An Inbal Dror Bride for a Fashion-Forward Jewish Wedding at the Edition Hotel, Miami, Florida, USA

There’s so much to love about  Katy (@katyilana) and Max’s Jewish wedding at the stunning Art Deco Edition Hotel in Miami — from the Cuban food to the afterparty at a club/bowling alley to the welcome bags designed by the bride (she’s an artist!) — but what we really want to talk about is the fashion.

First off, there’s Katy’s jawdroppingly gorgeous Inbal Dror dress. Katy said she wanted something a bit sexy that would still keep her grandparents happy, and the ivory lace boho stunner she chose definitely fits the bill. With long sleeves to balance out the open back and plunging neckline, it’s just the right combination of edgy and classic. And as a bonus, it was extra meaningful for Katy to buy a dress handmade in Israel, her father’s home country and a place she has lived herself.

Katy’s not the only one making bold fashion choices at this wedding, though. This laidback bride instructed her bridesmaids only to dress in light colors; beyond that, she left them to their own devices when it came to choosing their wedding attire. Risky? Perhaps, but I think you’ll agree with Katy that this was a gamble that paid off: her perfectly mismatched ’maids look so effortlessly cool, and not a single dress looks out of place. As a bonus, Katy reports that this method was way less stressful for all involved.

Photographer Ricky Stern captured the ultra-glam day in all its glory. Now over to Katy to fill you in on the details…

Old Miami

 
Miami Art Deco

Rose Gold Invitations

In terms of makeup and hair, I simply wanted to look natural. I’m not a huge makeup person, and my husband really doesn’t like when I wear it. Carolyn Jones did an incredible job. She and her team really made us look “ourselves” but just a bit more photo-ready.

An Inbal Dror Dress

Mismatched Bridesmaids

I told my bridesmaids to wear anything light colored, so they basically had a free-for-all. This could not have turned out better. Everyone’s dresses vibed together and definitely tied in with mine.

My mom thought this would turn out tacky, but it was truly beautiful and much less stressful than if I had picked dresses out for them – they are all very different, so this just would have been selling them short. I’m glad they all got to express themselves and highlight their own uniqueness.

A Multi-Themed Day 

My mom had an idea to keep the theme different for each aspect of the day, so for the ceremony we went with a simple chuppah in pastel colors. I love pale yellow, so we added that in as well. For the cocktail hour, we went into a more midcentury theme and used blush florals. Lastly, the reception was mostly white with greenery.

An Emotional Ceremony

My husband and I both agree that the ceremony was very special. Even though we had about 200 guests, it felt so itimate and was very emotional. Rabbi Marc Kula kept it casual and even threw in some hilarious jokes – because the kiddush cup we provided was gigantic, he referred to it as a goblet, which had everyone laughing.

 

It was also very emotional when my dad passed me off to Max, which I had expected it would be since I’m the youngest of three girls.

 

In My Life

I had the band play a string quartet version of All Apologies by Nirvana. I have been obsessed with Nirvana for years, so I knew I had to incorporate a song somewhere. It sounded beautiful.

We also played Bittersweet Symphony, and for the bridal entrance we had In My Life by the Beatles (also with a string quartet). This is my dad’s favorite song, so I was glad to incorporate that as well. 

Our fabulous photographer and videographer

Ricky Stern ended up being a calming presence at the wedding. Not only is he so talented (which I could tell right away after we did our engagement shoot with him), but he is also a wonderful person. I felt like I had known him for years. 

 

We used Petit Four Films for the videographer. He was very professional and not invasive at all.

A Fab Band

South Florida Heatwave band was all we needed in terms of entertainment. We didn’t want to take away from them or the dance floor, so we did without a photobooth or anything like that. The band did not disappoint, and they even threw in some 90s songs for us.

A Drip Effect Cake

I knew I wanted a cake with drips on it – I use the “drip effect” in my art so it was very close to home to have that look.

A Welcome Bag Designed by the Bride

In one of the photos there is a burlap bag that says “Greetings from Miami Beach.” I was very proud of this design – it was a collage I had created on Photoshop. My mother-in-law and I decided to use it as an insert for the welcome bags we provided.

My family and friends are from NJ/NY, so for half of the guests it was a destination wedding. Many stayed at the hotel with us, and its sister hotel, the AC, across the street.

The groom is from Miami, so for half the guests the wedding was close enough to drive or Uber. Even so, many stayed to join in the afterparty, which was in the bowling alley in the club at the hotel – it is called Basement.

A song from the bride’s father

Instead of a toast, my father wrote us a beautiful song and got up on the stage to sing it – this was very unique and will always stand out in my memory.

 

Being surrounded by the people I love most throughout the day was also very significant, because they all come from such different walks of life and I had never been able to have them all under one roof before in such a special way. 

Katy & Max’s little white book