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Home > California Jewish Wedding

A Bright and Colorful Jewish Wedding on the Beach at Dolphin Bay, Pismo Beach, California, USA

18/09/2023 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Neysa and Tom, Dolphin Bay, Pismo Beach, California, USA

There’s nothing like a beach wedding – and we love how Neysa and Tom made the most of their seaside setting on the California Coast with bright colors, beautiful tropical flowers, and a chuppah right on the cliffs above Pismo Beach!

Keeping with the vibrant color scheme, Neysa and Tom chose a beautiful ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor 1800ketubah.com. The brightly colored Tree of Life design was personally meaningful to the couple, and aesthetically it fit right in with the joyous look of the day! Don’t miss it in the photos by Stephanie Secrest of Secrest Weddings.

Looking at this glorious day, you’d never guess Neysa and Tom pulled it off while adjusting to life as new parents – but that’s exactly what happened: they welcomed their first child just two months before the big day, and little Tyce was an adorable VIP at the wedding!

Now over to Neysa…

Neysa and Tom, Dolphin Bay, Pismo Beach, California, USA Neysa and Tom, Dolphin Bay, Pismo Beach, California, USA Neysa and Tom, Dolphin Bay, Pismo Beach, California, USA Neysa and Tom, Dolphin Bay, Pismo Beach, California, USA
How We Met

Neysa and Tom met in South Bend Indiana in 2014 while Neysa was in law school and Tom was in business school. Tom likes to say he helped Neysa move into her apartment. Neysa likes to say that he put a box in an elevator for her and went on his way. Tom was wearing a cut off tank top, which is why the thought of dating Tom did not initially cross Neysa’s mind.

Over the next year, Neysa and Tom would occasionally run into each other around campus, mostly at the local bars. Neysa could easily spot Tall Tom’s head sticking out from across the bar and come up to say hi and Tom would buy her a drink. After a few of these chance encounters, Tom finally worked up the courage to ask for her number. But it wasn’t until finally hitting it off at a joint MBA-Law School tailgate at a Notre Dame game that Tom and Neysa really caught each other’s attention. Tom asked Neysa on a first date, dinner at Rocco’s (pizza obviously) and drinks at ‘That Place’ (yes, that’s the actual name), which was followed by a second date…Neysa’s first time ice skating. And that leads us to where we are today.

About 6 months after their first date, Tom and Neysa both graduated from Notre Dame but unfortunately moved to completely opposite sides of the country. Tom moved to Washington, D.C. for a Management Consulting job and Neysa to Los Angeles for 2-year fellowship working with foster youth. The long-distance was hard but Tom and Neysa did everything they could to make it work and took FULL advantage of all the travel points that Tom racked up with his consulting job. Over the next 2 years, Neysa would come to DC, Tom would travel to LA, and they would meet everywhere in between (Banff, Denver, Florida, Dallas, Chicago, etc.).

After a long 2.5 years (and a LOT of patience from Neysa), Tom finally convinced his company to transfer him to a project in Calgary, Canada that would allow him to be based in Los Angeles. Tom finally completed his move to Los Angeles in May of 2018. Either way, neither of them could have known that a short random encounter would lead to forever.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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An Elegant Same-Sex Jewish Wedding at Grand Tradition Estate and Gardens, Fallbrook, California, USA

11/09/2023 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Haley-Dani-Grand-Tradition-Estate-and-Gardens-Fallbrook-CA-USA

Get ready for an absolutely breathtaking same-sex Jewish wedding! Brides Hayley and Dani had the most elegant California wedding at Grand Tradition Estate and Gardens, and we are here for it! An outdoor chuppah (using the property’s on-site gazebo), palm trees galore – what’s not to love?!

Hayley and Dani opted for a clean, elegant look for their big day, with a color scheme of white, black, and grey. The exception? Their gorgeous Midnight Lagoon ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush, which brought rich blues and metallic gold into the mix.

We also love that Hayley and Dani wanted to include LGBTQ and women-owned businesses in their special day – including their mega-talented photographer Captured by Amanda Lynn!

