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The Schmooze

The Couple That Served Their Wedding Meal To Hurricane Harvey Victims Have Fairy-tale Ceremony

Remember the ridiculously photogenic Houston couple who, with the help of Aishel House co-director Rochel Lazaroff, served the food intended for their wedding welcome meal to victims of Hurricane Harvey?

Well, they finally got married this weekend. And no natural disasters intervened.

This photo is somehow from real life, not a television show! Image by Instagram (Brooke Singer)

When a hurricane spread destruction across Houston, Josh Tillis and Dayna Skolkin (now Tillis!) were forced to postpone their wedding celebration. With food for a three-course meal intended for their guests already waiting at the Aishel House, a Chabad organization that provides hospitality to families of patients at the nearby Texas Medical Center, the couple was not willing to let their food go to waste. Along with Lazaroff, they rolled up their sleeves and prepared their own wedding meal, from mashed potatoes to breaded chicken, and served it to hungry hurricane victims. The couple earned a spot in the top 5of our annual Forward 50 for their selfless act of service. Their wedding date, set for September 3, was pushed to December. And last weekend, it finally happened.

The couple was married at Houston’s Marriott Marquis on Sunday night. The bridesmaids wore black evening gowns in varying styles and groomsmen wore sharp black bow ties. The bride carried a bouquet of white calla lilies and orchids, and flowers cascaded down the chuppah and served as boutonnières. Guests showered the couple in ivory petals as they walked back down the aisle together, and the couple not only performed a first dance but also led a group of friends and family in a choreographed dance.

Amidst the bride’s diaphanous train, the groom’s sky-blue kippah and an endless parade of floor-length gowns, the couple managed to keep their vows down-to-earth. Their wedding cake? A frosted Denver Broncos field with an edible football on top.

A thousand mazel tovs to the happy couple!

Jenny Singer is a writer for the Forward. You can reach her at Singer@forward.com or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

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