There’s nothing like a Jewish wedding on the beach, and Julia and Nick’s minimalist celebration in swoonworthy Tulum, Mexico, ticks all our boxes and then some.
First off, we love that these two knew they’d stumbled onto something special with their venue – I mean, can you believe that beach?! – and decided to keep a low profile with their décor so as to let the surroundings speak for themselves. They stuck with mostly natural materials and native flowers, greenery, and pampas grass (with the exception of some prominently placed protea flowers in a nod to the couple’s shared South African roots).
And we’re totally obsessed with Julia and Nick’s simple but stunning chuppah, consisting of nothing more than natural driftwood-esque branches and the couple’s grandfathers’ talitot. Against the backdrop of the ocean, does it ever make an impact! Don’t miss the incredible photos from Someplace Wild Photography.
We’ll let the bride, who looked so beautiful in her lace gown from Allison Webb, fill you in on the rest…
How We Met
Julie, the bride: Nick and I have known each other forever, and I know a lot of people say that, but really, we have! Both coming from South African Jewish families, our lives have been intertwined for as long as I can remember, so it only seemed natural then when I got to high school (two years after Nick) that he was a kind, familiar face in a see of thousands of new ones, as I was coming from a small private school to a large public high school. Our story begins in high school, dating off and on as teenagers and A LOT of sneaking out of my parents house! When it was time for college, we parted ways, Nick two years older and off to New York City for his own adventure.
Fast forward a bit, and we are both at NYU, both living in New York City. It was an incredible and very intense way to reconnect. Somehow, even when we were “broken up” we kept finding our way back to each other. Once we both had matured a bit, we finally decided it was time to really be together. After a few years in New York, we decided to make our way back to our home base, Atlanta, where both our families and extended family lives.
Although a rollercoaster, we really have watched each other grow up and taken time to do that separately. To be with someone who has witnessed a lot of your life is pretty crazy and we are constantly grateful to continue to have the front row seat to each other’s life.
Natural Elegance
Inspiration behind the day: natural materials, native flowers and elements, and a very elegant yet minimalistic aesthetic. We didn’t want to detract from the beauty of the backdrop of Tulum.
Invitations and stationery
Our invitations were designed by our really close friend! Everything was completely custom, and all of the goodies in the gift bag were designed to match! Everything from sunscreen, bug repellent, sunglasses and shot glasses all had the logo.
Hair + Make-up
We used Zoe Elizabeth Makeup! I did a trial on a trip to Tulum and she achieved the “natural” yet refined aesthetic I was going for – not too heavy on anything but still photographed like I wanted it to!
An Allison Webb Dress
TiAdora by Allison Webb from White Magnolia Bridal in Atlanta, GA. It was the most beautiful lace, and that is what I was looking for in a dress. You could see each stitch. It also had a long train and it was perfect to walk down the beach in, I added straps so that I could dance as much as I wanted to and not be worrying about the dress.
Second Dress
As the night progressed, I changed into a sequin silver dress which was so comfortable and I felt amazing.
No Shoes
I was barefoot with a henna tattoo!
The handsome groom
He had a suit custom made, it was a light olive green with a custom lining that matched the vibe of the jungle, it had birds, and other wild life but it was just on the lining. The color of his suit will forever be engraved with “Julia + Nick” Tulum, December 19, 2020
Bridesmaids
I wanted everyone to be really beach beautiful, they chose their dresses, solid white and really minimalist.
Ceremony
The chuppa was intentionally branches, we wanted it to be as elegant but minimalistic as possible. Our grandfathers’ talitot and the ocean in the background, we didn’t want to take away from the natural beauty.
We brought a Jewish wedding singer, Marc Levine. This was truly incredible, he sang Hebrew songs of our choice throughout the ceremony and accompanied the rabbi.
South African Roots
We kept with the natives of tulum, mostly greenery and pompas grass. My bouquet had a pop of color and an ode to my South African roots – the Protea flower in orange which is South Africa’s national flower.
Photographer and videographer
The most AMAZING team, Someplace Wild Photography and Ismael Gonzalez, who I would recommend to any couple!
Entertainment
For our music choices, we wanted to include a little bit of everything about us and our backgrounds. We really had an eclectic mix of israeli music, latin music, afro beats, some “wedding hits” and funk. We entered to ‘Higher Love’ by Whitney Houston and Kygo. Our first dance was our favorite song by John Legend, ‘All of Me’, but the DJ sang it in English and Hebrew combined. It was an incredible moment.
Favors
Favors were shot glasses and tequila on every table!
Favorite Memories
– Standing under the chuppa and at the perfect moment, a flock of birds flew overhead.
– The rain fluctuating, but deciding to go ahead anyways and be at one with the elements. Then right as the ceremony was beginning, the rain passed and we had a perfectly clear night
– Jumping and dancing with our best best friends and family, getting so sweaty but not caring at all because we were surrounded by the most love!
– Tulum face painters coming at the end
JULIA & NICK’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Someplace Wild Photography
Videography – Ismael Gonzalez
Wedding planner – Lucy Gallagher
Venue – Ana y Jose
Bride’s dress – Ti Adora by Allison Webb, found at White Magnolia Bridal
Groom’s attire – Balani
Hair + Makeup – Zoe Elizabeth Makeup
Flowers – Cherry Blossom
Rentals – Events & Weddings Cancun
DJ – Levine Events
Catering – Ana y Jose
Ketubah – Ruth Becker via Ketubah.com
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What a stunning wedding ! Looks amazing …. congrats to a wonderful bride and groom ♥️
This is really beautiful. I’ve also been looking into Tulum, was the rabbi local???