Laura Flusty has just one regret about her marriage to Jake Smilovitz: She wishes there were more pictures.
She has a video and hundreds of images (shot by two photojournalist friends, one of whom flew in from Kenya), but “I wish I had even more because I just want to remember it more,” says Flusty of her May 28, 2016, wedding day.
The event “was exactly what I wanted and more,” says Flusty, a marketer at American Express. Smilovitz (son of the WDIV sportscaster Bernie) manages mergers, acquisitions and venture capital at the New York Times. The couple reside in Manhattan.
The two grew up just four miles apart and both belonged to — and were b’nai mitzvah at — Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, but did not meet until they were in the elite Order of Angell organization at the University of Michigan.
“It was instant respect for each other, and we knew we wanted to marry within a few months,” Flusty says. “But it wasn’t until three and a half years later that he actually proposed.”
And what a proposal it was. The couple were on their way to a work function — or so Flusty thought — when they “bumped into” a friend who gave them access to a private section of Madison Square Park. The next thing Flusty knew, Smilovitz was on one knee and family members were rushing in. After celebratory cocktails and dinner, they arrived home where friends threw a surprise party. “And then,” Flusty says, “Jake got us a suite at the Ritz-Carlton.”
The couple chose a “whimsical garden” theme for their big day, and Flusty was determined to pull it off without a wedding planner.
“I wanted to make sure it was completely my vision and not someone else’s,” she says. Abundant flowers and foliage, champagne draperies, handsome farm tables and mahogany chairs “made it seem like we were in a beautiful garden, not a banquet room.”
Smilovitz was so hands-on he even wrote the code for their wedding website and designed their logo.
For now, the couple are ensconced in Manhattan. “Our careers are definitely in New York,” Flusty says. “But our hearts are still in Michigan, which will always be our home.”
THE WEDDING LIST
Ceremony and reception Knollwood Country Club
Wedding gown Pronovias at Bridal Couture, Birmingham
Shoes Christian Louboutin
Invitations Invitation Station, Bloomfield Hills
Flowers Twig & Berries Event Design, Troy
Groom’s tuxedo Ralph Lauren Purple Label
Hair Tiffany Halawi, D’Alleva Salon, West Bloomfield
Makeup Regina Pavlov Pipia, Ruby’s Balm, West Bloomfield
Music The Brian Alexander Band
Officiant Rabbi Joshua Bennett, Temple Israel
Photographers Sam Wolson and Max Collins
Cinematographer Shane Tincu
Bridesmaids’ dresses BHLDN, Adrianna Papell
Cake The Home Bakery, Rochester
Maid of Honor Becca Portney
Best Man Zach Smilovitz
Joyce Wiswell Special to the Jewish News
PHOTOGRAPHS BY SAM WOLSON AND MAX COLLINS
