Elisha & Aaron’s Carolina Autumn Jewish Wedding {Raleigh, NC}

It’s really special for me to post this wedding today because I was lucky enough to be in attendance. I’ve had the wonderful honor of being friends with Elisha and Aaron since 2009 and can tell you with great certainty that this pair is beshert — destined. Meant to be. Soul mates. A true match made in heaven!

Despite the rain and a quick last minute ceremony switch from the courtyard to the indoor reception space (things that would have thrown me into a complete bridezilla tizzy), this wedding was absolute perfection. The beautiful venue, the delicious food, the vintage details, the gorgeous bride & groom…everything came together perfectly into a beautiful evening of fun, joy, love and friendship. It was everything a wedding should be.

I’m so happy to share Elisha’s wedding day story!

Tell us about the wedding.
Aaron and I met and fell in love while we were students at Ohio University. He is from Akron, OH and I grew up in Columbia, MD, but when we got engaged we had been living in Raleigh, NC for a few months and there was no question where our wedding would be.

We have friends and family living in Ohio, Florida, Maryland, and all over the world — even Israel! No matter what, someone would be traveling to attend our wedding, so why not bring everyone to us? We wanted to show off our North Carolina pride! We decided to get married in our adopted hometown so we could share our new city with all of our friends and family.

We were looking for a venue that would accommodate around 150 guests and had an outdoor space for the ceremony as well as a close, but separate space for the reception. We looked at at least 15 venues around Raleigh before we finally went to see The Garden on Millbrook. As soon as we walked inside, we knew that it was the perfect event space for us. The front of the building has a very traditional, Southern style look that was great for photos and the indoor space is perfect for a party. Additionally, it has a beautiful outdoor space with a waterfall, a gazebo, and twinkly lights.

What were the inspirations for your wedding?
Raleigh, Jewish tradition, October, navy blue, mint green, celebrating our relationship, sharing our wedding weekend with friends and family.

What was the hardest part about wedding planning?
Resisting the constant urge to submit to “wedding word vomit”. When you are in the midst of planning a wedding it is hard not to talk about it to everyone, all the time!

Could you tell us about any special wedding customs you had?
Having a Jewish wedding was essential to both of us. Together we picked the wedding traditions that were most important.

Before the ceremony we signed our beautifully hand-painted ketubah and we were married under a chuppah that my dad built using my uncle’ s tallis as the covering.

After our parents walked us down the aisle, I circled Aaron three times, he circled me three times and then we circled each other once. We recited the traditional prayers, read vows that we wrote together and we asked our family members to join us under the chuppah to read the seven blessings.

We kicked off our reception with wedding party entrances to Queen’s “”Don’t Stop Me Now”” and then and everyone joined in for the Horah! The dance floor was packed the entire night thanks to our fantastic DJ.

At the end of the evening, our guests lit up the night with a sparkler send off.

Did you do any DIY projects for the wedding?
We had a few DIY elements. We assembled the hotel welcome bags for our guests. We assembled the mini photo frame place cards. My parents put together family wedding photos that were displayed in unique frames on top of the piano.

What was your favorite part of the wedding?
The warm feeling of happiness that I felt from the moment I walked down the aisle until I fell asleep later that night. I was always fearful that I would feel nervous on the day I got married, but standing under the chuppah with Aaron, surrounded by our friends and family, I never had a reason to feel nervous. I only felt joyous, loved, and proud.

Also, being lifted up in the chair during the horah was really fun!

What 3 words of advice do you have for future brides-to-be?
Girl, get organized! Use a wedding planning tool like Wedding Wire to help you keep track of your guest list, find local vendors, stay on budget, organize gift thank yous and even digitally plan out your reception seating chart! Also, Gmail folders and labels are the best way to stay on top of communication.

LOVE. IT. Mazel tov Elisha & Aaron! Keep scrolling for more incredible images from BREALPHOTO.