Jstyle Weddings spotlight | Carly Schlessinger & Alec Stern

Where did you go on your first date?

Alec invited me (Carly) on a date in Chagrin Falls. We got dinner and walked around for most of the night. Little did we know, we’d be married in the same city we met four years later.

Do you have any interesting stories to share about getting to know one another?

We started dating while I (Carly) was in grad school in Philadelphia.
I made plans to come home often, but we also met a number of times halfway in Bedford, Pa. We spent our time exploring the Omni Bedford Springs Resort. While getting to know each other, we quickly learned about all of the connections that we had with each other. Our grandparents lived near each other, graduated together and our parents attended the same temple.

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

Before the wedding, we had known each other for almost exactly four years. We met around Memorial Day in 2018 in Chagrin Falls and four years later, we were married in the same city.

When did you know you wanted to marry your partner?

Carly: I knew I wanted to marry Alec pretty early on. I realized that we had so many overlapping values and interests. The more we got to know each other, the more clear it became.

Alec: I knew I wanted to marry Carly when I realized I could talk to her for hours without getting bored. After conquering long distance and moving in together, it wasn’t long before I decided to propose.

What was the best part of wedding planning?

Cake tasting! Alec’s aunt and uncle own Eston’s Bakery in Toledo and we originally hoped that they would be able to make us our wedding cake. After discussing logistics, we didn’t think it would be an option so we tried cakes from bakeries all over the Cleveland area. In the end, Eston’s found a way to bring our cake the day of the wedding from Toledo. We were so grateful that we were able to celebrate with them and enjoy their cake on the day of.

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

During our wedding ceremony, we chose to be wrapped in two
tallises. One tallit belonged to my (Carly’s) grandfather and one
belonged to (Alec’s) grandfather. We chose to use both because it
was a way to honor members of both of our families.

“The best part of our wedding was the ketubah signing in the wine cellar. We were surrounded by our family and close friends. Rabbi Hal made the process fun and meaningful as we were blessed by our parents. This was the moment that signified the start of our lives together as husband and wife and the rest of the evening that followed was nothing short of perfect.”

-Carly and Alec