We always love hearing from couples who’ve used Smashing The Glass as a wedding planning resource, and today is no exception. Beautiful bride Kiki reports that she loved STG for the real wedding inspo and vendor suggestions, and especially the Jewish 101 sections, which she found super helpful in planning her Jew-ish ceremony. Aw, thanks Kiki!
It was important to Kiki and Rob to plan an inclusive Jew-ish wedding that would be equally welcoming to Rob’s family, who are Jewish, and Kiki’s, who are not. They found the perfect spot in the historic Sixth & I Synagogue in their hometown of Washington, DC – you’ve got to check out the gorgeous photos from Ryan Hicks of Lily & Lime – with the reception nearby at Loft at 600 F, another cool historic building, just the thing for a modern vintage-themed wedding!
Also perfect for the modern vintage aesthetic? Kiki’s stunner of a gown by Eddy K, a strapless lace low-backed number with a dramatic train.
But the visuals are far from the only thing we’re loving about this wedding. Kiki and Rob incorporated all kinds of personal touches into the day. Our favorite: before the wedding, their rabbi had them each write ten things they love about each other and email it to him. Then, on the day, before the seven blessings, he talked about the pair as a couple and mentioned the things they had said about each other. Isn’t that the sweetest?!
Before we hand things over to Kiki, we’ve got to mention that we’re so pleased we were able to help guide Kiki and Rob toward Smashing the Glass Recommended Vendor Ink with Intent for just the right ketubah. In Kiki’s words, working with them was “nothing short of amazing,” with customer service that went above and beyond.
How we met
Kiki, the bride: We met when I started working at George Washington University in fall of 2013 and became friends first through lots of happy hours with coworkers and mutual friends. He now works at NIH in research imaging and I work at GWU assisting in patient care. We started dating that December, and got engaged while on vacation in Florida in December 2016 on the beach at sunrise.
A DC Wedding
We got married at the historic Sixth & I Synagogue in Washington, DC. Rob is Jewish and I am not, so initially we wanted a space that would be equally welcoming to both families. We fell in love with our reception location first and went on the hunt for our ceremony space. We wanted something close and meaningful and I remembered that Sixth & I was close by.
I had been to Sixth & I a couple years ago for a talk with Andy Cohen and Wolf Blitzer with a girlfriend and remembered how much I loved the space and the stained glass, so I made us an appointment to tour so Rob could see it as well. He fell in love and we booked them for the ceremony and ketubah signing.
The reception was held at Loft at 600 F which was only a couple blocks away – open loft space with brick interior, gorgeous!
Modern Vintage
I was born and raised in Southern California and Rob in New Jersey, and we met and fell in love in DC. Initially, we wanted to travel for the wedding, but we love DC, love the architecture and history and all the things you can do, so we decided to have everyone come to us. We had a somewhat modern-vintage vibe for the wedding – both the ceremony and reception locations are historical buildings, my engagement ring is 1930s vintage with his mother’s engagement stone in the center, and he was going to use his grandfather’s wedding band that had “Our love is everlasting” engraved in Hebrew around the outside.
The colors were light and springy – muted mint, shades of peach, creams and gold. I planned most of the wedding myself but toward the last few months between school and work I felt like I was going crazy and had no time to stay on top of emails with the vendors. So I found Nicole of Sirpilla Soiree, my awesome planner, who helped me organize my last month and the day of the wedding.
I love all the weddings showcased on Smashing The Glass and links to other vendors. I also relied a lot on the “Jewish 101” sections to help educate myself for the wedding.
Hair + Makeup
To keep it simple and local, for hair we went to the DryBar that was a couple blocks from the hotel where we were getting ready. I had done a makeup trial the month before at the Sephora near the hotel and got lucky enough to find Carina Hernandez! She did my trial and I asked if she would be able to do it on the day of the wedding and she was available! She came to the hotel and helped get us all glamorous for the day.
An Eddy K Dress
My first dress shopping trip, I went with a girlfriend and one of my bridesmaids to a couple sample stores in DC and Alexandria. I wanted to see if I could “get lucky” and come across something amazing for a steal, which I didn’t, but I learned what styles I did and didn’t like and actually came across another store where I ended up making an appointment to try on dresses when my aunt came into town a few weeks later. I always wanted something lace, vintage yet modern, and with a low back.
