Sarah and Mark’s wedding was full of sunflowers, traditions, lots of love and a special surprise song at the reception that ended up being one of their favorite parts of the wedding day.
The couple shared a first look outside of the synagogue.
The bride and groom each had their own Tish and then Mark danced his way to see Sarah for the Bedeken.
They signed the Ketubah, their parents blessed them and then Mark put the veil over Sarah just before they began the Chuppah marriage ceremony.
Married!
During cocktail hour the couple went to Riverside Park for some portraits.
The ceremony space was transformed into a beautiful reception with stunning florals and a large dance floor.
Sarah was the last child to be married among her siblings which means her parents were honored with a special, joyous dance called the Mizinke. Brooms are used to portray the children being swept out the door.
The dancing is so energetic that the couple needs a break! Sarah and Mark sat in chairs while their friends and family performed a shtick with skits and silly costumes to make the couple laugh.
They shared their first dance to “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen.
Sarah shares, “We had a traditional Jewish wedding but we tried to make it unique to us as a couple in certain ways, to reflect our fun and silly natures. At a friend’s wedding a few years ago, she performed a song on guitar for her new bride, and I was inspired to do something similar, so I prepared a musical number, “5,000 Candles in the Wind” from the TV show Parks & Recreation, to play on the piano and sing to Mark. At the end of the toasts, I made a speech saying that I had a song for him to express the way I felt about him (if you’ve never seen Parks & Rec, the song is an elegy for a miniature horse named Li’l Sebastian, by the way), while my niece and nephews handed out glow sticks to the guests to wave during the performance. I had been practicing for months and, although I was nervous, it was so much fun to see the surprise on Mark’s face, and to have everyone wave their glow sticks and sing along. At the end, Mark and I ran to the middle of the dance floor to hug each other and everyone threw their glow sticks; even though I got beaned on the head a few times, it was a beautiful moment.”
Mark shares, “I LOVED the Li’l Sebastian surprise. I had noticed Maddie, Sarah’s niece, handing out some glow sticks during the toasts and I wasn’t sure what that was all about. When I looked around the room later, as Sarah sang the song and everyone was swaying back and forth with the glow sticks, I felt so lucky to have someone like Sarah in my life. I thought to myself, “I am so excited for a lifetime of surprises like this one.”
My other favorite moment was our first dance. From the very beginning, Sarah has always said that I’m a great dancer and that she is not. I wanted our first dance to not only be fun, but to show her that she can do an awesome job of ripping it up on the dance floor if she works at it. We practiced our routine quite a bit (even once in the rain in Riverside Park because why not) and when the moment arrived, we not only did a great job, but had a fantastic time!”
Congratulations Sarah and Mark!
Check out their engagement photos here.
Special thanks to the team:
Venue: B’nai Jeshurun
Coordinator: Carly Levine
Officiant: Rabbi Anne Ebersman
Caterer: Simply Divine
Band: Ken Gross Orchestras
Florist: FLO NY Events
Invitations: Blacker and Kooby
Hair and Makeup: Pin It Up and Pout
Bride’s gown: Leanne Marshall
Groom’s Attire: Victor Talbots
Videography: NST Films
Photography: Jessica Schmitt Photography with Eric Swartz
