Shayna, an ICU/Critical Care Registered Nurse, and Jared, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, dreamed of a timeless, classic Jewish wedding – and they found the perfect venue in Boca Raton’s Congregation B’nai Israel, where their vision came to life. The couple opted for a chic black-and-white palette, accented with texture, all-white flowers, and clear acrylic details. The duo’s sweet puppies were also lovingly incorporated into their celebration, appearing on cocktail napkins, the cake, signature drinks, and favors.
We can’t get enough of the couple’s super cool clear acrylic chuppah, adorned with delicate white orchids that seemed to float down the columns and covered by Shayna’s grandfather’s tallit.
When it came to their ketubah, Shayna and Jared knew they wanted a piece of art that they could proudly display in their home. They turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com to find a beautiful piece that perfectly captured their love – and report that the process of selecting and ordering their dream ketubah couldn’t have been simpler. Their cantor suggested a fantastic idea: framing the ketubah before the wedding. Working with a local framer, they selected custom framing and matting in advance, knowing they’d return for glass and the finishing touches after their mini-moon. Don’t miss it in the luminous photography from Savannah Michelle and wonderful trailer by Timeline Video Productions!
Now over to Shayna, who looked so glam in her Rita Vinieris gown…
A South Florida Wedding
Shayna, the bride: We got married at Congregation B’nai Israel in Boca Raton. Getting married in South Florida at any time is risky with weather, so we knew from the get-go that we were aiming for an all-indoor, formal event.
We don’t practice a particularly religious lifestyle regularly; but truly appreciate the values and tradition behind a Jewish wedding ceremony and we felt it was important to incorporate in our day. Especially after the tragedies that occurred on October 7th, we felt it was a mitzvah to celebrate such a beautiful simcha in such a holy space. It was very special to have a yellow chair on the bima, and ribbons on the door, honoring the hostages and their families.
Black and White
The ballroom at our venue was recently redone with black floors and a more modern feel. We wanted something that reflected and matched that, but also felt classic and timeless. I loved the continuity of our theming. All black & white, with lots of texture, all white flowers, clear acrylic, and a contemporary script font with “the Zippers” to tie back in that modern touch. We also wanted to incorporate our sweet puppy girls, so we had them on our cocktail napkins, cake, signature drinks, and favors.
Our wedding also fell during Hanukkah and Christmas week. It felt very full circle to be married on a holiday weekend, as Jared’s parents were married Independence Day weekend in 1983, and Shayna’s parents were married Thanksgiving weekend in 1993. We had the BEST wedding planner helping us tie everything together starting from a little over a month out. Becky from Busy Bees Event Planning was our lifesaver on multiple occasions, and we couldn’t have done it without her!!
Invitation
Invites and branding were created with the help of Karen from Celebrate with CI. She went above and beyond to help make sure everything “matched” the way I wanted. We used theknot.com for our registry and wedding website. Highly recommend using QR codes for RSVPs!
Hair + Makeup
Hair and makeup, and the getting ready to process in general, sets the tone for your entire day. Big thank you to Kiss This Makeup, for energizing me and my girls!!
A Rita Vinieris Dress
When I got engaged, I knew nothing I wanted in a wedding – other than that I needed to be in a short dress and sneakers at the reception so I would be ready to PARTY!! I found two dresses that I absolutely loved, but something about my dress just felt more “me.” When dress shopping I was very open, but was adamant that I wanted lace with floral appliqué.
When my consultant at Boca Raton Bridal brought out a gorgeous Rita Vinieris gown that was 3 pieces, the search was over!! I had my short dress for the reception, a gorgeous A-Line overskirt that fit over seamlessly, and a stunning bolero to cover my shoulders under the chuppah! I ordered additional fabric from the designer to have off the should sleeves made for photos, added buttons to the back of the dress and bolero, and a removable belt for the ceremony to wear with my overskirt. When we purchased the dress, we discovered that the style is named “Faith” which is Shayna’s mother’s middle name; further solidifying that this decision was besheret!
Bridesmaids
I wanted each bridesmaid dressed to individually reflect the woman wearing it. I asked all of my bridesmaids to pick any gown that was black and floor-length and pair it with black heels! I loved seeing all of their individuality shine through in their choices.
