Jewish Synagogue Weddings Archives - Smashing the Glass

An Oscar de la Renta Bride for a Super Luxe Italian Garden-Themed Jewish Wedding at The Dorchester, Park Lane, London, UK

18/10/2017 by Karen

There’s only one appropriate word to describe Sophie and James’s Italian-style Jewish wedding day: bellissimo!

Yes, if you breathe in deeply, you can almost smell the stunning Italian-inspired herb garden this creative couple reconstructed in their London venue, you can almost taste the limoncello, the bombe desserts, the gelato station… sorry we drifted away for a minute! I think we can all agree that wedding planners, Banana Split, know a thing or two about creating an incredible, immersive experience.

Sophie and James had their ceremony (conducted by none other than THE Chief Rabbi Emeritus, Lord Jonathan Sacks) at the place their relationship began, Norrice Lea Synagogue, under an ah-maaaazing olive-tree chuppah.

The party really got started at super-luxe venue, The Dorchester, which was transformed into an Italian heaven, with ludicrously wonderful floral arrangements by Wild at Heart. Seriously, a recipe for divine décor.

Let’s take a second to swoon over beautiful bride Sophie’s stunner of an Oscar de la Renta gown, altered especially to fit her vision – and what a vision she looked!

There’s so much to love about today’s big day, from a singing groom to a rapping dad (YES!) but we don’t want our writeup to be longer than Sophie’s! So we’ll take a minute to appreciate the absolute photography GENIUS that is our Recommended Vendor and Smashing The Glass regular, Blake Ezra Photography. We have been lucky enough to feature Blake on many, many occasions, and he has knocked it out of the park yet again with today’s sublime spread of images.

Videographer AtMotion provided the beautiful wedding film below – and if groom James’s speech doesn’t make you well up, then we don’t know what will! Enjoy, and remember, Pin your gorgeous hearts out!

How we met

Sophie, the bride: We actually grew up around the corner from each other, but being a few school years apart, our paths never crossed. Our fathers trained as accountants together, and both our mothers went to the same hairdressers and regularly chatted.

Our fathers share a best friend, Wayne, who approached James in shul during the Kol Nidrei service and told him that he had just had an epiphany – that he had the perfect match in mind. He told James he should take me out on a date, and the rest is history.
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An Elegant Japanese-Jewish Wedding at Congregation Emanuel-el and Presidio Officer’s Club Ballroom, San Francisco, USA

06/10/2017 by Karen

It’s no secret that here at Smashing The Glass, we ADORE the coming together of two diverse cultures. While Kristin is Jewish, and so this is not a Jew-ish wedding, the couple combined elements of bride Kristin’s Japanese-American background with groom Bryan’s Jewish heritage, to create a warm and wonderful celebration like no other.

It’s no surprise that this worked so well. San Francisco-based Kristin is the business owner of Nourish, a lifestyle company that helps people define their cultural narrative on their own terms, and her and Bryan’s wedding was full of heart and placed huge emphasis on the importance of family.

From the home-style meal to the family-centric ceremony, incorporating elements of Japanese culture, every moment honored both families and it’s clear that they are very tight knit.

We’re amazed by the story of how the reception venue was discovered. We won’t spoil it for you, but be sure to read carefully, because it’s really something special!

We’re also huge fans of bride Kristin’s cool bridal style, opting for a T-shirt-style dress from Pronovias that totally matched her day-to-day style. It’s a great example of how to be the best version of yourself on your wedding day.

Fabulous STG Recommended Vendor Stephanie Caplan of The Ketubah provided the couple’s beautiful, personalized ketubah, and Perfect Circle Photography captured every detail, as well as all of the emotion, heart and soul of the celebration.

Take it away, Kristin!

How we met

Kristin, the bride: We met on a street corner in Hayes Valley (our neighborhood), San Francisco, where we would often see each other on our way to the bus stop in the morning. For a while, we were just friendly neighbors, until we went on our first date. We began dating, and Bryan proposed on that same street corner where we first met, exactly four years later.
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A David Fielden Bride for a Shakespearean Jewish Wedding at Bevis Marks and The Underglobe, London, UK

20/09/2017 by Karen

A very Happy New Year to all our Jewish readers as it is, of course, Erev Rosh Hashana tonight! We hope you all have some lovely family plans – we’d love to hear about them in the comments!

