By Nicole Baute   Living Reporter

Jewish wedding is a celebration of love, and love for food

The Couple

The bride:

Miriam Streiman, 30

Chef who has worked extensively with food and media; involved in the slow food movement

The groom:

Neil Epstein, 31

High school teacher who grew up with a family farm as his second home

The goal:

A traditional Jewish wedding ceremony with an upbeat, country vibe, and a celebration of food

Even the Rabbi knows this wedding is as much about food as it is about love.

He is standing with Miriam Streiman and Neil Epstein under a canopy in front of a pond that flows into the Don River. The bride’s grandfather’s prayer shawl and cattails from the couple’s new farm are draped on top of the chuppah.

Today, Rabbi Ed Elkin says, is a celebration of Streiman and Epstein’s commitment and love for each other, but also of “food that is delicious, healthy and good for the environment.”

The guests smile. A few chuckle softly. Streiman, 30, and Epstein, 31, love food. There really is no overstating that.

And so, their wedding is about fresh, local food, country living, family, and the Jewish faith, perfectly packaged together in an old industrial building at the Evergreen Brick Works, along the Don Valley.

Birds chirp and bees buzz at the old brickyard, which has been turned into a community environment centre but still has faded bricks and shattered windows. Fruits trees and tomato plants are tagged for sale nearby.

The ceremony begins with a rollicking stroll down the aisle to an alt-bluegrass band playing Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire, the wedding party a lively crew of mismatched brothers, sisters, cousins and babies.

It ends with a smashed glass, shouts of “Mazel Tov!” and a long, luscious kiss.

While the bride and groom slip away for photos, the guests direct their attention to the food. They mingle over bread, cured beef and duck, sheep’s milk cheeses and fruit laid out on tables covered in burlap sacks. They sip beer and water out of mason jars that will later be used for canning.

Streiman, who studied culinary management at George Brown and Epstein, a high school teacher with an engineering degree, met on blind date in Montreal five years ago.

Food has always been a central part of their relationship.

Streiman says Epstein wooed her with raspberries and award-winning garlic from his family farm in Pefferlaw, Ont. And she describes, in sensual detail, pulling beets and carrots out of the earth in preparation for one of their first meals together on that farm, soil clinging to the vegetables and their hands.

Streiman, a chef, cooks using instinct, touch and feeling. Epstein has more of a scientific connection to food – he’s eager to figure out precisely how to tap maple trees or churn his own butter.

“Cooking together, and sharing a table together, is how we show love,” Streiman says.

She has worked as a food stylist and in recipe development with television programs on the Food Network, TVO and CBC. She also helps coordinate events for Slow Food Toronto, and organized her wedding in much the same way, bringing together local farmers, chefs and community.

Last December, the couple bought a 40-hectare farm in Maple Valley, not far from renowned chef Michael Stadtlander’s Eigensinn Farm and the town of Creemore. They plan to open a bed and breakfast called Mad Maple Farm, with comfortable suites, farm-to-table brunches, cooking classes and foraging expeditions.

Their urban wedding is the beginning of their foray into the country.

While a klezmer band plays the hora and the new husband and wife are lifted up on purple chairs, roughly 20 chefs are preparing an incredible meal at five stations set up in plain view of the guests.

These are rising stars in Toronto’s restaurant industry, and close friends of Streiman’s, who knows where every ingredient in this feast has come from.

The fish was caught the day before the wedding, by Akiwenzie’s Fish & More, a small First Nations fishing company in Georgian Bay. The rainbow carrots, beets, salad greens, fennel, eggs and duck came from a co-op of 20 farms called the Kawartha Ecological Growers, as did the 128 chickens, raised just for today.

The fruit is from Niagara and the water, the Niagara escarpment. The artisanal breads were made at St. John’s bakery, part of St. John’s mission in Toronto. The cheese is from Monforte Dairy in Stratford. The beer from the Steam Whistle brewery. The list could go on.

Luis Valenzuela, chef at Torito in Kensington market, admits he pulled an all-nighter because the fresh lamb and baby chickens arrived just before the wedding. “Everything was so fresh!” he says. “So, so fresh.”

Weddings aren’t really part of the repertoire for these busy chefs, including Fabio Bondi of Parkdale’s Local Kitchen and Wine Bar, who prepared the charcuterie, starting three months before the wedding (he also grilled whitefish with salsa verde and salmoriglio sauce).

By the time dinner arrives, its sights and smells have been wafting over the crowd for a few hours.

