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Home > Nava Shoham

A Martin Thornburg Bride for a Tree of Life-Themed Jewish Wedding at the Grand Hyatt, Buckhead, Georgia, USA

08/04/2024 by Karen Cinnamon

David-and-Taylor-Grand-Hyatt-Buckhead-Georgia-USA

We just love today’s couple’s Jewish wedding theme: tree of life! Taylor, a nurse practitioner, and David, an orthopedic surgery resident, love the outdoors, and they settled on this theme as the perfect way to combine their enthusiasm for nature with their deep connection to Jewish tradition.

They found the perfect spot for their big day in the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead, Georgia, featuring gorgeous Japanese Zen Gardens where the duo held their chuppah (birch, and embellished with greenery, florals, and foliage – so on theme!). Don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Hellen Oliveira Photography.

A tree of life ketubah was a must for Taylor and David, and they found the perfect design on Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com, from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nava Shoham.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll let the bride take it from here…

David-and-Taylor-Grand-Hyatt-Buckhead-Georgia-USA   David-and-Taylor-Grand-Hyatt-Buckhead-Georgia-USA David-and-Taylor-Grand-Hyatt-Buckhead-Georgia-USA David-and-Taylor-Grand-Hyatt-Buckhead-Georgia-USA
How We Met

Taylor, the bride: We went to high school together, however, we did not reconnect until years later on Jswipe (Jewish Tinder).Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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A Same-Sex Wedding Featuring Pastel Suits, Gluten-Free Eats, and Unforgettable Vows at Temple Israel, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA

30/10/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Robbie-Jeff-Temple-Israel-Portsmouth-New-Hampshire-USA

In this dark time we’re living through, we could all use an extra infusion of Jewish joy. And there’s something about Jewish weddings – the unbridled love and emotion, the continuity and hope for the Jewish future – that comes through better than just about anything else we can think of. 

That’s certainly true of the beautiful, heartfelt Jewish wedding of New Hampshire couple Robbie and Jeff. The two grooms centered their big day around their own unique love story, and starting with their choice of venue, Temple Israel in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where Robbie completed his conversion to Judaism, everything about their wedding was ultra-personal. This came through most clearly of all when it came to the duo’s vows, which told their story in an ultra-moving way.

Naturally, the couple wanted to make sure their ketubah was something special, and they found just the thing in their hand-painted tree of life ketubah by the wonderful Nava Shoham from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor 1800ketubah.com. Don’t miss it in the wonderful images from Jeffrey Rivkin Photography!

There’s lots more to say about this joyful Jewish wedding, but we’ll let the grooms take it from here…

Robbie-Jeff-Temple-Israel-Portsmouth-New-Hampshire-USA Robbie-Jeff-Temple-Israel-Portsmouth-New-Hampshire-USA Robbie-Jeff-Temple-Israel-Portsmouth-New-Hampshire-USA Robbie-Jeff-Temple-Israel-Portsmouth-New-Hampshire-USA
How We Met

Robbie and Jeff, the grooms: We met in late 2017 through a mutual friend at a Halloween party were we live in Dover, New Hampshire. Jeff was in a relationship at the time, and initially we were just acquaintances at social gatherings, and became gym buddies. When Jeff became single a few months later, Robbie quickly jumped at the opportunity to get closer with the buff new guy with beautiful blue eyes, and the ability to carry an intelligent conversation.

“Jeff was fairly new to the area and didn’t know many people, so Robbie would invite him over to his place after the gym and cook him up some chicken, steak and veggies on the grill while we’d drink wine and get to know each other.”

Being that we were both in our 30s, we both approached the relationship with vulnerability and honesty. Neither of us was wasting any time. We shared our trials and tribulations over those initial dinners, and that’s when we really started connecting. Robbie has a thing for guys who have faced adversity and overcome it, so he was attracted to Jeff from the moment they started getting to know each other.

At around the three week point in our relationship, Robbie blurted out “I love you” after a few glasses of wine and a deep conversation. Jeff played his cards a little closer to his chest, and replied “thank you,” but the reality was that he was instantly drawn to Robbie’s boyish smile, his overflowing empathy, and effortless swagger.

The plot twist to the whole story was that Robbie had just been laid off from his job and was about to move away, eventually planning to land on the West Coast. On a romantic walk along the Marginal Way in Ogunquit Beach, Maine, Jeff tried to end things on a high note, not wanting to get more attached knowing Robbie was leaving. Robbie wasn’t so willing to let go. “I felt crushed as soon as the words came out of Jeff’s mouth. I knew I was going to be living in New England for at least another year before leaving to the West Coast, so I pleaded with Jeff to keeping seeing me and let things play out on their own.”

Thankfully, Jeff agreed, and we ended up maintaining a long distance relationship for about 13 months, roughly 145 miles or 2.5 hours apart. During that time, Robbie found a new job that allowed him to work remotely, and in August of 2019, he moved back to Dover, New Hampshire to live with Jeff full-time.

