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5 of Our Favorite Second-Time-Around Jewish Weddings

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Aviva and Alan, Villa di Maiano, Fiesole, Italy

Aviva and Alan‘s a Tuscan Jewish Wedding | Photo by  David Bastianoni

Welcome back to “5 of Our Favorites,” where we curate five stunning Jewish weddings centered around a certain theme. This week, we’re shining a light on love that blooms anew with 5 of our favorite second-time-around Jewish weddings.

In this post, we’re celebrating couples who are finding love again and embracing their second chance at happiness. These weddings are filled with meaningful traditions, heartfelt moments, and a unique sense of joy that only a second-time-around celebration can bring.

Whether it’s a more intimate affair or a grand celebration of a new chapter, these weddings showcase the beauty of love at every stage of life. We’re thrilled to share these inspiring stories and provide some heartfelt ideas for couples embarking on their second wedding journey.

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Andrea and Adam‘s Jewish Wedding at Carnegie Hall, NYC | Photo by Todd France and Phillip Van Nostrand 

Andrea and Adam’s Jewish Wedding at Carnegie Hall, NYC, New York, USA

We love seeing the choices top wedding pros make when it comes to their own big days – so naturally we were thrilled to see the fabulous NYC Jewish wedding of Andrea, founder of NYLUX Events, and Adam.

Andrea-and-Adam-Carnegie-Hall-New-York-USA

Andrea and Adam‘s Jewish Wedding at Carnegie Hall, NYC | Photo by Todd France and Phillip Van Nostrand 

Thanks to her work in the industry, Andrea knows all of the city’s under-the-radar venues, and she and Adam chose to wed at one of the very best: Carnegie Hall. Although it’s one of New York’s most iconic music venues, it’s a hidden gem of an events space, with outdoor space, epic views, and a prime location near Central Park – and Andrea and Adam loved sharing it with their friends and family.

Andrea-and-Adam-Carnegie-Hall-New-York-USA

Andrea and Adam‘s Jewish Wedding at Carnegie Hall, NYC | Photo by Todd France and Phillip Van Nostrand 

The couple wanted to keep their wedding elegant, classic, intimate, and fun – like a big dinner party – and with special details like a cocktail hour to open the wedding, personalized notes for all the guests, embroidered napkins with bespoke logos, and a last hour “after party” featuring bar carts and pizza on the dance floor, they achieved their goal and then some! 

Aviva and Alan, Villa di Maiano, Fiesole, Italy

Aviva and Alan‘s a Tuscan Jewish Wedding | Photo by  David Bastianoni

Aviva and Alan’s Tuscan Jewish Wedding at the Great Synagogue of Florence and Villa Maiano, Tuscany, Italy

There’s nothing like a Tuscan wedding – and Aviva and Alan’s is one for the books! These two went all out in embracing the local color and charm of their oh-so-scenic environs, from the majestic Grand Synagogue of Florence where the chuppah took place to the dreamy reception at Villa di Maiano, nestled in the rolling hills of Tuscany.

Aviva and Alan, Villa di Maiano, Fiesole, Italy

Aviva and Alan‘s a Tuscan Jewish Wedding | Photo by  David Bastianoni

Planning a destination wedding abroad is no easy feat, and Aviva and Alan wisely chose to work with planner extraordinaire Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Elegante by Michelle J to make their dream Jewish wedding weekend a reality.

Aviva and Alan, Villa di Maiano, Fiesole, Italy

Aviva and Alan‘s a Tuscan Jewish Wedding | Photo by  David Bastianoni

Michelle brought in a team of nine coordinators who all worked to ensure that the couple and their guests were incredibly well looked after, not only on the wedding day but throughout the wonderful pre- and post-wedding events Aviva and Alan hosted for everyone. In particular, Michelle worked with the couple’s florist, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Il Giardino delle Fate Flower Design, to style every space in a unique and beautiful way – starting with the welcome party, which was based on traditional Tuscan styling using lemons (lots of them) and blue chinoiserie. 

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Planning a Wedding The Second Time Around

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The first time around: a big, white wedding

The first time around, there was a big simcha, most of which I planned over a six-month period when I happened to be on a sabbatical from my job. I threw myself into the process of planning, and even now I remember all the things — so many things — the color scheme (from the flowers right down to the napkins), the personalized cake-topper, the wedding favors we left on the tables for our guests. There were a lot of details. It was, I remember, event planning at its most involved. I remember the price tag for the wedding, too.

My first wedding was, in fact, a most beautiful wedding, one in which our guests walked away having been entertained, very well fed and having danced for hours to live music. The wedding sated the bridal fantasies I’d had since I was old enough to know what a wedding was.

The thing about fantasy is that it is the opposite of reality. The complexity of two individuals in any relationship with each other is a reality; unexpected curveballs are sometimes thrown when we least expect it. So it is that my first marriage was not to last.

Reflections after the first wedding

Now that I am in a different stage in my life, I feel that the challenges I encountered when I stared divorce in the face have made me stronger. My experience has given me a great deal of appreciation for what I have now with my fiancé; I take nothing for granted.

The most important thing — the key element when planning a wedding – is that the man you are marrying is the right man for you. Everything else is just scenery, background, backdrop.

I’m now in the throes of planning my second wedding, one in which there is no retinue, no color scheme, no sit-down meal. The most crucial detail, the one I think about daily, is that I’m marrying a man who makes me incredibly happy.

Our wedding date will be just three months from the date we got engaged. I’m learning that it is totally possible to plan a wedding in three months, and whilst working full time, too.

The process has been fun – my fiancé and I set a small-ish budget which we are firmly sticking to; it’s been so satisfying to find real bargains and to prioritize only what’s most important: for us it was: an atmospheric venue, great live music and an excellent photographer. It took us about three weeks to find these three things.

It was not all that long ago that I planned my first wedding, so I have the benefit of experience, contacts in the wedding industry in my city, and lessons learned from having done this before.

Yet I have never done this before — marry a man so good, so kind, so well suited for me. I am counting the days until I can call this mensch of a man my husband.Continue ReadingContinue Reading