beautiful chuppah with Alec and making our commitments in ways that felt meaningful to us both.
Chuppah
A lot of our wedding was floral-driven, so I knew I wanted to go big with flowers on the chuppah! Our florist Marisa from Revel Floral did a fantastic job constructing the chuppah of my dreams dripping with beautiful flowers, texture, and greenery.
We repurposed the chuppah in the dessert lounge with candles and seating underneath. It made me so happy to be able to use the chuppah throughout the event and to see others enjoying its beauty while sitting underneath and eating dessert or catching up with friends.
Our Music Choice
Processional: ‘Going to California’ by Led Zeppelin
Bridal Processional: ‘Just As I Am’ by Willie Nelson
Recessional: ‘You Are The Best Thing’ by Ray LaMontagne
We also had a raucous hora to kick off the dance floor – including lifting Alec and I in chairs. Alec isn’t Jewish but his family and friends were some of the most enthusiastic hora participants at the wedding!
Flowers
Flowers are one of my favorite things in life. I knew I wanted to prioritize floral at our wedding, and Alec agreed since they bring me so much joy! When our wedding planner introduced me to Marisa from Revel Floral and I shared with her my non-traditional bridal color story, and she was so enthusiastic about it, I knew it was the perfect match.
I provided a list of specific flowers that I love including tulips (especially the striated ones), garden roses, and clematis, as well as my preference to include fruits and berries for texture and richness. We also collaborated on the hanging floral installation above our head table which included hanging lights for a dreamy feel. Marisa worked true floral magic throughout the event and we were thrilled with the result!
Photographer and videographer
We loved working with our photographers, Courtney and Erin De Jauregui of The De Jaureguis. They’re a husband and wife team both with specialties, and we absolutely loved their artistic and nuanced approach. We got to know them better during our engagement shoot as well.
When we looked for a videographer, we found that a lot of wedding videos were really cheesy. The videos from Buster Brown Productions, however, showed a more cinematic approach (with excellent music choice) that sealed it for us.
Food
Alec and I are foodies, so we knew we wanted to provide a special food experience for our guests (and for us!). We had a collaborative and really special partnership with Pascaline Fine Catering and could not recommend them highly enough. Their chef Didier was excited to work together to bring our fine-dining inspiration to life and helped create a custom menu that emphasized presentation and detail.
Our favorite idea from the tasting was the amuse bouche course plated on a bird’s nest. We didn’t want a traditional cake, so Pascaline’s pastry chef created six different patisserie desserts – all were amazing. We also went all out and had an oyster bar during cocktail hour and late-night food to wrap up the experience.
Extra details
Instead of table names, we chose places and restaurants we’d enjoyed as a couple including: Lake Tahoe, Medellín, Bar Crenn, and Farmstead.
We felt so loved and supported by all those who chose to travel and attend our wedding: not an easy feat in 2021. My dad, my brother, and Alec’s brother all gave particularly meaningful speeches during dinner.
One of my favorite moments was when we both stepped on glasses at the end of the ceremony. I chose to update the tradition of the groom smashing the glass in a more egalitarian and modern way. Plus, it always looked exciting to smash the glass – why should the groom get to have all the fun? 🙂
ALEXANDRA & ALEC’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – The De Jaureguis
Videography – Buster Brown Productions
Ketubah – The Ketubah {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’sBrides Club}
Wedding planner – Pilar Mustafa – Flutter Events
Venue – Annadel Estate Winery
Bride’s dresses – Friday outfit – J. Andreatta from Spina Bride, Saturday wedding gown – Reem Acra Afterparty dress: The Attico
Bridal stylist – The Bold and Bridal
Bride’s shoes – Alexandre Birman and Stuart Weitzman
Bride’s accessories – Camilla Christine
Groom’s attire – Tailor’s Keep
Hair + Makeup – The Glamourist
Flowers – Revel Floral
Quartet – Bellarosa String Quartet
Band – Hip Service
Catering – Pascaline Fine Catering
Invitations – JackE Custom Invitations
Invitation calligraphy – The Left Handed Calligrapher
Day-of Paper Goods – Stephanie Sobierski
Rabbi – Carol Caine
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.
An absolutely beautiful location for a wedding, I love California vineyards.