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A Big Fat Greek–Israeli–Moroccan Jewish Wedding at Island Resort Athens Riviera, Vari, Greece

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Maria and Talor, Island Resort Athens Riviera, Vari, Greece

We’re obsessed with New Yorkers Maria and Talor’s description of their big day as a Big Fat Greek–Israeli–Moroccan wedding. It was truly the most incredible fusion of the bride’s Greek heritage and the groom’s Moroccan Israeli background, filled with so many personal touches that made the day truly one-of-a-kind.

In Maria’s words,

While the celebration was Orthodox and fully kosher, we added our own twist — instead of having a traditional Moroccan henna party before the wedding, we incorporated it into the celebration itself. The day beautifully blended Greek and Israeli customs and culture, creating the perfect event to symbolize the union of our two families and the new life we’re building together.

We’re also in love with the stunning ocean views at the couple’s venue, Island Resort Athens Riviera – and especially with their vibrant outdoor chuppah, packed with bright florals like peonies, ranunculus, hydrangeas, and roses. Husband and wife duo Sandy and Odysseas captured the day so perfectly in their luminous photography.

We’ll leave it to Maria – who looked so classically chic in her Jude Jowilson gown – to share the rest of the details of this very special day…

Maria and Talor, Island Resort Athens Riviera, Vari, Greece Maria and Talor, Island Resort Athens Riviera, Vari, Greece Maria and Talor, Island Resort Athens Riviera, Vari, Greece Maria and Talor, Island Resort Athens Riviera, Vari, Greece

How We Met

Maria, the bride: We met on Bumble when I messaged Talor in Hebrew.

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A Caroline Castigliano Bride for a Super Stylish Jewish Wedding with Shabbat Dinner Vibes at Kin House, Wiltshire, UK

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Ben and Lauren, Kin House, Wiltshire, UK

We are totally and completely obsessed with Lauren and Ben’s super stylish Jewish wedding. Their vision for the big day was modern countryside with Shabbat dinner vibes – how awesome is that?!

Kin House in Wiltshire, England, with its combination of classic country exterior and quirky, modern interior, was the perfect setting for the celebration – and the couple’s fabulous florist, Sarah of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Way to Bloom, put together the most exquisite arrangements (not to mention a stunner of a chuppah) that added Lauren and Ben’s unique stamp to the space.

In Lauren’s words,

We both agree that Sarah and her floral arrangements, were the highlight of our wedding. Sarah doesn’t know the word “no” — she was always ready to try a new idea, offer some advice, and take charge where needed. We are forever grateful to her and her expertise for making our wedding shine, and we are lucky to still consider her a friend to this day.

For their band, Lauren and Ben chose another amazing Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, The White Keys. Their 8-piece band – including both a saxophonist and an electric violinist – kept the dance floor packed all night (including an epic 12-minute hora!).

Lauren and Ben’s wedding day fell on Shabbat, and we love the fact that they wanted their wedding breakfast to feel like a giant Shabbat dinner. The couple lit the candles, their rabbi led the blessings, and they even had a challah tug-of-war! Spoiler: Lauren won. Don’t miss it in the incredible photos by Natalie J Weddings and video by John Taylor Films.

We’ll let Lauren fill you in on the rest…

Ben and Lauren, Kin House, Wiltshire, UK Ben and Lauren, Kin House, Wiltshire, UK Ben and Lauren, Kin House, Wiltshire, UK Ben and Lauren, Kin House, Wiltshire, UK

How We Met

Lauren, the bride: We met on a dating app in 2020. Fun fact – after our first date, I called my mom and told her, “I met my husband!”

Ben proposed in Dulwich Park in October 2022. A truly special place for us both, it reminds us both of Central Park in NYC, which is where I lived before moving to London and Ben spent a lot of time as well. We always called the bridge in Dulwich Park our “happy place” so it was fitting to get engaged there.

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A Maggie Sottero Bride for a Colorful Jewish Wedding with Lots of DIY Touches at Arlington Estate, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

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Aly and Benji, Arlington Estate, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

Calling all DIY-loving brides and grooms! If you’re planning on crafting some elements of your Jewish wedding yourself, the beautiful wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Aly to Benji is a must-read.

From the get-go, Aly and Benji knew they wanted their big day to feel fun and whimsical to reflect their personalities – in Aly’s words, she wanted “the opposite of a white wedding!” And with tons of pastel colors (plus a few pops of something brighter) and tons of DIY, that’s exactly what they got.

Soon after getting engaged, Aly bought a cricut machine, and in the leadup to the big day she DIY’ed the couple’s large welcome mirror, customized their ring box with their initials, made the MOB and MOG personalized hoodies to get ready in, customized the card box, and DIY’ed a vase with the signature drink menu on it. Aly also designed all of the digital and print elements – including the invitations – using elements from Canva for the table numbers in gorgeous frames, menu cards, cocktail hour signs, and digital signage around the venue – she’s truly the queen of DIY! Don’t miss all the special details in the wonderful photos by Nadav at Manning Avenue.

