Thursday, April 22, 2010

Real Wedding: Michelle & Joe

I'm really excited about today's wedding, not just because it's epitomizes my idea of simple beauty, but also because Cappy Hotchkiss was the photographer, and I've been dying to get her work up on Snippet & Ink forever. Here is what the beautiful bride, Michelle, said about her September wedding:

Our wedding was a challenge to balance the groom's conventional style with the bride's more un-traditional flair. We wanted to celebrate Jewish customs, while instilling a sense of us as individuals. We were married by groom's family rabbi, but marched down the aisle to Queen's "You're My Best Friend." We said the seven blessing to commemorate a Jewish marriage while guests munched on popcorn and drank lemonade. The groom wore an awesome retro fedora for our "couple's photos" but donned a yarmulke for the ceremony. The bride covered her tattoos under the chuppah with a tallis (prayer shawl) that our mothers wrapped around both of us. We had a kosher caterer that served a vegetarian meal at the reception. We thought of our wedding as the first opportunity in a marriage to compromise and make everyone happy.










During wedding ceremonies I've attended as a guest, I get hungry and can't stop wondering when things will wrap up so I can eat. With that in mind, our caterer provided fresh popcorn and lemonade for guests to enjoy during the nuptials. I made labels that read: "Popcorn, Good for Noshing and for Tossing. Eat what you want and THROW the rest at Michelle and Joseph as they make their way down the aisle after exchanging vows." The popcorn doubled as snacks and an eco-friendly alternative to rice. The popcorn labels doubled as escort cards. If you're gonna do it yourself, make things easier, not harder. Efficiency is key.






After the ceremony we went to Yichud, which is a custom where the bride and groom seclude themselves and enjoy their first moments as husband-and-wife together. We didn't exchange our own vows during the ceremony, but wrote each other love letters that we read to one another in the bridal suite. It was so intimate and lovely. We plan to read each other these love letters on every anniversary. Jewish or not, it is worthwhile to take time to reflect and absorb everything that happened. If nothing else, a wedding keeps you busy. You won't get much privacy during the reception, so why not set aside ten or fifteen minutes to be alone together?






At first I was intimidated by having a larger sized wedding, but Joe wanted to celebrate with all his friends and family. We were able to create the feeling of intimacy. Our wedding party consisted of our parents and siblings. We took our couples photos together at a gorgeous park with only the photographer present. We shared an intimate post-ceremony drink in the bridal suite and read each other love letters. And, it turns out, the more the merrier! We had so much fun with everyone there, even I admit that I wouldn't have wanted anything smaller.

Venue: Bet Am Shalom in White Plains, New York

Bride's dress: Nicole Miller

Groom's suit / tie: Hugo Boss / Theory

Flowers: House of Flowers

Wedding programs: DIY printed at Staples

Ketubah: The Aesthetic Sense

Catering: Foremost Caterers

Thank you so much to Michelle and Joe for sharing your wedding day with us - it's such a beautiful day, and the details you shared make it that much more inspiring. Wishing you all the best for a lifetime of happiness! Thank you, too, to Cappy Hotchkiss, who takes some of the prettiest wedding photos out there.

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21 Comments:

Blogger elyse said...

Thank you for sharing this, what a beautiful wedding! And gives me some insight into how mine may turn out next month (i wanted small and different, he wanted big, traditional, surrounded by everyone; kosher caterer doing a vegetarian/fish meal; etc). It's certainly been about compromise, but I know its going to turn out great! Oh, and love the popcorn containers!

April 22, 2010 at 7:14 AM  
Blogger Poppies & Posies said...

There are so many elements of this wedding that I love, but I especially love the huppah flowers! Gorgeous!

April 22, 2010 at 8:14 AM  
Blogger Ellen said...

The bouquet is just gorgeous!

April 22, 2010 at 8:59 AM  
Anonymous Sarah @ Foglio Press said...

Love the dress, LOVE the fedora, love the huppah, the popcorn, the photos! Gorgeous work and congratulations!

April 22, 2010 at 9:20 AM  
Blogger {The Perfect Palette} said...

beautiful ideas!! lovely wedding.

April 22, 2010 at 9:24 AM  
Anonymous Album Boutique Team said...

Absolutely beautiful! I love the fedora and tie on the groom. Thanks for sharing :)

April 22, 2010 at 9:43 AM  
Blogger Punam Bean said...

the groom is so don draper!!

April 22, 2010 at 10:06 AM  
Anonymous kristin said...

What a beautiful wedding and a gorgeous couple!

April 22, 2010 at 10:57 AM  
Anonymous Sarah said...

Between the popcorn, fedora and the bobblehead cake toppers, I can't decide what I love most about this wedding!

April 22, 2010 at 11:17 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

what a gorgeous wedding!!

April 22, 2010 at 11:31 AM  
Blogger Shayna said...

Beautiful ketubah! Do you know where it's from?

April 22, 2010 at 12:07 PM  
Blogger tamerajane said...

What a lovely couple!! I tried on a Nicole Miller dress similar to that one, also. Pretty!

I'm the person who would stop the ceremony and yell "OMG STOP CHEWING POPCORN SO LOUDLY!!" though.

April 22, 2010 at 12:28 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Hey, Groom here.

Thanks for all of your comments and to Michelle and Snippet & Ink for doing all the work to put this post together. It feels great to relive the wedding day.

There was a question about the Ketubah -- we got it at a store called Aesthetic Sense in Mount Kisco, New York. They had nice selection.

April 22, 2010 at 1:08 PM  
Anonymous OHANA PHOTOGRAPHERS said...

beautiful details and you have to love couples with style!

April 22, 2010 at 2:11 PM  
Blogger Lainey said...

Wow, what a stunning couple. And I'm really in love with her dress!

April 22, 2010 at 11:11 PM  
Blogger Lacey said...

Where did they get those bobble head dolls for the cake? that is awesome!

April 23, 2010 at 8:30 AM  
Anonymous Sarah Wedding said...

I absolutely adore the lemonade and popcorn idea! I have never seen that idea before! What a perfect way to keep your guests wide awake and interested!

April 23, 2010 at 10:21 PM  
Blogger Kimberly said...

What a beautiful wedding, couple, and sentimentality of the day (love letters idea - fantastic!)

Where did the bride get her hairpiece/veil?? I love it! I'm getting married this July and am looking for something like this!

April 24, 2010 at 10:23 AM  
Blogger Kate said...

What a great wedding. I didn't think it was my "style" but it had so many great little details that made me love it. Congrats to the couple, what a wonderful way to celebrate.

April 24, 2010 at 10:54 PM  
Anonymous Michelle said...

I love this wedding because it combines so many fun elements. The bride's dress has a classic elegance to it...but it has some quirky aspects too - like the popcorn. It just goes to show you can have a wedding that is both beautiful and fun!

April 25, 2010 at 9:40 PM  
Anonymous Lifetime Events Depot Cebu said...

Awesome :) I love the fedora :)

April 28, 2010 at 3:02 AM  

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