Glam Black Tie Jewish Wedding

Arielle and Jason's black tie New Jersey wedding was simple gorgeous and one for the storybooks.  Full of crystal, black and white details, and antique gold decor that glittered throughout their ceremony and reception.  The couple's wedding was held at the Crystal Plaza in New Jersey, which definitely comes by it's name naturally.  The stunning crystal chandeliers that echo throughout the hall are absolutely breathtaking.  Brought to life by EXO Photography, a big thank you for sharing Arielle and Jason's gorgeous day with us.

We love when our brides and grooms decide to do a first look before their ceremony.  There is nothing quite as beautiful as capturing the face of a groom seeing his bride for the first time.  The emotion that comes through the photos are why we love weddings in the first place.

Keeping with tradition, Jason breaks a glass to solidify his and Arielle's wedding vows.  A time honored practice upheld still at nearly every Jewish wedding.  Mazel tov!

 Photography: EXO Photography / Venue: Crystal Plaza, New Jersey

DIY Wedding Reception Coffee Station

Brides and grooms do a lot to make sure guests have a great time on their wedding day, and one of our favorite ways of doing this is by setting up a great food and/or drink station. These stations ensure that guests have access to anything they need to keep the party going all night long. A coffee station is the perfect addition to your wedding reception - not only during the colder months, but all year long!

Consider creating a beautiful set-up with any goodies your guests may need to create a custom creation, and dress up your drink station with personalized coffee cups and swizzle sticks. Simple signs make for the perfect accents to your display, and are really easy to incorporate. With our tips and inspiration below, you will have a custom coffee station planned and set-up in no time!

First, you'll want to choose a table or piece of furniture that has plenty of room for everything you want to include. We used an antique wooden buffet with a built-in mirror that is just beautiful, but you could use anything! Once you know how much room you will have to display all of your items, start to plan a list of everything you want to include.

Ideas: 
Coffee
Decaf Coffee
Hot Milk (to use with the hot cocoa on a stick)
Hot Water (to make hot cocoa or tea)
Tea Bags
Hot Cocoa on a Stick (find the recipe here) or Powdered Hot Cocoa Mix
Whipped Cream
Creamer
Sugar
Marshmallows
Crushed Candies - like peppermint and Andes mints
Chocolate Chips
Butterscotch Chips
Flavoring Syrups (we used Raspberry, Almond, and Hazelnut flavors)

Don't Forget: 
Cute Signs
Personalized Coffee Cups with lids
Custom Printed Swizzle Sticks

Make sure to personalize your coffee bar with decorations that tie into your event decor, and add custom touches like custom printed coffee cups and swizzle sticks personalized with a monogram or message. Chalkboard signs make great accessories for any drink station! We love the idea of a sweet message like 'Warm up here' or 'Baby it's cold outside' for a winter wedding, but we wanted to keep it simple with 'Hot Coffee' in large script lettering.

There are so many different options for toppings - so think outside the box for a truly unique display. Guests will love creating their own custom drinks at your fabulous coffee bar!

11 Wedding Unity Ceremony Ideas

When you are having an outdoor wedding, the traditional unity candle ceremony is just not an option (need we say it...wind).  So many of our brides begin the search for unity candle alternatives. Even our indoor brides are looking for a unity ceremony with a little twist.  We've put together 11 of our favorite wedding unity ceremony ideas, and we must say, we think you will have a hard time deciding.  They are all pretty great.

1) Sand Ceremony 

Source:  Sand Ceremony Shadow Box Set

Made popular by outdoor and beach weddings, sand unity ceremonies are undoubtedly the most popular alternative to the traditional unity candle ceremony.  Great for windy locations, you won't have to worry about a flame flickering and going out.  How does it work?  The bride and groom each have their own color sand which is then poured together to represent the blending of their two lives.  Variations include adding additional sand colors for children and/or the officiant.

2) Love Letter Ceremony

Source: Love Letter Wine Ceremony Box Set

The love letter ceremony is a romantic concept that involves both the bride and groom writing letters to each other listing all the reasons why they fell in love.  The letters are then sealed and placed in a box along with a bottle of wine to be opened either on a set anniversary date or in times of hardship (which is why this concept has also been dubbed a "fight box"). The couple would then open the box to read the letters to each other and drink to their marriage.  Afterwards, you can write new letters to be sealed and opened on a future anniversary.

3) Make a Time Capsule

Source: Katie Lewis Photography, Erika Delgado Photography, Style Me Pretty

Similar to the love letter ceremony, the time capsule box is meant to be sealed and opened either on an anniversary or during times of hardship.  Instead of letters and a bottle of wine however, this concepts goes one step further to include well wishes from guests, along with sentimental items from the bride and groom's courtship years.  Open the box to reflect on your marriage and then add new items to reseal into a brand new time capsule.

4) Branding

Source: A Colorado Courtship, Wedding Chicks, Ruffled

This unity ceremony idea goes out to our rustic and country brides.  Why not create your own brand to display in your home after the wedding.  Very country chic.