Ceremony & Chuppah
Our ceremony was performed by a cantor who has known Jared since he was a little boy. It was a Reform Jewish ceremony with lots of Hebrew singing, and plenty of English explanation. We lit the Hanukkah candles, repeated the traditional Hebrew vows, and then also opted to share our own for everyone attending (as we had already read them privately to each other during our first look).
Both Jared and Shayna were walked down the aisle with both parents, which was so important and special! Our chuppah was clear acrylic, with white flowers adorning the top, delicate white orchids which seemingly floated down the columns, and had Shayna’s grandfather‘s tallit hanging down from the top. Our cantor truly said it best during our ceremony, “open on all sides as a reminder that our community is part of us, and us a part of our community.”
Ketubah
Jared and I collectively decided we wanted our ketubah to be decorative, and look like a piece of art, as we have been excited to hang it in our home since we became engaged. We were able to find a very special one that we love on ketubah.com and the experience of selecting and ordering was so much more simple than I had anticipated. A great idea that our cantor gave us was to have the ketubah framed BEFORE the wedding. A local Boca framer, Gallery Framers, helped us choose custom framing and matting ahead of time, understanding that we would bring it back for the glass and finishing touches when we came home from our mini-moon!
Our music choice
While a DJ definitely brings a party, Jared and I felt that a band definitely feels more “wedding” to us. We got the best of both worlds by hiring a fabulous fusion band, Celebrity Entertainment. Owner Todd was our DJ and M/C and definitely helped bring the energy… our motto for the night was “No tushes in chairs!!”
Flowers
Dalsimer Atlas started in New York, where both the bride and groom’s families are originally from. Jared’s parents used Dalsimer for their 1983 wedding, and since expanding to South Florida, Dalsimer did Jared’s bar mitzvah in 2003, and Shayna’s bat mitzvah in 2008. Lane from Dalsimer Atlas is one of the most talented floral designers I have ever seen; and I knew there wasn’t a single thing he could do that I wouldn’t absolutely love. Shayna gave him her vision: modern, all white/cream florals, and acrylic or mirror chuppah. Everything was absolutely BEYOND!!
Photographer and videographer
Savannah Michelle was exactly the type of light and airy photographer we were looking for. She is so creative and has such talent, and she was so fun to work with! Her second shooter on our wedding day was her husband, and it was such a cool dynamic to have other newlyweds capturing our day.
There is NO better videographer team for a simcha than Timeline Video Productions. Also a husband and wife team, and unbelievably talented!! We love how no two TVP videos are ever the same, and they have a lightening fast turnaround time. We got our trailer video during our post-wedding brunch, and highlight video on our one-month anniversary.
Food and cake
One of the biggest reasons we chose B’nai Israel was to be able to work with VIP Caterers. Neil, Kait, and their entire team made us the most beautiful, and delicious cocktail hour with 20+ passed hors d’oeuvres, and 4 action stations, followed by a sit down meal where tableside orders were taken… Everyone is still raving about the food!!
Our cake was from good ‘ol’ Florida classic Publix. Three layers of white frosted, different flavored tiers. We ordered custom cake toppers with our name, and two statues of our pups to decorate along with gorgeous flowers added by our florist! We also did two full-sized sheet cakes to make sure we had enough to feed all 225 of our guests!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
In the beginning I thought all the small details would be the most important part. And to an extent, I still believe they are. They are what make it “your” wedding instead of someone else’s. However, at the end of the day, you’re married to the love of your life, surrounded by people who love and are there for the sole purpose of supporting you. What a rare and special opportunity! I don’t know if anything went wrong on my wedding day, and if it did, I don’t think that I care! All of the little details that seemed so big during the planning process, didn’t compare to the love and joy that we felt!!
SHAYNA & JARED LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Savannah Michelle
Videography – Timeline Video Productions
Ketubah – Ketubah.com #STGVendor {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Congregation B’nai Israel
Planner – Busy Bees event planning
Bride’s dress – Rita Vinieris
Hair + Makeup – Kiss This Makeup
Flowers – Dalsimer Atlas
DJ – Celebrity Entertainment
Registry – theknot.com
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.
