Jewish Newlywed Spotlight: Leslie Welsbacher

Leslie is a member of Smashing Life, our community membership club for Jewish + Jew(ish) women.

ABOUT LESLIE

Where are you from? Beverly Hills, Michigan

What do you do for a living? Compliance Officer for a long term community nursing company

How did you meet your partner? We met on J-Swipe even though he wasn’t officially Jewish at the time

When did you first know you were in love? We had a significant issue and we broke up for a month. During that time, everyone told me I would get over him and move on. But I felt like this was different. I didn’t feel like my life would be the same without him.

ABOUT YOUR WEDDING

When and where did you get married? May 5, 2019. We got married at Greenspace Cafe in Ferndale, Michigan. It was a fully vegan restaurant, not a traditional wedding venue but we made it our own.

What was your wedding song for walking down the aisle? ‘You Are The Reason’ by Calum Scott

How many guests did you invite to your wedding? 65

What was your favorite part of/thing about your wedding day? That we stayed true to us despite some of the complaining.

Best wedding planning tip? Do what is you. There is so much pressure to have the day everyone else wants you to have, but it should be what you and your partner want.

Wedding vendors you would recommend? This post lists the vendors we used

Where did you go on honeymoon? We didn’t. We were supposed to go to Puerto Rico for our first anniversary/honeymoon but that didn’t happen because of the pandemic.

What does marriage mean to you? It means a lifelong commitment, a partnership with the person that means the most to you in the world.

Has your relationship with your partner changed since you got married? Honestly, I don’t think it really has.

Secret to a happy relationship? Honesty, open communication.

ABOUT YOUR JEWISH LIFE

Fave meal to eat together on Friday night? Honestly, anything as long as we are eating together, lighting candles, and building our Jewish life together.

Fave Jewish festival Chanukah, not because of the presents but because of the family time.

Fave piece of Judaica in your home Our ketubah

Fave Jewish food Bagels

Fave Jewish tradition I like making my own. I went vegan about six months before we got married, so I enjoy vegan-izing non-vegan Jewish recipes.

Fave wedding gift you received for your home For me personally, my kitchen aid stand mixer. I’m sure my husband would disagree.

What do you love most about being a SMASHING LIFE member?

The community. Especially with the pandemic and being high risk for Covid-19, it has been such a lifesaver to be part of this community. I haven’t felt as isolated or alone as I might have without it.