Their Vendors
Ceremony & Reception: Northern Valley Affairs at Temple Emanu-El, 201.750.0333, www.northernvalleyaffairs.com
Gown: Ines Di Santo
Bridesmaids: The Dessy Group
Tux: Enzo Custom
Photographer: Matthew Adam Photography
Cinematographer: Shlomotions
Makeup: Elena Miglino
Hair: Dieci Lifestyle Spa, Shawn Melvin
Florist: Castille Creations
Cake: Northern Valley Affairs
DJ: David Kiss
Band: Nafshenu Orchestra with Jeff Braverman and Avi Peretz
Stationery: Joseph Amar
Yael & DJ | Northern Valley Affairs | Closter, NJ
Yael & DJ at Northern Valley Affairs
We Chose Our Venue Because...
“We had 380 guests, so we needed something spacious, but we also wanted a homey, small wedding feel. Northern Valley Affairs at Temple Emmanu-El offered both. We loved their outdoor space and that the grounds are beautiful for photos.
“Les Friedman, the owner, and Marty Maged, the general manager, were knowledgeable, easy to work with, and flexible with our ideas. They were able to figure out a layout to suit our numbers and also keep the wedding feeling intimate. They were very patient and made us feel comfortable making requests and confident they would follow through precisely. They provide a day-of planner for you, and the entire staff is very organized and attentive to all the wedding guests. We loved that Northern Valley was so well versed in the flow of an orthodox wedding.”
“Picturesque Grounds”
DJ and I were set up by good friends. We were both at their wedding but didn’t meet each other until our “blind date.” For our first date DJ took me to a cocktail bar and after talking we realized that we were in the same place on multiple occasions and had many friends in common!
Our engagement was one of the best weekends of my life. DJ and I love taking drives to upstate New York together, so when our friends invited us to go upstate with them for the weekend I of course wanted to go. On the way up they asked us to meet them at an apple orchard. As we looked for our friends down the aisles of apples, they were nowhere to be found. Instead, there were pictures of DJ and I hanging along the apple trees and a picnic blanket set up with apples and hard apple cider. After I said ‘yes’ he surprised me with a whole weekend planned for the two of us at a nearby boutique hotel.
We had 380 guests, so we needed something spacious, but we also wanted a homey, small wedding feel. Northern Valley Affairs at Temple Emmanu-El offered both. We loved their outdoor space and that the grounds are beautiful for photos. Les Friedman, the owner, and Marty Maged, the general manager, were knowledgeable, easy to work with, and flexible with our ideas. They were able to figure out a layout to suit our numbers and also keep the wedding feeling intimate. They were very patient and made us feel comfortable making requests and confident they would follow through precisely. They provide a day-of planner for you, and the entire staff is very organized and attentive to all the wedding guests.
We loved that Northern Valley was so well versed in the flow of an orthodox wedding. First was cocktail hour, where our guests were welcomed with champagne. We had plenty of food with almost 10 stations and even more passed hors d’oeuvres. Some favorites were the barbecue station and the slider station, and their sushi was amazing! At the end of the cocktail hour after his tisch, DJ, his father, and my father were danced in with all the men to perform the traditional bedeken ceremony (veiling of the Bride).
Our ceremony was held in their beautiful synagogue with the stunning antique stained-glass dome. The room is magnificent; you don’t need to add anything to dress it up. We then went to the grand ballroom for our reception. We kept the palette of the wedding very natural with lots of white and green flowers. We had roses and ranunculus mixed with candles to keep everything cozy. Our florist was amazing, and Northern Valley Affairs made sure our vision was executed immaculately. My mother and I are very detail-oriented, and they were as focused on the details as we were, and were always receptive to our comments or concerns.
We had a band and a DJ so we could have a mix of Jewish style dancing, fun Israeli music, and current music. When our guests walked in, their appetizer was waiting for them, so they could eat while they were waiting for us to be announced. Dinner was served while DJ and I had our first dance. Once dinner was over the dancing began and continued for the rest of the night. We used the outside firepit for custom cigars. We loved that top shelf liquor was included in our package and that Northern Valley had a butler come around with tequila shots, so people didn’t have to leave the dance floor!
We left our wedding feeling like we got the “large but intimate” wedding we wanted. We felt cared for and surrounded by love. Thank you to Les and Marty for ensuring our wedding went smoothly and that we had a night we will never forget. Thank you to my mom for all her help planning the wedding, and to our parents for throwing us the most amazing wedding we could’ve hoped for. Thank you to our friends and family for coming from near and far, to our wedding party for all your time, and to all our guests for making the night a memorable, fantastic party.
Northern Valley Affairs at Temple Emanu-El, Closter, NJ 201.750.0333, northernvalleyaffairs.com
