We love that Erin, a labour and employment lawyer, and Daniel, a national partnerships manager, described their dream Jewish wedding as “a bar mitzvah, but for adults.”
And between their bright color scheme and exuberant décor (don’t miss the flower clouds!), epic candy table and late-night McFlurries, custom temporary tattoos, glow sticks, and giant Horah heads featuring the bride and groom’s faces, Erin and Daniel absolutely succeeded in crafting a wedding overflowing with energy and fun – don’t miss the joyous photos and video from Picture and Poet!
We also love that Erin opted to wear an Israeli designer, Alon Livne, – and how elegant did she look?! – and we’re smitten with the couple’s beautiful papercut ketibah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com.
We’ll let Erin take it from here…
How We Met
Erin, the bride: We met in high school at a house party, and began our relationship as friends. Once we both graduated, we decided to start dating, something we both had wanted at different times throughout our friendship. We quickly incorporated the other into our families and we spent our early twenties travelling Europe, going to sporting events and growing up together.
After being together for five years we parted ways for two years and lived in different cities. We both knew that if it was meant to be, we’d find our way back to each other. Sure enough, after a long time of not crossing paths, we finally met again… on bumble when we were both back home in Winnipeg. We had each grown independently over our time apart but the only thing that had really changed between us, was the realization that now we knew for sure, that this time, it was forever.
A Blank Canvas Venue
We got married at The Gates on Roblin. We wanted a venue that was a blank canvas, which the Gates provided. We also didn’t want to chance the weather (either being too hot or rainy), but having the cocktail hour on the deck provided the perfect in between while the room flipped from ceremony to reception.
A Bar Mitzvah for Adults
We’re not a couple that takes ourselves too seriously and wanted that to come across when we planned the wedding. The goal was to have a bar mitzvah, but for adults. We did this in a few ways:
Colour: While we wanted the ceremony to be elegant and intimate, we wanted it to be bursting with colours. Florals were a priority to create this vision. Having the flower clouds added to the whimsical look we were after. Having the aisle mimic our invitation also set the scene.
Food: Food was always a priority for us. The Gates is known for their excellent meals, appetizers and late night snack. We added our own flair by having a dessert table with sweets from three different Winnipeg bakeries – we wanted cakes, pies, cookies and cupcakes. We also created the most epic candy table. Daniel and I have the biggest sweet tooths so this was a no brainer. Lastly, we had late night McFlurries with custom sleeves.
Fun Activities: We wanted the wedding to be sensory overload with something for everyone to partake in. We had custom tattoos made on Etsy, an audio guestbook for guests to leave messages on, and a photo booth. Later in the night we also had glow sticks come out to the dance floor. Probably the most memorable were the big Horah Heads we had made of mine and Daniel’s faces which came out during the horah, but ended up being an all-night feature.
We knew we wanted Alli Mae Events the second we got engaged. She had planned several of my friend’s weddings and we had developed a great relationship with her.
Invitation
The invitation suite really set the tone for the wedding and acted as a focal point for the event as the pattern of the backing of our main invite ended up being our aisle runner for the ceremony. We think our invitation was both energetic, but elegant. Twofold Paper Co. also provided all the stationery throughout the entire evening so there was cohesion throughout.
An Alon Livne Dress
The dress was designed by an Israeli designer, Alon Livne. It was the 4th dress I tried on. The sales representative from Alon Livne was at Loversland in Toronto that day, and she’s actually the one who suggested I try on this dress. It fit perfectly that day, and I knew it was the one.
Accessories
I’ve always a been a big fan of Ring Concierge Fine Jewelry, so when I saw the earrings and necklace, I knew it was simple, but perfect to complete the look. I also wore a Mejuri bracelet that I matched with my three sisters.
Ceremony & Chuppah
The most memorable part of the wedding, was the ceremony. The draping of the room made the 180+ event, feel like 50. Rabbi Matthew Leibl led a traditional Jewish ceremony where both sets of our parents stood under the chuppah with us. He’s known us both since we were young so the ceremony was personal, and touching. We also met with the Rabbi two times before the wedding so we felt comfortable going into it.
Our favourite moment was exchanging our Hebrew vows and rings. We locked eyes the entire time, and it was really memorable. During the seven blessing we were enveloped by my Zaida’s tallit which was also very special. Once Daniel broke the glass we wanted something to signal that the party was beginning, so we had sparklers go off and surprise everyone as we kissed and the band began to play.
Ketubah
We found our ketubah on ketubah.com. It was beautiful paper cutout we fell in love with. It was made even more beautiful by the framing done by Off the Wall framing in Toronto.
Our music choice
The dance floor was packed the whole night. We had Big City All Star Band for the majority of the night, which had everyone singing and dancing their hearts out.
Our first dance was to ‘Let’s Stay Together’ by Al Green which was performed perfectly by the band. We also played songs like: – ‘September’ (best chart) – Earth Wind Fire, ‘Rasputin’ – Boney M, ‘Sweet Caroline’ – Neil Diamond, ‘Country Girl (Shake it for Me)’ Luke Bryan, ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ – Whitney Houston, ‘Love Story’ – Taylor Swift.
Then we we went rave mode with a DJ JPQ at midnight. We couldn’t move the next day, in the best way possible.
Flowers
Stone House Weddings helped create our floral vision. We wanted bright colourful florals. We wanted the chuppah to be covered in flowers, and then to change the chuppah into our sweetheart table with candles. It looked so beautiful.
Photographer and videographer
We had seen Picture and Poet‘s work before, and it is truly unique and they capture candid moments so well. We also liked the idea of working with a photographer and videographer that came together so while they worked separately, they held a unified vision.
Wedding Registry
We had a wedding registry at William Ashley where we registered for china, and serving pieces.
Honeymoon
We went to Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore for our honeymoon. We wanted to go far away for a long time. It wasn’t a “cute” honeymoon as we were constantly sweating and in sweat-wicking material all of the time, but it was adventurous and relaxing.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
I would try and check in with your partner at different parts of the day and just soak in the moment and try to remember that this is all for you! It’s sometimes hard to see the moments for how truly special they are, so it’s nice to step back and enjoy.
ERIN & DANIEL’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography + videography – Picture and Poet
Ketubah – ketubah.com {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – The Gates on Roblin
Planner – Alli Mae Events
Bride’s dress – Alon Livne found at Loversland
Bride’s shoes – Alohas
Bride’s accessories (Necklace & Earrings) – Ring Concierge Fine Jewelry, Mejuri
Groom’s attire – Tiger of Sweden
Hair – Fifth Hair Lounge & Beauty Bar
Makeup – Myuz Makeup Artistry
Flowers – Stone House Weddings
Ceremony / Cocktail and Reception Band – Big City All Star Band
Late Night DJ – DJ JPQ
Catering – The Gates on Roblin
Assorted Cakes – De Luca’s
Mini Cupcakes, Mini Cookies, Mini Pies – Lilac Bakery
Chuppah, Plinths, Seating Pedestals, Ribbed Display Table – Creating A Scene
Audio Guest Book – Something Borrowed Wedding Rentals
Stationery/Invitation – Twofold Paper Co.
Photo Booth – 360 Films
Rabbi – Rabbi Matthew Leibl
Wedding Registry – William Ashley
Smash The Glass Pouch – Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}
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.
