Emily and Brant‘s DIY Jewish Wedding at Kimpton Fitzroy London | Photo by Caitlin McWeeney Photography
Welcome back to “5 of Our Favorites,” where we showcase five breathtaking Jewish weddings each week, all curated around a special theme. This week, we’re celebrating creativity and personal touches with 5 of our favorite DIY Jewish weddings.
DIY weddings offer couples the chance to bring their vision to life, with every detail thoughtfully crafted by their own hands or with the help of close family and friends. From homemade decor to hand-built chuppahs to personalized favors and even home-baked wedding cakes, these weddings reflect the unique personality and love of the couple, creating a truly intimate and meaningful experience. Whether it’s an elegant outdoor affair or a cozy indoor celebration, these DIY Jewish weddings are full of heart, charm, and inspiration.
We can’t wait to share these beautiful, handcrafted celebrations with you and offer some ideas for incorporating your own personal touches into your big day!
Leah and Alex‘s DIY Jewish Wedding | Photo by Alex Gordias
Leah and Alex’s Literary Jewish Wedding with DIY Touches at the Bride’s Parents’ Family Home in Falmouth, Massachusetts
We love it when a couple makes their Jewish wedding 100% truly THEM. And that’s exactly what Leah and Alex did in their literary-themed backyard wedding, which celebrated the pair’s love of reading, family, and of course their beloved cats!
Leah and Alex‘s DIY Jewish Wedding | Photo by Alex Gordias
Their wonderful wedding planner, Luba Gankin from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Primavera Dreams, helped them pull all these strands together to make one ultra-memorable day. We can’t get enough of all the fun details like centerpieces made of old books and escort card bookmarks made of recycled book pages – plus the super colorful chuppah canopy, made from a piece of traditional Egyptian wedding tent cloth the bride brought back with her after spending three years living in Egypt!
Leah and Alex‘s DIY Jewish Wedding | Photo by Alex Gordias
Oh, and did we mention that the bride – who looked lovely in her wedding dress from BHLDN – baked the wedding cake (for 150 guests) herself?!
Emily and Brant‘s DIY Jewish Wedding | Photo by Caitlin McWeeney Photography
Emily and Brant’s Jewish Wedding Full of Wildflowers, Tacos, and DIY at The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, Texas
We always love featuring the gorgeous Jewish wedding of one of our Brides Club members – and that goes doubly for bride Emily, who was a beloved member of our Smashing Life community for Jewish women for years prior to her engagement to groom Brant. During her engagement, Emily was the absolute DIY queen of Brides Club, and we loved following along with all her fabulous projects.
Emily and Brant‘s DIY Jewish Wedding | Photo by Caitlin McWeeney Photography
In Brides Club, Emily couldn’t get enough of the supportive community, inspiration, and helpful resources. In her words,
The encouragement and support was also invaluable as my mom passed 9yrs ago, and I just didn’t know who to ask about some of the important things. Coping with decisions I would normally ask my mom is also where Karen and her monthly sessions made me feel less alone – I could again, brag or problem solve or just talk weddings. Karen and the other Brides Club members stepped in, in a way, where I was missing my mom.
Honoring her mom was a big part of Emily’s wedding planning vision – and the couple’s stunning venue, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, was chosen in part because Emily had fond memories of visiting with her mom during her student days at The University of Texas at Austin.
Emily and Brant‘s DIY Jewish Wedding | Photo by Caitlin McWeeney Photography
We’ve also got to tell you Emily’s hilarious ketubah story. She won her gorgeous tree ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink with Intent via a Smashing The Glass giveaway – before she was even engaged!
We adore everything about this very special wedding, from Emily’s DIY prowess to the chuppah built by the groom to the taco menu.
