Romantic Jewish Wedding Ceremony at Night

April 3, 2017

Black and white portrait of bride and groom walking together through Four Season's Hotel courtyard. A close-up shot of the details of the wedding gown and clothing hanger with the brides new last name. The makeup artist applies eyeshadow to the bride before the wedding. The bride gives her maid of honor a gift and shows her affection before the wedding. The groom and his groomsmen take shots before getting dressed and ready for the big day. The groom and his groomsmen spend some casual time together before having to suit up for the wedding. One of the groomsmen helps the groom adjust his bowtie. A black and white portrait of the groom in his tuxedo. A black and white photo of the mother of the bride and her bridesmaid helping the bride with the finishing touches on her wedding dress. The mother of the bride shares a moment with the bride as she completes her wedding look. Two photos side by side of the details of the brides jewelry, dress, and shoes. The father of the bride sheds a few tears as he gets his first look at his daughter in her wedding gown before the ceremony. The father of the bride and his daughter hug and share a loving moment before the ceremony. The father of the bride looks at his daughter with tears in his eyes and is overwhelmed with joy for her wedding day. The bridesmaids. holding flowers and in purple dresses, are in awe at the beauty of the bride in her wedding dress. The bride walks up behind the groom for their first look in the park of the Four Season's Hotel. The groom gets his first look at the bride in her dress before the wedding ceremony. The bride and groom share a moment of excitement and exchange notes before the wedding. The bride and groom laugh and dance with each other before heading to the ceremony spot. Two portraits side by side of the bride and groom holding each other. The bride and groom look deeply into each other's eyes and smile. The bride and groom walk with each other down steps to the ceremony site. A close up of the bride and groom's steps down the stairs at the Four Season's hotel. The groom signs the Katuba while family and friends gather around to watch the Jewish tradition. Family and friends of the bride and groom show their excitement for them before the begin the ceremony. A portrait of the Four Season's lawn prepared for the ceremony with white lights and greenery. A close up of the beautiful white flower structure which is over the front of the ceremony location traced with white flowers. The mother and father of the bride walk the bride down the aisle. The mother and father of the bride walk their daughter down the aisle as she smiles at her family and friends. The ceremony begins as night falls. A landscape overview of the ceremony location at The Four Season's detailed with white lights and the Austin skyline in the background. The bride and groom look at each other as they wait for the Rabbi to perform the ceremony. A shot of the wedding in front of the beautifully decorated Four Season's hotel. All the wedding guests watch as the ceremony begins. The mother and father of the bride stand smiling watching the ceremony. The bride and groom exchange vows and smile at each other during the ceremony. The groom carries our the wedding tradition of the breaking of the glass. The bride and groom kiss during the nighttime ceremony. The newlyweds hold hands and cheer as they proceed down the aisle the exit the ceremony. Friends and family of the couple create a tunnel for the bride and groom to run through as they enter the reception. The bride and groom share their first dance as a married couple as their guests gather to watch. Family and friends of the bride and groom clap and cheer for the dancing newlyweds. The groom dips the bride as they dance while the guests clap for them. A close-up of the bride dancing with her father at the reception. With the bride and her father out of focus, the guests watch the sweet moment as they share their father daughter dance. The bride's father spins her as they dance together on the ballroom floor. The father of the bride gives his daughter a tight hug and a kiss after their father daughter dance. A black and white shot of the groom and his mother sharing a dance in front of the band. The bride and her mother watch the groom and his mother dancing. The groom and his mother hug and dancing closely as family and friends gather to watch. A close up black and white shot of the mother and the groom hugging and sharing a moment. The bride hugs a guest and shares a moment on the dance floor in the ballroom of the Four Seasons. Guests hold hands and dance with each other as the band plays in the background. The groom is raised up on his chair by his guests for the hora. The bride and groom are raised up on their chairs by their guests for the hora. Guests hold the bride and groom up on their chairs for the hora. The mother and the father are lifted up in their chairs by guests for the hora. A black and white shot of the mother and father of the bride laughing during the tradition of the hora. The groom and one of this groomsmen hold hands and dance together while guests gather to watch and laugh. The bride and her bridesmaid hold hands and dance while guests clap along to the music. The bride and a groomsman link arms to dance as the details of the back of the bride's gown are shown. The mother of the bride and a guest link arms, laugh, and dance together. A guest smiles as she dances at the reception with other guests. The groom dips the bride for a kiss as they dance and guests clap for them in excitement. A bridesmaid gives a toast on stage for the bride and groom. The bride and groom raise their glasses for a toast. One of the bridesmaids and talented singer, Allie Feder, sings for the guests a sweet song. The guests sing and take a selfie to capture the moment. Guests singing and dancing on the ballroom dance floor a the Four Season's Hotel. The bride and groom and their guests cheer on the band as they perform. The bridesmaids and guests gather to perform a choreographed dance for the bride. The bride participates in a choreographed dance with the guests. The bride playfully smudges icing from the cake on the grooms nose as he laughs after they cut the wedding cake. Groomsmen hug and dance with other guests at the reception. A guests waves around a groomsmen's jacket as she dances. The bride and groom dance and sing along with the band. Guests wave their hair and clap as their dance to the music at the reception. The bride gets on stage with the band with a microphone to dance and sing to her guests. Family and friends shout and cheer on the bride as she performs on stage for her guests. The bride and the groom form a circle to dance with guests. The bride dances in the center of the ballroom floor as guests gather around her to dance and clap. The bride and groom reach out from stage to their guests. Guest's gather with sparklers outside of the venue to watch as the bride and groom make their exit. The bride and groom look into each other's eyes as they exit the reception surrounded by their loved ones.