Just before the 230 guests tuck in for the dinner of a lifetime, “roaming freelancer” and chef Joshna Maharaj leans over the roasted beet salad with an explanation.

“We are all here because we love Miriam.”

A ring with history When Epstein proposed to Streiman, in one of their favorite parks in Montreal, he told her a story she had never heard before:

Before the Holocaust, Epstein’s great-grandparents and some of their children were living in Poland, in a town called Rypin. (Epstein’s grandfather and one of his brothers were already living in New York City.)

Epstein’s great-grandfather knew the mayor, who warned him that the Nazis were coming and that they should get out of town.

The family put all their valuables in a glass jar and buried it in the dirt floor of the basement, tucking it safely away under a wall.

Epstein’s great-grandparents stayed in Rypin and were later shipped to the Warsaw ghetto, where they perished. But because they were young and healthy, the children fled to Russia. They were sent to a labour camp because they didn’t want to give up their Polish citizenship.

By the end of the war, only Epstein’s grandfather’s sister, Channa, and her husband, Barruch, survived. They had to go back to Rypin for the glass jar.

Barruch’s brother had been in the Russian army during the First World War, so the brothers went to the town wearing his old army uniforms. Posing as officers, they entered the house and retrieved the jar.

They smashed it open in an abandoned building near the old family house; they took the money and other valuables, and went back to Channa.

But Channa told them something was missing. Inside the jar there had been rings, one for each of the siblings, wrapped in candy wrappers. They had to go back.

When they returned, they found the candy wrappers in the rubble.

When he finished his story, Epstein gave Streiman the ring that was later given to his grandfather, Ben Gorman.

White and yellow gold with a diamond, it is now on Streiman’s finger.

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I loved what I was doing, I love to sell! 

I was CEO of the company and spent 90% of my time selling and a minimal amount of time on operations.  Selling to me was  where the action is.

Well heaven became hell.   We were hitting the wall and I had to make a change in my career.  We were heading down a negative production spiral to failure.   Our production department was not developing in an acceptable fashion.   We were servicing a more discriminating buyer.  We were turning more transactions.  We were running into cost overruns, slow turnaround times and bloated labor costs.  Our product was not being maintained, cleaned, stored or shipped the way I wanted.

What is crazy is that new sales still were growing even in a recession.  

I knew for years what I should do but either did not have the guts or I wanted to do what I liked best rather than what the business needed most.

I did the about face in my career on May 4 2010.   I did not plan to do it that day but was forced to.  An emergency forced my hand. I took my computer, moved two miles down the street to my warehouse facility.  My daughter Ashley took over running the Party Sales department and all other operations at the main office. 

It is now three month since the move.  The transition has not been seamless.  Sparing detail I have bullet pointed the early results

1. Most Warehouse personnel welcomed the change
2.  The situation was worse than I thought
3. There was a production surprise  every corner  and every day
4. We were six months  behind in prep for the season
5. It’s a lot of work to instill core values of quality, process, procedure and personal responsibility  for your action
6. It won’t happen overnight     
7. The owner(me) can make faster, crisper decisions than a salaried manager

The real reason I did not do this earlier is I did not want to get out of my comfort zone.  A lack of guts on my part?

The major regret I have is that I didn’t do it sooner.    

Feel free to email me with any advice, support or questions

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The secret to staging a perfect seaside ceremony
By —Dinah Gold |
Photos by Photographer: Luca Trovato

Picture the most relaxed, romantic setting you can imagine. There’s a very good chance it’s a beach—a tropical shoreline framed by lush palm trees or a rocky coast where foaming waves rush to meet dramatic jetties. If you think this is paradise, why not get married here? Below, what to know when planning seaside I dos.

Timing and Weather

While no one can guarantee a beautiful day, you can increase your chances for sunny skies by researching your site’s seasonal patterns before booking a date (contact the town’s chamber of commerce or log on theweatherchannel.com). If possible, pick a month when the weather is most consistently temperate.

Find out about other weather-driven factors, such as how windy the beach gets at different times of the day; you can then plan accordingly (for example, using decorative mesh screens behind you during the vow exchange to shield everyone from overzealous breezes). If you’re determined to get hitched at sunset, visit the Navy’s Web site at usno.navy.mil.com to fine-tune your timing. Pay attention to the ocean’s cycles, too, so you know when the tide comes in.

