After having to have an intimate ceremony due to Covid, #ljmrealbride Jenna + Benji were finally able to have the wedding of their dreams at the Renaissance Hotel in Cincinnati.
Jenna and Benji met when they were 15 at a jewish youth group convention. After that weekend, Jenna and Benji stayed in touch, talking daily but just as friends. One year later, they attended that same convention. But this time, when they saw each other, there was definitely a spark.
Over the next four years at Indiana University, they were on-again off-again until graduation when they went their separate ways. However, there was always something that would pull them back to each other every so often. Some may say it was meant to be. It wasn’t until a mutual friend’s wedding in October 2017 that the spark was reignited.
The couple was engaged a few years later. Jenna was under the impression that she and Benji were going out for his birthday dinner. When she walked outside to leave, Benji caught her by surprise and had lined their entire porch with candles. He then proposed and surprised her once again with an engagement party!
“It was a fairytale moment! Not a single detail was missed. It was truly a magical evening.”
Jenna wore a stunning gown by Rivini with a chic bow detail at the back.
“After trying on close to 100 dresses in 7 stores in 3 different cities, I finally walked into La Jeune Mariee and met with Erin. Erin asked me to describe what I was looking for and I showed her all the dresses I liked at the different stores. I explained what I liked about each but that none of them were the ONE. The moment I finished she said, ‘you’re not going to believe this but we just got a dress in off the runway that nobody has tried on that fits your description perfectly’. It was the first dress I tried on that day and I cried. I knew it was the one. Of course I had to continue trying on everything else in the store just to make sure but by the end of our time together I knew it was the perfect dress for me.”
Getting to finally have their dream wedding was such a special occasion, but one of the most special moments of the night was when Jenna honored her mother and grandfather by giving them the father daughter dance they never had.
“One of my favorite moments from the celebration was surprising my mom and her dad with a first dance. Somehow at her wedding over 30 years ago, they forgot to do a first dance and ever since then he has felt so guilty that he won’t dance with any bride at her wedding. After my husband and I did all our dances, the MC came on the microphone and announced that I wanted to make sure my mom and Poppy had the chance to finally have their first dance together after 32 years. It was so incredibly special and there was not a dry eye in the house!”
Planning 2 wedding celebrations during a pandemic is not easy, but Jenna and Benji pulled it off flawlessly.
“Everyone who was able to be there with us and celebrate made our weekend so incredibly special and it was absolutely perfect. Our wedding planner, my mom and I also made my pink wedding of my dreams come true more than I could have ever imagined. It was elegant but still so me. Not a single detail was missed.”
Vendor Team:
photography: Jonathan Gibson
event coordination: Accent on Cincinnati
band: Music City Sound
venue: Renaissance Downtown Cincinnati
bride hair + makeup: Gail Mitch
bridesmaids hair + makeup: Brideface Cincinnati
rings: Star Jewelers
We love seeing + sharing our brides’ photos! Submit your love story below for the opportunity to be featured on our blog and/or our @lajeunemariee_realbrides Instagram.