 

What are your day jobs?

We are both actors. Andy also works as an editor and as a “raptor handler” in Jurassic World at Universal Studios. Becca also sells acting workshops.

Where did you both grow up?

Becca: Austin, TX. Andy: Coral Springs, FL.

How did you meet?

Online: Jdate!

Tell me about the proposal?

It was the Gellmans’ annual December family vacation in the Cayman Islands, and it was the second one that Andy had joined. One month prior, Andy had flown to Austin for Thanksgiving to surprise Becca but really to ask Lynne and Steve for permission to ask Becca to marry him. But back to the Caymans: After a day of shopping around and walking through town, the family was back at the house where they were staying, just before sunset. Andy and Becca went outside onto the patio to answer questions from a book they were working on together, questions to explore before getting married. Andy suggested moving to a nearby dock where he had “seen the concierge setting up lights earlier.” They walked over to the water, where there were hundreds of tea lights lining the walkway onto the dock. There, they answered more book questions and Andy nervously tried to veer the conversation in a different direction, as the sun began to set and they couldn’t even read from the book any more without the aid of a flashlight. They walked onto the end of the dock, where Andy told Becca he didn’t need to answer any more questions or know any more; he knew he wanted to marry her. He got down on one knee, took out the ring box he’d been carrying in his pocket for two days, told her how much he loved her, and asked her to marry him. Becca realized that Andy was responsible for all the tea lights, an homage to the Chandler/Monica proposal on Friends, Becca’s favorite TV show. They popped the bottle of Riesling wine that had been sitting on ice, celebrated alone, and then walked back to the vacation house next door, where Lynne, Steve, Jay, and Dana were anxiously waiting with a bottle of champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and Taylor Swift playing on a Bluetooth speaker. Getting to celebrate the engagement with her family was the cherry on top for Becca! They ordered pizza, had wine, and Face Timed their friends and family back in the States. From the Caymans, Andy and Becca went to Miami, where Becca got to see where Andy grew up and meet some childhood friends.

Name a few places that are special to you. This could be a vacation, a concert, something you enjoy doing together locally, etc. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy; just someplace you have made memories together.

We love getting frozen yogurt at Menchie’s, we had an amazing first weekend away together at Big Bear/Lake Arrowhead (we stayed at a castle!), fun at concerts like Counting Crows and James Taylor, and we act together in a lot of Andy’s shorts/sketches/web series that he puts on his YouTube channel. We’ve also had fun on Gellman December vacations in Playa del Carmen and the Cayman Islands, and fun with Jay and Dana in Chicago.

When you can do anything you want to do, what do you do? i.e. what are your hobbies, what do you like to do in your leisure time, what makes you happy?

