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A Multicultural Persian-Jewish Wedding Celebrating Unity, Love, and Connection at JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA

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Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA

Victoria and Jake incorporated meaningful symbolism throughout the entire celebration, from pomegranates on their invitations, representing abundance in both cultures, to custom-designed kippahs. Every tradition was intentionally chosen to reflect not only where the couple came from, but also the life they are creating as husband and wife.

They began with a traditional Sofreh Aghd, the Persian wedding table filled with symbolic elements representing love, prosperity, health, and a joyful marriage, which they followed with a Jewish ceremony beneath the chuppah, symbolizing the home they would build together.

Not that Victoria and Jake stinted on style – this was one seriously elegant wedding, centered around a monochromatic palette of soft pinks with the most stunning florals. We also love that the duo “wanted the celebration to feel less like a formal reception and more like guests had stepped into a vibrant Middle Eastern beach club—where everyone was welcomed, every culture was celebrated, and no one wanted to leave the dance floor.” Don’t miss the incredible energy in the exquisite photos by Vadim Pastuh.

One of the most meaningful moments happened during the reception, when Victoria and Jake danced with the American, Israeli, and Persian flags, in a beautiful celebration of surrounded by love, joy, and unity. In Victoria’s words, “Our wedding was a reminder that love transcends labels, borders, and traditions.”

Read on for the full story in the bride’s own words…

Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA

Venue

Victoria, the bride: Jake and I chose the JW Marriott Grande Lakes because it offered everything we were looking for in a wedding venue. The staff was exceptional—attentive, professional, and dedicated to making every detail seamless. The expansive resort also allowed our guests to enjoy both privacy and the full resort experience throughout the weekend. It was especially important to us to select a venue close to a major airport, making travel convenient for our family and friends flying in from across the country.

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An Ultra-Personal Hindu-Jewish Wedding at Bell Works, New Jersey, USA

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Anisha and Chad, Bell Works, New Jersey, USA

We love a multicultural Jewish wedding, and Anisha and Chad’s Hindu-Jewish celebration at Bell Works in New Jersey is truly something special.

The couple opted to hold a single Hindu-Jewish ceremony, co-officiated by a Hindu priest and a rabbi, which they followed up with a non-denominational ceremony led by Anisha’s uncle and godfather.

In crafting their interfaith ceremony, Anisha and Chad found so many parallels between the two cultures, from circling rituals to the significance of the number seven (including seven blessings) in both traditions to the “manduppah” – the combined mandap and chuppah under which the ceremony took place. Don’t miss all the details in the images and trailer by Visionary Artists, who captured all the love and energy of the day on photo and video,

Now over to Anisha…

 

Anisha and Chad, Bell Works, New Jersey, USA Anisha and Chad, Bell Works, New Jersey, USA Anisha and Chad, Bell Works, New Jersey, USA Anisha and Chad, Bell Works, New Jersey, USA

How We Met

Anisha, the bride: We technically crossed paths long before we ever met. During the 2007–2008 school year, Chad was in 8th grade and I was in 6th grade at the same middle school, though we didn’t know each other at the time. As the junior yearbook editor, I happened to come across Chad’s yearbook photo and thought he was cute, never imagining our paths would cross again years later.

Fast forward seven years to May 2015, when we connected on Tinder. At the time, we were both living at home while attending college. On our first date at the end of June 2015, I brought Chad back to my house and showed him the yearbook, proving that I had remembered him all those years later from his 8th-grade photo.

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A Jewish Wedding Filled with Good Ruach, Good Vibes, and Good People at The Langham, London, UK

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Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

We adore a London Jewish wedding – and Gabi and Harry’s at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Langham is really something special.

The bride, who works in sustainability for an insurance company, and the groom, an associate engineer, knew The Langham was the one as soon as they visited. They fell in love with not only the gorgeous ballroom but the whole vibe, which really encapsulates all the elegance and glamour of London.  

Gabi and Harry’s vision for the day was “good ruach, good vibes and being with all our favourite people,” and you can see that they absolutely pulled it off. Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Claudine Hartzel took the most beautiful photos and made Gabi and Harry feel so comfortable on the day – in Gabi’s words, “It was more like having a friend in the room taking pictures of us. She was also EVERYWHERE and captured also the right moments, but also was somehow never in the way!”

