jewish wedding – Hazel Photo Weddings

Berkeley City Club Wedding

Berkeley City Club Wedding – Jenni & Andy

Jenni & Andy were married on a sunny day in late December at the Berkeley City Club, a hidden gem of a wedding venue, right next to the Cal campus. Genius architect, Julia Morgan, was at her finest when she designed this “castle in the city.”

As the sun was setting, wedding guests gathered on a generous balcony. The chuppah holders processed. Jenni and Andy’s puppy was led down the aisle by Jenni’s niece. A pair of friends/co-officiants effortlessly wove diverse rituals into the ceremony. Highlights included: the signing of a gorgeous, colorful ketubah depicting, among other things, the Golden Gate Bridge, and their frolicking puppy; a musical performance with Andy on trombone, a friend on sax, and Jenni, with a chorus of friends, on vocals. They smashed a glass, smooched, and headed into the library for cocktail hour, where a full jazz band serenaded guests.

The vision for the wedding reception was crystal clear: “dinner & a show,” oh, and a hora, of course. (Important life rule, never pass up a chance to dance the hora.) Andy’s parents kicked off the show portion of the evening with a riotous slideshow romp through Jenni & Andy’s childhoods. There were traditional toasts, a family band, experimental music, pop covers, a jazz set with Andy and band. Such a lovely full evening!

Isabella Freedman Wedding Jonah & Rebecca

Rebecca and Jonah had a full wedding weekend at the Isabella Freedman Center in Western Connecticut. The Center is set around a lovely lake. It hosts retreats, and houses a sustainable farm. I was brought in to document festivities on the Sunday. When I arrived, Jonah and Rebecca had already been celebrating for a couple days, and their guests had settled into a palpable comfort and warmth.

I met Rebecca in one of the cabins where a couple of her closest friends were accompanying her as she got ready. She wore a floral crown from Tiny Hearts Farm.

Jonah had his Tisch in the synagogue space, which is almost a greenhouse in the best possible way, just check out that wall of windows. There was much singing and laughing and toasting. One of my favorite moments was when it got so raucous that the table was shaking, and somebody had to secure the refreshments so they didn’t tumble over.

Rebecca had her Tisch in the library, where she signed her half of the Ketubah. Jonah signed his half and they were joined together under the chuppah.

From their Tisch’s the two were lead out onto the lawn to the sounds of a chorus of voices and a few guitars. I love the moment of elation when they turned around and saw each other for the first time on their wedding day.

The day kept unfolding. The Schtick was particularly joyous and funny. Acrobatics, paper airplanes, juggling, reading, dancing, push ups. It had it all.

Bride’s dress : BHLDN

Florist : Tiny Hearts Farm

Wedding planner : Cindy Sanchez-Lark of Detaille

Hair : DIY

Makeup : DIY

DJ : Avi Maza

Catering : Isabella Freedman/Hazon

Invitations : Designed by Alahna Watson (portrait artist and friend)

Reconstructionist Jewish Wedding – Commander’s Mansion

Reconstructionist Jewish Wedding – Commander’s Mansion – Alex & Adam

Alex and Adam held their wedding on a pleasant cloudy June day at the Commander’s Mansion in Watertown, Massachusetts. The Commanders Mansion is a stately old building dating back to 1865. The history of the building is not without minor controversy, and is certainly worth a read. Take a look at that light filtering in through the old glass windows, that, my friend, is a photographer’s dream. The ketubah signing, in particular, shows off the charm of the building.

Rabbi Alex Weissman and Rabbi Adam Lavitt are both, well, rabbis, so, as you can imagine, the day’s ceremonial bits were very well orchestrated. This was to be expected, but still, the eloquent and heartfelt words of their friends and family during their tisches, and Rabbi Jacob Staub‘s words as he officiated under the chuppah, were overwhelmingly moving.

What I couldn’t have seen coming, was that Adam and Alex would be so delightfully, infectiously, playful. This made our portrait session a total pleasure. The duality of attending to the spiritual realm with intelligence and intention, while holding deep reserves of playfulness, was brought to light metaphorically in their dress. Both wore a harmonious and subtle blazer-shirt-tie-pocket square combo, that matched their boutonnières to a T, but down below, they wore silver and gold Chuck Taylors!

One of my favorite moments of the day happened during a toast Alex’s mother gave. She quoted at length from a beautiful poem, and not until she was through, did she reveal that she was quoting Rabbi Adam Lavitt, her new son in law. I leave you with the poem:

Ma’ariv

By Rabbi Adam Lavitt

This is balance:

The world is entirely consumed by darkness,

then brimming with light.

The seasons approach one after the other,

bring unbearable heat, bitter cold and everything

in between. Joy fades. Loss

makes space for growth and new life.

Balance is not a perfect blend

of extremes. It is something that takes place

inside a larger system. It is a perspective,

an awareness that makes space for us

to fully experience winter and then spring,

light and then darkness.

Darkness and then light.

Life of all Worlds, thank you

for giving us the strength

to allow our world, our heart,

to be big enough for it all.

Venue : Comander’s Mansion

Catering: Cuisine ChezVous

Officiant : Jacob Staub

Florals : Celebrated Flower

DJ : DJ Red Dawn

Awbury Arboretum Wedding – Philadelphia – Miriam & Jeremy

Miriam and Jeremy’s Awbury Arboretum Wedding was my second time photographing at this green oasis in the urban landscape of Northwest Philadelphia. Not one, not two, but three couples I had worked with in the past were in attendance, which made for a delightfully warm village feeling.

We began with a first look on the porch of the Francis Cope House. Miriam and Jeremy approached each other back to back, and before they had laid eyes on each other, they were already dancing. I have the distinct pleasure of documenting some of the most deliriously happy moments of people’s lives, but Miriam and Jeremy’s energy had me running for a thesaurus to try to describe the fever pitch of their happiness. Insuppressible. Irrepressible. Ebullient. Rhapsodical. None of this does justice to the spirit of the day.

There were countless blessings by a flock of rabbis, so much dancing, so much singing, there was jumping rope with tied-together napkins, a raucous horah, a puppet show, and to top it all off there was Jeremy serenading Miriam with I want it that way.

More like these two please!

Vendors

Venue: Awbury Arboretum and Francis Cope House

Catering: Miss Rachel’s Pantry

Poconos Camp Wedding Photographer

– Becca & Josh

Camp JRF (a Jewish camp in the poconos) is where Becca & Josh met as campers. During the wedding weekend there was even a sign posted on a footbridge in the woods to mark the location of their first “date.” Becca and Josh are both incredibly friendly and welcoming people. This was made clear by all the close friends in attendance, seemingly from every era of their lives. The most remarkable thing about Becca and Josh’s wedding was the attention to ritual. The rituals began in the morning, and stretched until after the sun set. Each led by yet another eloquent officiant. I have never before scene a couple so “thoroughly” married.