What better way to kick off the new year than with a beautiful Jewish wedding at one of our favorite London synagogues, Bevis Marks? Jenni and Rich’s celebration continued at The Underglobe, leading to a spectacular Shakespearean theme, drawing on elements of a Midsummer Night’s Dream for a dimly lit, magical atmosphere.

The venue even came with its own magical tree – what more could anyone ask for?

There’s so much to love about this lively and exciting celebration, which saw the bride being thrown in the air on a sheet, proving that on your big day, you can do anything – a flying bride!

All of the magic and detail was captured with expert ease by Miki Photography, including the romantic floral arrangements on the low-lit tables, centered with gorgeous gold candelabras.

Let’s hear from bride Jenni, who looked every bit the boho babe in her lacy David Fielden dress! Take it away, Jenni!

How we met

Jenni, the bride: Richard and I met at King Solomon High School when we were 16 and 17 years old. We were together till we left school and went out separate ways. Richard attended golf college, while I went on year course to Israel. Once I returned we reunited, and the rest is history.
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A Literary London-themed Jewish Wedding at Bevis Marks Synagogue and The Anthologist, London, UK

30/08/2017 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s real wedding is a very special one, because Carla and Alex won their incredible wedding photography through a competition on Smashing The Glass with none other than our fabulous Recommended Vendor, Claudine Hartzel.

Alex and Carla faced mishap after mishap when planning their wedding, including their original venue cancelling just 100 days before the big day. But, in a perfect example of how to cope with anything life throws at you, they soldiered on, creating the stunning London literary-themed Jewish wedding you see below.

We love beautiful bride Carla’s attitude, from her que sera approach to things going wrong, to her gorgeous Sottero and Midgley gown with hidden pockets (!) and her bride’s speech.

We’d also quite like to tuck into the divine-looking not-a-cheesecake cheese cake. Yes please!

The couple paid homage to their hometown, London, with lots of adorable little touches, such as riding between the venues on a classic London bus, and creating a London-themed postcard guest book, complete with a red postbox, created by the bride’s dad.

We’ll hand you over to Carla for the full story on her and Alex’s literary love fest! We’re sure you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.

How we met

Carla, the bride: We met at University. I was the only fresher to join the Jewish Society that year after signing up at the bunfight stall Alex was managing.
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A Super Luxe Gold Jewish Wedding With a Hermione de Paula Bride at Bevis Marks and Devonshire Terrace, London, UK

26/07/2017 by Karen Cinnamon

All that glitters actually is gold when it comes to today’s luxurious and delightfully decadent London Jewish wedding.

As an event organizer, Natalie knew exactly what she wanted for her wedding to now-hubby Paul: a wedding venue with an outdoor feel that could survive the perils of the unpredictable British weather, and a LOT of gorgeous gold accents.

Fortunately, both were well within Natalie’s capabilities, and the entire aesthetic of the wedding turned out to be simply divine.

We ADORE (with a capital EVERYTHING) the idea of a musical street procession between two venues (the divine Bevis Marks Synagogue and Devonshire Terrace) what a way to travel in style! We’re sure we’ll be seeing many more STG street parties, now that the trend has well and truly been set.

Natalie looked radiant in her totally bespoke, and one-of-a-kind Hermione de Paula gown, paired with beautiful blue skyscraper heels, and her big day was truly a Smashing the Glass-fest, with no fewer than four Recommended Vendors on the case: award-winning photographer, Claudine Hartzel; sensational stationer, Dimitria Jordan, brilliant band, The White Keys; and finally the beautiful video you see below is by HD Moments.

How we met

Natalie, the bride: We went to King Solomon together. I was four school years below Paul, and fancied him back then. But we got together years later through Facebook, and after our first date, I told my mum I was going to marry Paul and yes, I was right!