MAZEL TOV!

Mazel tov - Hebrew

"good luck" [has occurred].  The phrase is used to express "congratulations" for a happy and significant occasion or event.  The expression comes from the Mishnaic Hebrew mazzal, meaning "constellation" or "destiny".  

Lesley and Matt....Mazel tov!!!!

I'll start at the beginning.  Well...the beginning when yours truly stepped in to the picture.

Lesley and Matt live in New York.  Phyllis, the mother of the bride, was doing most of the wedding planning here in St. Louis.  Phyllis called, we chatted, we all met when Lesley was in town.  It seemed a match made in heaven.

From the time I was a little girl, I've always known that I had this chameleon quality about me.  I can fit in at a rodeo or in a mechanics garage and the very next minute hold my pinky up sipping tea with socialites and speak of culture and arts with grace and ease.  I'm the girl next door with the ability to usually fit in just about anywhere.  Which is why I was so nonchalant about accepting my first Jewish wedding.  

Yes Phyllis.  It was my first Jewish wedding.

(i think i may have forgotten to mention that to you)

This is Phyllis's face right now:

No.  No.  No.  That's the face that I probably would have saw if I screwed something up.  But Phyllis and I got along just splendidly.  I love that lady!!

That's better!  :)

So.  Back to my story.  I was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing.  Perhaps I shouldn't have been...but I was.  Jewish wedding?  How hard could it be?  I watched Seinfeld.  It certainly couldn't be any harder than genuflect-kneel-sit-stand-sit-kneel-sit-kneel-walk-kneel-sit-stand-genuflect cardio Catholic ceremonies.  So nonchalant I was.  Until the wedding date was approaching.  And the phone calls from Phyllis started rolling in.  And the wedding planner.  I started feeling a bit stressed.  THEN I got the itinerary from Lesley.  Dude.  This girl knows how to work an itinerary.  This thing was down to the MINUTE.  

So I started getting a bit nervous.  Where was Elaine and Jerry when I needed them?  I'm a born and raised St. Louis Catholic school girl who married a Southern Baptist boy in a Lutheran wedding ceremony who now goes to a Christian non-denominational church.  Umm, yeah.  But I just have never had the pleasure of personally having any Jewish friends.  No reason, just didn't.  (Note:  Since witnessing this wedding...I am now way interested in having Jewish friends.  Is there a such thing as J-Friend?? HA!)

So just before the wedding, Lesley, Matt and I had a Skype meeting.  They were so great...and so funny...they put me right at ease.  An hour later and I felt like we were old friends.  So the wedding day comes and I'm hoping I don't blurt out Amen or something like that.  :)

Miss Lesley was pure radiance...even in her robe!

That is Lesley holding her friend's hand to balance while putting on her wedding shoes.  :)

Lesley and Matt opted for a "first look" prior to the ceremony.  La-huv it!  :)  The day seems to go so much more smoothly and the pictures always seemed to have such a relaxed feel to them.  The bride and groom get some quality time together to just *be*.  

Lesley.  You look stunning.

 

So here's where the fun begins.  All the ladies are in one room having both religious pre-wedding traditions and very sweet and sentimental moments and speeches.  The boys are in another room.  The guys have a parade from their room to the ladies room.  And it's a full fledged rockin-out parade.  Clappin and chanting and singing and stomping.  The earth shook.  The windows rattled.  You could hear the thunder and rumble getting closer and closer and closer.  It's like when your favorite college football team is in the dark tunnel ready to take the field.  The anticipation and excitement is exhilarating.  

Those boys.  In that other room down the hall...

Those boys were a comin...

They enter the room with such exuberance and enthusiasm you couldn't help but get caught up in the magnitude of the moment.  Like when the players take the field and enter the stadium to the sudden burst of sound clamoring from the stands.   Matt comes in to greet his future wife.  He checks to make sure it is her.  There is so much singing and clapping and chanting I felt compelled to "hold on" cause this ride was something that I wasn't ready for.  The pre-ceremony is beautiful and poetic riddled with these songs that are in Hebrew but are so strong they rally the crowd and sound like a college fight song.  

