We are obsessed with the industrial-meets-rustic vibe of today’s beautiful Jewish wedding! Taryn, a software consultant, and Josh, a software engineer, combined their love of the city life – they reside in the DC metro area – with a passion for the mountains of western North Carolina, and their big day was a pitch perfect reflection of that.
The Venue in Asheville, North Carolina, was the perfect spot, with its mix of chandeliers and exposed brick walls, and we love the way Taryn and Josh added soft romantic touches with candlelight and the loveliest floral chuppah. Don’t miss the wonderful photography and videography from Beautiful Life Films!
And how beautiful is the couple’s beautiful ketubah, by the amazing Rachelle of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush? The design – featuring a gold star of David intertwined with the seven species of Israel – is just so lovely, and we’re not at all surprised to hear that Taryn and Josh adored working with Rachelle!
We’ll let Taryn, who looked totally fab in Allison Webb, fill you in on the rest…
How We Met
Taryn, the bride: We met online through Jswipe. After many unsuccessful online dating attempts, I was fed up with the online platform and was not too excited for another date. Josh and I had our first meeting at a coffee shop in downtown DC called SlipStream. I called my Mom on my walk from work to the coffee shop and she gave me some encouraging motherly advice, which I am forever grateful for.
I fell in love on that date and the rest is history. Since it was only a coffee date, both of us had made plans for later in the evening. Both of us were over an hour late for our other plans because we could not stop talking and laughing. Josh is truly the most incredible human I have met, and I am so lucky to be married to him. We love each other more every day and look forward to spending the rest of our lives together side by side. I wish we could live to be 500 years old, just so that I would have more time with him.
Rustic Vibes
The Venue in Asheville, North Carolina. We both live in the DC metro, but really loved the idea of Asheville. I went to undergraduate school in Asheville at Warren Wilson College and now my parents live there after relocating from Baltimore several years ago. Now, Josh and I go visit often and we simply just love it there.
We wanted something different than Baltimore or DC for our wedding and Asheville felt perfect. We love the mountains and all outdoor activities which Asheville is well known for. When we checked out different venues, we liked the Venue to most for a few reasons.
1) the team at the Venue is incredible 2) It is gorgeous inside. Rustic, industrial, but still elegant (chandeliers, candles, brick walls, etc). 3) The location is right downtown, so all our guests could walk to the wedding. This was important to use since the wedding was a destination wedding for 90% of our guests, we wanted to keep transportation easy.
Jewel Tones and Candle Light
I wanted jewel tones, golds, candle light, and I got all those things! We did have a planner for the day of, but mostly it was me researching. Lots of hours on Pinterest and reading reviews of florists, venues, etc. I wanted to play into the fall colors, but not be TOO dramatic. I knew I didn’t want pastels or anything too light – but also didn’t want to make the theme too dark. I think we landed on a nice mix and it was perfect. I guess I thought these colors felt most “me.”
Invitation
We got our invitations, save the dates, thank you and table cards from Minted. I found a design with gold leaves that I absolutely loved and am so happy with the final product.
Hair + Makeup
I knew I wanted some hair up and some hair down. Flawless did both hair and makeup for me and the bridal party. These women are seriously the best. I cannot say enough good things about Flawless. The Flawless team was professional, kind, skilled, and a pleasure to be around.
They helped keep my calm on the day of too, which was incredible since emotions were all over the place!! I did a trial with Flawless a few weeks before the wedding and the girls nailed my look. I wanted a natural, yet elegant look. My makeup was what I would call “soft glam” and for my hair I found some photos that I loved, and the style worked perfect.
I could not have been happier with the outcome on my wedding day. Again, Flawless was so amazing.
An Allison Webb Dress
My dress was from Garnish Boutique in Baltimore, Maryland. My dress design was Ti Adora by Allison Webb. My experience at Garnish was amazing and the best experience out of all the places we tried to find a dress. Ultimately, I went to Garnish three times and kept trying on the same dress. Finally, Mia the owner kindly told me, “This is your dress” and that was that!! It was exactly what I wanted. A-line, V-neck, open back and not too ballroom-ish.
Accessories
I wore earrings only. I didn’t feel that a necklace or bracelet was necessary. My earrings were from BHLDN. I wore a veil that I also purchased from Garnish Boutique. The veil was very simple and long. It helped add more drama to whole look and I loved it!!
Shoes
Rose gold with some crystals!! The heel was not too high. It was a block heel, which I found more comfortable then traditional heels.
The handsome groom
Just reading this question makes me smile ear to ear. Josh wore a navy suit, with a navy vest, and brown shoes. He looked more handsome than ever before. His suit was custom made from Suit Supply. For his tie, he wore a champagne color and champagne pocket square.