Getting There

During high season, beach traffic can be heavy, and during the off-season detours are common, so send guests instructions listing several possible driving routes, including one from the nearest airport, suggests Jeffrey Jacobs, banquet manager of Gurney’s Inn, a seaside resort in Montauk, New York. Parking can be tricky, too, if your ceremony is taking place far from the reception (which is best held indoors, not directly on the beach).

Call the chamber of commerce even before you book your date to ask about reserving parking spaces and applying for any permits. If the lot is far from your wedding site, you may want to provide a shuttle bus or van for guests. At the very least, post markers along the route. Balloons tied to a post may blow away, so try something sturdier—for example, a trail of well-placed, tulle-decorated buckets weighted down with heavy rocks.

Your Look

Let guests know the wedding will be right on the beach so they can dress appropriately. Word your invitation accordingly, with a phrase like “beachside ceremony” or “ceremony on the sand.” High heels and a heavy, elaborate gown with a long train will look stiff and formal; instead, consider marrying in a gown of a simpler design made of an airy, lightweight fabric like organza, chiffon, charmeuse, or crepe (avoid silk, which can make you perspire).

Go barefoot or wear flat, dressy sandals; flip-flops are too adolescent. Flowers in your hair are a safer choice than a veil, especially if there may be wind. “If you do want to wear a veil, make sure it’s weighted at the bottom with beads or fabric flowers, so it doesn’t flap or go airborne,” warns Kevin Tobey, social catering director at the Four Seasons Palm Beach in Florida. One word about panty hose: Don’t!

The groom’s outfit should match the formality of yours: a white dinner jacket for a dressy wedding; a blazer, khakis, and a white or light-colored shirt if it’s informal. So you glow rather than burn, apply sunscreen under your makeup.

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I hope you enjoy the article!

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So I submit for your approval an article I found on bride.com full of wonderful advice on how the groom can keep these merry men on track and looking sharpe while they perform their thankless duties of being good groomsmen.

Check out the great links in this article they lead to other fine articles from brides.com. Just more Tales from the web see you again on the web.

Groomsmen Guide

One of the grooms’s biggest duties: getting the  groomsmen and best man organized

As if you needed any more wedding preparation duties, getting the groomsmen and best man organized can be akin to herding cats. As these friends of your fiancé may live down the street or in another part of the country, it can be logistically-challenging to help these guys show up for the wedding day wearing the right attire.

The good news is that this is one duty that is ripe for your fiancé. Since you may want to know what might be involved, this article covers the bases.

It is very important to let your fiancé’s best man and groomsmen know what is expected of them, and what it will cost, leading up to wedding day. (This applies equally to your bridesmaids and maid of honor.) This might include your wedding details and when they are expected to arrive at your wedding, as well as your plans for a destination wedding if that’s being contemplated. There is an evolving tradition that the best man and groomsmen are on the hook for paying for their wedding attire rental, which can run upwards of $100. Add that to the cost of getting to your wedding, lodging, food and a wedding gift, and your wedding can be expensive for these guys. Not every best man and groomsman can afford to attend your wedding without budgeting for it, as much as they’re great friends of your fiancé.

Once you have figured out what the male attendants will be wearing, you’ll need to provide an easy way for the groomsmen to collect their wedding attire, or take measurements if you’re planning on buying or ordering the attire for them. This is no simple task, as measurements taken too early or incorrectly will result in ill-fitting clothing come wedding day. More than one groomsman has shed or added pounds in the time between getting measured for his tuxedo and picking it up at the rental shop. Furthermore, it always seems like there is one groomsman who takes longer than expected to get his tuxedo order filed with the rental shop. Make sure your fiancé stays on top of this.

While you and your fiancé are not traditionally responsible for helping out-of-town groomsman find lodging, it’ll be helpful for them and will reduce pre-wedding stress for you to know where they are staying. Make sure your fiancé has this on his list.

Providing the groomsmen with a wedding day itinerary that is tailored to your wedding will be invaluable for them. While dates and times change, by creating such an itinerary and sending it to them early enough, you’ll have framed the wedding weekend for them.

