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A Martina Liana Bride for a Jewish Wedding at Caesar Yam, Caesarea, Israel

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Sydney and Jared, Caesar Yam, Caesarea, Israel

There’s no place like Israel. And Toronto couple Sydney, a teacher at a Hebrew day school, and Jared, who works in banking, knew from the start it was the only place that would do for their Jewish wedding post-October 7.

Caesar Yam in Caesarea, located right off the beach, was the most magnificent spot for the festivities – and it doesn’t hurt that Israel is the place where the pair started dating! With the most gorgeous floral chuppah, dreamy ocean views, and a beautiful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com gifted by the groom’s parents, this was one incredibly special day.

Sydney and Jared chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman to photograph their big day, and they couldn’t be any more thrilled with their decision. In Sydney’s words,

Herschel is one of the warmest and most fun photographers to work with. We felt we could completely be ourselves and just go with anything he was telling us to do. He got our vision quickly and just knew what to do without having to say. What was also so nice and our guests really appreciated was the fact that they captured us but also everyone at the wedding. He captured our wedding perfectly, we wish he lived in Toronto so we could have him at future events!

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

Sydney and Jared, Caesar Yam, Caesarea, Israel Sydney and Jared, Caesar Yam, Caesarea, Israel Sydney and Jared, Caesar Yam, Caesarea, IsraelSydney and Jared, Caesar Yam, Caesarea, Israel
How We Met

Sydney, the bride: 11 years ago we met at high school, where we become friends. We then went on a summer trip through NCSY, called TJJ where we get to tour Israel from top to bottom for a month. That trip is where we everything started for us.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Iconic London Wedding Venue Gets Even Better: Introducing the Natural History Museum’s Darwin Centre and Wildlife Gardens

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Image by Matt Chung Photo 

It’s no secret that the Natural History Museum is one of London’s most breathtaking Jewish wedding venues.

The Natural History Museum has long been admired for its range of majestic indoor spaces – you might have seen stunning photos of unforgettable receptions in the Grade I listed Romanesque building’s Hintze Hall, with Hope the blue whale suspended from the ceiling – and they’ve just added a gorgeous new outdoor option to their repertoire.

Image by Matt Chung Photo 

The Perfect Outdoor Venue in Central London

With this summer’s opening of the new Darwin Centre and Wildlife Gardens, the Natural History Museum has acquired a new indoor/outdoor venue space perfect for a drinks reception on a summer evening – or even an outdoor chuppah, right in the middle of central London.

Team STG was lucky enough to attend the opening event inaugurating the new space, and we were so impressed with how quiet and peaceful the gardens feel, despite being nestled in the heart of bustling South Kensington. Set back from the surrounding streets, with lots of greenery and trees to block out the sounds and sights of the big city, it’s truly a serene oasis – something that’s not easy to find in a central London wedding venue.

Image by Matt Chung Photo 

Gardens Galore

And of course we also love that there’s so much for your guests to see and learn as they take in the spaces: the Evolution Garden is a path through 2.7 billion years of our planet’s history, told through an immersive timeline of plants, rocks of different geological periods from across the UK, and the Nature Discovery Garden features different habitats represent the rich biodiversity that can be found in the UK’s urban spaces. And to mark the opening of the gardens, a  new bronze cast of the museum’s much-loved Diplodocus Fern has been unveiled, ready for your photo ops.

Image by Matt Chung Photo 

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A Martina Liana Bride for a Relaxed and Romantic Jewish Wedding at The Last Drop Village & Spa, Bolton, UK

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We love it when a couple centers their Jewish wedding around friends and family – which is exactly what Justine and Elliott did, and we absolutely adore the way they brought their loved ones into the big day.

The couple live in Hertfordshire, but it was always a given that they’d marry up North near the bride’s hometown of Liverpool. One of Justine’s cousins, Rabbi Alby Chait MBE, officiated, and another cousin, Charles Chait, was the chazzan – how special is that?!

