Like so many couples these days, Marisa, a clinical social worker at a psychiatric hospital in downtown Detroit, and Dan, an electrical engineer project manager for car companies, had to change their wedding plans due to the pandemic. But for these two, postponing came with a pretty sweet silver lining: they were able to make it official on their five-year dating anniversary, April 9, 2021!
The couple’s families live out of state and couldn’t make it, but their awesome crew of local friends pitched in to make their chill outdoor wedding a smashing success. For those who couldn’t make it, Marisa and Dan are planning a bigger vow renewal celebration for 2022, complete with dancing, hugging, and food trucks. Sounds like an awesome party, though to be honest we’re already pretty smitten with the couple’s micro wedding – and after scrolling through the gorgeous photos from the pair’s photographer and friend, Eclectic Desire Photography, we bet you will be too.
We’re also in love with Marisa and Dan’s gorgeous ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Windthrow Fine Art. Marisa and Stephanie – one half of Windthrow, along with her twin brother Eddie, the artist – are former coworkers, and when Marisa saw some of the gorgeous nature-inspired ketubot Windthrow is known for, she knew she’d found just the thing for her wedding – or rather, weddings: Marisa and Dan opted to sign their ketubah, along with one witness, at their micro wedding, and Marisa’s aunt (who also gifted the ketubah to the couple!) plus another witness will add further signatures at the vow renewal next year.
Now over to Marisa…
How we Met
Marisa, the bride and Dan the groom: Dan and Marisa’s wedding took place on the five year anniversary of their first date. Dan and Marisa met on Tinder and after talking via text for about a month, they met in person on April 9, 2016. Their first date was in Easton, PA at a small ice cream shop close to Lafayette College. This date was full of laughter and only a few awkward moments. Looking back, there’s a lot of different ways this first date could have unfolded (online dating is hard!) and it’s a great date to look back on and laugh about.
A year later, Dan and Marisa moved to Pittsburgh, PA. Marisa started a grad school program in social work and Dan started his career in electrical engineering. Two years after that, they moved to Michigan to pursue new job opportunities. They were open to doing something new and Marisa continued her career in Jewish non-profit community organizing before landing in her current role as a clinical social worker at a psychiatric hospital in downtown Detroit. And Dan continues his career as an electrical engineer project manager for car companies.
Change of Plans
Marisa always wished that their wedding day would be on April 9 but due to Michigan’s unpredictable weather, their venue’s earliest date was in May. They picked the date at the very beginning of COVID thinking (like many others) that the virus would be gone in 2 weeks. In January of 2021, Dan and Marisa made the difficult decision to postpone the wedding. Feeling disappointed, the next best thing was able to happen- getting married on their five year anniversary! Quickly, Marisa and Dan refocused their energy on creating the perfect ceremony for April 9, 2021. They scouted out locations and landed on Kensington MetroPark because of the beautiful water and greenery.
Their families live out of state so they planned a small gathering for Michigan friends with the thought circling back to, ‘next year in person.’ Shoutout to all their friends who made this day possible and kept Marisa from freaking out, setting up the scenery for the day, celebrating the two of them, capturing the day in pictures and videos, and making it seem like COVID was gone for a moment in time!
The April 9 ceremony is not the only celebration Dan and Marisa will have. They will celebrate with friends and family on May 7, 2022. This will be a second ceremony, a vow renewal, officiated by Marisa’s aunt in the green spaces at Goldner & Walsh Home and Garden. The ceremony will be outside and the reception will be full of dancing and hugging (finally!).
Focus on Food Trucks
Dan and Marisa knew they wanted to get married outside because they wanted food trucks, which narrowed down venue options. They found it helpful to have a focus when picking the venue. Not only did Dan and Marisa attend a food truck festival when they started dating, they also find that food trucks help create a fun atmosphere. While the theme is not food trucks, the whole wedding was centered around this idea.
They chose Goldner & Walsh for their May 2022 celebration. This space is cost effective and garden-centered. They learned about this venue from Marisa’s friend. The venue offers incredible greenery (not flowers or bouquets, but décor for the aisle and around the space) and this helped seal the deal. This venue accommodate the food trucks and worked perfectly into the Garden Party theme.