Grace and Barry‘s DIY Wedding | Photo by Mandee Johnson Photography
Grace and Barry’s DIY Jewish Wedding at Littlefield, Brooklyn, New York
DIY and NYC aren’t the first two things we think of as going together when it comes to Jewish weddings. But super cool (not to mention resourceful) couple Grace and Barry proved us wrong with their charmingly eclectic indoor garden party celebration in Brooklyn.With some help from their families — Grace and her mom DIY’d the floral arrangements, while Barry’s mother fashioned a beautiful, simple chuppah canopy from an old lace curtain — and fun touches like string lights and a BBQ buffet, these two prove that it’s totally possible to craft a memorable wedding on a budget, even in the most expensive of cities.
Grace and Barry‘s DIY Wedding | Photo by Mandee Johnson Photography
With some help from their families — Grace and her mom DIY’d the floral arrangements, while Barry’s mother fashioned a beautiful, simple chuppah canopy from an old lace curtain — and fun touches like string lights and a BBQ buffet, these two prove that it’s totally possible to craft a memorable wedding on a budget, even in the most expensive of cities.
Grace and Barry‘s DIY Wedding | Photo by Mandee Johnson Photography
And how cool does Grace look in her dress from Reformation (which happens to be a fantastic option for brides on a budget who don’t want to compromise on style)?
Alana and Leo‘s DIY Backyard Jewish Wedding | Photo by Simi Rabinowitz
Alana and Leo’s Sustainable Backyard Jewish Wedding in Somerville, Massachusetts
Alana and Leo are always up for an adventure – whether that means marking their 10-month dating anniversary by taking part in The Amazing Raceor retooling their plans for a three-day summer camp-style wedding extravaganza in the Berkshires to an intimate, DIY micro affair in their very own backyard!
Alana and Leo‘s DIY Backyard Jewish Wedding | Photo by Simi Rabinowitz
And do we ever love the way these two ended up leaning into their homey, sustainable low-pressure celebration. From a gorgeous simple chuppah built by a friend a wedding gift to a ketubah handcrafted by a designer friend featuring hand-pressed wildflowers from the couple’s own garden, this Jewish wedding is just chock full of meaningful touches.
Alana and Leo‘s DIY Backyard Jewish Wedding | Photo by Simi Rabinowitz
While the pandemic led them to a wedding quite different than what they’d initially planned, in Alana’s words, “We wouldn’t have done our wedding any other way. It was true to us, and felt like a real celebration of our friends and our neighborhood!”
Emily and Jason‘s DIY Jewish Wedding | Photo by Nyama Photography
Emily and Jason’s Eco-Friendly DIY Jewish Wedding on a Budget, San Juan Island Grange Hall, Washington
We couldn’t have been more delighted to feature the gorgeous DIY Jewish wedding of our Brides Club member Emily to Jason! The couple, who live on a sailboat and run a sailing business, planned a laid-back eco-wedding totally in keeping with their values and lifestyle – and in line with their tight budget.
Emily and Jason‘s DIY Jewish Wedding | Photo by Nyama Photography
How’d they do it? With a little help from their friends. Emily and Jason asked guests to pitch in on wedding prep in lieu of gifts, and it made for such a special day – from the food cooked by guests to a chuppah constructed from local driftwood by the Boy Scout troop Jason leads!
Emily and Jason‘s DIY Jewish Wedding | Photo by Nyama Photography
We loved following Emily’s wedding planning journey during her time in Brides Club, and we’re so touched by her kind words about the community:
“I loved being a member of Brides Club, joining after I got engaged was a no brainer for me because I’d already been in Karen Cinnamon’s Smashing Life and love the community she has created there. I found our ketubah, yarmulkes and invitation/wedding website through Brides Club. I received so much support and love in this group.”
Another thing we’re obsessed with? Emily’s gorgeous vintage dress, ordered from Etsy! The classic ‘50s styling is SO chic, and going vintage is such a great eco-friendly option.
So there you have it! If you’re planning a DIY Jewish wedding of your own, we’d love to hear about it in the comments!
