A Stylish and Modern Jewish Wedding at B’nai Torah in Boca Raton, Florida

For Tamara Loeffler and Raphael Cohen, it was “love at first swipe.” JSwipe, that is. Tamara and Raphael were both living in Atlanta – Raphael as a PhD student at Georgia Tech, and Tamara as a traveling poultry veterinarian.

For their first date, Tamara and Raphael met at a charming café in the middle of Atlanta, and Tamara was immediately intrigued by her date’s accent. Over time, the biggest “inside joke” of the couple’s relationship was how Tamara, being a veterinarian, was actively seeking an animal lover to be her life partner. As it turns out, Raphael was completely indifferent when it comes to animals and never even had a pet.

After six months of dating, Raphael flew home with Tamara to spend the weekend where she grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. From the airport, the two went straight to her favorite place – the beach. When they walked down to the beach, Raphael proceeded to give Tamara a handwritten card; and when she finished reading, he was down on one knee.

“I had no idea he was going to propose,” Tamara recalls. “I was the happiest girl in the world! We wanted a short engagement, since we would be moving out of Atlanta for a new job in Michigan.”

A destination wedding in Florida was the perfect opportunity to bring the bride and groom’s families together. Amid the excitement of that magical celebration, both Tamara and Raphael felt calm throughout the day, basking in the love and support they felt from everyone in attendance.

“We decided on a Thursday night wedding to give our friends and family the chance to take a long weekend in March, and we spent the wedding weekend celebrating with our families,” says Tamara. “You could feel the love in the air; and with an outdoor chuppah, the cool March evening was just perfect. It was a true fairy tale! We are still planning our honeymoon, and we look forward to a beautiful and loving life together.”