Aviva & Morrie | Northern Valley Affairs | Closter, NJ

“Bespoke Weddings”


Morrie and I met through mutual friends who were dating at the time. Morrie knew his friend from camp and I knew mine from college. During college, I did a semester at CUNY Hunter in Manhattan, to be closer to my family. In the first week of school, I got a text from my friend asking if I would be interested in a date with Morrie. I said yes, and later that day Morrie texted me. We sat for three hours getting to know each other. At the end of the date, instead of me taking the subway again, Morrie walked me 30 blocks back to my sister’s apartment so we could talk the whole way.

One Shabbat in October, while Morrie was at my house for the weekend, my mom told everyone to be free on Sunday to go out for brunch for my younger sister’s birthday, which was a few days after. Sunday morning came and no one was ready to go besides me and Morrie. My mom and older sister were nowhere to be found. Then Morrie said my mom told him we should go ahead to save the table.

As we were walking in, Morrie was making conversation, trying to distract me. We walked to our table and I see lit up letters spelling “Marry Me” with a bunch of pictures and balloons surrounding the table. I was in shock! All of a sudden Morrie got on one knee and popped the question! My mom and older sister came out from their hiding spots and we all hugged and everyone showed up for what was really our engagement brunch!

We chose to have our wedding at Northern Valley Affairs at Temple Emanu-El. Both Morrie and I had been to weddings there and were blown away each time with their outstanding space and the bespoke weddings they produced. We knew that during Covid they would go above and beyond to accommodate the situation by adding tents and using spaces they never really used before. We had our ceremony outside on their wooded grounds. It was beautiful and something their creativity allowed to happen.

Working with Les Friedman, owner, Marty Maged, general manager, and Jennifer Franco, maître d’, was working with the dream team. Whenever I felt stressed out or had any questions, I called and they were happy to work out whatever was needed. Jennifer is Wonder Woman. She is everywhere all at once. She ensured every job is performed flawlessly, that I had everything I needed, and that our family and bridal party knew where to be. She was a huge part of making our wedding day the amazing event it was.

Our ceremony was in a wooded area on the property of Temple Emanu-El. We loved how our rustic chuppah looked with the background of trees. We decorated it with white flowers and Morrie’s Talis hung above us as the ceiling. The scene was perfect, with natural greens, our white flowers, our bridal party in navy blue, and blue skies all around us.

Our cocktail hour had the most amazing food! The sushi, duck cigars, and the Romanian BBQ table were some personal favorites. Other highlights were the slider station, Korean beef lettuce wraps, and the carving board. Our reception was outside under the beautiful tent Northern Valley Affairs had. Our florist did an amazing job with the floral arrangements. We loved the huge dance floor and space for tables for our big families. We had perfect June weather and it was incredible partying outside in nature while having a luxury experience.

For dinner, Northern Valley Affairs wowed us. We tried everything at our wedding and were so impressed that it was just as delicious as at our tasting. After a three-part tasting plate, with Chilean sea bass, stuffed portobello mushroom, and a salad with candied pecans, our guests were served a duet entrée of braised short ribs and French-cut chicken breast. Our wedding cake was beautiful, all white with little white flowers on it. Northern Valley does an incredible, butler-style dessert. We had bite-sized versions of warm apple pies, warm cookies with vanilla shake shots, deep fried Oreos, and more. The biggest hit was the mini cookie dough lava cakes, which were beyond delicious!

Morrie and I thank Les, Marty, Jennifer, and the entire staff at Northern Valley Affairs who helped make our day so special! We thank all our vendors for executing to perfection, and our family and friends for being there to celebrate with us. Thank you to our parents for your unconditional love, guidance, and support. Our wedding was one of the best days of our lives!

Northern Valley Affairs at Temple Emanu-El, Closter, NJ, 201.750.0333, northernvalleyaffairs.com