Jessica Stewart
- Dec 8, 2023
- 4 min read

Seasonal Autumn Chuppah For Samantha & Daniel's Jewish Wedding at the National Aviary

Samantha & Daniel

Ceremony & Reception

Photography by

Love was in the air as Samantha and Daniel celebrated their dream wedding at the National Aviary this autumn. Surrounded by friends, family, and birdsong, the couple exchanged heartfelt vows in an intimate ceremony that perfectly reflected their connection and commitment. Creating this one-of-a-kind chuppah for their Jewish ceremony was the highlight of my year as a designer!

Samantha was a vision in her ethereal gown, showing off her incredible tatoos! We are HERE for brides and grooms with ink. Everything about her bridal look gave big glam vibes and so much heart, which coordinated beautifully with the wedding's vibrant jewel tone color palette of indigo, violet, blue, purple, emerald, teal, rose gold, garnet, magenta, copper and cream. Dramatic dahlias, amaranth, lisianthus and other locally-grown blooms from Belle Fleur, Two Little Blooms, Cutting Root and other farms in the Pittsburgh Cut Flower Collective lent a whimsical, natural feel to Bramble & Blossom's designs.

After their Rose Garden ceremony, guests gathered in the Aviary's Garden Room for a reception celebrating Samantha and Daniel's love. Expertly planned by Joy Filled Occasions and catered by Atrias, the event featured creative cuisine and dazzling decor. The four-tiered cake from Four Oaks Bakery was a true showstopper.

Samantha and Daniel's fun-loving personalities shone through every detail, from the neon light table numbers to the make-your-own Lego people activity set up by the couple's son - this wedding was such a delight for guests and so interactive! Legacy Films captured every laugh and happy tear in a wedding video sure to be treasured for years to come.

Shout out to Rabbi Leigh Ann! We were knocked out by her kindness and warmth! She was interested in how our creative process, decorating our four post bronze chuppah with locally grown branches and blooms, would support the sacred space she was helping this couple to create. It was so interconnected and symbiotic! We shared in the joy of the fragrant Sweet Annie from Sol Patch Gardens that adorned each corner of the chuppah and the challenge of hanging the peacock-inspired cloth above.

Samantha left us the most extraordinary five-star review on the Knot and I hope it's not corny to say that it had me tearing up. My own Jewish wedding was also filled with both traditional and non-traditional details. Like Samantha & Daniel, we made it so that our wild diasporic family and friends could all share in the joy of the traditions that meant so much to us (like being married under a chuppah) and also were unique to our personalities. I soooooo loved connecting with these two. It was my honor and such a JOY!

Here's what Samantha says about working with us:

Let me tell you about how Jessica and the Bramble and Blossom team changed my perspective on wedding flowers from low on my priority list to something I loved so much I cried when my bouquet left my house (to be preserved because I wanted to keep a piece of then forever)

I left floral until a lot later in my planning process because I thought I could/wanted to DIY some of the decor and find someone to help me fill in the blanks. I reached out to Bramble and Blossom with that as my original plan and she gladly gave me info on a modified package that would fit what I wanted and asked for details on what I had. A lot of other places weren't as flexible. They also have a great library of rentable decor that came in handy! (the LED candles looked so real which was amazing for our venue that didn't allow open flames) I also learned later that they also offer the potential to buy back decor you purchase for your wedding to add to their rental collection, which just further adds to them being eco-friendly.

I absolutely fell in love with their eco-friendly values and when we talked about my vision for my wedding I fully pivoted to a full service package and put all my trust in Jessica, which took so much stress off of me! She was an absolute dream to work with, kept me updated in the process, and made it clear she was very excited to help us with our dream chuppah (which is exsctly what she created), which meant the world to us.

Day of, delivery was timely and smooth. I was floored by my bouquet and was so thrilled that I didn't try to DIY such an important detail of the day. Everything was set up perfectly even though out venue didn't allow for a lot of set up time. I loved having a variety of centerpieces. There was basil in the bigger ones which was such a lovely touch because they smelled so fresh!

She helped to coordinate keeping the centerpieces for brunch the next day, but also helped me set up a way to bring them back for composting since that was important to me. Everyone who worked with her commented on how nice she was, from our Rabbi to the friend who dropped the flowers off for me.

Long story short: you get way more than you pay for when you work with Bramble and Blossom. You get beautiful, memorable flowers, a stress-free process, and an amazing addition to your vendor team.

Congratulations to the newlyweds, Daniel & Samantha, your family is so beautiful and we're so grateful that you chose us to bring your vision to life!