The couple’s videographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Michael Pearl Films captured all the energy of the day so perfectly – and Gabi and Harry report that nearly two years on, they still can’t get enough of their wedding video and watch it frequently!

We also love that, in addition to their general wedding gift list, the duo opted to set up a We Judaica registry with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Contemporary Judaica – such a smart idea!

Now over to Gabi…

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

How We Met

Gabi, the bride: Harry and I met when we were 15 years old at a Jewish Youth Group (JLGB) on a Winter Camp. We became good friends and also went on Israel Tour together when we were 16. At 17 we started dating and the rest is history! Gabi went off to uni and Harry did an apprenticeship so we navigated a long-distance relationship for a few years. In 2021, we moved in together and then engaged in 2023. We got married in 2024 and then last year (2025) we moved across the world together to Sydney.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Venue

We got married at The Langham, London. Well for starters, if you have ever been to the Langham, it smells INCREDIBLE (which was reason enough for us to want to get married there!). Joking aside, Gabi had been there for afternoon tea previously and when she got engaged, her mum had suggested it as a possible venue – mums tend to know best with these things! We went for a visit and absolutely fell in love with the ballroom but also just the general vibe. Growing up and living in central London, it really matched exactly the feel we wanted for our wedding. It meant I could arrive in a white taxi to our wedding – very London!

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Theme

Our colour scheme was ‘cinnamon rose’ – Gabi had always wanted a pink wedding, but this colour worked for both of us. We didn’t have a planner, and absolutely loved all the DIY and planning that we had to do ourselves – it really was a nice change from our day jobs. Unlike lots of people, we desperately miss when we were wedding planning because we truly had the most fun. We loved spending evenings and weekends tying bows and testing our Canva skills. We had a day of coordinator – Dalain – who was incredible.

One thing that was special about our wedding was that we had a LOT of guests travel from overseas (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Israel and the US). We estimate over 50% of our guests had to travel and we wanted to make sure our guests knew how grateful we were. For every guests’ name place at the tables, we wrote them a personalised poem. Although this seems to have become a bit of a trend now, at the time it was truly unique and our guests loved it.

Ultimately the style/vibe for our wedding was good ruach, good vibes and being with all our favourite people. That was truly what mattered most.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Invitation/Stationery

We used Bliss and Bone to have online invitations. For our save the dates, we designed magnets ourselves which looked like a Photobooth strip. It was super fun and we loved that our guests had us up on their fridge in the lead up to the wedding.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Hair + Makeup

Hair: Gaby Goldring. I had seen lots of Gaby’s work at other weddings and knew I wanted her for mine. When I first enquired she wasn’t actually free, but then her plans changed – I reckon it was fate!

Makeup: Glow by Caitlin and J.Swales Makeup & Hair – Caitlin and Jess were both recommendations and they were both AMAZING. My makeup (plus my mum and bridesmaids makeup) all lasted PERFECTLY, not an eyelash out of place at the end of the night despite some very very sweaty Israeli dancing. I THINK I was the first jewish wedding they had both done, but they both nailed it. I felt amazing and it was thanks to them.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Dress

My dress was from Digio Bridal in Singapore. My parents live in Sydney so we had tried to find a dress there initially – no luck! We then went on a family holiday to Singapore (as I made my way back to London) and thought we may as well look at dresses, just for fun. I never expected that I would find THE dress there. It was truly the only dress I put on where I felt like a bride. I knew immediately. I loved how I looked sitting down as well – knowing that would be how Harry saw me for the first time at the Bedekken. I also secretly loved knowing that it is super unlikely that anyone else (at least in the Jewish wedding world) will have the same dress as me – that felt pretty cool. The dress was so different from what I had envisaged myself in before trying on dresses, but I felt like a real life princess.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Shoes

My shoes were from Bared. A Sydney brand known for comfy and supportive, yet glamours shoes. They absolutely fit that description.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Bridesmaids

I had 4 amazing bridesmaids who all wore cinnamon rose coloured dresses! I ended up getting their dresses from Coast, on the Debenhams website. We had a big day trying them all on, with options from Azazie, Pretty Lavish and Asos too, but we settled on the Coast one which they all felt the best in – they all looked incredible.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Ceremony & Chuppah

Our Chuppah was super special because Harry’s cousin is Rabbi Luis Herszaft (HGSS), so we were married by family which was amazing. We are also very close with Luis and his wife Jodie, so it was so lovely to be married by someone who actually know us. Luis also surprised us by singing the Sheva Brachot under the Chuppah to the tune of some of our favourite songs. Our Chuppah was truly magical, I couldn’t have asked for it to be more perfect. We had a really emotional ceremony, but then the second the glass was smashed, it was full-fledged party. Our bridal party joined us to dance under the chuppah before we made our way back down the aisle.

