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A Maggie Sottero Bride for a Nature-Inspired Jewish Wedding at Weylin, Brooklyn, New York, USA

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We love a good New York Jewish wedding, and this one is really something special! Kat, an obstetrician-gynecologist, and Marc, an emergency physician, got married at Weylin in Brooklyn, and we can’t get enough of all the gorgeous details this historic building has to offer (including a breathtaking frescoed dome!).

Kat and Marc wanted their day to be a solid mix of the traditional and the unconventional, opting for a classic ceremony followed by an offbeat reception. Throughout, they drew inspiration from nature, from their wonderful chuppah adorned with greenery and florals to Kat’s Maggie Sottero dress to the couple’s exquisite tree ketubah by Shell Rummel, found at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com.

Take one look at the beautiful photos by Megan and Kenneth and you’ll see that this was one joyful day – read on for all the details!

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How We Met

Katharine, the bride and Marc, the groom: We met on the very first day of medical school! Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Mia Pava Bride for an Ultra-moving Wartime Jewish Wedding Full of Joy and Strength at The Agam at the Botanical Gardens in Jerusalem, Israel

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Daniela, a physiotherapist, and Zev, the COO of tour company Israel Maven Tours, thought long and hard about getting married in wartime – and when they decided to go for it, they wanted to make sure they threw a celebration that would bring joy and strength to all in attendance – and did they ever.

Nearly all of the couple’s guests have been directly affected by the war, and it was important to them that their Jewish wedding acknowledge all those whose ongoing sacrifices made the special day – and life in Israel generally – possible. And with prayers for the IDF, the state of Israel, and the hostages, a heartfelt shofar blast under the chuppah, and Israeli flags all around – in addition to some beautiful symbolic flowers, like olive branches for peace – they did exactly that.

One extra meaningful touch: Daniela and Zev gave their guests with loved ones serving in Gaza or on the border with Lebanon a gift box of cocktails along with a handwritten note with instructions to drink a l’chaim with their loved ones when they return safely home from the battlefield! In the bride’s words, “We didn’t realise how moving this would be for people and to this day we are still receiving pictures and videos of happy families reunited drinking the delicious cocktails.”

Daniela and Zev chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman as their photographer, and they were thrilled with both the beautiful images he captured and his warmth and kindness throughout the planning process and on the day itself.

Read on for more about this incredibly moving day in the bride’s own words…

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How We Met

Daniela, the bride: As Zev says, “We were destined for one another, we just had to wait for someone to make the introduction. Luckily for us a mutual friend made the suggestion.”Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Mia Pava Bride for an Ultra-emotional Jewish Wedding Celebrating Joy at Ein Hemed, Jerusalem, Israel

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Orah and Josh, two olim who met and fell in love in Israel, planned a Jewish wedding that’s an absolute love letter to the country where they’ve built their life together – and also happens to contain some beautiful lessons about finding joy in tough times.

Orah tragically lost her mother the year prior to the wedding. Naturally, that made the leadup to the big day extra emotional. But since Orah’s mom was “all about simcha and joy,” and known for being a happy and positive person, the couple made a conscious effort to emulate those qualities. They focused on joy and love in the face of grief, planning the kind of day they knew Orah’s mom would be smiling down on every second of the way.

The couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, captured all the emotion of the day so beautifully – and Orah and Josh report he did a stellar job making them feel comfortable and open up to the camera. They also loved that he’s a native English speaker, which meant their families could easily communicate with him.

When it came to their ketubah, bride and groom had competing visions: Orah wanted flowers, while Josh wanted to highlight his favorite color, blue. In the end, the pair decided to mix both ideas by going for both blue rings – which not only met Josh’s criteria but also symbolized Israel – and flowers. They knew Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor BritColors was just the person to make their dreams a reality – and the couple loved working together with the Tel Aviv-based artist to create a unique piece of artwork.

There’s so much more to say about this gorgeous Israeli wedding – but we’ll leave it to Orah, who looked radiant in her gown by Israeli designer Mia Pava, to take it from here…

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How We Met

Orah, the bride: Josh, who had just made Aliyah, was brought to a kiddush through a mutual friend of the host. Which luckily enough turned out to be a best friend of Orah׳s. He saw her from the other side of the room with a smile that lit up the room but was too nervous to walk up and speak to her.

Two days later, after Orah had taken a COVID test at the health fund and was waiting for the bus, Josh just happened to be there too and still couldn’t work up the courage to speak to her, and she was whisked away worried that awkward guy would find her again. Seemingly you’d think losing out but as it turned out she did have Corona!

Fast forward a few months after recovering from COVID, Orah was at a Shabbat lunch with her Ulpan friends. Josh had just finished a call shift at the hospital and was bored so he crashed the meal. In his total lack of sleep he worked up the courage to speak to Orah, and after falling asleep next to her on that couch he couldn’t imagine falling asleep next to anyone else.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Same-Sex Wedding Featuring Pastel Suits, Gluten-Free Eats, and Unforgettable Vows at Temple Israel, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA

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In this dark time we’re living through, we could all use an extra infusion of Jewish joy. And there’s something about Jewish weddings – the unbridled love and emotion, the continuity and hope for the Jewish future – that comes through better than just about anything else we can think of. 

That’s certainly true of the beautiful, heartfelt Jewish wedding of New Hampshire couple Robbie and Jeff. The two grooms centered their big day around their own unique love story, and starting with their choice of venue, Temple Israel in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where Robbie completed his conversion to Judaism, everything about their wedding was ultra-personal. This came through most clearly of all when it came to the duo’s vows, which told their story in an ultra-moving way.