In January of 2021, we were out walking our cavapoo, Coal, and laughing hysterically as we watched him gliding on the ice on our long driveway. Then, Jeff told Robbie to look up at the stars. Jeff always “stops to smell the roses,” so Robbie looked up too, only to see a completely overcast sky. Confused, he looked back down and saw Jeff getting down on one knee, with a huge smile on his face, and an open ring box. He asked Robbie to marry him, and Robbie asked, “are you being serious?” Jeff replied, “I’m on my knees in the snow with a ring in my hand. Does this look like a joke?” Then Robbie said, “Yes. Yes. Oh, my God, of course.”

Having already been planning to propose to Jeff himself, Robbie went ahead and did a second proposal to Jeff that July at the top of their favorite mountain, Mt. Chocorua, in New Hampshire’s White Mountain region. He got down on one knee near the edge of the mountain at the top while Jeff was looking around, and said, “what do you think about the view over here?” Jeff turned around and Robbie popped the questions. Of course it was already a done deal at that point. Jeff said yes, too!

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

18/09/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

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 Jewish Wedding Full of Fun Touches at Institute Park, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

04/09/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Angela-Jesse-Institute-Park-Worcester-Massachusetts-USA

Today’s couple, Angela and Jesse, are busy people. They’re both registered nurses, each working in different critical care specialties – and on top of that, they also run their own farm!

So when it came time to plan their Massachusetts Jewish wedding, they wanted a day of nonstop fun – and that’s exactly what they got! From a wedding trolley party bus to transport the wedding party, to a black tie dress code as a counterpoint to Angela and Jesse’s usual scrubs and farm clothes, to DIY artificial flowers by the bride herself, this day was chock full of wonderful touches – don’t miss them all in the beautiful photos and trailer by Zach and Ava from Woodside Productions!

One of our very favorite special touches is the couple’s ketubah, designed by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nava Shoham. Angela and Jesse adored Nava’s River of Dreams ketubah from the moment they set eyes on it, and they can’t stop raving about the process of working with Nava.

Now over to Angela…

Angela-Jesse-Institute-Park-Worcester-Massachusetts-USA Angela-Jesse-Institute-Park-Worcester-Massachusetts-USA Angela-Jesse-Institute-Park-Worcester-Massachusetts-USA Angela-Jesse-Institute-Park-Worcester-Massachusetts-USA
How We Met

Although they are both are in the medical field, they did not meet on the job. They met through a shared love for farming and farm animals and mutual friends within the farming community. The friendship effortlessly blossomed while they both served on the Agricultural Commission in the town they lived in previously. Jesse served as Vice Chair and Angela served as the secretary.

Angela had always dreamed of raising alpaca and Jesse was able to make her dreams come true when he found her a seller that needed to rehome five lovely alpaca. The alpaca became her first farm animals! Soon there were goats and chickens and ducks and more! Today, they play out their farm dreams together!

They currently own and solely operate Moonlight Run Farm, LLC in Barre, Massachusetts and have expanded to raising many types of animals such as llamas, Nigerian Dwarf goats, and Scottish Highland Cattle (just to name a few). They also provide an array of farm services and educational workshops for community.

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A Demetrios Bride for a Roaring ‘20s Jewish Wedding Inspired by The Great Gatsby at The Banks Waterfront, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA

28/08/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Amy & Brad, The Banks Waterfront, Pennsylvania, USA

Amy, a travel agent, and Brad, a mortgage analyst, got engaged in July 2020, during the height of the pandemic. When lockdown finally came to an end, they were ready to party – roaring  ‘20s style. Hence the timely theme they chose for their Pennsylvania Jewish wedding: The Great Gatsby!

Their big day was full of fun touches nodding to an era of frivolity and decadence – like the bride’s fabulous Demetrios gown, and tons of feathers mixed in with the florals! We’re also obsessed with the couple’s wonderful Tree of Life Ketubah designed by the amazing Nava Shoham, founder of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor 1-800-ketubah. Amy and Brad loved working with Nava – in their words, she was “so amazing and friendly and flexible” – and obviously they were thrilled with the finished results! Don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Brittany Boote.

There’s so much more to say about this delightful wedding – like the touching ways the bride chose to honor her late parents – but we’ll leave it to Amy to fill you in on the rest…

Amy & Brad, The Banks Waterfront, Pennsylvania, USA Amy & Brad, The Banks Waterfront, Pennsylvania, USA Amy & Brad, The Banks Waterfront, Pennsylvania, USA Amy & Brad, The Banks Waterfront, Pennsylvania, USA
How We Met

Amy, the bride: The first time we met was a very brief interaction at an event in April of 2014. Amy was riding on a jazzy after recent knee surgery and “bumped” into Brad, but life happens, and it was meant to just be a hi / bye interaction. Fast forward 3 years and we reconnected by modern day daters’ way of doing it… online.

After some witty conversation and Brad promising to do the “Bend and Snap”, we went to Full Pint Brewery for a good IPA to start off our first date on September 15, 2017. A 7 hour date and some Nicky Thai’s Kitchen for some sustenance along the way and we both knew a second date would follow not too long after. The night of our second date, 5 years prior, is now our wedding anniversary

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