Dan and Marisa want a wedding where their guests can come as they are, and an upscale garden party with a great outdoor space embellishes that environment. Due to the venue and theme, the wedding colors reflect succulent colors: dusty blue, sage green, rose pink, mauve, silvery grey, and navy. Every bridesmaid will wear one of those colors and the groomsmen will have matching ties with navy suits.
Without a wedding planner, Dan and Marisa relied on the Knot’s app and their amazing moms.
Invitations / stationery
Because of the pandemic, they never made it to sending out invitations, only save the dates. And then they re-sent a save the date (isn’t wedding planning in uncertain times fun?!). They have worked hard to keep guests updated as plans change, and Minted helped create the stationary.
Hair + Make-up
Marisa did her own hair and makeup for the April 9, 2021 ceremony. For the May 2022 vow renewal, Marisa will keep her hair naturally curly and her curly hair hairstylist named Cherish from Crystal Skull Studio will do everyone’s hair. The makeup artist, Norma, will do make up for the bridal party at the May vow renewal.
Anthropologie Attire
Marisa thought she had her dress for the (now) May 2022 vow renewal decided. She had a non-white dress from BHLDN chosen and was happy about it. However, a month and a half after Dan and Marisa moved to Michigan, Anthropologie had a pop-up sale for their wedding dress line, BHLDN. Marisa and her friend, Laura, went together and Marisa tried on seven wedding dresses. She FaceTimed her mom and was excited to find a gorgeous and different style – the Carmel. She knew as soon as she tried it that it was perfect. It has a pink undertone and enough sparkle to make it stand out. Gorgeous flowers cascade down the u-shaped backline.
Tulle lines the bottom and the whole dress is not super white. BHLDN also just increased their size range to include more sizes. The experience of trying on dresses was scary for Marisa because she does not fit into the typical sample size, but BHLDN’s sample size is a US 14 which was nice because Marisa could actually envision what she would look like in the dress. She is very excited to put this dress back on in May 2022 with friends and family celebrating their marriage.
Marisa decided to wear something different for the April 9, 2021 wedding. She bought a skirt and top from Anthropologie that fit within the color scheme and matches the May 2022 dress.
Accessories
Marisa’s jewelry is from Kendra Scott.
Shoes
Marisa hates heels, so she chose to wear sparkly silver Toms for the April 2021 ceremony. She loves the comfort of Toms shoes and loves Toms’ one for one donation policy. She will be sporting the same shoes at the May 2022 ceremony, modelling the idea of people to come as they are.
Bridesmaids
The bridesmaids will wear dresses from Birdy Grey, an online bridesmaid dress shop that sells interchangeable dresses. They allow the bridesmaids to pick their own design and different colors, plus it’s affordable!
Ceremony
Since Marisa and Dan have two ceremonies, they are able to incorporate meaningful people into each. Dan’s best friend, Tanuj, officiated the April 9 2021 ceremony and will be Dan’s best man for the 2022 vow renewal celebration.
Marisa’s Aunt Jackie will be officiating the vow renewal celebration. Beyond contributing through officiating in 2022, Aunt Jackie and Mary Alice (Aunt Jackie’s partner) also purchased their ketubah. Aunt Jackie and Mary Alice knew how important this piece was for Dan and Marisa. Aunt Jackie and Mary Alice were the first to meet Dan out of Marisa’s family, making these two contributions extra special.
Ketubah
Marisa met Stephanie from Windthrow Fine Art when they both worked at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. When Stephanie shared the artwork and meaning behind it that her twin brother, Eddie, creates, Marisa knew it was the ketubah she wanted. Marisa loved that this small business focused on Jewish tradition and nature. It also fits perfectly with both ceremony venues.
They knew they wanted to incorporate Jewish elements important to them and their relationship in both celebrations. They chose to have an untraditional ketubah ceremony. Dan and Marisa along with one witness signed the ketubah on April 9, 2021, and Marisa’s aunt plus another witness will sign the ketubah at the vow renewal in May 2022. Dan smashed the glass at the April 9 ceremony and will do so again at the vow renewal. The other aspects of Jewish tradition in their vow renewal ceremony are still being determined.
When writing their ketubah text, they thought about songs that helped form their relationship. They chose to smash the glass to continue incorporating Jewish elements. Dan and Marisa’s conversations about Judaism were focused on raising children and creating their home. Their family will have traditions from Dan’s Catholic side of the family and be focused on the Jewish faith.
