on June 14th, 2011 | Wedding Advisor
You got engaged – Mazal Tov!
The excitement is still fresh and growing, and your phone probably hasn’t stopped ringing. You haven’t looked down to check for certain, but it sure feels like there are clouds under your feet. A new period of your life has just started and you may also need prepare for it. During these pre-chassana months you may encounter questions like how to avoid yichud while searching for an apartment, what presents are customarily exchanged between the Chosson and Kallah and their parents or how to deal properly with varying opinions and colliding family customs. It’s also a good time to read up on the reasons behind some of the wedding minhagim (customs) and halachos.
Below you will find some books which will guide you through your engagement, answer a variety of halachic questions and help you be prepared for your wedding and thereafter. (more…)
on May 23rd, 2011 | Buying Guides
Kwiat, one of the most popular brands in engagement rings, has been run by the Kwiat family of jewelers and diamantaires for over 100 years. Now in its fourth generation, Kwiat continues to dazzle brides everywhere with their fashionable jewelry pieces and engagement rings. The images above are from their Vintage collection, and since we adore anything vintage we just had to share a few of these rings for your viewing pleasure. The detail and the craftsmanship of these rings evokes old world quality and European charm.
Outside of their vintage jewelry styles, Kwiat sticks to timeless and classic designs. Their engagement rings’ settings are never overdone, and the quality of the stones is always superb. To see more of the collections online, see Kwiat.com, or visit their Madison Avenue flagship boutique in person – 725 Madison Avenue.
on May 5th, 2011 | Ideas and Inspirations
Yesterday we heard the news about the new addtion to the BHLDN product line which has EXPNDed from wedding dresses and jewelry to include a complete (and growing) line of wedding and party decor, which has tons of fun wedding paraphernalia and accessories from nature-inspired tabletop and serving ware to mood-setting candles, to festive decorations and fanciful stationary. Just browsing the shop makes you want to throw a party. Any couple out there who has an open Sheva Brachos night? You don’t know me, but can I make your sheva brachos anyway? ….Oh, well. That’s alright. My sister is seriously dating a guy. …Hopefully, there will be an engagement party to put together. …The problem with engagement parties is that they are made too soon after the engagement – no time to plan. …Hmm, I think I am getting carried away…
Back to BHLDN. If you’re tired of the sleek, the modern, the square plates, the near neon colors, then you’ll love the BHLDN down-to-earth, some with a nature motif, some with a vintage feel, some americana-flavored but totally charming wedding provisions. To check out the new stuffs, click here.
Here are some of the things there that caught my attention:
on May 4th, 2011 | Wedding News
You probably heard by now that one of your favorite (certainly my favorite) retail brands – Anthropologie – has made a foray into the wedding market with a new brand that quickly made headlines – BHLDN. BHLDN is not your typical bridal boutique. It offers vintage inspired gowns, jewelry and accessories with an old time charm and timeless craftsmanship. Today BHLDN announced that they will not only dress the bride, but starting tomorrow they will dress your event too. It’s difficult to predict what wedding design elements they plan to carry, but if the furniture and decor at Anthropologie is of any indication (Anthropologie accoutrements are already being used quite often for wedding decorations and favors), BHLDN’s ornaments and wedding accessories hold plenty of promise.
on May 3rd, 2011 | Real Wedding Stories
Shira Weinberger’s wedding photography portfolio is quite diverse. She has photographed couples of many ethnic backgrounds and wedding ceremonies and receptions of all sorts of styles. She also has traveled far and wide to turn her clients’ wedding day moments into images – images that all share one thing: Shira’s ability to convey not just the happening of the moment but also the mood, the feeling, the emotion. Shira shared with us some of her images from a recent wedding that was closer to home, in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn NY, and as you can see for yourself these images are full of soul.
The dancing at Saadya and Mushky’s seems to have had a lot of flips and tabletop dancing – a leibebidig atmosphere.
Ordinarily, I would now tell you something about the chosson and the kallah and their wedding day, but instead I’ll share with you Shira’s words and her impressions from the wedding shoot:
On the day of Mushky and Saadya’s wedding, I awoke with a smile on my face. Three years ago, I shot Mimi’s (Saadya’s sister) wedding, so I was already familiar with a large part of the family and was very anxious to see everyone again. I had also met Saadya three months before at Shloimy and Marcy’s wedding (again a referral thanks to Mimi).
Saadya travels all over the world as a Chabad Rabbi to places far afield like Cambodia and Nepal. On the wedding day, he had just returned from Israel, where he was taking part in Taglit (Birthright), a program that sponsors trips for young Jewish people from all over to visit Israel. He was so enthusiastic about Israel and I felt great joy to see how much love he holds towards my people and country. It was also so much fun to talk to him in Hebrew (I was so impressed by his fluent Hebrew.) Saadya is one of the rabbis of the Chabad-Lubavitch community, and as such, the wedding took place in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the official headquarters of the Chabad movement worldwide.
I heard a Rabbi once half-jokingly declare that one should never marry for love. Of course, we all marry for love, but what he meant was that we should not marry for the type of love or infatuation that is at its height at the wedding day. We should marry instead for the type of love that will build over the years, and so on the wedding day, it will be in fact at its starting point. I was reminded of this because Saadya met Mushy only three months before the wedding, after Mushky’s roommate introduced them . Of course, their love for each-other was clear and abiding, but at the same time I could see that it will be a love that will deepen with each passing day as they build their lives and families together. It is that innocence and purity that I found undeniably inspiring- that need to capture not only what lay before my lens, but also a hint of the depths that will be.
To see more of Shira Weinbereger’s photographs, do check out her blog.
Wedding Details:
Venue: Razag Ballroom
Flowers: Mimulo
Music: Nagila Orchestra with Eli Marcus.
Make Up: Susan Horowitz
Hair: Daniela Chayo
Dress: Custom made in Italy
Shoes: Stuart Weitzman
Groom’s Attire: AM Bespoke
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