A Great Gatsby-Inspired Wedding At The Faena Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida

To get through the taxing workday as a lawyer, it helps to have a bestie at the office. For Jamie Isicoff, that was fellow lawyer Max. She would often hear him speaking to his good buddy on the phone and insert her comments into their conversation. Eventually, Brad Miller, the guy on the other end of the speaker, decided they needed to meet. “Brad issued a playful challenge,” says Jamie. “He teased that if we did not meet in the next two weeks we would never end up being friends.” 

The trio made it happen and got together for dinner one warm night in June. Afterwards, Jamie learned that Brad had proclaimed that if that first encounter went well he planned to marry her.

“From the moment I saw Jamie I was smitten,” says Brad, and so the wooing process began. A month later, Brad arranged an intimate birthday party for her select friends and family at Juvia restaurant, with its stunning rooftop views of Miami Beach. The friendship grew, and by September they were a couple.

After traveling to romantic destinations such as Paris, Venice and Jade Mountain in St. Lucia, where no proposal was forthcoming, Jamie was taken by surprise on a trip to the Bahamas. A long day of sunning and swimming was followed by a nap, and when Jamie awoke she was puzzlingly alone.

Brad sent an emissary to escort her to a torch-lit path through the dunes. Following the flickering light, she found Brad and a beautifully set dinner table amidst long abandoned ruins. Racing the setting sun, Brad began to speak of their relationship and his love for her and then dropped to one knee and proposed. “I was caught a little off guard,” says Jamie, “but he was romantic, sweet and super, super cute, so of course I said, ‘yes.’”

Neither the bride- nor groom-to-be were fans of big weddings, but by marrying in their hometown, the possibility of a small affair “got further and further out of reach.” They became the first couple ever to wed at Faena Forum, the newly opened Miami Beach cultural district centerpiece. With a sense of the hand of destiny, the couple realized that the Forum was built on the site of the former Saxony Hotel, where Brad’s grandparents had been wed.

A Jewish ceremony under the canopy was jointly officiated by each family’s rabbi. “I’m a bit of a nervous nelly,” says Jamie, “and it was terribly comforting to marry someone who was so sure, so calm, so collected.” She kept it all together by tightly clutching Brad’s hand throughout the rites. “I had a deadlock on him,” she says.

In an unforgettable moment, Brad’s exuberant stomp on the ceremonial glass tipped over a ritual cup of red wine, nearly splashing Jamie’s gown. “I put a little too much pressure on myself about that glass and probably overdid it, but that’s what made the moment so memorable,” says Bra.

As a lover of classic literature, Jamie looked to create a “Gatsby-esque” supper club ambiance for their reception. Detail oriented Brad, who also immersed himself in the planning, focused on symmetry and quiet elegance. All white florals and towering vases of large lush green tropical fan palms, banana leaves and elephant ears added to the uptown chic. Varied seating designs, including several shapes of tables topped with either linen, marble or glass and a mix of different chairs and banquettes was anything but boring. Art Deco stylings, a big influence in the Miami Beach architectural heritage, were reflected in the sophisticated artistry of the wedding cake. “It perfectly suited the feel of the reception, added a pop of color and created a beautiful focal point in the middle of the room,” says Jamie.

 A two-hour restaurant-style seated dinner was accompanied by speeches and a 1920s jazz and classic soul band. As guests finished their entrees, a wall of white curtains was drawn aside to reveal the dance band featuring a horn section and five singers.

The newlyweds took center stage for their first dance. “It went off without a hitch and was more wonderful than I could have imagined,” says Jamie. “Obviously, we had never rehearsed it with me in my bridal gown, and we still managed to nail all the dips and swings.” The party continued until 5 a.m., at which point early morning revelers moved to the penthouse of the Forum to continue the festivities.

Checking off a destination on both of their lists, Jamie and Brad flew west for their honeymoon. Sightseeing along the Pacific Coast Highway from Seattle to San Francisco, they started and ended with stays at local Ritz-Carlton hotels. Visits to Olympic and Redwood national parks and San Ysidro Ranch provided breathtaking scenery, physical activity and time to enjoy their newlywed status.