We love getting to act together (just shot the second season of Andy’s acclaimed web series, Bad Timing, for a week in the desert), going to the movies, having game nights with our friends, and doing Sunday Family dinner with Andy’s family every week.

What is your favorite music and/or songs that mean the most to you as a couple? A playlist of sorts would be great! And any stories are great too!

Counting Crows and Ben Folds are a couple favorites. Becca also loves

country. Justin Timberlake’s “Mirror” is a song with which the couple has often joked, saying they’re “each other’s mirrors.” They also like to rap to old Eminem and Puff Daddy songs.

What are your favorite foods/restaurants? 

We both love burgers and fries! The Counter is a fave in LA. Becca also loves her authentic Austin TexMex (which Andy has come to love also) and BBQ. Becca loves cake, and we both love candy – especially sour patch kids.

How did you choose your venues: The Four Seasons?

It checked all the boxes we wanted: We could have the ceremony outside, under trees and in front of the lake, but we could spend the day getting ready there inside, in addition to having the dinner and reception inside (which was a good thing, since it was bizarrely cold in Austin that night!). The location in the middle of downtown was also ideal for guests to have several nearby options of hotels where they could stay, and they could spend the day easily exploring iconic parts of Austin like SoCo, the lake, UT, and Rainey, without having to travel too far. 

 Describe your decor and how you chose it?

We were going for romantic and whimsical. We knew it would be a formal affair, but the LAST thing we wanted was for it to feel stuffy. With my bridesmaids wearing a range of different shades of purple dresses, I wanted a similar look in the flowers, which I absolutely loved: lavender roses, orchids, freesia, hydrangea, tulips, Picasso calla, accented with succulents and silvery seeded eucalyptus. To offset the vibrant colors in all the flowers we wore/carried, we went for simple, clean, white flowers with greenery on the chuppah, with white petals and candles lining the aisle, keeping with the “romantic” feel we had in mind. My husband is a big fan of string lights, so we had those strung over the seats outside, with lanterns hanging from the trees that stood over us. We wanted the whole night to feel very “us,” so we had fun facts about us on the cocktail napkins and turned the table numbers into fun facts as well. The s’mores bar and the late night breakfast tacos were a really fun touch also.  

 Tell me about your attire – who designed your dress and where did you buy it?

Lazaro designed my dress, and I bought it at JLM Couture in West Hollywood. Fun fact: The dress was actually made strapless, but I had a lace bolero sewn onto it, which gave it straps and a keyhole back. I’d like to take credit for that idea, but I owe it to the creative genius of Gabrielle, my consultant at the bridal shop who knew the look I was going for and must have a sixth sense for these things.

What shoes did you choose and what jewelry did you wear?

I wore Badgley Mischka wedges (wedges over heels any day) and the earrings that the groom surprised me with the day of the wedding, which miraculously went perfectly with my dress!

 Who designed the bridesmaids dresses?

Each of them chose their own! They ran the gamut in price, style, and designer. A couple girls found their dresses on Amazon!

 And your groom – tell me about his look – who was his suit designer? Any other significant accessories?

The groom and groomsmen wore grey Vera Wang tuxedos with black bowties and boutonnieres that complemented the flowers in the bridesmaids’ bouquets. The groom also wore a purple pocket square. 

 Why did you choose me, Jenny, to be your wedding photographer?

Because you’re the best, obviously! Not only did you come highly recommended by my wedding planner, but you actually photographed my Maid of Honor’s sister’s wedding, so she gave me the real scoop on how fabulous you really are!

 What was one of your favorite moments from your wedding day?

The first dance with my dad and my husband and rapping Salt ‘n Peppa with the band and one of my bridesmaids… sorry, did you say only one?

 What was your favorite image from your wedding day?

Probably one of the two of us exiting at the end of the night with the sparklers surrounding us.

 Did any of your other vendors go above and beyond for you?

They all did!

 Do you have any tips to share with other couples?

Everyone will tell you how fast the whole thing goes by. But I’m telling you that it goes even faster than that.

 

Special thanks to the following:

Wedding Planner and Event Designer: Becky Brock, Brock and Co.

Venue: The Four Season’s

Florist: Westbank Flower Market

Band: Matchmaker

Cake and Desserts: Simon Lee