There’s so much more to say about this exuberant Jewish wedding, but we’ll turn you over to Aly for the rest…

Aly and Benji, Arlington Estate, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada Aly and Benji, Arlington Estate, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada Aly and Benji, Arlington Estate, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada Aly and Benji, Arlington Estate, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

How We Met

Aly, the bride: On Benji’s birthday in 2019, we matched on Hinge! Benji might have been not-so-sober celebrating in Greece, but luckily, his location was still set to home for me to find.

A few weeks later, Benji suggested we “meet in the middle” at the Yonge and Sheppard Jack Astors (RIP) which was 10 minutes from his house and 20 minutes from Aly’s… but the date went well enough for us to keep our Snapchat streak going while Aly went to Disneyworld for two weeks and Benji waited patiently for her to come home (streak is still going strong at 2,200+ days!).

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A Galia Lahav Bride for a Jewish Wedding Full of Personal Touches at The Mansion at Glen Cove, New York, USA

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Marina & Alex, The Mansion, Glen Cove, NY, USA

We love it when a couple makes their Jewish wedding totally, 100% them – and that’s exactly what Marina and Alex did, keeping their big day at Glen Cove, New York’s The Mansion focused on personal touches with special meaning. From working with Marina’s sister, the mega-talented Yelena Mirchevskaya of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Studio Yarden, on their ketubah and invitations, to incorporating elements of their Russian-Jewish heritage in the cocktail hour, to crafting a ceremony filled with Jewish customs that were meaningful to the couple, this was truly a very special wedding.

One of the highlights of the day was the collab with Studio Yarden: Marina and Alex’s invitations, featuring a custom illustration of the duo, set the tone for the entire wedding, and guests couldn’t stop commenting on how unique and beautiful they were. The couple’s ketubah, also created by Yelena, was equally meaningful. Yelena brought Marina and Alex’s vision of a modern design featuring pomegranates and eucalyptus to life, hand-painting every detail and even adding gold leaf to create a truly stunning piece of art.

Equally stunning was Marina’s gown by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Galia Lahav. The beloved Israeli designer is known for her luxe, romantic stylings, and Marina’s flowy cream-blush number was sheer perfection. Don’t miss it all in the wonderful photos by Inbal Sivan and trailer by Studio 27!

Now over to Marina…

Marina & Alex, The Mansion, Glen Cove, NY, USA Marina & Alex, The Mansion, Glen Cove, NY, USA Marina & Alex, The Mansion, Glen Cove, NY, USA Marina & Alex, The Mansion, Glen Cove, NY, USA

How We Met

Marina, the bride: My husband and I met at work. I was working as a Creative Director at a tech company when he joined as a Cybersecurity Consultant. We were friends for almost two years before we started dating. At the time I was in a relationship, but almost as soon as it ended, he asked me out.

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An Emma Beaumont Bride for a Lebanese-Jewish Wedding with a Fantastic Floral Chuppah at Easthampstead Park Hotel, Wokingham, UK

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Tatiana and Daniel, Easthampstead Park Hotel, Wokingham, UK

Gorgeous chuppah alert! Londoners Tatiana and Dan, who both work in tech, had one of the most absolutely exquisite floral chuppahs we’ve seen – and we see a lot!

Given that Tatiana’s family owns Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Easthampstead Park Hotel in Wokingham, it was a natural choice for their wedding weekend. The stunning Victorian country house venue an hour outside London provided the perfect spot for all of their events, from the Lebanese-themed Friday night dinner to the main Jewish ceremony and reception on Saturday to the Sunday brunch – and since they fully took over the hotel for the weekend, all of their guests were able to stay together and get to know one another.

Planning a three-day affair is no easy feat, and Tatiana and Dan turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Sophie Amor to help make their wedding dreams come true. In Tatiana’s words, “Sophie was so incredible, and her patience was unwavering – she made us feel like ours was the only wedding she was working on for nine months! I really couldn’t recommend her more – she was so organised, understood me & Dan inside and out and just made our weekend completely stress free.”

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Sensation Band made sure the dance floor was packed all night long – and also arranged for the incredible electric violinists who played as guests made their way to the dinner marquee!

The couple’s photographer, Pippa Mackenzie, captured the day so beautifully, and their videographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion, filmed the celebration in his trademark cinematic style – and Tatiana and Dan appreciated his calming presence on the day.

There’s so much more to say about this very special wedding – but we’ll turn you over to the bride, who looked simply ravishing in her bespoke Emma Beaumont gown, for the rest…

Tatiana and Daniel, Easthampstead Park Hotel, Wokingham, UK Tatiana and Daniel, Easthampstead Park Hotel, Wokingham, UK Tatiana and Daniel, Easthampstead Park Hotel, Wokingham, UK Tatiana and Daniel, Easthampstead Park Hotel, Wokingham, UK

How We Met

Tatiana, the bride: We were introduced between the second and third lockdowns in London, and have slightly varying accounts of what happened! For me, I was chatting with a few different guys, two of which were already named Dan (Dan 1 and Dan 2). When I met my friend Saacha for lunch, she cut in and said, “OMG, I have Dan 3 for you!” and passed Dan my number. However, for Dan, he was feeling a bit worn out with dating after a not-so-great date, so he only reached out a week later. We met and saw each other for the first time at The Marylebone Pub were we had our first date, and hit it off right away (helped by many tequila shots and lots of laughter).Continue ReadingContinue Reading