Category — Wedding Recap

This past Sunday Ivanka Trump, daughter of Donald and Ivana Trump, and an entreprenuer in her own right, married Jared Kushner, publisher of The New York Observer. The couple became engaged just a little over three months ago, after Ivanka completed her conversion to Judaism.

Here are all the details!

Ivanka and Jared’s wedding announcement appeared in the Sunday Styles section of the New York Times the morning of their wedding.

The day started with a tweet from Ivanka saying “Just finished a gorgeous hike. The leaves are spectacular and the sun is shining. Everything is simply perfect! I’m getting married today!”

The nuptials took place at Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, NJ, a property owned by the bride’s father Donald Trump. Celebrity wedding planner Preston Bailey coordinated the upscale event, which took place under two clear-sided see-through tents that allowed guests to view the trees and fall foliage.  Among the couple’s 500 wedding guests were Regis Philbin (who sang at the reception), Barbara Walters, Russell Crowe, Natalie Portman, Cindy Adams, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

The bride walked down the aisle with her father, in a floor length Vera Wang wedding dress inspired by the one Grace Kelly wore when she married Prince Rainier in 1956. The dress was sleeved, in keeping with modest Orthodox dress (the groom’s family is Orthodox). Female wedding guests also received shawls upon arrival, perhaps a subtle hint to cover up their bare arms and shoulders. Ivanka’s diamond jewelry came from her own line, the Ivanka Trump Collection, and her hair was done by stylist Julien Farel.

The couple exchanged vows in an Orthodox Jewish ceremony officiated by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun where Ivanka took conversion classes.  The wedding was a “Hot Topic “on Monday’s episode of The View where Barbara Walters showed the couple’s wedding invitation which was written in English on the right side and Aramaic on the left. Watch the video

According to guest and gossip columnist Cindy Adams, the groom’s father Charles Kushner referenced the Holocaust in his speech.  The band of course played Hava Nagila during the reception.

The cake, designed by master cake-maker Sylvia Weinstock had 13 layers, each layer ringed with flowers in whites, cream, pink, and ivory tones. No word on who the caterer was, but you can be sure that the food was kosher.

Among the wedding gifts the couple registered for were a Tiffany & Co. footed bowl and sterling silver picture frames.  In lieu of gifts, guests were also invited to donate to one of three suggested Jewish charities.

At the end of the night, guests were presented with a book in Hebrew, and a pair of flip flops with a tag that read “Ivanka and Jared –what a pair” as favors.

Last night, the party continued with a post-wedding sheva brachot reception thrown by the groom’s parents at the historic Puck Building in New York City.  Kosher food was served and guests danced the horah to traditional Jewish folk music.

The newlyweds are planning to honeymoon in Africa.

Photo credit: Brian Marcus / Fred Marcus Photography / Getty

Sorry for the delay! I’m back with some ceremony pictures and I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking here.  But imagine us walking down the aisle to Erev Shel Shoshanim and Dodi Li, as performed by our seven piece jazz band.

First down the aisle were Yoni and his parents.  Our Rabbi was already at the chuppah.

Followed by our bridesmaids and groomsmen
(Yoni’s brother and best friend, and my two best friends.)

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We finally got our professional wedding pictures back! I’m going to start from the beginning and work my way through the event post by post, so as not to overwhelm you with photographs.

The first ceremonial order of business was the bedecken. The pre-ceremony traditions seemed very casual to me, but festive at the same time; a lot like a bris that takes place in someone’s kitchen (except  that everyone left with all their body parts in tact!)

Somehow, I look dazed and confused in almost every bedecken photograph, so these are the best I could post without embarrassing myself!

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I’ve taken  a break from constantly refreshing my photographer’s website, hoping with each click that my professional wedding pictures will be up.  With my new free time,  I’ll give you guys a sneak peek of a few of the more Jewish elements of the wedding:

Our chuppah, which I left totally up to the florist.  I think he did a great job!

My mother in law knit yellow and gray kippot  for immediate family.

My non-Jewish friends loved dancing in a circle… no coordination necessary!

Sorry for the quality… but I think you can tell what’s going on here!

Israeli dancing… anyone recognize this dance?

I hope to get the professional photos of my wedding soon to share with you!