We could not be any more excited to share the absolutely incredible micro wedding of our beloved STG Brides Club member Nina to Lee! I know we’re all tired of hearing the word “pivot” at this point – but thes two truly pulled off one of the very best pandemic pivots we’ve seen.

Initially, Nina and Lee had planned to have two big celebrations this summer: one in Israel, where Lee’s family lives, and the other at Nina’s family’s home on the beach in Connecticut. When it became clear that neither of these festivities would be able to go forward as planned, rather than scaling things back or postponing, the couple opted to totally change course and do something totally different.

And in just three weeks, these two managed to plan the most gorgeous micro wedding with 14 guests (friends only – since Lee’s family was unable to travel from Israel, the pair opted to have all relatives participate via Zoom) in the hills of beautiful Malibu – a place neither of them had so much as visited before! – to be followed up by a two-week RV honeymoon driving up the California coast and then east to their engagement spot of Steamboat, Colorado! With all the traveling involved in their original wedding lineup, Nina and Lee hadn’t been planning on a honeymoon at all, and they count being able to go on one as their biggest replanning win.

We’re also obsessed with the couple’s beautiful chuppah canopy, which the bride’s mother knit by hand into an intricate pattern with hearts hidden in the details, so that with the sun shining overhead during the ceremony it cast heart-shaped shadows all around Nina and Lee! What an incredibly special touch – don’t miss it in the exquisite photos by photographer Jess of We are Matt and Jess. And how gorgeous is Nina and Lee’s colorful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com?! They wanted something out of the box, and we think they found just the thing to match the vibes of their laid-back boho day.

There’s so much more we could say about this awesome wedding, but we’ll let Nina, who looked effortlessly chic in Willowby by Watters (turns out the dress she’d picked for her wedding in Israel worked perfectly for Malibu!), fill you in on the rest…

Oh… and just before we hand over to Nina – make sure you join our Wedding Planning Bingo Challenge which starts today! A must for every Jewish and Jew-ish bride, you can sign up here.

How we Met

Nina, the bride: Lee and I met the way many couples meet these days…on a dating app!  When we matched, Lee was living in Colorado and I was living in Boston.  Lee was in Boston for a week for work, and while we didn’t have time to meet before he went back to Colorado, it just happened that I was headed to Colorado for a work trip the very next week!

The only time Lee and I had to meet face to face was while I was at a bar with company…Lee brought a friend and swung by the bar where I was hanging out.  We chatted for a bit, went on a walk around the block just the two of us.  The next week Lee flew back to Boston and took me to a matinee performance of The Blue Man Group and then out for Israeli food!  From that point on, Lee and I were all in.

We did a few weekend trips going back and forth between Boston and Colorado, skiing, going to concerts, and eating delicious meals (all of our favorite things).  A few months later, Lee made the decision to relocate to Boston and after 5 months of dating we moved in together!  One year later we were engaged and just about a year later we were married!  When you know, you know.

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