Jewish Museum Radiance

Jenna and Matthew married on a rainy October evening; a sign of good luck, the inclement weather didn’t put a damper on their joyous and romantic festivities.

The couple chose the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park as the unique location to their nuptials. We personalized the museum with a jaw dropping chuppah, hundreds of blooms in their fashion forward palette of cream, mauve and lavender, textured greenery and warm candlelight.

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew Wedding – Tablescape – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig Photography

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

: Jenna & Matthew – Museum of Jewish Heritage – Cody Raisig

This beautiful couple met in truly modern fashion on OKCupid. Jenna was browsing through profiles and noticed that Matthew’s profile included the note, “I’m a pescatarian, which is like a vegetarian but you also eat fish. Now that I’m writing this I think it might sound a little ridiculous…hope you still like me.” This caught Jenna’s eye, as she was a pescatarian too! She responded, and the couple met for not one, but three dates in their first week of meeting. Call it love at first salmon.

Their proposal was nothing short of romantic. Matthew used Jenna’s father’s 60th birthday celebration in New Orleans as a genius cover for his family, food, and wine filled proposal. When the lights dimmed for “Happy Birthday,” Jenna was confused when the birthday cake was placed in front of her instead of her father. The cake was decorated with the phrase, “Jenna will you marry me?” and there was Matthew, dropped to one knee and holding out the ring.

We’re crying, are you?!

After the romantic proposal, Jenna and Matthew began their wedding planning. Jenna settled on a color palette of cream, lavender and mauve for her late October wedding. Jenna and her bridesmaids’ bouquets were contemporary and chic. Featuring ranunculus, dahlias, astilbe, scabiosa, a beautiful purple succulent and three varieties of roses – cream garden roses and lavender hued earl grey and amnesia roses, the bouquet was a perfect compliment to her stunning lace Mira Zwillinger gown.

Guests were immediately wowed upon entering the ceremony. The chuppah, a traditional four-post structure in Jewish wedding ceremonies, was absolutely spectacular! Dripping in white delphinium and stock, the romantic and enchanted chuppah was further adorned with gorgeous floating candles in terrarium bubbles and pillar and floating candles at the base. Our favorite element to the chuppah was the fact that Jenna’s bridesmaid surprised the couple by covering the chuppah with fabric of her mother’s wedding gown, bringing “something old” straight into her ceremony! We have to shout out Jenna’s lighting vendor, Fusion Lighting, who gorgeously lit the chuppah to enhance it’s whimsical vibe.

Guests then entered into the reception space, which was absolutely jaw-dropping. Jenna and Matthew brought texture and dimension to their reception room by including three different styles of centerpieces and a dramatic head table. The head table featured a stunning, multi-layered tablescape. Branches of curly willow were suspended over all trumpet vases and enhanced with dendrobium orchids and suspended terrarium tea lights. The table featured a low floral runner made of eucalyptus, moss, hydrangea, cream garden roses and earl grey and amnesia roses. Votive and floating candles finished off the dramatic family table.

Since their wedding had long, round and square tables, Bride & Blossom brought texture and dimension to the room by designing three unique centerpieces with a mix of their wedding flowers. Long tables featured a lush garland of seeded eucalyptus, roses and ranunculus, lit by stemmed floating candles. Round tables were emphasized with stunning high centerpieces elevated on trumpet vases and lit with beautiful hanging terrarium tea lights, gold mercury votives and smaller satellite arrangements. Square tables were decorated with low clusters of arrangements in mercury vases and stemmed floating candles. By featuring the same blooms in a variety of centerpieces, the room felt whimsical and enchanting, but not overdecorated. The center of the dance floor was adored with the piece de resistance, a beautiful hanging floral chandelier of roses, delphinium and stock flower! The vast number of candles, (over 200!) combined with warm and enchanting lighting by Fusion guaranteed the reception would be memorable to all of the wedding’s attendees.

We had a wonderful time working with Jenna and Matthew throughout their planning process. Seeing their smiles on the big day was the proverbial icing on the naked cake! With a modern and contemporary color palette of cream, lavender and mauve, beautiful details like their floral chandelier, and tons of candlelight, Jenna and Matthew’s wedding was one to remember!