There’s so much more to say about this very special wedding, but we’ll leave it to the brides to take it from here…

Haley-Dani-Grand-Tradition-Estate-and-Gardens-Fallbrook-CA-USA Haley-Dani-Grand-Tradition-Estate-and-Gardens-Fallbrook-CA-USA Haley-Dani-Grand-Tradition-Estate-and-Gardens-Fallbrook-CA-USA Haley-Dani-Grand-Tradition-Estate-and-Gardens-Fallbrook-CA-USA
How We Met

Hayley and Dani, the brides: We met while we were both working at the same job.. Hayley was a therapist and Dani was the lead technician. For almost 6 months while working together we rarely spoke. Then one day, Dani sat in on Hayley’s art therapy group with a couple other staff. As the clients were working, the staff began their project and Dani and Hayley hit it off and never stopped talking. The rest is history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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A Multicultural Jewish Wedding in the Redwoods, Waterfall Lodge, Ben Lomond, California, USA

14/08/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Soreliz-Robert-Waterfall-Lodge-Ben-Lomond-CA-USA

There’s not much we love more than seeing a couple fuse two diverse backgrounds into one beautiful Jewish wedding. Add some jawdroppingly gorgeous scenery into the mix, and we’re more than sold. So needless to say, we fell head over heels when we first set eyes on Soreliz and Rob’s rustic wedding in the beautiful California redwoods, full of intention and symbolism reflecting the couple’s values, cultures, tradition, beliefs.

Rob comes from an Ashkenazi background, while Soreliz’s is a mix of Sephardic and Catholic, and all these traditions – plus some Buddhist and indigenous practices – came together to make one very special day. The ceremony was mostly in accordance with Jewish tradition, but Soreliz and Rob put their own spin on many aspects of the day. For instance, they chose to have a two-way badeken, where Rob placed a crown on Soreliz’s head and in return Soreliz placed a kippah on Rob’s.

Soreliz and Rob also picked a fabulous ketubah with tons of personal meaning to who they are as a couple, designed by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nava Shoham. The duo opted for her rainbow tree design, both for its vibrant colors and for the special meaning trees have for them, and they couldn’t be more thrilled with the finished product – or with Nava’s professionalism and creativity throughout the process!

Do have a scroll through Manuel Ortega’s wonderful photos of this unique Jewish wedding – and read on for more of the story in the bride’s own words!

Soreliz-Robert-Waterfall-Lodge-Ben-Lomond-CA-USA Soreliz-Robert-Waterfall-Lodge-Ben-Lomond-CA-USA Soreliz-Robert-Waterfall-Lodge-Ben-Lomond-CA-USA Soreliz-Robert-Waterfall-Lodge-Ben-Lomond-CA-USA
How We Met

Soreliz, the bride: We are retired psychotherapists. Our journey began in mid-December of 2018 when Rob, seeking to network with fellow psychotherapists to grow his private therapy practice, decided to post an email on a therapy listserv that Soreliz saw. When Soreliz read Rob’s post, she felt curious and intrigued by what Rob had written, especially his connection to nature, his interest in nature-based therapy, and his Buddhist meditation practice. Upon seeing his photo in his email signature, she felt an urge and intuition that she should connect with him, even though she thought, “he could be gay or married, but one never knows.” There was something in his eyes and his smile that intrigued her.

Boy, was she glad she followed her intuition. When Rob received Soreliz’s email, he felt glad to receive it and was thinking of the proposed meeting strictly as a networking meeting, which ostensibly, it was. Curious to know a little more about this woman he was about to meet, Rob did a little background research on Psychology Today and found Soreliz’s professional profile to be both unique and intriguing, and her photo more than attractive, which never hurts in a networking meeting. Wink, wink.