Truly invigorating!  (even though I had no idea what they were saying)  I wanted to raise my arms and pound my fists in the air and say in English "This union is destiny darn it...let's get this party started!".

Could he look any more adoringly at her?  So cute.  She glowed.

So then...they still have the ceremony!?  What you say?!  I know!  It's like the coolness just keeps on going.  

This is the proud pappa giving away the bride.

I think he's okay with it. ;)

That just might be my most favorite exit picture ever.  So much happiness it just makes ya wanna jump up and hug them.

Lesley would like to know how many ivy league women it takes to bustle a train...

I don't think anyone knows.

So then we have the reception.  What usually happens at a reception.  Let me tell you:

Come in.  Sit down.  Wait for grand entrance.  Listen to toasts and prayers.  

SO not the case here.  These guests walked in the doors and straight on to the dance floor.  They started dancing in these circles.  Some of it looked like a rugby scrum...I kept waiting for a ball to fly out.  These people danced with such urgency and momentum.  It was a whirlwind of guests arm-in-arm winding in and out.  These people know how to party...and they don't even need a bride and groom in the room!

But when the bride and groom do arrive?  Hold on to your kippah's people...the fun has just begun...

All of the friends of the bride and groom put on these schticks.  They are hilarious.  It's kind of like "Lesley and Matt...this is your life" in comedic form put on in 30 second skits by different groups of your friends and family.  Double over belly laugh funny.

The fun doesn't stop there.  

The cake cutting is funny.

The toasts are funny.

The dip is funny.

Lesley's face is funny.  ;)

Matt catching his funky groove is funny.

Matt & Lesley have "Gotta a feeling (Whohoo) that tonight's gonna be a good night.  That tonight's gonna be a good good night.  

Tonight's the night.  Let's live it up!.....Mazel tov!"

Let's do it. Let's do it.  & do it do it do it.  Let's live it up and do it!

The next pic is if Matt says he doesn't want to live it up and do it do it do it.

HA!  She's got the look down and she had only been married like 2 hours!  :)

This is the father of the bride dancing with his two lovely daughters.  

A little bit of sparkle and bling to go with the festivities.

OK.  And since I think Lesley and Matt have SUCH a GREAT sense of humor...I am going to post some out takes.  But I guess they really aren't out takes, because they knew that I was taking pictures...so I'm not really quite sure what they were doing.  But they sure did like to do it.

and do it do it do it.

Is that true love or what?!  Look at how she just lovingly looks at him as he does this.  I mean...what is this?  Did they promise to be true to each other in good times and in times that they have some food stuck way back in their teeth that they need confirmation on??  This makes me laugh super hard.  But I can't believe that I'm posting these.  I think they might kill me.  But it's funny people!!  What are they doing?  I was scared to ask.  I just kept saying a very quiet "amen". :)  

Lesley and Matt...you guys ROCK.  Your wedding and reception is one that I will remember forever.  FOREVER.  I loved everything about it.  I loved the tradition and the build up that something very serious and important was about to take place.  I loved that I felt like I was hooting and hollering at a college football game.  I loved the shticks.  I loved the way that your guests danced around like crazy people.  I love that I know next time I shoot a Jewish wedding that I will wear steel toe boots because I had more than one set of stilettos and size 11 mens dress shoes stampede over my little tootsies as I was trying to photograph the madness.  I love that I fell in love with you and your Jewish wedding.  

Mazel tov, my sweet friends.  It has been a pleasure to get to know you and an honor to be a part of such an amazing event.  

 

Comments

[Matt Goldenberg]

Christine,

These pictures are great! Thank you so much we are so excited to see the rest of the pictures.

[Lesley Goldenberg]

Christine, this is amazing!! And, you are amazing! We LOVE the pictures and your commentary was laugh outloud funny. You are AWESOME!!!!

[Lesley Goldenberg]

Anyone who is considering hiring Christine as their wedding photographer, you should DO IT!!!!! You won't regret it, she is the best. We were sad on our honeymoon because we MISSED HER!!!! Thanks for everything!!!!