Liz & Adam’s Personalize, Fun Jewish Wedding at American Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore, MD

Images: Love Life Images

Well the plague finally hit for me. Andy suffered for 2 weeks and I thought I was in the clear until I woke up Sunday morning with sinus pressure and a sore throat. Considering myself lucky that it’s not the flu, but hoping it doesn’t last as long as Andy’s sinus cold did. We spent most of the weekend watching the Olympics & trying to get house stuff done (thanks rain), but the cold kicked my butt on Sunday and I didn’t get NEARLY enough CapRo stuff done as I needed (story of my life). PS – If you’re still looking for Valentine’s Day gifts, don’t forget our #CapRoLove items hanging out in the Shop Made in DC!

But for today we have an AWESOME scrabble-themed wedding at the AVAM in Baltimore. It’s really hard to beat this venue you guys – I mean where else can you get married amongst an elephant and hot air balloon? It’s just the COOLEST. So many personalized details in this real Maryland wedding too! Let’s do it.

The two met in Chicago and dated there for several years. When the weather got too cold and Liz started grad school, they moved to Washington D.C. and have been here since! Adam’s proposal followed in the spirit of the Yalowitz/Granat love for Scrabble and the Londons’ far too competitive passion for Boggle. This theme would continue in the wedding decor.

“We were looking for a unique venue that was a little different than the standard fare and we were blown away by AVAM (American Visionary Art Museum). It was eclectic and offbeat and funky – and it was big enough for our guest list – so it was the perfect pick. We loved the idea that we’d be getting married in front of a “LOVE” hot air balloon, a pink poodle, and a bra ball.

We had a Jewish ceremony but adapted it to make it more egalitarian – for instance, we both broke a glass at the end! We used a family keepsake, a handmade quilt, as the cover of the chuppah, and added our own additions and edits to the Ketubah, the traditional marriage document, so it better reflected our partnership and values. We didn’t have bridesmaids or a grooms party but, instead, found meaningful ways to include loved ones in the ceremony. Some friends and family read prayers, some held the chuppah, some recited a poem, things like that. It was so incredible to have those people included in substantial roles. Another thing I loved was a Jewish custom called schtick, done during the reception, where people wear costumes, do dances, act goofy – whatever will make the couple laugh. Ours included a friend becoming a human limbo pole, some personalized flyers that were printed, and a can-can line. It was awesome.

Because there was so much incredible art, we didn’t need to do much for decor but we did have a few special DIY elements. We are both word game fanatics, as are our families. In fact, the proposal was on a Boggle board where you could spell the words: “Will you marry me” and “Yes” or “No.” Our escort cards and programs, designed by a good friend with a background in graphic design, had Boggle letters on them. For the table number signs, we got used Scrabble boards, cut them into quarters, and super glued tiles to spell out “Table One,” “Table Two,” etc. It was a really fun detail.

One of my other favorite details was what we did in lieu of traditional gifts for the guests. Everyone had a wooden token taped to their escort card. At the front table at the reception, we had jars with the names of three of our favorite organizations – one focused on the environment, one on immigration justice, and one on affordable housing. Guests were invited to drop their token in the jar of their choosing and then we donated to each place in their honor, according to how many tokens were collected. It was a way to honor our commitment to social justice in our work and personal lives while also letting the guests choose what issue they wanted to support.

While we didn’t spend too much on flowers, decor, or lighting, we definitely splurged when it came to food. We didn’t want the wedding to have a stiff, buttoned up vibe so we went for food stations: one was a fajita bar; one had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and greens; one was Mediterranean focused with kebabs, hummus, baba ganoush, etc.; and then we had a pasta bar. And that was just the main courses! The food was insanely good. We had great drinks as well, including several cases of beer donated from one of our friends who owns a brewing company.