Flowers by Alina helped us design our chuppah. We knew what we wanted colours wise (cinnamon rose, light pinks and white), but she was so helpful at showing us all the options. I loved how our chuppah perfectly matched our kippot.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Ketubah

Just the standard United Synagogue one, but we love it and how it has a picture of a chuppah on it. It hangs in our bedroom now and makes us smile.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Our music choice

Our first dance was to ‘Can I have this dance’, from High School Musical 3 – a childhood dream for Gabi. At the chuppah we had the classic songs ‘Boee Beshalom’ and ‘Mehoirah’ and then ‘Eishet Chayil’, all sung by Creation. We then had Creation Events for the whole evening who were FANTASTIC – most of the comments we got after the wedding were about how amazing the band were.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Flowers

Flowers by Alina did an amazing job. I knew I wanted the bridesmaids bouquets to be pink and white, and then mine mostly white. The button holes were all white. Down the chuppah aisle, we had plinths which we then reused for the table centres. We also reused the Chuppah flowers themselves for the to table flowers – Alina was great at telling us about some of these hacks. Some of our chuppah flowers were actually fake to try save a bit of money – but Alina did such an amazing job you would truly never know. I wanted everything to look really grand and felt that the flowers fit perfectly.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Photographer and videographer

Photographer: Claudine Hartzel. She was INCREDIBLE. My best friend (who was also my bridesmaid) is a photographer and had recommenced Claudine and it was the best recommendation ever. Claudine made us both feel so comfortable from the moment we met. It was more like having a friend in the room taking pictures of us. She was also EVERYWHERE and captured also the right moments, but also was somehow never in the way! Truly in awe of her and we love our wedding pictures so much.

Videographer: Michael Pearl Films – who was also incredible! Claudine recommenced him handily! He made us laugh so many times and also feel so comfortable. He honestly captured the day perfectly. It’s been 2 years and we still watching our wedding video frequently – that tells you everything you need to know! Some people say you don’t need a videographer, but I regularly say this was the best decision we made.

Photo QR Codes: Best Ever Pics – we had QR codes for all of our guests to scan and then upload all the pictures they had taken on their phones. It was the best idea we had and we got SO many uploads (pictures and videos). It was amazing to look at all this content whilst we waited for the content from Claudine and Michael (which took a bit longer). This was available instantly. It was so much easier than chasing people to send their pictures or even trying to make group chat. With Best Ever Pics, guests didn’t need an app or a login to upload anything, which made it al super easy and user friendly too. There are also a few moments that were only captured on phone pictures, so we were grateful for that. Some of our guests even interviewed the staff working and went into the kitchens then uploaded the content so we could see – it was hilarious. Best Ever Pics was an amazing service too – super affordable and worked seamlessly. I could not recommend more.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Food and cake

Our caterer was Eat Me Events and the food – and drinks!! – were delicious.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Wedding List/Registry

We had two registries – one with David Jones (Australian John Lewis) and another with Contemporary Judaica.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Extra Details

I mentioned it briefly above but the best thing we did was put the QR codes from Best Ever Pics in our guest favours. We had little bags with sugared almonds (pink of course) and put the QR code in there with a short description so people would take it home. I also made sure that I mentioned it in my speech. We were blown away by the number of pictures and videos that were uploaded. Waking up the day after our wedding to see all the content was magical. There was so much we hadn’t seen from the day and seeing it through our guests’ eyes felt really special. It also filled a void whilst waiting for our professional pictures. I think our guests also enjoyed seeing everyone else’s pictures. Best Ever Pics had an option where you can either keep the gallery private for only the host to see or have it public for all your guests – we opted for the latter! It definitely helped with a lot of ‘post-wedding’ Instagram posts!

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Honeymoon

We went to Barbados for a week after the wedding and had an awesome time!