Our Music Choice
The two most important wedding planning pieces for Dan are the food and the music. Dan will pick the music for the May 2022 vow renewal celebration. Their first dance song will be ‘Best Part’ by Daniel Caesar & the H.E.R. While not solidified, the reception music will be a mix of throwback music and current music: music to dance to, sing to – mostly music for people of all ages to have a good time!
Marisa and her dad will share a dance to ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ by Jewel. Not only is her dad’s favorite movie is the Wizard of Oz, but also Marisa’s first concert was Jewel with her dad.
Flowers
To be in line with the wedding theme, the decor will be mostly provided by the venue. The venue also has a florist on site, who will compliment the additional flowers to the space. The add ons will be mostly succulent and eucalyptus. A special detail: a piece of Marisa’s mom’s wedding dress to wrap her bouquet.
Photographer
Marisa and Dan had a long time friend, Desiree Ventureira, as their April 9 wedding day photographer. Marisa and Desiree met at university and Marisa was present when Eclectic Desire Photography was created during a spring break trip! Desiree also took Marisa and Dan’s engagement pictures the day before Michigan shut down due to the coronavirus in March of 2020. This allowed a nice cohesive feel from the engagement to the wedding photos.
Desiree is typically a New Jersey and Philadelphia based photographer but is willing to go on any adventure that her client’s ask her to go on! Desiree loves to explore new cities and meet people where they are most comfortable.
For May 2022 wedding ceremony, Desiree will attend as a guest so she can fully enjoy celebrating the marriage! Moe Ashkar and Bellagala will be the photographer and videographer for the large vow renewal in 2022.
Food and Cake
Our food trucks will be The Drunken Rooster, a Mediterranean inspired taco truck, and Lazy Bones Smokehouse BBQ. Dan and Marisa tried about 4 trucks and loved these two the most. They both also offer a range of vegetarian options which is needed for their veggie loving friends! Their bartender will be from Just A Girl and Her Bar. She’ll be mixing and pouring all of Dan and Marisa’s favorites from margaritas to Delirium Tremens beer!
They will also have donuts from Dom’s Bakery in Ypsilanti. Dan and Marisa go there for sweets and like the company.
Also, check out Alicia Grenham, fitness coach turned amazing baker Sweats & Sweets! Alicia coaches at their gym Orangetheory Fitness in Ann Arbor! Alicia made the most perfect funfetti cake with strawberry buttercream for the April 9, 2021 wedding!
Entertainment
The entertainment for their May 2022 celebration is still being planned. Marisa and Dan will enjoy taking their time to re-plan the 2022 larger celebration with family and friends. The Todd Everett Experience will DJ the celebration and they will have outdoor games, like cornhole. Plus, their venue will have goats that hang out in the gardens!
Honeymoon
Dan and Marisa went on a honeymoon after the first ceremony in April. They spent a relaxing time in Longboat Key, FL, enjoying a timeshare that Dan’s grandparents. Dan has been going to that exact timeshare since he was a child, so it was a fun and relaxing vacation for the two of them.
While this was the perfect and safe get-a-way, they have an extended honeymoon planned in Greece two years from now. The celebration of love and commitment will continue for years to come!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
As all couples went through the last year and a half, the wedding plans didn’t go exactly as planned. The biggest lesson Marisa learned from planning the wedding, then postponing the wedding, then re-planning the wedding, then planning two weddings is that the process is not about the wedding, but rather the celebration of love. She learned to shift her focus from the dress, or the perfect photos, to the two of them– her and Dan – celebrating their love together.
Whatever happens will happen. Things get messed up, but that doesn’t mean more perfect things can’t happen, they will just happen in a different way. Ultimately having their wedding on their 5 year anniversary (April 9, 2021) was the most perfect thing to happen.
MARISA & DAN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Eclectic Desire Photography
Ketubah – Windthrow Fine Art {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Kensington MetroPark
Bride’s outfit – Anthropologie
Bride’s shoes – Toms
Bride’s accessories – Kendra Scott
Bridesmaids – Birdy Grey
Flowers – Goldner Walsh
Catering – The Drunken Rooster , Lazy Bones Smokehouse
Cake – Sweats & Sweets
Stationery/Invitation – Minted.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.
