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A Calla Blanche Bride for a Beachy Jewish Micro Wedding at Ocean Place Resort & Spa, Long Branch, New Jersey, USA

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Sarah and Josh, Oceanplace Resort, New Jersey

There’s nothing like a beach wedding – and the Jewish wedding of Sarah, who works in advertising sales, and Josh, a VP at an investment bank, at Ocean Place Resort & Spa is pure perfection.

So much so that you’d never guess it was their plan B, after they had to rethink their original plans for a 200+ person wedding when COVID hit – scroll through the incredible images captured by Andrew Graham Todes and we bet you’ll agree. Despite a few challenges – for instance, it was so windy during the ceremony that the bride’s veil blew off! –  Sarah and Josh pulled off the ultimate pandemic-safe minimony, featuring custom welcome bags packed with monogrammed hand sanitizer, masks, and fans with ceremony details and safety tips, as well as plentiful signs instructing people about COVID precautions.

We’re in love with the couple’s ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com, whose trademark exemplary customer service was on display when they provided Sarah and Josh with a free reprint after their initial COVID wedding location fell through at the last minute.

If you’re looking for direction on how you can plan a micro wedding just as beautiful as Sarah and Josh’s, or trying to decide whether to go forward with an intimate affair vs. postponing, or struggling with absolutely any kind of COVID-related planning drama, sign up for our Bye Bye Coronacoaster, Hello Action Plan workshop on February 21 – full details here. 

Sarah and Josh, Oceanplace Resort, New JerseySarah and Josh, Oceanplace Resort, New JerseySarah and Josh, Oceanplace Resort, New JerseySarah and Josh, Oceanplace Resort, New Jersey
How we met

Sarah, the bride and Josh, the groom: On a brisk winter night in early February 2017, Josh was getting ready to start his next chapter in NYC after moving back home from Boston. Josh’s friends invited him to the NJ Devils game and his first night out in Hoboken. After bouncing around, they ended up at 10th & Willow Bar. On the same evening, Sarah was having a girls night which included dancing in a bar when no one else seemed to be. Sarah caught Josh’s eye and after building up some courage, Josh decided to approach her once she finally sat down. Much to his surprise, Sarah immediately rejected him (after all, it was girls night).

Sarah claimed that Josh was too young for her, convinced that he was in college. Feeling confused, Josh went back to the bar to buy some drinks for his group. However, most of his buddies were going separate ways so he was left with 6 Bud Lights to himself. Feeling a second wind of confidence, Josh decided to try and approach Sarah again, hoping to break down her defenses with an offering of Bud Light and an ID inspection. After realizing Josh was actually the same age, Sarah became more interested and even impressed by his persistence.

They talked over the beers until the lights came on. To end the night, Josh ordered 8 (yes, 8) Jimmy John’s sandwiches for the two of them, 6 of which were donated to Sarah’s fridge. Sarah was undoubtedly intrigued by Josh. They exchanged numbers, had their first date 1 week later and the rest is history.

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An ASOS Bride for a Garden of Eden Jewish Micro Wedding at White Meadow Lake, Rockaway, New Jersey, USA

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Jori-and-Corey-White-Meadow-Lake-in-Rockaway
How gorgeous is the ultra-intimate micro Jewish wedding of Jori, who works in customer success for a social enterprise tech startup, and Corey, a copywriter at an ad agency?!

These two had originally planned a big wedding, but when COVID hit they had to rethink things. They ended up opting for a ceremony with just immediate family, to be followed by a big reception post-pandemic, date TBD. Jori and Corey worked with Rabbi Samantha Frank of Modern Ritual to create an intimate ceremony that made the most of the bare essentials.

The pared-down outdoor celebration was very different than the one they’d originally planned, but they managed to fit in some stunning floral touches; bright, beautiful dresses; a stunning floral ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rachelle Tchiprout of The Delicate Brush – and speeches by every single one of their guests (admittedly, there were just six – the couple’s parents, plus the groom’s brother and his girlfriend)! There’s something so special about having such a tight-knit group, and the luminous photos from One Night Cereus capture that so well.

Now over to the bride, who looked oh-so-chic in a dress from, believe it or not, ASOS!

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How we met

Jori, the bride and Corey, the groom: We met on the first day of college at The New School, when we both ended up at the same party that neither one wanted to be at. As I was leaving, Corey gave me his phone number and asked me to text him if I ever wanted to hang out. I ended up texting him twenty minutes later. He hadn’t even left the party himself.

We met up right away and spent our whole first night in the city walking around Greenwich Village, talking and making each other laugh. It would take a few months before our friendship would blossom into something more, but we were inseparable from that point on.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Sareh Nouri Bride for an Elegant Urban Jewish Micro Wedding at Gramercy Park Hotel, New York, New York, USA

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  Amy-and-Adam-Gramercy-Park-Hotel-New-York

How NYC chic is the gorgeous Jewish micro wedding of Amy, who works in marketing for a real estate developer, and Adam, who works in finance for a media company?!

