Photos ~ Ira Thomas Creations
A longtime Memphis family celebrated love and happiness as they rang in 2018 with a beautiful simcha. Jordana Wender, daughter of Elliot and Penina, married Robby Rubin in Memphis on December 31. “We met in August 2014 at the US Open Tennis Championship in New York,” explains Jordana. “Robby proposed three summers later on a tennis court in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.”
About 315 guests, many of whom were from out of town and had come for the entire wedding weekend, danced the night away at Baron Hirsch Congregation to bring in the New Year together. “Getting married across the street from where I grew up and at the synagogue where my family’s continuous involvement has influenced my strong, Jewish identity and where Robby has felt the most welcomed by the Memphis Jewish community – was very special,” says Jordana proudly.
Because the couple lived out of town, mothers Penina and Marcie, worked closely with wedding coordinator Einat Loskovitz of Eventful Party Planning to create the New Year’s Eve-themed event. “We are very fortunate to have mothers with phenomenal taste and style,” says Jordana, “so we happily and willingly let them take charge of the decor details!”
“New Year’s party horns for place cards set the scene as guests entered the reception hall,” adds Einat. “Typical New Year’s colors – silver and gold, plus bridal white – added to the glitter and glitz. Jordana came to Memphis twice during the planning process to meet with vendors, have dress fittings and bridal showers. She and Penina had some ideas [for the wedding]. They were incredibly receptive to new ideas, which made it very easy to work with them. Jordana is the complete opposite of a bridezilla! She is very sweet.”
While there were many special moments during the wedding, there is one that the Jordana and Robby still joke about. “One funny story is when Robby came to veil me,” she remembers, “he accidentally removed the veil completely out of my hair!”
The blissful newlyweds are starting their happy new life together in New York City. Robby is a second year law student at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and Jordana is completing her Doctorate of Audiology from Northwestern University, working as a resident at New York Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical Center.
Planning their wedding around the long New Year’s weekend gave family and friends plenty of opportunities to spend time together. From the rehearsal Shabbat dinner at Baron Hirsch on Friday evening, to the pre-wedding party on Saturday night at Loflin Yard, to the Sunday night wedding that kept everyone on the dance floor until 2 a.m., guests enjoyed a Memphis weekend to remember.
“Our most memorable part of the wedding was being surrounded by so many family and friends who traveled near and far to celebrate with us. We are still on a high from the energy and love that we felt on that night.”
