‘Beautiful. Elegant. Special.’ I love it when the bride’s description of how she felt in her wedding gown is also a perfect reflection of the entire day! Maya + Alex’ Jewish wedding in Baltimore, Maryland was traditional with a subtle mix of modern touches. Like deep purple bridesmaid dresses with contrasting orange bouquets…a unique bridal bouquet of blacked eyed beauty calla lilies accented with fresh sprigs of rosemary – so original, and perfectly compliments Maya’s Alvina Valenta champagne silk and ivory lace trumpet wedding gown. And my favorite, centerpieces made from whole fruit which were then donated to Moveable Feast, a charity that delivers meals to very ill patients in need. So thoughtful!
Maya + Alex | May 26, 2013 | Baltimore, Maryland | Dress Listing: Alvina Valenta AV9161
The Ceremony
We had a traditional Jewish ceremony with 160 friends and family members. It was a beautiful ceremony with lots of laughter. The rabbi who officiated was Maya’s middle school principal, so he had a personal tie to us as well. He really took the time to get to know us and made the ceremony so personal (and included some funny stories); our guests are STILL talking about how wonderful he was.
The Reception
We had a cocktail hour following the ceremony, then a reception with dinner and dancing in the ballroom upstairs (everything took place at the same venue). The only flowers we had at the wedding were the bouquets and boutonnières; instead of floral centerpieces at the reception we had three styles of centerpieces made of fruit. It was really important to us that we not be wasteful, and it has always bothered us that people spend thousands of dollars on flowers only to have them die two days later. Our florist designed beautiful centerpieces using whole fruit, all of which we donated to Moveable Feast (a charity that delivers meals to very ill patients in need) the days after the wedding. We danced a GREAT hora at the party and had a band that played jazz, Motown, and standards. They were fantastic. The menu was custom designed by us and Chef Brad Willits of B&O Brasserie; our guests are still talking about his amazing strawberry gazpacho. It was a fantastic night and we all had the time of our lives!
Maya’s Dress Search
I knew exactly what I wanted when I searched for my dress. I didn’t have a designer in mind, but I just typed what I wanted into Google and searched images. About three lines down was the dress I was looking for: champagne/ivory, fine lace, sleeveless (I HATE strapless dresses – how do you dance in those??), fit-to-flare… I found a boutique that carried it, tried it on, and bought it immediately. Easy.
How Maya Felt in Her Wedding Dress
Beautiful. Elegant. Special.
Why Maya Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
Why sell? Because I’m realistic. I’m never going to wear this again, and I can’t count on my daughter (if I’m lucky enough to have one) wanting to wear it someday. I can’t stand the thought of it just sitting in a closet for decades, untouched. Someone else should benefit from it’s beauty!
