Attorney & Vet Unite Over Doggie Cocktails
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Attorney & Vet Unite Over Doggie Cocktails

Stefanie and Ben chose Chabad for the ceremony alongside their special connection to the rabbis who are brothers.

By Marcia Caller Jaffe August 28, 2024, 10:29 am Edit

After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.

  • Stefanie and Ben are devoted to their dogs, Manny and Cappy // All photos by Sloan Bragg
    Stefanie and Ben are devoted to their dogs, Manny and Cappy // All photos by Sloan Bragg
  • The attendants wore light blue long gowns and tuxedos.
    The attendants wore light blue long gowns and tuxedos.
  • Signature cocktails were named after the couples’ two pups.
    Signature cocktails were named after the couples’ two pups.
  • The room in white decor was elevated by a wood beamed ceiling.
    The room in white decor was elevated by a wood beamed ceiling.
  • Ben davened with emotion prior to the ceremony. 
    Ben davened with emotion prior to the ceremony. 
  • The Levy’s (left) and Seidmans were thrilled to join families.
    The Levy’s (left) and Seidmans were thrilled to join families.

Atlantans Dr. Stefanie Seidman and Ben Levy chose coastal Charleston to dance the night away with 240 friends and family at the Charleston Harbor Resort at Patriots Point following a ceremony at Chabad of Charleston on May 26. The ceremony was co-officiated by Rabbis Yossi Refson of Chabad of Charleston and Michoel Refson of Chabad of Athens.

Stefanie grew up in Charleston and attended Clemson University and the University of Georgia School of Veterinary Medicine, but their paths in Athens had not yet overlapped while Ben attended the University of Georgia for both undergraduate and law studies. Both Stefanie and Ben have a wonderful relationship with the “Rabbis Refson” brothers.

The attendants wore light blue long gowns and tuxedos.

Ben and Stefanie first matched on a dating website in March 2020, but COVID struck, and they “just never really got together” until September 2022, when they both were on the dating app Hinge and matched again. They got engaged six months later in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, with both families secretly watching from a balcony while Ben proposed on the beach. Champagne and cheers followed, and wedding planning began.

During the ceremony, the Honorable Judge Scott McAfee of Fulton County Superior Court played Hatikvah on the cello while everyone stood and sang in honor of Israel and the Jewish people during the difficult months after Oct. 7. Judge McAfee and Ben have been close friends since their law school days at UGA. Israeli style hors d’oeuvres by Neptune’s Kosher Catering of Myrtle Beach were served after the ceremony, before guests were shuttled to the Charleston Harbor Resort followed by a seated dinner.

Signature cocktails were named after the couples’ two pups.

Stefanie’s dress was a lace bustier bodice with “column fit” created by designer Rue de Seine, as a lace masterpiece. Her great-grandmother’s pearl earrings and necklace completed the classic, elegant touch. The bridesmaids wore sky blue long gowns and sister, Nicki Seidman Biesold, was Matron of Honor.

Ben and the groomsmen wore black tuxedos, and Best Man was Itay Yarden. “Something special” was one of Ben’s best female friends, Tamar Gez, an Israeli emissary he met years ago in Atlanta and who now lives in Israel, flew in to be one of Ben’s attendants. She wore a long black gown. Friends and relatives came from all parts of the United States; and two couples flew in from Israel. Since Ben has served on the Friends of Israeli Defense Forces Southeast Division board for the past eight years, Ben and Stefanie feel a strong connection to Israel.

The room in white decor was elevated by a wood beamed ceiling.

The covered pavilion had tables set with white and blue hydrangeas, roses and touches of eucalyptus created by Tiger Lily Wedding Florist of Charleston. Chandeliers were supplied by Quoizel Lighting, where Stefanie’s father is CEO. Their first dance was “Biblical” by Calum Scott. The cake was vanilla with butter cream frosting, adorned with gold Shetland Sheepdog figurines. Since their two Shelties, Manny and Cappy, could not attend the wedding, the “gold” Shelties made their presence known along with two signature drinks: “the Manny,” a vodka, lemonade, and mint cocktail, and “the Cappy,” a rum and Coke with lime cocktail. At the end of the reception, Ben and Stefanie exited in a “just married” golf cart amid a sea of bubbles.

About Ben, Stefanie said, “He is genuine, kind, driven, passionate, hard-working, handsome, the best dog dad, and is an overall mensch.”

Ben davened with emotion prior to the ceremony.

Of Stefanie, Ben stated, “She’s sweet, compassionate, considerate and thoughtful to her friends, smarter than me, a veterinarian and surgeon who is truly dedicated to her patients. We have many favorite things in common — traveling, college football, and live music.”

Parents are Sue and Bob Levy of Peachtree Corners, and Karen and Rick Seidman of Mount Pleasant, S.C. Ben is the grandson of the late Helen and Izak Weingarten and Violette and Elie Levy. Stefanie is the granddaughter of Barbara Epstein, Boca Raton, Fla., and the late Stanley Seidman, and Helen and Stanley Slavin, Long Island, N.Y.

The Levy’s (left) and Seidmans were thrilled to join families.

Younesse Alami of Younesse Events of Charleston was the wedding planner. After a honeymoon in Belize, the couple will be back in Atlanta where Dr. Seidman is a veterinarian at VCA Midtown Animal Hospital and Ben is a personal injury attorney with the Wetherington Law Firm.

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