5) Plant a Tree

Source: Marvelous Things Photography, Valerie Joy Photography, United With Love

For garden, summer, or spring weddings, a tree planting ceremony falls right in line and represents the strong roots of your marriage.

6) Reverse Unity Candle
 

Source: Shelley Paulson Photography, Uniquely You Wedding Planning

This is by far one of our favorite unity ceremony ideas.  A small twist on the traditional unity lighting ceremony, the reverse unity candle involves all the guests and we can almost guarantee there won't be a dry eye in the crowd.  How it works:  After the bride and groom light the main unity candle, they continue down into the pews to begin lighting the candle of the maid of honor and best man, who then continue passing the flame one by one until every candle in the crowd is lit.  The result is a magical room of candlelight that unites the bride and groom with their family and friends.  We especially love this reverse unity ceremony idea for evening weddings or dimly lit venues where it will have the most impact.  (For larger weddings, the bride and groom can opt to continue down the aisle lighting the first candle at the end of each pew to help speed the procession).

7) Wine Ceremony

Source: Personalized Wine Box and Decanter Set from My Wedding Reception Ideas

Blend your two lives together as one with this twist on the traditional unity ceremony.  Like a good wine, a marriage will only ripen and grow stronger with age.  Seal the same brand of wine along with a few mementos in a box to enjoy later on your 1st, 5th, or 10th anniversary.

8) Unity Cross Ceremony

Source: The Unity Cross and Pinterest

In a unity cross ceremony, the outer cross represents the man, the inner cross the woman, and the three pins represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.  The two are are fit together and held by the pins during the ceremony to represent the togetherness of marriage and strength through God.

9) Handfasting / Binding of Hands

Source: Larissa Cleveland Photography, Shannon Leahy Events

The Handfasting ceremony is a Celtic custom that dates back centuries and is a historic tradition that is quickly cementing itself into modern wedding day customs.  Handfasting or the "Binding of Hands" involves wrapping different colored ribbons into the infinity shape during your wedding vows representing the symbolic union, commitment of marriage, and binding to each other as man and wife.

10) Jumping the Broom

Source: The Studio B Photography, Style Me Pretty

Broom Jumping is a centuries old African American tradition that has become more increasingly popular due largely to the book "Roots" and the film "Jumping the Broom".  Broom jumping involves a handmade natural bristled broom decorated with ribbons, flowers, and mementos.  The bride and groom jump over the broom as an act of sweeping away any past wrongdoings and welcoming new beginnings as husband and wife.  Jumping the broom can also be placed at the end of the ceremony to represent the joining of the two families and as a wonderful tribute to the tradition. 

11) Hand Washing Ceremony

Source: Erin Hearts Court and Shadowcatcher

A humble tradition, the hand washing ceremony is an act where the officiant pours water over the bride and groom's hands to purify them.  The couple then wash away each others past wrongdoings, cleansing each other from their faults, and starting fresh as man and wife.  The hand washing ceremony is many times used in conjunction with the blessing of the hands; where the couple, now cleansed, take each others hands to repeat their wedding vows.

Romantic Florida Bohemian Wedding

This is one of those weddings that is just enchanting. The stunning images - captured by the incredibly talented Black & Hue Photography - have an almost magical feel to them that we can't get enough of. With the help of Heather Horwitz Design, Tessa and Daniel managed to plan a wedding that won't soon be forgotten. 

The auditorium of an old schoolhouse in Fellsmere, Florida made a unique backdrop for their romantic ceremony, suiting their Americana taste perfectly. Their reception is equally beautiful, with rustic, elegant, and vintage elements for an eclectic, natural feel. Tangerines, taper candles, amber bottles, assorted flowers, and antlers are displayed on the dark wood reception tables along with delicately detailed lace table runners. Homemade spreads packaged in adorable glass jars complete with custom tags make one-of-a-kind guest favors, and the assorted cakes look incredible.

These two have impeccable taste and their wedding is more gorgeous than we can possibly describe - so why don't you go ahead and lose yourself in this sea of lovely...

We have seen a lot of well-dressed bridal parties, but this one may take the cake! Tessa wore an ethereal floral crown featuring purple, yellow, and white flowers with greenery throughout. Her dress is a simple, bohemian-style gown that looks remarkable. She is certainly the epitome of a breathtaking bride. Her groom looks like a million bucks in his sharp black, fitted suit.

The bridesmaids each wore different above-the-knee nude colored dresses paired with their choice of nude shoes and black jackets to keep them warm during this February wedding. Even with each of the ladies in this bridal party dressed completely different, they look just like they are meant to be together! The groomsmen are looking dashing as well in their formal attire.

In case you didn't notice, you should check out the bride's tattoo on her right arm. It is a very natural design, with birds, greenery, and tangerines - and two of the three are represented in these free-spirited nuptials. Tangerines are present throughout this wedding reception and serve as a beautiful pop of color at each place setting. A tack holds a small Kraft-colored flag in each orange, acting as a simple yet elegant place card for each guest. 

Photography: Black & Hue Photography / Event Designer: Heather Horwitz Design