Elana & Greg Exchange Vows In A Deeply Personal, Spellbound Ceremony

After the rehearsal dinner at Beauty & Essex the evening before, BB Featured Bride Elana spent the morning of her wedding getting ready at the Ludlow Hotel Penthouse. Then it was off to Angel Orensanz Foundation where guests arrived just as autumn twilight was beginning to descend on the Lower East Side. Here, Elana talks about her and Greg’s breathtakingly personal ceremony shared before family and friends.

Ceremony & Chuppah

In addition to its high vaulted ceiling, rich ornamentation, and spellbound atmosphere perfect for hosting an important celebration, Angel Orensanz Foundation is a symbolic landmark of Jewish history and culture in New York City. “The venue was once home to various synagogues over the years, serving waves of Jewish immigrants that once called the Lower East Side home,” Elana explains. “As an ode to the immigrant generations of our family before us, we only found it befitting to have our wedding in a venue, and in a neighborhood, that represents the cradle of the American Jewish experience.” Elana and Greg were also drawn to the fact that Angel Orensanz Foundation didn’t look like a wedding venue. “An art exhibition and event space as well as one of the oldest surviving synagogues in NYC, it felt very true to who we are as a couple,” the bride says.

 

When Greg asked for permission to marry his daughter, Elana’s father, who is a Rabbi, had one stipulation. Elana says with a laugh, “He told Greg ‘Yes, but as long as I officiate the wedding.’” After postponing the date for one year due to the pandemic, she took her first steps as a bride. Elana’s parents walked her down the candlelit aisle with her father then taking position to lead the ceremony (one of her cousins, who is also a Rabbi, co-officiated). When she finally met Greg, it was clear to all watching that this moment was well worth the wait.

 

 

 

Symbolizing the home they will build together, the couple’s chuppah took shape in an eruption of white roses, snapdragons, and hydrangeas accented with rich greenery. The lush and romantic blooms stood out against the dramatic interior creating a striking contrast that delighted the eye to no end.

 

 

The couple performed traditional Jewish wedding rituals, which included a ketubah signing, circling, exchanging of vows and rings, and breaking glass. Elana remembers this part of her wedding day with particular fondness. “The whole ceremony felt very holy and special to us,” she says. “It was a surreal experience.”

Look forward to next week when Elana shares the final chapter in her Real BB Wedding story.

Couple’s Vendor List
Venue: Angel Orensanz Foundation
Photographer: Dave Robbins Photography
Videographer: NST Pictures
Bride’s Dress: Viktor & Rolf
Bride’s Shoes: Valentino (Ceremony) Loeffler Randall (Reception)
Groom’s Tux: Hugo Boss
Rings: Diamonds Doing Good
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Halston
Planner: Cindy Altunis Events
Hair: Andria Tobey
Makeup: Deborah Altizio & Atelier Bridal Makeup
Caterer: Heavenly Events
Cake: By The Way Bakery
Music: Golum
Invitations: By Invitation Only