Rob and Soreliz met at Cole Coffee in Rockridge, Berkeley, CA, for a networking conversation to learn more about each other’s work. After about an hour of professional banter, both Rob and Soreliz were curious to find out more about each other, and so the conversation became more personal. Soreliz felt that Rob was very grounded, found his travel stories fascinating, and noticed a sense of calmness about him. During the conversation, Soreliz was glad to discover that Rob was single. And she realized there were lots of common interests between them—spiritual practice, love of nature, psychotherapy, and a passion for travel and adventure. Moreover, there was a flow and ease to their conversation, and she noticed an undeniable attraction to him. Soreliz also loved Rob’s abalone necklace that he frequently wears. The fact that he wore it spoke to his connection to nature and resonated with Soreliz’s love of all things related to the ocean, as the double water sign that she is.

Rob found himself impressed by Soreliz’s courage in leaving her stable job of 14 years at Oakland Children’s Hospital as a community-based, mental health social worker and setting off on her own path, taking the risk to open her own private psychotherapy practice. Rob found Soreliz to be down-to-earth, very present in herself, open, and a good listener. Rob appreciated that Soreliz wanted to talk on a more personal level to get to know him more. He also noticed the beautiful light blue floral-patterned tunic that she was wearing and the contrast it made with her beautiful light brown skin. Her direct gaze captivated him. As the conversation organically transitioned from professional to personal topics, Rob became increasingly interested in finding out more about this attractive young woman who bought him hot chocolate, always a good move with Rob.

This “networking meeting,” turned into a four and a half hour flowing interaction, but it did not feel like a long time because both were so absorbed in the conversation. After the meeting ended because Soreliz had to go feed her son, it started to rain, so Soreliz asked Rob if he needed an umbrella. Rob said, “No, it’s not raining that hard, I’ll be okay.” (Rob can be a little bit shy when he first meets someone.) As they were about to part ways, Soreliz told Rob that she would like to see him again. Rob seemed caught off guard by Soreliz’s directness, and was also trying to keep a professional demeanor, so he did not directly respond at that moment. However, Rob liked the idea of walking under the umbrella together to his car and quickly changed his mind. 45 minutes after parting ways, Rob sent a follow-up email to Soreliz with some information about a photographer they had discussed during the meeting, saying he “so enjoyed their conversation,” and “looking forward to seeing you again soon.” (Hint hint). And the rest is history.

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A Galia Lahav Bride for a Luxe Disney-Inspired Jewish Wedding at Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, California, USA

12/06/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Aliza & Nathan, Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, California, USA

This isn’t the first Disney-themed Jewish wedding we’ve seen, but we’re pretty sure it’s the one with the most wow factor! Aliza, a freelance Casting Associate Producer who’s worked on shows such as Love is Blind and Married at First Sight, and Nathan, a stay-at-home-husband with a background in the non-profit world, are big Disney fans, and they knew from the start they wanted their big day at Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel to feel like a magical fairy tale come true.

And did it ever! The pair dreamt up an elegant-yet-whimsical enchanted forest wedding featuring a Mickey head made of rose petals, a real-life Cinderella carriage, and mango sorbet served in “Glass Slippers” carved out of ice!

To make their magic mirror meets “through the looking glass” motif a reality, Aliza and Nathan hunted for rare collectable Disney figurines and memorabilia to incorporate into their centerpieces and spent countless sleepless nights DIYing favors and decorations. All their hard work paid off big time – you don’t want to miss a single stunning detail in the luscious images by Michael Anthony Photography and cinematic video by Custom Made Productions.

Naturally, when it came to Aliza and Nathan’s ketubah only the best would do. And so they turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rachelle Tchiprout of The Delicate Brush, who crafted a custom watercolor creation featuring flowers and ivy to match the couple’s wedding décor. Rachelle worked closely with Aliza and Nathan to bring their vision to life, and they were totally bowled over by the results!

This mega-luxe wedding is chock full of details, but we’ll turn you over to Aliza – who looked simply ravishing in of Galia Lahav – to fill you in on the rest…

Aliza & Nathan, Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, California, USA Aliza & Nathan, Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, California, USA Aliza & Nathan, Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, California, USA Aliza & Nathan, Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, California, USA
How We Met

Aliza, the bride: In 2014, we matched on JSWipe, bonding over having several unlikely and random mutual friends. After exchanging long messages about everything from music and tech to travel and languages, we had our first date at the Santa Monica promenade, which lasted 12 hours! I left that date knowing that I had just met “The One.” We went on to have our second date at Disneyland, which, as a hopeless romantic, was a dream come true. Admittedly, our relationship wasn’t always smooth sailing.