Finally, make sure to let the best man know whether he’ll be asked to make a wedding speech or wedding toast (as the case may be). Wedding speeches are stressful enough without the added surprise of being called upon by the wedding MC unexpectedly. — Michael Arnot, Founder, Groom Groove

 Send him to GroomGroove.com to make sure your fiancé knows how to keep his groomsmen organized. Photo credit: David Wolfe Photography

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Bridesmaids on a Budget

How to cut the costs of being an attendant and still do right by the bride

Heather Wax had never been in a wedding before. So when her old chum Elise asked her to be a bridesmaid, the 24-year-old San Franciscan felt honored. Heather’s thrill waned, however, once she calculated the costs. There were the dress and shoes, hairstyling and manicure, cross-country flights and hotel rooms, the expenses of a wedding shower, a bachelorette party, and gifts. In fact, certified wedding consultant Michelle Hodges, of San Jose, CA, estimates that the average bridesmaid will spend upwards of $1,000 in the months preceding the big day.

“You should talk to the bride about expenses before you accept the role of being a bridesmaid,” says Robbin Montero, a wedding planner in Napa Valley, CA. “If you really feel you can’t afford it, you should decline.” If your financial concerns don’t arise until later, Hodges suggests a chat with the maid of honor. “Remember that when planning a wedding, emotions are high—especially the bride’s.”

But don’t let dinero or the lack thereof discourage you from saying “I do” to a friend who wants you as her bridesmaid. You can still be part of the bridal party, even if you have to pinch a penny or two.

The Dress
When it comes to cutting clothing costs, “the best thing you can hope for is a considerate bride,” says veteran attendant Allison Smith, 25, of Berkeley, CA. If the bride’s open-minded, suggest that the maids wear coordinating off-the-rack outfits from a chain store, outlet mall, or catalog, or let them choose plain black dresses (you may already own one).

If the bride wants traditional bridesmaid gowns, steer her toward one with versatile pieces that can later be paired with other items. Sing the praises of less-expensive manufacturers like Alfred Angelo, Mori Lee, and Bari Jay. Once the bride’s made up her mind, order your gown immediately. Grace Young, a representative of San Francisco dress shop Bridal Galleria, warns, “There are often additional rush fees when you order late.” If you’re an out-of-state bridesmaid, don’t automatically order the dress from a store in your neck of the woods. First, contact the shop the bride is using to see if it can ship your gown directly to you. You’ll almost always avoid the sales tax, so even with the shipping costs, the dress may cost less.

To save on alterations, provide accurate body measurements when you order. Young suggests having bridal shop pros do the measuring, if possible. Also, try shopping around for someone less expensive than the bridal shop’s seamstress.

Shoes
Need dyed-to-match shoes? Find out if that pale pair from your last bridesmaid’s gig can be re-dyed (a possibility if you’re going darker, but be cautious, since the additional dye can sometimes run). For new footwear, seek out inexpensive brands like Nina and Dyeables—and see about coloring them black after the wedding so you can use them again.

If the bride’s not requiring dyed-to-match, Hodges recommends black shoes to go with any dark gown. Light dresses can look good with bone or even clear-vinyl shoes. Dig through your closet, then scour lower-priced stores like Payless or Wal-Mart for their most unadorned styles (keeping in mind that bargain-bin specials may rub your tootsies raw).

Hair and Makeup
The easy money-saver? Do your own beautifying: Go with a simple, pulled-back ‘do and have all the bridesmaids help with one another’s makeup.

Some brides insist on professionally crafted coifs. In that case, consider a beauty school, where students perform a full range of services for nominal fees. And no need to worry about ending up with a frizzed-out fright perm. As Frank Pappacoda, CEO of the Learning Institutes of Beauty Sciences, a chain of New York and Massachusetts cosmetology schools, points out, “The students are under the constant supervision of their teachers” and will heed your wishes. Check out naccas.org for a school near the wedding

This content originally appeared in Modern Bride magazine.

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So, most, if not all, weddings have some sort of budget.  If you have absolutely no budget, whatsoever, you could quickly be throwing 6 figures at the one day.  If you don’t make a Hollywood paycheck, but still want to have a wedding, it’s best to give yourself some sort of limit, so that you might still be able to own a house in your lifetime. 

Couples planning a traditional wedding in the New Hampshire seacoast region are spending an average of $20,000-$40,000.  The question then, is how to get the most bang for your limited buck.  The answer is to prioritize.  Make a list of all the things that are important to you.  For instance, a stunning view, a huge dance floor, elaborate & custom lighting design, a couture wedding gown, an open bar, haute cuisine menu, china & crystal rather than paper & plastic.  Make the list huge and dreamy and, maybe even, completely fantastical.  Then, start doing some pricing research.  Assign realistic dollar amounts to each item.  Add them up.  How far over budget are you?  Maybe not all.  Maybe you’re considering knocking over a bank.  Maybe you’re so discouraged you’re thinking of calling the whole thing off.