Vendors

Venue: Musuem of Jewish Heritage

Planner: Lindsey M Events

Photographer: Cody Raisig

Videographer: 15 Minutes of Frame

Caterer/Cake: Above & Beyond NY

Gown: Mira Zwillinger

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman

Groom’s Shoes: Hugo Boss

Groom’s Tux: Zenga

Bridesmaids’ Gowns: Rooey Knots

Beauty: Fox and Jane

Music: Erik Marshall and Hank Lane Music

Invitations: Kleinfeld Paper and Minted

Lighting: Fusion NY

There’s nothing quite like saying “I Do” with the sea as your venue! Shelley and Safa embraced the last of the summer sun in their wedding at Gurney’s Montauk.

: Shelley & Safa – Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

: Shelley & Safa – Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

: Shelley & Safa – Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

: Shelley & Safa – Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

: Shelley & Safa – Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

: Shelley & Safa – Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

: Shelley & Safa – Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

: Shelley & Safa – Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

: Shelley and Safa – Floral Arch – Ceremony – Gurneys Montauk Resort – Flora and Fauna Photography

: Shelley & Safa – Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

: Shelley & Safa – Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

: Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

: Shelley & Safa – Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

: Shelley & Safa – Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

: Shelley & Safa – Gurney’s Montauk – by Flora and Fauna

The beautiful couples’ relaxed vibe was felt through the entire space with natural and overgrown floral elements, whimsical touches, and a Bollywood-pop flash mob at their reception! Shelley and Safa have a very funny story of meeting as told by their maid of honor. “Safa, you met Shelley…when she was your boss,” their maid of honor started. “And now she’s your wife, so really not much has changed!”

When it came time to celebrate their love in front of their friends and family, Shelley and Safa commissioned the services of husband and wife planning team Whimsy Weddings, who we’ve worked with on quite a few beautiful nuptials!

The theme of the day was beach chic – a kind of low-key elegance that perfectly matched this couple’s playful demeanor. The bride wore a gorgeous long-sleeved A-line lace wedding gown with a simple bateau neckline and a beautiful brush train. Her bridesmaids coordinated with her blush, mauve and burgundy palette wearing different shades of purples and pinks in a variety of silhouettes, reinforcing the casual chic theme of the day.

Shelley insisted on a refined and elegant flower crown to accompany her gorgeous updo. It featured baby’s breath, ruscus, jasmine and spray roses. Everyone carried whimsical bouquets of cafe au lait dahlias, roses and spray roses, ranunculus, scabiosa, astilbe, jasmine, dusty miller and Italian ruscus, tied in gold and ivory satin. “With Shelley and her lovely maids bouquets, we kept the focus on creating rustic elegance by giving the bouquets movement and creating an organic shape,” recalls Bride & Blossom founder Rachel Trimarco. The groom coordinated with his beautiful bride with a boutonniere made of ivory garden rose, jasmine vine and ruscus, tied in ivory ribbon. The groomsmen sported interesting boutonnieres of cream astilbe, ivory spray roses and Italian ruscus.

With less than 175 guests, their intimate beach ceremony faced the calming ocean and featured a beautiful white birch wedding arch adorned with cafe au lait dahlias, quicksand and tibet roses, cream astilbe and hydrangea, plum scabiosa and a variety of greenery including jasmine vine, Italian ruscus, lemon leaf and dusty miller. The setting September sun created a warm glow and the couple recited their vows and became man and wife.

We typically see brides and grooms embrace florals for their escort card tables, but Shelley and Safa had a different idea in mind to welcome guests to the reception. Instead of traditional place cards, tequila shots awaited each guest with a lime wedge and their names displayed on toothpicks, which looked like little sailboats! It was definitely a fun and silly way to welcome guests into a night of great food and dancing. A miniature Hulk Hogan also made a few appearances, our favorite in which he held up a sign encouraging guests to take pictures on disposable cameras and sign the couple’s guestbook! The reception featured beautiful and large low centerpieces to keep the space intimate. Sitting atop low birch cylinder vases, we arranged cafe au lait and plum dahlias, quicksand and juliet roses, scabiosa flowers and pods, jasmine vine, dusty miller and Italian ruscus into a rustic and romantic centerpiece. Guests enjoyed their night on the dancefloor when a massive flash mob came out to get the party started!