So at the appointment, I pulled a few that grabbed my interest and tried on the first, and my aunt asked the attendant if she had any other dresses with a low back. She came back with the gorgeous lace dress by Eddy K with a dramatic train and I knew I had to try it on next. It fit amazing, I couldn’t stop smiling and had a feeling that might be the one. I tried on one more dress that I really liked but was uncomfortable and tried that second dress on again and knew that that was it. It was comfortable, gorgeous, and I felt so glamorous in it – it had to be mine.
Michael Kors Sandals
I wanted the shoes to be comfortable since I knew there would be a lot of standing and walking, but also wanted to add some glamour to my toes. I went with a shimmery gold sandal from Michael Kors and it was the perfect touch.
The handsome groom
The guys all wore gray suitsfrom the Black Tux – the groomsmen were a lighter heather gray and Rob’s was a darker charcoal. I made the boutonnieres the day before from succulents, eucalyptus, hypericum berries, and baby’s breath.
Bridesmaids in Green
I truly only cared about the color, so they each picked a style of dress from a designer I found that could be found in both California and DC and came in the color I wanted. The end result was amazing! I love how different they all looked but yet so uniform.
A Simple Chuppah
I wanted something simple that didn’t distract from the beauty of the synagogue. I found some peach flowers and vines to decorate with since the synagogue provided the chuppah.
A Personal Ceremony
In one of our last meetings with the rabbi before the wedding, he had us each write 10 things about each other that we love and email it to him. Before the seven blessings, he talked about us as a couple and told us what we said about each other. I loved hearing the reasons he loves me and how we help each other grow.
Ink with Intent
After months of online hunting, we ended up going with Ink with Intent for our ketubah. The process was nothing short of amazing – they were extremely kind and helpful, it came a lot sooner than I thought, and they also sent a list of suggestions for the pen to use for that specific paper and for the frame we used for the day of.
You Are the Best Thing
For the processional we walked down to Take The World by Johnnyswim. I love that song and the meaning of it and knowing that in this marriage we can take on anything together. Recessional was to As by Stevie Wonder – we love that song and what better way to start a celebration?! Our introduction was to Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, and first dance was to You Are The Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne. The dances are always awkward to me and I didn’t want to do it, so we did part the song and then had the DJ invite everyone else out about a minute in.
Whole Foods Flowers
I wanted to save money on the flowers but also wanted to them to look beautiful. Initally I was going to arrange them myself. Then, of course as things got down to the wire I started having a meltdown about a week before about storing them so I came up with plan b.
I work next to a Whole Foods and they always have gorgeous flowers, so the week of the wedding, I selected a range of peach and cream roses and some white/green hydrangeas, and, due to a miscommunication with the florist at the store, had two girlfriends arrange them for me the morning of the wedding, saving my sanity.
Our fabulous photographer
Rob is a photographer and so is his stepdad, so I gave him complete control of who we selected for the wedding. We went with Lily & Lime, a company that contracts photographers, and went with Ryan Hicks. He was a dream to work with – funny, knew exactly how to get the shots we hoped for, and took great candids of our guests at the reception.
A Cocktail-Style Reception
We did some tasting and were looking for delicious food that could be served in bite-size. We went with a cocktail-style reception since we wanted to mingle with our guests and didn’t want to be tied down to a table. We also hate wedding cake and went with boozy milkshakes and fudge bites instead – everything was so good!
Moving Speeches
The speeches by the maid of honor and best man took the cake. She brought tears to my eyes, and reminded me that even though we live on opposite coasts, our love and friendship is real and strong. She was so happy that I had “kissed a bunch of frogs to find my prince” and so am I. Rob also designed the programs for the wedding that the guests were able to follow along and understand the different parts of the ceremony.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Rely on those around you to help support you and keep you sane and in the moment. Give your phone away for the day, and feel the love from your newly minted spouse and those there to celebrate you. We laughed so much that day, kissed, held hands, and looked in each other’s eyes. Soak it all up, because for all that planning you do, the day goes ridiculously quickly!
Kiki & Rob’s little white book
Photographer – Ryan Hicks through Lily & Lime
Ketubah – Ink with Intent
Wedding planner – Sirpilla Soiree
Venues – Sixth & I Synagogue and Loft at 600 F
Bride’s dress – Eddy K purchased at Bridals by Natalie
Bride’s shoes – Michael Kors
Groom’s attire – Black Tux
Bridesmaids – Dessy
Hair + Makeup – DryBar and Carina Hernandez
Flowers – Whole Foods
Catering – Well Dunn
Getting ready – Monaco Hotel