Bridesmaids
I had 6 bridesmaids. Some of my closest and oldest friends! The bridesmaids all wore Jenny Yoo dresses in Caspian Sea color which fit our them perfectly. The color is between navy and teal and it’s definitely my favorite color. I still want one of those dresses for myself! I picked out about 6 dress styles that I liked and told the girls to pick what they wanted.
Ceremony
Rachelle from The Delicate Brush made our ketubah. The ketubah is a gold star of David with traditional autumn fruits intertwined with the star. Josh and I saw this one design and fell in love. Working with Rachelle was a fabulous experience. She is so kind and sweet! Rachelle made sure the text and spelling, and everything was just perfect!
She really goes above and beyond and we couldn’t be happier. The ketubah is now framed and up in our apartment. We love looking at. When I read the text, I cry – every single time!
Another highlight was the handkerchief my grandmother gifted me at my wedding shower, which I carried down the aisle with me. I wrapped it around the base of my bouquet. Having this special touch as I walked down the aisle made me feel extra connected to my family.
Our officiant was Josh’s uncle, who is a rabbi. This was special because his uncle performed his bar mitzvah and took Josh on his first trip to Israel. Another special thing was the candlesticks, challah cover, wine glasses for blessings were all from the family. The chuppah that used my dad’s tallis is also another special touch.
The night before the wedding I said some special Jewish blessings with my parents which was a very memorable moment. The glass pouch that Josh stepped at the ceremony was made from a family friend too.
This is something I had thought about for a while and knew I wanted flowers all around. We used my father’s tallis for the top of the chuppah, which was really special. The poles were birch covered in greenery and the tops and corners has flowers all over. The flowers were the same as what was used in the centerpieces.
Our music choice
For the ceremony we had a violin and cello from Carolina Music Planners. They played the Beatles, Jack Johnson, and traditional music. For walking down the aisle, we played ‘Erev Shel Shoshanim’. My Mom walked down the aisle to this same song. It meant a lot to me to have the musicians play this song and we are so happy they were able to do so.
After Josh smashed the glass, we walked out of the ceremony to ‘Simon Tov’ and ‘Mazel Tov’! It was so festive and fun. The music was exactly what we wanted. For the first dance, we danced to The New Basement Tapes, ‘When I Get My Hands on You’. Josh and I both loved this song and felt it was special for us.
Flowers
We stuck with local western North Carolina blooms. Lots of Dahlias mixed with roses and greenery. Browns Floral Design brought my vision to life. Hannah, the owner truly has a special way about her and can create gorgeous floral designs. Hannah took my images from Pinterest and the notes from our meetings to create something that was better than I could have imagined.
Photographer and videographer
We used Beautiful Life Films for both photography and videography!
Food and cake
Catering was provided by The Venue . The food was delicious! We had a lot of vegans at the wedding (including my parents) so we offered an abundant amount of vegan options. Our cake was made by Sweet Elegance Cakes in Asheville. We wanted a simple cake with some gold touches and flowers. Lindsey nailed it!!
Our signature drink was called “Freshly Diamond.” Josh’s last name is Diamond so this was a perfect name. We both love tequila, so naturally the drink was tequila based. My best friend Carly made the signature drink signs. She also made signs for the guestbook photo booth.
Entertainment
We played mostly pop music covers. We had a band called We Got the Beat Band. The band literally did not stop once. They played for 4 hours straight. It was nonstop dancing!
Favors
We had an instapix photo area, where guests could take a photo and glue it into the guest book. Also, guests could take photos as favours.
Honeymoon
We went to Riviera Maya and stayed at the Excellence Riviera Maya. We stayed in the Honeymoon suite and it was incredible. The honeymoon was perfect for unwinding and soaking in all the love. We relaxed and spent time at the spa, in the lazy river, and the ocean.
We danced, played, laughed and ate lots of food. Absolutely perfect way to spend a honeymoon. I highly recommend the Excellence.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Be present and take your time! Let it all sink in that today is your day.
What ‘Smashing The Glass’ Did For Us
I found lots of great ideas on Smashing the Glass! I am so happy that Smashing the Glass exists. I loved learning about other weddings.
TARYN & JOSH’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Beautiful Life Films
Videography – Beautiful Life Films
Ketubah – The Delicate Brush {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – The Venue
Bride’s dress – Allison Webb found and fitted at Garnish Boutique
Bride’s accessories – BHLDN
Groom’s attire – Suit Supply
Bridesmaids – Jenny Yoo
Hair + Makeup – Flawless
Flowers – Browns Floral Design
Band – We Got the Beat Band
Ceremony Music – Carolina Music Planners
Catering – The Venue
Cake – Sweet Elegance Cakes
Stationery/Invitation – Minted
Smash The Glass Pouch – Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}
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