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

Advice to couples currently planning their wedding

Just be in every single moment. Without wanting to sound depressing, your wedding day is the only day in your whole life that you will have all your favourite people in one place – besides your funeral, which you don’t get to go to! Enjoy that and don’t take it for granted. On our wedding day, despite all the hours of planning we had put in, not one single thing mattered EXCEPT that we got married. That was all we cared about – the day would be a success if we ended it married. I think because we knew that was what mattered most, everything else went seamlessly and perfectly. The day exceeded all expectations because we were relaxed and just wanted to have fun. My nature (Gabi) is to be quite an anxious person, but I have never felt more at peace than I did on our wedding day – even my bridal party couldn’t believe it. I knew I was marrying the right man and everything would be amazing. It helped that every person in the room at our wedding was important and special to us, we weren’t worried about slip-ups/embarrassing moments or anything going wrong, because we knew the whole room just wanted the best for us. I know we are lucky to have been in that position.

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

GABI & HARRY’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK

Photography – Claudine Hartzel
Videography – Michael Pearl Films 
Venue – The Langham London
Bride’s dress – Digio Bridal
Bride’s shoes – Bared
Bridesmaids – Coast found at Debenhams
Hair – Gaby Goldring
Makeup – Glow by Caitlin and J.Swales Makeup & Hair 
Flowers – Flowers by Alina 
Band – Creation Events
Catering – Eat Me Events 
Stationery/Invitation – Bliss and Bone
Rabbi – Rabbi Luis Herszaft (HGSS)
Wedding List/Registry – David Jones and Contemporary Judaica
QR code – Best Ever Pics 

If you’re a Jewish or Jew-ish bride-to-be, you’ll want to join Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club. Guided by the world’s number 1 Jewish wedding expert, Karen Cinnamon, Brides Club is the private community for Jewish and Jew-ish brides that removes wedstress and indecision and gives you what you need to plan with confidence during these uncertain times. Join our Brides Club here.

 

A Verdin Bridal Bride for a Chicago-Meets-New Orleans Jewish Wedding at The Langham Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, USA

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Dylan and Daniel, Langham Hotel, Chicago, USA

Today’s couple, Dylan, an elementary school teacher at a Jewish day school, and Daniel, a medical student, wanted their Jewish wedding to capture the magic of two cities that have played a special role in their lives: Chicago, where they currently live – and where they married at the gorgeous Langham Hotel – and New Orleans, where they met as undergrads at Tulane.

Dylan and Daniel added lots of fun nods to their life in the Big Easy, like the throwing of Mardi Gras beads from the stage. We also love that the duo, who collect match books from around the world during their travels, had custom match boxes at the bars! Don’t miss all the wonderful details in the beautiful images by Christy and James of Christy Tyler Photography.

And of course we can’t leave without saying a few words about Dylan and Daniel’s stunner of a floral chuppah, featuring blooms in pink and white.

Now over to Dylan…

 Dylan and Daniel, Langham Hotel, Chicago, USA Dylan and Daniel, Langham Hotel, Chicago, USA Dylan and Daniel, Langham Hotel, Chicago, USA

How We Met

Dylan, the bride: We met in 2019 at Tulane University when we were set up for Daniel’s ZBT formal (Dylan was in SDT) and have been together every since.

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A Magical Summer Evening in London with Tony Page at The Dorchester’s Penthouse and Pavilion

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I was so thrilled to be invited to the newly reimagined Penthouse and Pavilion at London’s iconic Dorchester Hotel for a beautiful dinner hosted by Tony Page, one of the UK’s most beloved kosher caterers.

I’ve known Tony and his team ever since I started Smashing The Glass back in 2013, and over the years I’ve seen him craft the most exquisite Jewish weddings (some of which we’ve been lucky enough to publish) time and time again.

And The Dorchester – what a dream venue! This iconic Mayfair address has long been one of the capital’s most glamorous addresses and the site of many a gorgeous London Jewish wedding (including a few we’ve featured here on Smashing The Glass over the years), but this dinner gave me an opportunity to experience part of the property that most guests don’t get to see: The Penthouse and Pavilion, a magical gem of a space hidden away on the top floor of the hotel.

When my husband, Jeremy, and I arrived at The Dorchester, after taking a few moments to appreciate the elegant lobby we made our way straight up to the Penthouse and Pavilion, where we were greeted with drinks as we stepped out onto the gorgeous terrace to chat with the other guests.

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