An Inbal Dror Bride for a Mega Glam Jewish Wedding at the Ritz Naples, Florida, USA

Two words: Orchid. Chuppah.

You know we love a good floral chuppah, and Michele and Scott went all out, packing every possible inch of theirs with glorious florals, from the poles to the edges to the gorgeous curtain of orchids hanging down the back.

This modern chic beachside wedding was packed full of luxe details, from the tiny bottles of Champagne they handed out as favors to their colorful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com to the incredible paper and leather flower wall behind their sweetheart table — truly, it’s unmissable (oh.. and if you want to get lots of  creative ideas for your wedding do sign up for this with our founder, Karen! It’s totally free and totally unmissable!)

Michele, who is chief administrative officer for a private equity firm, and Scott, a wealth manager at Merrill Lynch, chose photographer Emily Harris and videographer Senderey Video to capture their big day, and we think you’ll agree they did a totally awesome job of it.

We’ll let Michele, who looked incredible in her stunner of a dress from Inbal Dror, which she found at Mark Ingram Atelier in NYC, fill you in on the rest…

How We Met

Michele, the bride: We met through mutual friends in NYC.

A Beachside Venue

I had visited the Ritz Naples as a child and remembered thinking someday I wanted to get married there. I loved the beachside location and the intimacy the property provides. The level of service at this property has always been impeccable. Bridgette Rivard and James Hurd, the staff leaders for the wedding, made the day exceptional.

 
Modern Chic

Our aesthetic was modern chic. We had elements of black, gold, and white to create a sophisticated, luxurious and modern look.

We used Danielle Dworkowitz and Jessica Weot of Creative Touch Party Design.

  
Gift Box Invitations

Our invitation was very unique – it was presented in a box to look like a gift. All black and gold. The reply card was black with an enclosed gold pen so guests could fill it in.

An Inbal Dror Dress

My dress was an Inbal Dror purchased at Mark Ingram Atelier. It just fit beautifully and the layers each had their own beauty and embellishment.

Bridesmaids in Black

The bridesmaids wore all variations of black matte sequined Theia dresses purchased at Bella Bridesmaids in Palm Beach.

An Orchid Chuppah

We wanted orchids to cascade and for the chuppah to be really tall to highlight the beautiful architecture of the resort’s center courtyard and gardens, where the ceremony was held. The uplighting highlighted the columns and structural details.

Ceremony Details

My favorite part was having our parents be part of the ceremony under the beautiful chuppah.

The groom had his monogram done on the outside of his kippot.

The ketubah was from Ketubah.com.

All of Me

Music is important to our family, so I wanted to pick songs that were meaningful and identifiable.

Processional: ‘All of Me’ — John Legend

Bride’s entrance: ‘Canon in D’

Recessional: ‘Signed Sealed Delivered’

Black and Gold Cake!

The wedding cake was vanilla cake with fresh raspberry filling — all in black fondant with gold leaf detail and fresh orchids. The groom’s cake was a decadent chocolate hazelnut cake featuring his favorite hockey team — the NY Islanders. We also featured a carnival sweet station with funnel cakes, cotton candy on a glocone, and dippin’ dots.

Special Guests

The Headliners Band was amazing! During the ceremony we had Master Musicians, and our after party DJ was The 12.

I am friends with Dru Rigers (from CNote) and Joey Fatone (from NSync), and they helped make the evening extra special with some musical touches.

Champagne favors

We had hand calligraphed bottles of Champagne by Carla Hagan Designs.

A flower wall

There was an amazing paper and leather flower wall that created a backdrop for the sweetheart table and tied the room together. It had sparkle that was also in the amazing floating feather and crystal halo above the floor and reflected the golf mirror dance floor.

What also made the halo amazing was the way it looked when we did the hora. Our planner suggested clear hora chairs so that you could see the beauty of the moment and my dress instead of a chair. Emily caught the amazing shot of us, all our guests, and the halo.

A Honeymoon in Africa

We went to Africa. We did a week-long safari in Tanzania. We went to the Ngorongoro Crater and Maswa Game Reserve in the Serengeti for a week and then we flew to Zanzibar to relax and enjoy the beautiful beach for a week. We wanted to go to a place we both have never been to and somewhere far and exciting with the right mix of adventure and relaxation.

Advice to couples currently planning their wedding

Hire a great team, starting with a wedding planner! The vendors made the entire process, from planning through the day an amazing experience.

Michele & Scott’s little white book

Photography – Emily Harris
Videography – Senderey Video
Ketubah – Ketubah.com {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Wedding planner – Creative Touch Party Design
Venue – Ritz Naples
Florist – Xquisite Events
Bride’s dress – Inbal Dror found and fitted at Mark Ingram Atelier. 
Bride’s accessories – Coco Fine Jewelers and The Wedding Salon Custom
Bride’s and groom’s shoes – Christian Louboutin
Groom’s attire – Alan David Tuxedo Custom, Tom Ford and Tiffany’s
Bridesmaids – Theia purchased at Bella Bridesmaids Palm Beach
Groomsmen – Tux Shop Palm Beach
Hair + Makeup – Jennifer Cruz Beauty Group
Bands – The Headliners Band and Master Musicians
Kippot — Jessy Judaica
Calligraphy – Carla Hagan Designs
Pajamas — Lily Silk