Every wedding vendor team is created a little differently. In this series we explore how and why each couple selected the right wedding vendor team for their wedding day.
Noa and Adin got engaged on a very cold Friday morning in New York City’s Central Park. Adin had opted to recreate the walk they took the first time they met, pointing out specific, personal landmarks that were memorable from that initial stroll as they walked. Only then, did it click for Noa what was about to happen. When the pair reached Bridge 27, Adin sang a song and proposed, and then family members (who had been hiding and taking photos) greeted Noa with flowers and coffee.
When they were ready to start planning for their wedding, Noa and Adin felt that a destination wedding in Israel was the way to go. With Noa’s family back in Australia and Adin’s in the States, it was a central location—plus the country was a significant part of their lives growing up, as they both have loved ones there, and even had plans to move there after getting married.
Although the destination was a meaningful one, it turned out to be a challenging one. Once the pandemic hit and travel became restricted, it soon became clear that a wedding in the U.S. would guarantee the highest attendance rate, even with many important people still unable to attend.
To navigate all the moving pieces and help make it possible for guests to witness the couple’s union both in person and courtesy of a live-stream, the bride and groom hired the same planner, Jennifer Miller of JZM Events, who had helmed Adin’s brother’s wedding the previous year, as well asa few other family members’ celebrations. Loved ones who couldn’t travel still made appearances in the form of paper cutouts throughout the event.
“Jennifer is incredibly creative, organized, and was able to translate our vision for our wedding and add to it. Also, getting married during the pandemic posed many hurdles, and Jennifer was always able to quickly pivot and help us navigate the situation.” —Noa, bride
Together with Jennifer, they searched the entire tri-state area for a place that was a comfortable driving distance from New York City, and could accommodate the couple’s extended families for the weekend. They found all of that and more at the Mayflower Inn & Spa, an Auberge property in western Connecticut.
“The Mayflower was the perfect fit because it had just the right number of guest rooms to comfortably host the group, but was intimate enough to create an exclusive private oasis. And although it was less than a two-hour drive from the city, it provided a destination wedding vibe. This was especially important during a time when travel was so limited.” —Jennifer Miller, planner
“We chose the Mayflower for a few reasons. First, their staff was so helpful and accommodating and made the whole planning process so smooth and easy. Secondly, we loved the aesthetic and grounds. Our wedding weekend primarily took place outdoors due to the pandemic, and the magical grounds of the Mayflower truly added a new dimension to our event. Jennifer leveraged the already magnificent natural beauty of the Pond Vista and Shakespeare Garden in creating the perfect setting for a summer wedding.” —Noa, bride
One of Jennifer’s first calls after the venue was confirmed was to Emily at Bastille Flowers & Events. Why? Because Emily has the ability to scale an event to any size, and stay calm and cheerful when things get unpredictable—skills that were so important in a scenario like this one.
When I pitched the eucalyptus leaf as a simple design feature to Noa, she was excited about the significance. Eucalyptus is native to Australia, and has also become one of the most iconic trees in Israel. Since it was not possible to have the wedding in the bride’s home town in Australia, nor take it to Israel as they had initially planned, it was meaningful to include this element. With Emily’s team’s fine eye for detail, I knew every flower would be in pristine condition and the overall design would be in harmony with the setting.” —Jennifer Miller, planner
To service the various events over the course of the weekend, five tents would need to be erected, including the largest one for the wedding reception. Jennifer reached out to The Greenwich Tent Company, a go-to company that could handle the job with flying colors.
“It was critical that all of our guests felt safe and comfortable with the precautions we took in creating a COVID-safe event. At the same time, we wanted the wedding to nonetheless feel happy and intimate. Jennifer threaded the needle perfectly. She organized COVID testing, separate tables for each pod, and kept all phases of the wedding outdoors. On the day of the wedding, the weather forecast predicted rain, so JZM quickly put up a gorgeous translucent tent that was open on all sides, and managed to still capture the beautiful aesthetic of the Mayflower’s Pond Vista. Amongst our friends and family, this was the first full-sized wedding they had attended during the pandemic, and all marveled at the aesthetic as well as at how safe and comfortable they felt, despite the circumstances.” —Noa, bride
Noa and Adin are both music lovers so selecting a band and a company to support their A/V needs (which included sharing a special video presentation) came next. Hiring Krohma Music and Ishay Ribo to perform, and Pegasus Productions to provide the technical support, created the ultimate entertainment experience.
“Adin and I constantly sing and harmonize together, and both of us share a deep appreciation of Jewish and Israeli music. Khroma provided the perfect musical accompaniment to our ceremony and reception, and included all our favorite songs, genres, and artists. Our favorite Israeli singer, Ishay Ribo, even made a special guest appearance.
My family also made a music video with original words to the song ‘Waving through a Window’ from the musical Dear Evan Hansen—the show we saw on our first date. It was an extra special surprise because my family writes songs for each milestone, and I thought that because they weren’t there physically, there would be no family song. As soon as the video began, I burst into tears.” —Noa, bride
With the planning period more condensed than usual, decisions were swiftly made, and many of the pieces of the celebration came together simultaneously. Dealing with the time constraints, the unknowns of Covid-19, and a destination wedding weekend, it was important to make whatever they could be predictable, so Jennifer turned to many tried-and-true professionals who hold long and exceptional track records. This included kosher caterer Foremost Caterers and Fred Marcus Studio as the photographer, who also arranged a live-stream so that those unable to attend in person could to still participate.
The celebration’s design incorporated shades of white, cream, grey, green, and soft pink, with loads of texture—all uniting with a mix of elegant and modern tabletop pieces and furniture from Luxe Event Rentals.
Noa’s had the same hairdresser, Adam Seigel, since she moved to New York and lucky for her, he was available to style her hair on her big day. He also shared his expertise, advising her on how to style her hair in a way that would complement her dress and veil.