These two had a big NYE wedding planned, but the pandemic forced them to reimagine their big day. With the help of the fabulous Joanna Greenfield of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ruby J Events, Amy and Adam opted for an ultra-intimate celebration – the guest list was limited to immediate family and one friend each for the bride and groom – at the elegant Gramercy Park Hotel.

Amy went into planning without much of a vision for her micro wedding, but Joanna honed in on what she was looking for and put together the day of her dreams. Amy worked with Joanna independently to plan the day, and the details ended up being a surprise to all – even her mother! Needless to say, the results were nothing short of breathtaking – don’t miss the joyous images from Steven Young from Stak Photography. Due to Amy and Adam’s tight schedule once they set their new date, they needed a ketubah fast – and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com’s selection of beautiful “quick ship” options came to the rescue, as it so often does for couples facing a time crunch.

Now over to the bride, who looked luminous in Sareh Nouri…

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How we Met

Amy, the bride: We met in 2008 at Penn State University. Adam knew then that I was going to be his person; I had no idea; thought I just had a new friend. We remained friends until 2016 when we started dating.

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A Rime Arodaky Bride for a Backyard Jewish Micro Wedding in Connecticut, USA

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We are absolutely in love with the beautiful backyard Jewish wedding of NYC couple Alexis, a physician, and Marc, a lawyer! Alexis’s work as a front-line provider during the peak of the pandemic in New York made the pair realize it was time to seize the day and seal the deal.

Since Alexis and Marc didn’t want to wait long before making it official, a backyard wedding at the bride’s parents’ home made perfect sense. The couple didn’t have much time to spend planning, so they sought out micro wedding expert Susie Blumenfeld of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Pink House Productions to plan the rustic celebration of their dreams. And are we ever obsessed with the outcome – the perfect intimate romantic day, strewn with white blooms and greenery (including the most beautiful birch chuppah). Don’t miss the gorgeous photos from Dreamscapes Studio – or the stunning ketubah from Our ketubah was from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com.  

We also love that in shopping for the perfect dress for her casual outdoor day – something she had to do all online, since bridal stores were closed due to the pandemic – Alexis sought out French designers whose lines included civil ceremony dresses. And did she ever find her match in the most exquisite Rime Arodaky!

We’ll let her take it from here…


How we Met

Alexis, the bride: We both work very busy and opposite schedules and somehow were lucky enough to cross paths on the app Hinge in January 2019.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for a Jewish Micro Wedding at Pierce House in Lincoln, Massachusetts, USA

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Alisa-Evan-Pierce-House-Lincoln-USA

To look at this gorgeous Jewish wedding, you’d never know it was planned in just two months! Boston couple Alisa, a product manager, and Evan, an architect, got engaged in August, and knew they were ready to move forward with building their future together – pandemic or not.

With just a few months to plan a COVID-safe outdoor celebration before the New England winter set in, Alisa and Evan knew it was time to call in the big guns. In this case, that meant Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Primavera Dreams, who helped them pull together the day of their (socially distanced) dreams, stat. Within three days of the couple’s engagement, founder Luba set the pair up on venue visits, and a couple weeks later they’d booked all their key vendors. Alisa and Evan say they couldn’t have done it without Luba’s expertise.

The couple’s number one goal was to plan a day where their friends and family would stay safe, and so they opted for a short guest list, socially distanced seating arrangements, table-side bar service, additional cleaning staff at the restrooms, and sanitization stations throughout, among other touches. They also opted to livestream the ceremony for those who weren’t able to attend in person. Because a dance floor wasn’t allowed due to COVID restrictions, Alisa and Evan went with a classical string duo for the ceremony and a jazz trio for the reception for their entertainment.

Photographer Kataram Studios did such a beautiful job capturing the day. Don’t miss all the gorgeous details, like the couple’s Enya Keshet ketubah, which they found online at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com. With a multilayered cut paper design, gold leaf, and Swarovski crystals, it’s truly a work of art.

We’ll turn you over to the bride – who looks gorgeous in the Pronovias dress she found just days after getting engaged – for the rest…

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How we Met

Alisa, the Bride and Evan, the groom: Despite living less than a mile from each other in Brookline, Alisa and Evan’s paths never crossed. Like many 21st century relationships, theirs started by “swiping right”. After a week or two of texting, Alisa and Evan finally met for a drink after work in Copley Square.

The date went well, and they scheduled another shortly after. After the second date, Evan wanted to let Alisa know how special she was – so he sent flowers to her apartment. Evan knew this was a bold move, but he also knew he needed to let her know how he felt. He proceeded to send flowers to the wrong apartment, that got course-corrected with a help from the security desk. 

In early March of 2020, Evan cleared out a large portion of his closet and Alisa brought an entire car-load of her stuff over to his place. One week after moving in, the world changed, and they were quarantined together.

Alisa and Evan went from spending most of their time together – to spending ALL of their time together. Fortunately, the relationship thrived, and they became closer than ever. During quarantine, they could only see their parents, and spent most of the weekends in 2020 visiting each other’s families. In a span of 6 months, Alisa & Evan spent less then 24 hours apart.

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