Naturally, the couple wanted to make sure their ketubah was something special, and they found just the thing in their hand-painted tree of life ketubah by the wonderful Nava Shoham from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor 1800ketubah.com. Don’t miss it in the wonderful images from Jeffrey Rivkin Photography!

There’s lots more to say about this joyful Jewish wedding, but we’ll let the grooms take it from here…

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How We Met

Robbie and Jeff, the grooms: We met in late 2017 through a mutual friend at a Halloween party were we live in Dover, New Hampshire. Jeff was in a relationship at the time, and initially we were just acquaintances at social gatherings, and became gym buddies. When Jeff became single a few months later, Robbie quickly jumped at the opportunity to get closer with the buff new guy with beautiful blue eyes, and the ability to carry an intelligent conversation.

“Jeff was fairly new to the area and didn’t know many people, so Robbie would invite him over to his place after the gym and cook him up some chicken, steak and veggies on the grill while we’d drink wine and get to know each other.”

Being that we were both in our 30s, we both approached the relationship with vulnerability and honesty. Neither of us was wasting any time. We shared our trials and tribulations over those initial dinners, and that’s when we really started connecting. Robbie has a thing for guys who have faced adversity and overcome it, so he was attracted to Jeff from the moment they started getting to know each other.

At around the three week point in our relationship, Robbie blurted out “I love you” after a few glasses of wine and a deep conversation. Jeff played his cards a little closer to his chest, and replied “thank you,” but the reality was that he was instantly drawn to Robbie’s boyish smile, his overflowing empathy, and effortless swagger.

The plot twist to the whole story was that Robbie had just been laid off from his job and was about to move away, eventually planning to land on the West Coast. On a romantic walk along the Marginal Way in Ogunquit Beach, Maine, Jeff tried to end things on a high note, not wanting to get more attached knowing Robbie was leaving. Robbie wasn’t so willing to let go. “I felt crushed as soon as the words came out of Jeff’s mouth. I knew I was going to be living in New England for at least another year before leaving to the West Coast, so I pleaded with Jeff to keeping seeing me and let things play out on their own.”

Thankfully, Jeff agreed, and we ended up maintaining a long distance relationship for about 13 months, roughly 145 miles or 2.5 hours apart. During that time, Robbie found a new job that allowed him to work remotely, and in August of 2019, he moved back to Dover, New Hampshire to live with Jeff full-time.

In January of 2021, we were out walking our cavapoo, Coal, and laughing hysterically as we watched him gliding on the ice on our long driveway. Then, Jeff told Robbie to look up at the stars. Jeff always “stops to smell the roses,” so Robbie looked up too, only to see a completely overcast sky. Confused, he looked back down and saw Jeff getting down on one knee, with a huge smile on his face, and an open ring box. He asked Robbie to marry him, and Robbie asked, “are you being serious?” Jeff replied, “I’m on my knees in the snow with a ring in my hand. Does this look like a joke?” Then Robbie said, “Yes. Yes. Oh, my God, of course.”

Having already been planning to propose to Jeff himself, Robbie went ahead and did a second proposal to Jeff that July at the top of their favorite mountain, Mt. Chocorua, in New Hampshire’s White Mountain region. He got down on one knee near the edge of the mountain at the top while Jeff was looking around, and said, “what do you think about the view over here?” Jeff turned around and Robbie popped the questions. Of course it was already a done deal at that point. Jeff said yes, too!

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An Eliza Jane Howell Bride for a Summer Garden Party Jewish Wedding at Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation and Rankins Cricket Club, UK

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We could not be more delighted to be featuring the gorgeous Jewish wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Chloe to groom Eli! They crafted the most gorgeous summer garden party celebration – and did it all while Chloe moved halfway across the world from Singapore back to the couple’s shared hometown of Southend in the UK!

They followed their ceremony at Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation, where both families have deep roots, with the most fabulous garden party reception at Rankins Cricket Club, featuring colorful florals, lush green foliage, tons of paper lanterns, and delectable kosher-style cuisine by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Adam Nathan Catering. 

The day was captured so exquisitely by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Liam Collard Photography. Chloe and Eli wanted a photographer who could capture all the fun, love, and energy of their big day, and did Liam ever deliver!

We’ll let the bride – who looked so glam in her vintage-style beaded gown by Eliza Jane Howell – fill you in on the rest…

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How We Met

Chloe, the bride: I’d been living in Singapore since 2012 and was back in the UK for my cousin’s wedding, my first visit for 2 years thanks to Covid. Montine, Eli’s younger sister, slid into my sister, Fiona’s, Instagram DM’s to see if I’d be interested in going on a date with her eldest brother. I was hesitant at first because I wasn’t living in the same country, but you can’t expect different results from doing the same things, so I took the plunge and responded back with my number to Montine.

Right from the start, I knew Eli was different, his opening text was a great one, a massive attention grabber and so we planned our first date, then another…and on our 3rd date, Eli asked when I was moving home. At the time I felt it was a bit presumptuous, but after 15 months of flying between Singapore and Westcliff, I was making my final descent into Heathrow to start our new life together. On a visit home last summer, 2022, Eli booked us a short getaway to the Isle of Skye.

We spent a wonderful few days foraging, dolphin and puffin spotting, sampling some delicious Scottish fare and generally getting to know each other. On our second to last morning, whilst getting ready for a rainy stroll, he stubbed his toe on the bed, and fell to his knees. The next thing I knew he rummaged in his pocket and whipped out the most gorgeous ring, and before he could even finish proposing, it was a massive YES from me!Continue ReadingContinue Reading