Justine and Elliott wanted to make sure all of their guests had a blast, and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jam Hot Showband was the absolute perfect entertainment choice. Their 10-piece band was, in the bride’s words, “just WOW! The musicians, the energy and the organisation was outstanding. They had a quick room turnaround time from chuppah to main dinner which was seamless. Guests commented on how much they loved the band’s musical medleys and the dance floor was completely packed all night; we could not have asked for a better party!”

The duo chose another wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, Kate Swerdlow, to photograph their day, and they couldn’t be any more thrilled with their choice. As Justine put it, Kate is “so creative and energetic, her photos are beautifully natural, not overly posed, and perfectly capture the essence of our day.”

Read on for all the details of this beautiful day in the bride’s own words…


How We Met

Justine, the bride: We met in 2017 after matching on JSwipe! I was studying Musical Theatre at drama school in Guildford, while Elliott, who had graduated from the University of Leeds, was working at a financial advisory firm. Elliott traveled to Guildford for our first date, and the rest is history! Seven years later, I am now the Director of Drama at an Independent School in Radlett, and Elliott is an Independent Financial Advisor. We live in Elstree & Borehamwood.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Suzanne Neville Bride for a Botanical Wonderland Jewish Wedding at the Royal Lancaster, London, UK

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Get ready for a truly unforgettable London Jewish wedding! Leanne and Dudi’s celebration at the Royal Lancaster featured a crowd of 400, a fabulous floral chuppah, a gorgeous lace gown by Suzanne Neville, and an epic party with a packed dancefloor and some seriously incredible Israeli dancing – thanks to the couple’s band, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The White Keys.

In Leanne’s words, The White Keys were “a fantastic band, really got stuck in with the guests and able to understand the vibe throughout,” and we couldn’t agree more!

Photographer Paul Toeman captured all the joy and energy of the day so beautifully – read on for the full story!



How We Met

Leanne, the bride: We met online on Hinge (dating app) coming out of Covid. Dudi works for his family company M&Sons in construction and I work for a Global Tech event, Data Centre World London.

Our first date was like a business meeting, we are both very work motivated so we discussed a lot about our jobs, our goals and ambitions over a lovely bottle of red (or 2!)Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Adili Studio Bride for an Enchanting Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Habustan, Gan Iruim Bcfar, Israel

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Ellie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-Israel

We’re in love with the magical garden wedding of Ellie and David, both Australian olim in Israel. Filled with greenery, sparkling fairy lights, and sweet rustic touches, this outdoor wedding was nothing short of enchanting.

Ellie and David opted to DIY their stationery – which they loved working on together in the leadup to their Jewish wedding – and we’re obsessed with Ellie’s super cool dress by Adi Hirsch of Adili Studio in Modiin, Israel. The couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, captured the day so beautifully – and we’re not at all surprised to hear that he was a joy to work with from start to finish.

With both the bride and groom being from Australia, lots of friends and family members couldn’t make it to Israel to celebrate in person – and we love the duo’s clever workaround, in the form of a Whatsapp group! Ellie and David sent the link around to those who were unable to attend the wedding, and then on the day they had QR codes that guests could scan to join the group – along with instructions to record, film and photograph parts of the wedding to share to the group!

There’s so much more to say about this very special day – read on for the full story in Ellie’s own words…

 

Ellie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-IsraelEllie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-Israel Ellie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-Israel Ellie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-Israel
How We Met

Ellie, the bride: David and I are currently both students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. We went to the same school in Sydney, Australia, and in high school we were part of the same friend group, we became good friends and enjoyed hanging out together on school camps and at social events. In year 12 we started dating and soon after finishing school we went on the same gap year program to Israel with Bnei Akiva.

After outlasting all the relationships on our program, we both independently decided to make aliya and join the army. David served in Tzanchanim and I served in Search and Rescue. Despite the ongoing long distance when our off weekends weren’t in sync and when David returned to Australia to work, we managed to make it work. It only took us 5 years to understand that were made for each other and on a trip together to Australia in 2023, David proposed and the rest is history. Continue ReadingContinue Reading