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A Lihi Hod Bride for a Destination Jewish Wedding at Borgo San Felice, Berardenga, Tuscany, Italy

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A late summer night’s dream… yep, Leah and Tyler’s stunner of a Jewish wedding combined the magic of Tuscany with one of the most beautiful times of year, that perfect patch of late summer where fall’s just beginning to creep in.

The setting — a medieval Tuscan village converted into a hotel — could not have been more magical, and the couple’s wedding planner, Sara Mazzei, fromSmashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Infinity Weddings went full-on for that fairytale sparkle with a soft muted florals, a dreamy chuppah, twinkly lights, and even a fireworks display!  Everything was captured to perfection by photographer Massimiliano Morlott and videographer Luigi De Gregorio Films.

And then there’s that dress. Leah was a total and complete knockout in Lihi Hod, and we’re kind of obsessed with her dramatic yet classic styling. We’ll let her take it from here…

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Venue

Leah, the bride: We got married under a grape pergola at Borgo San Felice in Tuscany. My husband and I had a short list of must-haves for a wedding venue: we wanted everything to take place outside and a venue where all of our family and friends could stay on-site. We researched venues quite a bit in different countries (mostly wine-regions because we are lovers of wine) when the thought of getting married in Italy occurred to us. Between the two of us we had visited wine regions in California, New Zealand, Hungary, Switzerland, South Africa, and Israel, but neither of us knew much about Italian wines.

We booked a trip to visit a few venues in Tuscany and while they were all beautiful, Borgo San Felice blew us away. It is a medieval Tuscan village converted into a hotel. On the outside old spindly vines cover stone buildings. On the inside fresh chic interior design integrates with classic Tuscan architecture. My husband and I live in an old abode in New Orleans’ French quarter, so this character-filled aesthetic was right up our alley.

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Real Jewish Brides: Mimi Finds Her Perfect Dress

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Mimi will be marrying Andrew on 7th July 2019 at Hazel Gap Barn in Welbeck, Nottinghamshire, UK. Click here to read all Mimi’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: THREE FACTS: (1) Mimi and Andrew met online in 2013. (2) Mimi is a flight attendant and writes her own travel and beauty blog on the side (3) Andrew proposed to Mimi, who at the time was nearing the completion of her conversion to Judaism, at the top of Masada – wow!


Not as easy as I thought

I’m going to put it out there – finding ‘the dress’ may have been harder than finding the man I’m marrying. I’d always looked forward to the day I could officially admire all of the dresses in Brides magazine with a purpose (rather than sneakily flicking through it pre-engagement) and the host of happy boutique appointments that would surely follow.

However, post-engagement I found that wedding dress shopping was not as fun as shows such as Say Yes to The Dress make out. There was no ‘THIS IS THE ONE’ moment surrounded by a gaggle or crying bridesmaids or total joy when I tried on the dress of my dreams. I had imagined my closest friends and family, all sinking into a velvet sofa, glass of champagne in hand and teary eyed as I emerged from the dressing room looking like Kate Middleton.

Instead, it was 3 months of back to back appointments, 18 different store visits, and what felt like 1000 teeny tiny sample sized dresses. At one point, I remember being stood on a box in the most ridiculous dress I had ever seen, only to learn that the price – should I want to buy such a hideous dress – was just short of £11K. Wow.


Image by Signe Dzile Photography from Jade and Andy’s wedding

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A BHLDN Bride for a Jewish Wedding with a Remarkable Love Story at The Folly, Capistrano Beach, California, USA

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With Valentine’s Day coming up this week, we thought it was the perfect time to share this beautiful Jewish wedding with a very special love story behind it.

Just after they got engaged, Deborah  and Adam found their commitment put to the ultimate test when Deborah was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer.

For four years, Deborah endured surgeries, chemo, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant — all with Adam by her side. And when the couple got the amazing news that Deb was cancer-free in July 2018, they knew it was time for the wedding of their dreams.

Believe it or not, they planned this beautiful, meaningful wedding in just three months! We’re in love with the quintessentially California vibes, from the enchanted garden beachside setting to the Spanish Colonial architecture, all captured so beautifully by photographer This Modern Romance.

And we are totally and completely obsessed with the couple’s low-key yet elegant chuppah, which they designed themselves with some inspo from Smashing The Glass! With dark wood, simple lines, sheer fabric, and some asymmetrical pops of color courtesy of florals, it’s effortless yet totally memorable.

Now over to Deborah, who looked epically elegant in BHLDN… 


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How We Met

Deborah, the bride: We’d been looking for each other our whole lives… we just didn’t know it. We’d kissed our share of frogs, but none were our prince or princess. On our first date, in a beautiful sandy-beached cove, as the setting sunlight sparkled on the water while dolphins splashed just offshore, we thought “Oh! Well this is definitely a sign…”

So much so, that when the time was right (and Adam could turn it into a big surprise!) we went back and got engaged there on “our” beach!

By the way, we met on JDate.com. 

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A Pronovias Bride for a Tuscany-in-London Jewish Wedding at The Brewery, London, UK

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It’s not every day one of our beautiful blogging brides gets married — and at one of our very favorite London venues, no less! Everything about the Jewish wedding of Charlotte, (a much-loved member of our Brides Club for Jewish Brides) and James is pure #weddinggoals.

Not that you can really go wrong when you get married at Smashing The Glass Recommended Venue The Brewery. Though the location could hardly be more central, this is not your run-of-the-mill London venue — with its flexible spaces and vintage architectural touches like exposed brick walls, wood-beamed ceilings, The Brewery somehow manages to have a ton of character while also serving as an amazing canvas for wedding dreams of all stripes.

Like, for instance, recreating an outdoor Tuscan wedding indoors in London. Sounds impossible, right? But with the help of long banquet tables, romantic lighting, and seriously elegant florals  (how cool is the high/low tabletop dà©cor scheme?!) we think these two managed to pull it off. Be sure to take it all in via Adam and Hannah’s exquisite documentary-style photos and AT Motion’s stellar videography.

There’s so much more good stuff about this awesome wedding, from the fact that Charlotte and James used one of our Smash Glass pouches to the espresso martini syringe shots they served on the dancefloor to keep everyone’s dancing energy up to the fact that the couple registered with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Prezola… but we’ll leave the rest of it to the bride, who looked so classically elegant in her Pronovias gown.

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How We Met

Charlotte, the bride: I met James through a mutual friend nearly four years ago, before going on a night out to none other than Ministry of Sound. We really hit it off and have been inseparable ever since.

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Real Jewish Brides: How Alexandra Popped The Question To Her Bridal Party

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Alexandra will be marrying Jordan on 26th May 2019 at The Grove in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. Click here to read all Alexandra’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Alexandra and Jordan met in college and have been together ever since. (2) They are planning a romantic fairy tale garden wedding inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream – LOVE! (3) Alexandra’s wearing Galia Lahav for the big day – one of our absolute fave Israeli designers!


Popping the Question!

After the groom pops the question, it’s now the bride’s turn to ask… her bridal party! There are many different ways to ask your best ladies to stand by your side on your big day. You can send an ask via post or over the phone, ask each bridesmaid individually in person, or gather your crew and ask all at once!

For me, I wanted to see the look on everyone’s faces and cherish the moment as a group. After searching high and low for spots that fit my desired ambiance and budget, I decided to host a brunch on my parent’s patio. I spent a lot of time planning and wanted to share my tips with the STG community!

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