Jstyle Weddings spotlight | Alexandra Gale & Steven Klein

Photos by Joey Kennedy Photography

How did you meet?

Steve and I met while I was waitressing while I was in college at a place called Tinkers Creek Tavern. It was my very last day there before I started a new job, and he was there with his uncle and cousin. Near the end of my shift, he grew up the courage to come up to me and ask me out on a date, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.

What’s an interesting/fun/cute story about getting to know one another?

We both grew up on the water and are boaters. We love being on the water, especially together. When we first met, I (Alexandra) had mentioned I grew up boating, but it wasn’t until we took his boat out that he realized I could really be his first mate not only out at sea, but on land as well.

How long did you know each other before you got married?

We knew each other and dated for seven years before we got married. We were always having too much fun to really slow down and plan a wedding.

When did you know you wanted to marry your partner?

I (Alexandra) knew about a month into dating that he was special and was the one for me. One of our dates was at the African Safari Wildlife Park. I captured a photo of him feeding a giraffe through the sunroof, and every time I see his smile in that photo, it reminds me of the day I fell in love with him.

(For Steven), the summer we met, which was one of our favorite and most fun summers, and would set the tone for our future.

What was the best part of wedding planning?

The best part of wedding planning was getting the opportunity to express our style as a couple and seeing this all come together on our big day. Then being able to share this with our family and friends was the cherry on top.

What was the most difficult part of wedding planning?

The most difficult part of wedding planning was balancing life: work, social life, all while planning. We sometimes found it difficult to set aside time, but once we did, we found the idea of throwing a party for our family and friends makes it all worth it.

What spot-on advice did you receive prior to the big day?

Many people tell you “happy wife, happy life” but someone once told us, “happy spouse, happy house,” and we believe that’s more accurate and what we choose to live by.

Were there any conflicts between the two of you or your families in the planning process? Did either of you have to make any sacrifices?

Surprisingly, there wasn’t much conflict throughout our planning process, we tried to make the process as relaxed as possible. My (Alexandra’s) mother-in-law helped me plan mostly and Steve was more hands off, which at times could be a bit stressing as it felt like it was all on me. But my mother-in-law stepped in when I needed her most, which ultimately helped strengthen our relationship.

What was the most fun or interesting Jewish aspect of your wedding/partnership?

The most fun and interesting aspect of our wedding process was reclaiming my (Alexandra’s) Judaism throughout my conversion process. I had not been raised with any religion, but my mother came from a Jewish background, but had not known much about it. After taking a genetic test, I discovered I was 15% Ashkenazi Jewish, which made Steven’s concern to raise our children Jewish an easy decision for me to reclaim my own Judaism and recapture part of my family’s history. The reclaiming process helped bring Steve and I even closer, and we found it to be a lot of fun and exciting for our future and hopefully our children’s future.

“If we had to choose the best moment of our wedding, I would say it was the moment after we said our ‘I do’s’ and turning down the aisle to see all our friends and family celebrating with us.”

– Alexandra