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A Martina Liana Bride for a Very NYC Jewish Wedding, City Winery, New York, USA

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There’s no place like New York City. And we could not be more obsessed with the way today’s couple, Carleigh, a law student, and Ian, a financial reporter, channeled that Big Apple energy into their fabulous Jewish wedding.

For these two city dwellers, there was never any question that they’d get married anywhere but NYC. And their venue, City Winery, was the perfect spot to highlight the city’s energy (don’t miss the wonderful photos by Tiffany) – plus, it happens to be set in a stunning spot on the water. Naturally, Carleigh found her Martina Liana gown at Kleinfeld, THE quintessential New York bridal spot. And at the end of the night, the duo made their grand exit in a vintage NYC yellow cab.

We also love Carleigh and Ian’s commitment to making sure every aspect of their wedding was 100% “them” – from swapping out the traditional Seven Circles, in favor of each walking three around the other and then one together, to giving out packs of baseball cards during cocktail hour in honor of Ian’s baseball card collection, to opting for a stunning custom ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor BritColors incorporating a Torah verse with personal meaning.

This was such an incredibly special day, and we hope you’ll read on to hear the rest in Carleigh’s own words!

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How we Met

Carleigh, the bride: We met like any good millennial couple does these days: on Tinder. It may not have been love at first swipe… but we instantly had a good banter going, built largely on our shared experiences working in media. We both worked for our college newspapers, Carleigh at Duke, and Ian at the University of Pennsylvania.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Rosh Hashanah Giveaway: Win a Gorgeous Honey Dish by Yaeli Vogel

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With Rosh Hashanah right around the corner, we’re teaming up with iconic Jewish artist Yaeli Vogel over on our @yourjewishlife Instagram to give away this gorgeous honey dish and spoon – the perfect centerpiece for your Rosh Hashanah table!

This ceramic honey dish is from Yaeli’s High Holiday 2022 Rimon Collection that includes Jewish New Year challah covers, Simanim dishes, napkins, prayer books, and more!

Yaeli’s got such a delightful and uniquely whimsical style in the world of Judaica, and her heirloom-quality pieces are just SO special (they also make great wedding gifts!).

How to Enter

To enter all you need to do is to like our Instagram post, leave a comment with your favorite thing about Rosh Hashanah, and tag a friend. Please note you must also follow both @yourjewishlife and @yaelivogel on Instagram to be eligible to win. 

The competition is open to anyone 18 and over, wherever you are in the world, so hop on over to Instagram and get your entry in before Monday September 12 at 5 PM EST!

An Enzoani Bride for a Family-Focused Jewish Wedding with a Stuning Floral Chuppah at Offley Place, Hitchin, UK

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The wonderful Jewish wedding of Sophie, a sustainability executive, and Daniel, a legal technologist, has so much going for it – stunning florals, a gorgeous chuppah, rockin’ music, and an exquisite venue, to name just a few things.

And we adore them all. But most of all, we love that these two made it their highest priority to make sure their big day felt like a big, welcoming community, centered on happiness, love, and family. Especially meaningful was the fact that Dan’s dad – who’d been in hospital and rehab for 8 months recovering from Covid – was able to be there, and you can just feel the emotion come through in each and every one of the photos from Jo Russell of Chiko Photography, and every frame of the epic wedding video by Max from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion.

Sophie and Daniel opted to work with a number of our beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors, including their venue, #STGvendor Offley Place – which “ticked every single one of our boxes and then some” between its welcoming staff, beautiful grounds, and accessible spaces – and #STGvendor Toastmaster Jango, who helped to ensure the day ran smoothly – and also provided invaluable assistance in the runup to the big day. They also opted to make their wedding gift list with #STGvendor The Wedding Shop, who we love for their fab selection of not only general home goods but Judaica too!

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave it to Sophie – who looked simply ravishing in Enzoani – to fill you in on the rest…


How we Met

Sophie, the bride: The story of how we met depends on who you ask! However, we can both agree we met at the University of Manchester, and have been together coming up to 10 years.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Jewish Wedding Worth the Wait at Boston Exchange, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

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There’s something so special about all the gorgeous Jewish weddings of couples whose big days were disrupted by the pandemic – like Rebecca, a health economist, and Benjamin, a software engineer, who were originally slated for a May 2020 wedding at the historic Boston Exchange. Needless to say, things didn’t go to plan.

When the pair first got engaged, they booked Luba of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Primavera Dreams to help them plan their wedding – they knew they wanted someone who knew Jewish weddings and could help them craft a meaningful day centered on a traditional ceremony, pick the right vendors, and take the stress out of planning.  That last bit proved extra important as the couple navigated the rollercoaster of multiple reschedules leading up to their eventual May 2022 wedding.

Pandemic or no, Rebecca and Benjamin strongly believe choosing to work with Luba was one of the best wedding planning decisions they made. In Rebecca’s words, “We always thought of a wedding planner as an extravagant extra… [but] our planner introduced us to amazing vendors whose prices were more competitive than those we found ourselves. She also negotiated contracts on our behalf and helped us effectively prioritize where to cut and spend money. Having her organize last minute details and communicate with vendors in the days and weeks leading up to the wedding allowed us to focus on our families and enjoy the wedding.”

One thing Rebecca and Benjamin did that we love: they set up a Judaica registry (in addition to their traditional Zola gift list)! They registered at Kolbo Fine Judaica Gallery in Brookline, MA, and loved being able to add handmade Judaica to their list online. The duo also purchased their gorgeous ketubah, crafted in Israel by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Danny Azoulay, at Kolbo.

There’s so much more we could say about this fab wedding – for starters, don’t miss the wonderful floral chuppah in Lynne Reznick’s luminous photos – but we’ll turn you over to the bride for the rest…

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How We Met

Rebecca, the bride: We met in Boston in 2014 and had our first date at a coffee shop in Harvard Square! Four years later (to the day), we got engaged after having dinner in the same building.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Justin Alexander Bride for a Modern Classic Turnip Rose Promenade & Gardens Wedding, Costa Mesa, California, USA

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Erin & Jared, Turnip Rose Promenade and Gardens, California, USA

Today we’ve got the perfect Jewish wedding to take in as you savor the last weeks of summer: the fabulous nuptials of our Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Erin!

Erin, who runs an ecommerce site, and Jared, who works in real estate, went for an all-outdoor wedding at Turnip Rose Promenade and Gardens – and while the decision was driven by Covid safety, with a venue so stunning who wouldn’t want to make the most of every single moment to take in the gorgeous scenery?!

Erin and Jared’s modern classic theme, featuring tons of white, green, and gold – with all white flowers and plenty of romantic candles – made the most of the venue’s natural beauty. Erin’s simple, elegant Justin Alexander gown continued the theme – and Taylor Kinzie Photography’s light and airy style was the perfect fit to capture it all.

We’re also obsessed with the couple’s champagne tower seating chart – read on for all the details!

 

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How we Met

Erin, the bride: We met on Jswipe, our first date was grabbing coffee. We share a love for sports (Red Zone for Fantasy Football is must), crime television, and spending time with family & friends.Continue ReadingContinue Reading