This is the time to sit down with your fiancé, and anyone else in your family who’s helping with the planning or paying, for a nice long chat.  Things can get challenging here; how often does your family agree on anything?  Let everyone say their piece, uninterrupted.  Let me repeat that: uninterrupted.  Once everyone has gotten the chance to say what’s important to them, it’s time to do a second budget crunch.  In a perfect world, each person could have the one or two most important items on their dream list.  In a real world, we’ll have to make some tough decisions.  The thing to keep in mind is that the day is about the joining of two people and two families.  Allow this budgeting process to open the doors of communication that will keep you all happy & functionin  in sickness & in health, for richer & for poorer, til death do us part.

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I spent a lot of time looking at all the new silverware and glassware pattern .  The glassware by Riedel was stunning.  It is lighter and more elegant than conventional rental glassware and is a well known brand in the wine industry.  Many of you folks who cruise have probably already been introduced to it in the wine tasting events held on the major cruise lines. Stay tuned I hope to purchase it for this summer season!

Here is a summary of other exciting new items at the show:

The talk of the show was the new tents presented by Aztec.  They have designed a sailcloth frame tent.   It was the prettiest tent at the show.  It is a manufacturing marvel, joining the engineering of a frame tent with the nautical soft flowing lines of a sailcloth tent.   Sailcloth has become the hottest product in the tent industry over the past few years.

I spent a lot of time with Drake Manufacturing who was displaying Chivari chairs in fruitwood, gold and clear.  Natural garden chairs were seen in most booths for a more natural organic wedding look and feel.

Tent wares of Londonderry N.H. had oriental and Japanese lanterns in all the latest colors including tangerine, fuchsia and white.  We utilize their product for custom tent lighting at all of our events.

The hottest linen colors displayed by A1 Tablecloth Company for 2010 are a navy blue and white combo for this summer’s fashions.   The most popular way to add an additional splash of color is to add table runners in contrasting colors and fabrics.    Tablecloths in taffeta and satins graced many displays.

We will be e-blasting color photos and detailed descriptions of all the new products we will be carrying very soon. So if you are not on our mailing list and would like to be follow this link Join Our Mailing List and tell a colleague, in-law or future in-law in our tell a friend section at the top of the blog. We give you just about any way under the sun to tell your friends about our blog and it’s contents. While you’re at it fan us on Face Book. It’s a great place to see all the latest event products, valuable links and just for our fans coupon discounts.

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Being first is not always being the best

I remember the Sperry Tent had a nice light flowing feel to it and not opaque like the other tents available at the time. I thought why not create a new and improved version of the Sperry Tent? I now understood one of the reasons why sails were lowered in a storm. This tent needed to be more water proof and durable while at the same time not lose any of its elegance and beauty.

Ingenuity and change is the life blood of an Entrepreneur

If we combined this more durable tent with our full service special events experience we would create a unique and superior buying experience for today’s weddings and corporate event

Why go one place for a tent and then another for chairs a third for linens and china.   What an imposition on a bride or event manager! We approached what we felt was the best tent manufacturer in the United States to make our next generation sailcloth tent. This newly designed sailcloth is the most beautiful weather resistant product on the market today. Clients rave that they are the most beautiful tents on display on all the most recent national tent shows so far this year. Couple these tents with our other award winning products, valuable guidance and impeccable customer service you’ll agree we have created a seamless one stop experience you won’t soon forge

Proof is in the pudding

Seeing is believing so let us show you up close and personal what we have found to be the latest and greatest available, in all aspects of wedding and corporate event rentals, on the market today. Please call any of our professional account consultants Ashley, Cedar or Sarah at 800 677-9838 for a free personal consult regarding your wedding.

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With Ashley’s new title comes added responsibilities including introducing Exeter Events & Tents to the Concord area. “We are opening a new showroom in downtown Concord located directly across from the State House. Concord compliments our business well and we are excited to provide the area with a full service wedding and event rental company. We are expected to open February 15, 2010.” The new Concord showroom will be located at 118 North Main St.

Exeter Events & Tents is Northern New England’s premier full service wedding and event rental organization. With over 25 years of combined experience, our consultants are more than happy assist you with planning your event rentals. Our extensive line of tents, dance floors, dishes, linens, tables, chairs, and other party supplies are perfect for a backyard barbeque, wedding, birthday party, or family outing.

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