As we each navigated our early twenties and found ourselves living in different places, we dated on and off for a few years. It wasn’t until 2017 that we reconnected once and for all at a Shabbat dinner & the rest was history! In 2019, Nathan proposed to me in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, making our engagement extra magical. My engagement ring features a hand cut diamond from the early 1910’s. Nathan worked with Steve from Korshak Diamond Corporation to custom design both my engagement ring and my diamond wedding band!

Full of excitement and imagination, we began planning for a July 5, 2020 wedding, We chose July 5th as our wedding date because it was the day after Nathan’s grandparents’ wedding anniversary – July 4th. At the time of our choice, they had been married for 65 years and we felt it would be good luck! (They made it to 68 years, before Nathan’s grandma sadly passed away in January 2023.) When the pandemic hit in early 2020, we were left with no choice but to postpone our celebration.

While a party can wait, we felt that we didn’t want to put our love story on hold, so we decided to still get married as planned on our original date in a beautiful intimate ceremony in my parents backyard in Boca Raton, FL. What we lost by having to postpone also afforded us an extra year to fully bring our dream wedding celebration to life. We spent the months leading up to, what would now be our July 4th, 2021 “vow-renewal” and belated reception, planning out every unique detail!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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A Pronovias Bride for a Romantic Outdoor Jewish Wedding Filled with Personal Touches at McCormick Home Ranch in Camarillo, California, USA

10/03/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Juliet-Michael-McCormick-Home-Ranch-Camarillo-CA-USA

We love it when a couple plans a Jewish wedding that’s totally, 100% THEM – and that’s exactly what today’s duo did. Juliet, who works in human resources at a technology company, and Michael, who runs his financial planning company, combined a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony with so many wonderful personal touches, and we are her for it!

One thing we adore is the way Juliet and Michael worked elements not part of a traditional Jewish ceremony into their day, both before and after the chuppah. During their first look pre-chuppah, the pair exchanged private vows, and then after the yichud room they did a private ring exchange.

During the chuppah itself, we love the way Juliet and Michael incorporated friends and family, by asking loved ones to do everything from covering them in Michael’s tallit to reading the signed Ketubah to saying the seven blessings, and more.

When it came time to choose a ketubah, the couple naturally wanted something that both kept to Jewish tradition while at the same time embodied their relationship. The found the perfect design on Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com, where they fell in love with “Sky Over Aquamarine Seas” by Hadass Gerson. Juliet and Michael included both Aramaic and English text and worked with Ketubah.com to get everything exactly how they envisioned. Don’t miss it in the beautiful photos by Jenny Smith and Co.!

There’s so much more to say about this fabulous wedding – we haven’t even touched on the exquisite floral chuppah, or Juliet’s ever-so-chic gown by Pronovias – but we’ll let the bride herself fill you in on the rest…


Juliet-Michael-McCormick-Home-Ranch-Camarillo-CA-USA Juliet-Michael-McCormick-Home-Ranch-Camarillo-CA-USA Juliet-Michael-McCormick-Home-Ranch-Camarillo-CA-USA Juliet-Michael-McCormick-Home-Ranch-Camarillo-CA-USA
How we Met

Juliet, the bride: We met as babies and grew up together as family friends all thanks to a lifelong friendship that our dads shared.

Our dads grew up together in Israel and after not seeing each other for years they reconnected after moving to Los Angeles, CA. It was as if no time had passed. Our families were inseparable with trips to the snow, backyard pool parties, and summer BBQs.

Our families happened to lose touch just as we were heading into our high school years. After not seeing each other for over 10 years, Michael recognized me at a local bar in Sherman Oaks, CA and the rest is history. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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