Blending Backgrounds and Pops of Color at Vizcaya Museum Gardens

We jokingly called our wedding My Big Fat Jewban (Jewish + Cuban) Wedding, complete with the tagline “Havana Nagila.” We also made sure to throw in some Irish luck for good measure, to honor Katie's dad's Boston-Irish roots. Masi Events and our amazing team of vendors helped us put together many special details in the spirit of this theme. We are New Yorkers but wanted to blend our respective Jewish and Cuban backgrounds with a vibrant Miami wedding. Katie’s mom, who was born in South Florida, suggested we consider Vizcaya to bring together our love of art and history with the natural beauty of the bay and gardens. Sadly and unexpectedly, Katie’s mom was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer shortly after we shared our plans to get married, in early summer 2022. She passed away that September. We are glad we were able to follow Grace’s venue recommendation, which was spot-on: Vizcaya was the perfect backdrop for our wedding.

Shortly after we decided on the location of our wedding, Amanda went with her mom, Michele, to a Mira Zwillinger trunk show at Mark Ingram Atelier in NYC. After trying on only three dresses, she was sold! The elegant silhouette and detailed floral appliqué seemed so delicate, and yet Amanda felt very comfortable moving around and knew she would be able to dance! Amanda also loved the matching shrug, which helped create different looks between the ceremony and reception. She wore silver Jimmy Choo shoes for the ceremony. Katie cannot keep a secret, so Amanda and her mom joined Katie and Katie’s grandmother Graciela for dress shopping at A Little Something White in Darien, CT. Similar to Amanda, Katie also only tried on three dresses before she found the perfect dress from Jesus Peiro, fittingly a Spanish designer. The dramatic high neckline made Katie feel comfortable yet stylish, and Katie’s amazing tailor, Sukran, incorporated a bow from the dress Katie’s mom wore to her wedding to Katie’s dad 35+ years ago, which made it all the more special. Katie wore silver Stuart Weitzman shoes for the ceremony.

With respect to food, Thierry Isambert catering went above and beyond. Guests were greeted before the ceremony with champagne and water. At cocktail hour, we had two signature drinks: pisco sour and a spicy margarita. In line with our Jewish-Cuban theme, we started the evening with delicious Cuban appetizers, and later on followed with late-night bites that included latkes and mini reuben sandwiches.

The florals and decor were remniscient of a beautiful tropical garden to accent Vizcaya's overwhelmingly stunning outdoor beauty. The estate features beautifully manicured gardens, lush tropical landscapes, and picturesque views of Biscayne Bay. Amanda and Katie focused on a more tropical color palette including ivories, pale mint green, peaches and rose colors with pops of tangerine. The chuppah featured gorgeous tropical foliage and greenery with coral, peach and blush garden roses. The reception centerpieces were low and lush designs that included similar coloration of blush, coral, peach and ivory with garden greenery and taper candles with many votives for a warm ambient light. The place settings were more earth toned with a mixed detail of classic gold. Natural colored wooden chairs with wicker seats and long wooden modern farmhouse tables with sage leaf table runners accented the beautiful centerpieces.

The wedding cake was a delicious blend of 3 flavors: vanilla chiffon cake with hazelnut and dark chocolate mousseline filling and a chocolate chiffon cake with chocolate fudge cream.

We had a Jewish wedding ceremony led by Cantor Shira Ginsburg (Jewishly Ever After) that weaved in other elements to honor Katie’s family background and heritage. We stood under a gorgeous tropical chuppah designed by Petal Productions, signed a ketubah, and Katie stepped on the glass (Amanda wanted to as well, but was told her Jimmy Choo stilettos would be a hazard — a sacrifice for fashion!). A cousin of Katie’s grandmother, Ana, guided us through a coin ceremony, a tradition originating from Spain that has been adopted by many Cubans and symbolizes a promise of prosperity in marriage. In another Cuban tradition, we were wrapped in a mantilla lace, gifted to us by Katie’s cousin Maria Victoria all the way from Spain, which drew parallels with a “tallit,” or Jewish prayer shawl. At the reception, Amanda’s cousin Scott recited the Motzi (Jewish blessing over the bread), and Ana’s husband Victor led a traditional Catholic grace. Not to be outdone, Katie’s dad made sure Irish toasts were abound too.

As a small but important and sentimental detail, we both paired our outfits with matching pearl bracelets that Katie’s mom Grace gifted each of us for Christmas a few years ago. We call them our “gracelets.”

It was extremely important to us to honor the memory of Katie’s mom. Katie’s dress incorporated bows from Grace’s original wedding dress (more on that below). The chair closest to Katie at the wedding ceremony was saved in her memory and decorated with florals — Petal Productions did a fantastic job.

Music was a big part of our wedding, and Tropics Entertainment did a phenomenal job reflecting our eclectic taste. For the ceremony, the processional was set to Broadway show tunes, with the wedding party walking down the aisle to "Mamma Mia," and the two of us to "Music of the Night," from Phantom of the Opera (the first musical that Katie, a huge Broadway fan, brought Amanda to, before it closed). To incorporate our favorite Broadway musical, the recent Tony winner Kimberly Akimbo, we turned the song “Great Adventure” into a reading at the ceremony, and in a nod to a plot point in the show, Katie’s vows included an anagram of Amanda’s full name (Madonna Charms Emails). We surprised our guests by ending the ceremony with an “Irish Exit” (a recessional set to "Shipping Up to Boston" by the Dropkick Murphys), to celebrate the Boston-Irish roots of Katie’s dad.