This wedding is just chock full of Jewish joy – and we are here for it! It was a no-brainer for Sam, an attorney and the Vice President of Instruction and Online Education for BARBRI, and Mark, the Cantor and Co-Senior Clergy at Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El in Plantation, Florida, to marry at their home congregation – where Mark just celebrated his 30th anniversary as Cantor!
Sam and Mark worked with Beverly Diane of Beverly Diane Party Consultants to plan the day – or rather, multi-day wedding celebration extravaganza – of their dreams, and in the grooms’ words, “She understood the assignment and really wanted to capture “us” authentically when designing and planning.”
The wedding weekend started with a Shabbat service and dinner, followed by a day of togetherness with loves ones from near and far a the couple’s home. Sunday was the big day, with a morning ceremony followed by a brunch for all the guests. In the evening, the duo wrapped things up with a 5-course dinner party for their closest loved ones, featuring toasts and roasts from guests and an impromptu musical welcome speech from the grooms. The whole day was filled with so much love and laughter, beautifully captured on photo and video by Bells and Whistles Studios.
Read on for all the details in Sam and Mark’s own words…
How We Met
Sam, and Mark, the grooms: We first met in 2009 at a guest house in Key West while both in other relationships. In 2020, Sam reached out to Mark out of the blue (both were single by then). After catching up, we discovered that, by pure coincidence, we had both made reservations at the same guest house in Key West where we originally met, a few weeks apart. The rest is history.
A Synagogue Wedding
We got married at Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El in Plantation, Florida. It is beyond special because Mark just celebrated his 30th anniversary being the Cantor here. The congregants are like family and the synagogue is our second home…literally. Additionally, it just went through an enormous renovation and ours was the first wedding in the new space.
Theme + Wedding Planner
We hired Beverly Diane of Beverly Diane Party Consultants. She guided us and stayed with us from start to finish. She understood the assignment and really wanted to capture “us” authentically when designing and planning.
We had a modern organic theme with plenty of palm leaves, orchids, greenery, white florals, and plenty of candlelight. We had magnificent custom bars, black ghost chairs, and gorgeous linens in both black and white with a touch of sparkle. We ultimately decided on a multi-day event which started with a beautiful Shabbat service and dinner. The next day we entertained family and friends who came from far and near at our home. The BIG day began with a Sunday morning ceremony followed by an incredible brunch for all that came. In the evening we completed the celebration with a 5-course dinner party for our closest loved ones.
Our day was anything but ordinary. The morning portion of our day started with our ketubah signing followed by the ceremony and an incredible brunch where we celebrated with bubbly and bagels and of course, a giant hora. During the evening portion of the wedding, we did not do anything traditionally except a first dance. Between each course we had toasts and roasts from our guests. Some spoke, some sang, some told stories…and the Broadway-like celebration suited us perfectly. Both of us even did an impromptu comedic welcome speech for our “wedding celebration extravaganza” which turned into a song set to a Broadway tune with an accomplished pianist. Love and laughter was most definitely the theme of the evening.
Suits
Beverly Diane suggested we go to Suit Supply and we purchased our morning and evening looks. They had great service, prices, and exactly what we wanted.
Ceremony & Chuppah
The entire ceremony was special, but the most memorable was when Mark sang down the aisle to greet Sam. He sang “Boi Veshalom” to the tune of “Time to Say Goodbye/Conte Parsito” by Andrea Bocelli. The chuppah was inspired by our monogram which had a focal point of palm leaves. It was unique just as we are.
We selected a beautiful watercolor ketubah named “The Peaceful Sea Ketubah,” designed by Foreverie Paper. It exudes calmness, serenity, and peacefulness through an illustration of water at rest.
Our music choice
We hired Mark Levine and his orchestra from Avinu Music. Mark has the voice of an angel. He sang in both English and Hebrew and performed in the ceremony, luncheon, and again in the evening portion as he was accompanied by his band.
Flowers
Beverly Diane’s husband, Lane, from Dalsimer Atlas Floral & Event Decorators went above and beyond (literally) to give us exactly what we wanted. He placed oversized illuminated paper lanterns on the ceiling and our chuppah and centerpieces had a combination of phalaenopsis orchids, hydrangea, roses, matthiolas, dendrobium orchids, and an abundance of tropical foliage.
Photographer and videographer
We hired Bells and Whistles Studios to capture the day with both photo and video.
Food and cake
We actually had a few caterers throughout the weekend, but the day of the wedding we had two of the best who served up the most delicious and creative menus… from bagels and baba ghanoush to beet salad and corn crème brulee. Nothing was overlooked and the presentations exceeded all our expectations. Chef Jamie from Izgara Restaurant created 86 feet of Mediterranean cuisine for our brunch portion. Our 5-course dinner party was catered by VIP Caterers.
Honeymoon
We’re going on a Mediterranean cruise with Virgin Cruises. We chose this because the 18+ aspect, high-end dining, and terrific ports were important to us.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
We spent many months meticulously planning our big day. The best decision we made was to hire Beverly Diane as our wedding planner. Our advice is to savor every moment and not sweat the small stuff. Obtain a planner and trust them to take care of all the details so you can relax and enjoy not just the day, but the experience.
SAM & MARK’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Bells and Whistles Studios
Venue – Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El
Planner – Beverly Diane Party Consultants
Ketubah – Foreverie Paper
Groom’s attire – Suit Supply
Flowers – Dalsimer Atlas Floral & Event Decorators
Music – Avinu Music
Catering – VIP Caterers, Izgara Restaurant
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