As if we weren’t already in awe of all the many couples who are pulling together beautiful Jewish weddings during the pandemic, today’s couple brings it to the next level: both bride Yvonne and groom Gabriel are physicians in Boston – working exactly the kind of crazy hours you’d expect – AND they managed to pull together the bulk of the wedding in just TWO WEEKS prior to their date of July 25, 2020. Yep, you read that right… two weeks!
How’d they do it? With the help of a fantastic planner, the mega-talented Luba of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Primavera Dreams. Because of their time constraints, the couple opted to take a hands-off approach to planning, putting their full trust in Luba to execute their dreams for a simple, elegant, intimate (the two invited just immediate family and one friend on each side) outdoor wedding. After just a few Zoom meetings with Yvonne and Gabriel, Luba was off and running – and she pulled everything together perfectly, as evidenced in Alex Gordias’s stunning photography.
Yvonne and Gabriel didn’t begin planning until February 2020, so they knew from the start that COVID would have an impact on their day – and they were able to build this intimate day from the beginning rather than having to back out of plans for a bigger wedding. They were able to pick their venue, Endicott Estate, based in part on the fact that they could have not only an outdoor ceremony but an outdoor dinner, too, and Yvonne knew from the getgo she wanted to forgot the traditional bridal salon and alterations experience for safety reasons and so instead opted to order lots of white ready-to-wear dresses online, finding the perfect fit in a simple, lightweight number by ASTR the Label.
Read on for the rest of Yvonne’s account of this very special day – we truly could not be any more impressed!
How we met
Yvonne, the bride: We met in 2014 through a mutual friend (his medical school friend and my residency friend). When the mutual friend found out Gabriel was coming to Boston to train as a fellow in trauma surgery, he immediately said that we should meet and the rest is history!
Under the Trees
We got married at Endicott Estate in Dedham, MA on July 25, 2020. We had originally had our sights set on another venue, but given the time constraints – the venue who was not able to guarantee full opening by our wedding date – we had to decide on another place last minute. Gabriel had always wanted to get married under a tree, so our wedding planner suggested Endicott Estate.
When we visited the venue, we felt like it had everything we wanted – private outdoor space with beautiful trees that we could get married under. They were also allowing us to have a dinner after the ceremony under the gazebo which felt like it was a safe option for us and our guests. Fortunately, I had not started planning my wedding until February 2020, so I knew by then that COVID was going to be an issue and did not have to change or cancel anything.
A Fab Planner
Our favorite colors are blue / periwinkle so decided to go with that as our color scheme. We also wanted a simple, but elegant and intimate style. We had Luba from Primavera Dreams as our wedding planner and she was instrumental in getting everything together for us. By the time we had started planning, COVID surge had hit Boston, and both Gabriel and I were really busy at work for a long time.
We met with Luba a handful of times through Zoom and she took matters into her own hands and created the event for us beautifully. She was also extremely flexible, knowing what the times are like, and we actually booked our venue less than 2 weeks prior to the wedding!
Invitations
We invited immediate family members and one friend on each side and did not use invitations.
Hair + Make-up
I ended up using Vera Gordias as my hair and makeup artist. There were several reasons I used her. First, I wasn’t going to do a hair and makeup trial to avoid unnecessary exposure so I needed someone with experience. I looked up Vera’s Instagram and loved her style and when I communicated with her, she seemed to understand what I wanted.
Additionally, her husband (Alex Gordias) is our photographer and I felt like the risk of exposure was much less given that they were one bubble/ family that my family and I were being exposed to. She came over to my place extra early to give us enough time just in case we needed to redo things. She was professional, sweet, easy to talk to (we got to know each other really well), and talented.
Wedding Dress by Mail
I started looking for a wedding dress in February 2020. I kept on going back and forth as to what I wanted to wear on that day. I knew I wasn’t going to go to a bridal salon to try on dresses and was also going to try to find a dress that didn’t need tailoring (given COVID). I ended up ordering many white dresses from several places including Anthropologie, Express, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Lulus, etc and tried them all on.
I knew I wanted it to be casual, simple, comfortable (since it was going to be hot outside). There were many dresses I liked, but when I tried on the Ambrosia Midi Dress from ASTR the Label, I knew that was it. It fit the simplicity of the event, and I loved the bow in the back of the dress and the look matched my simple birdcage veil.
Accessories
I had found a birdcage veil on Etsy that had a sequin flower comb attached to it. It wasn’t super easy to find one since by the time I was shopping for one, COVID was in full storm and a lot of the vendors didn’t have the materials to create the veil. I got lucky and found one in stock that was ready to ship and received it within 2 weeks. I also wanted simple pearls as my earrings and necklace so I bought this beautiful pair of earrings from Nordstrom, and borrowed my friend’s pearl necklace.
Shoes
The shoes I ended up using were a pair that I bought over a year ago! It was my “something blue” ( Vince Camuto Corlina Ankle Sandal color swan lake suede), and is a 3.5 inch block heel with an ankle strap. I am not tall (5’1”) but my husband is 5’11” so I needed some height but it also needed to be comfortable.
The handsome groom
My husband kept it real casual. I actually let him decide what to wear, but did say “please no jeans”. He went with a collarless white shirt and suit pants from Theory and his shoes are Johnston and Murphy. I wasn’t sure about the collarless shirt at first, but it actually ended up looking really nice! We also told our guests no need for suits!
Ceremony
Avi was our rabbi and we went over the flow of the ceremony on zoom 2 days prior to the wedding. He knew we wanted to keep it short and simple so removed some of the unnecessary parts to the ceremony. Luba, our wedding planner, brought in everything else needed for the ceremony including the small table, wine glass, wine, and glass to be smashed. I think my favorite parts were when we both said “I do” and when he finally smashed the glass. It felt like time went by so fast!
Chuppah
We didn’t really decide on a chuppah design necessarily. Since it was under a tree, we elected to have something to symbolize the “canopy” by using chiffon draping over the tree.
Flowers
Kseniya from Floristika Studio was my florist and she was definitely fabulous. I met her over Zoom once to give her an idea board of the theme, color that I liked. She then sent me a proposal quickly which she nailed on the first attempt. Then about a week prior to the wedding, we talked about ideas for table settings.
I wanted a blue/ grey color scheme and she was prompt with her responses/ proposal that made me feel comfortable with her expertise. I also deferred to her expertise on how to set up based on venue type and size and followed her suggestions. She definitely executed the event even better than I expected since I didn’t know what I was going to end up having!
Photographer
I decided to go with Alex Gordias as our photographer. He has been in the New England region for about 4 years. I went and looked at his Instagram and website, and met him over zoom before finalizing my decision to go with him. I liked his artistic style with an edge. He has an easy-going personality with lots of experience in Europe and Russia before coming to the US.
Additionally, he offered a free engagement photography session to let us get to know him before the big day. I have to say that made a huge difference because on our wedding day, we already knew his style of communication and was extremely comfortable with him.
Food and Cake
Gabriel and I love food and wanted to enjoy a delicious meal with our families so we went with one of our favorite restaurants in town – Moona. We worked with Mo, the owner of the restaurant, who came up with a personalized menu with our preferences and within a very reasonable budget. He was also very flexible with the timing – we asked him to help with the wedding about a week prior to the event! The food was not a disappointment – exquisite and tasty Mediterranean style and we would go with that restaurant again in a heartbeat.
Cindy from Catering to You in Brookline, MA worked with Mo at Moona to obtain the food and present / serve the dishes in a gorgeous manner. I had my husband interact with the caterer and the only thing I had to tell them was what color table linen I wanted. Everything else was decided by the caterer and wedding planner, which turned out even more beautiful than I expected! The service was excellent, the people were professional (and wore masks the whole time) and again, flexible with timing because we also booked them the week before the wedding.
Honeymoon
Nothing specifically planned yet since travel is restricted, but we would like to definitely go somewhere. Gabriel and I actually travel a lot and were thinking of hiking in Nepal but of course that isn’t happening right now.
Advice
Ultimately, we put our entire wedding together in less than 2 weeks! It was slightly stressful, but it can be done if you work with the right people who are flexible. It all came together perfectly and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Again, our wedding planner was instrumental in the whole process since Gabriel and I were very hands off.
YVONNE & GABRIEL’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Alex Gordias
Wedding planner – Primavera Dreams {offers $350 discount on any package + a bottle of Champagne to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Endicott Estate
Bride’s dress – ASTR the Label
Bride’s shoes – Vince Camuto
Bride’s accessories – Etsy
Groom’s attire – Theory, Johnston and Murphy
Hair + Makeup – Vera Gordias
Flowers – Floristika Studio
Catering – Catering to You
Restaurant – Moona
Macarons – MACA Boston
Challah – Japonaise Bakery
Stationery – Calligraphy by Ally
Rabbi – Avi Teken
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.
