Israeli Weddings Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for a Daytime Jewish Wedding at Ronit Farm, Kfar Shmariyahu, Israel

25/02/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

We can spot a Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Luz Weddings Photography Jewish wedding a mile away. Their trademark combination of architectual urban shots with emotion and romance is unmistakable — and we can’t get enough of it.

Neither could Mayan, a lawyer, and Dan, a construction engineer, who can’t stop raving about their photographers — in addition to being mega talented at capturing artsy shots, the couple report they were a dream to work with on the day and couldn’t have made even the photo-hating groom more comfortable.

There was certainly plenty to capture, what with the stunning Ronit Farm setting and an unbelievable floral chuppah. And we love how the couple opted to get married at the unconventional-for-Israel hour of noon, allowing them to make the most of that amazing Israeli sunshine.

They also opted for a Friday date, which meant they could throw in some fun pre-Shabbat touches, like their Shabbat flower bouquet favors that each guest picked up from a “flower shop” they had set up!

Over to Mayan, who lived out all her princess dreams in Monique Lhuillier…

How we met

Mayan, the bride: We met in the army, where we both served in intelligence. When I got to the office on the first day he came to sit next to me and started talking to me.

Soon we kissed but because Dan is from Eilat and I am from Jerusalem (a 4 hour drive) he wasn’t sure he wanted to be my boyfriend! So I made him jealous a little bit and soon we fell in love.

We’ve been together for 7.5 years already and I can’t remember my life without him anymore. He is my best friend and we have so much in common, like our love of travelling around the world.

A Francesca Miranda Bride for a Romantic Jewish Wedding with a Touch of Edge at Ronit Farm, Kfar Shmariyahu, Israel

18/02/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Wow. This Jewish wedding. It really doesn’t get much better.

Some couples want a delicate, romantic wedding. Others want their big day to be a massive party. May, the marketing manager of a co-working space for doctors, and Yaniv, who’s in real estate investment, managed to make their beautiful Jewish wedding both of those things — with some help from much-loved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Naama Raicher.

Naama, her colleague Yael Kfir Frumkes, and the rest of the team brought the duo’s dream wedding to life, providing their trademark finesse to every stage of the process from the very beginning to the day of – so much so that May reports that choosing Naama Raicher was “the best decision we made” during planning.

Naama and Yael helped the couple formulate their plan of action: first, an intimate late afternoon ceremony, set outdoors at the idyllic Ronit Farm, full of soft colors and romantic touches — like a totally stunning floral chuppah adorned with delicate white flowers.

Then, for the reception, things got a little edgier: May and Yaniv brought a hit of club style to their outdoor dinner and dance party, with moody colors galore — they even brought in professional dancers (who went through four costume changes throughout the night!) to perform on stages set on the sides of the dance floor to set the mood.

May’s Francesca Miranda gown easily made the transition from ceremony chic to party mode: made from 200 meters (!) of tulle and covered with thousands of hand-embroidered butterflies, this dress is most definitely soft and whimsical… but it was also the perfect lightweight bridal attire in which to dance all night.

We’ll turn you over to May in a second, but before we do we want to alert you to the fact that she and Yaniv provided one of the best favors we’ve yet encountered: loaves of fresh challah! Um, yes please!

How we met

May, the bride: I was jogging on the beach one day and Yaniv noticed me running. He then found a mutual friend of ours and asked her to make the connection, and the rest is history.

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A Ladurà©e-inspired Jewish Wedding of Two Amazing Event Designers at Pekan Garden, Kibbutz Ramat Hakovesh, Israel

30/01/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

So on Monday we saw a gorgeous destination Jewish wedding where the event planner bride decided to take a hands-off approach, turning the bulk of the work over to her amazing planner to ensure the wedding stayed stress-free. Today, we’ve got the wedding of not one but TWO mega-talented event designers/planners where the couple decided to go all in on their big day.

When we say all in, we really do mean all IN! Bride Tom and groom Matan, who together run Tomka Designs in Israel, were on the job 24/7 in the weeks leading up to the wedding, and even the day before they put in a 12-hour session at the venue.

But all that hard work paid off in a BIG way. The couple’s ultra-romantic Ladurà©e-inspired wedding was nothing short of magical, with epic flowers, candles, soft pastels, and, of course, some seriously impressive macaron towers.

We’re totally obsessed with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ran Bergman’s photos — and to look at them, would you ever guess the wedding fell on a day with absolutely appalling weather? It rained nonstop on Tom and Matan’s wedding day, meaning their original plans for an outdoor photo session were out. But like the true pro he is, Ran stayed calm and scouted out an alternate location for the portrait session that just might have turned out even better than Plan A would’ve: a local patisserie! Okay, so it’s not Ladurà©e, but it’s still pretty adorably on theme.

It just goes to show that a really talented photographer (which Ran most certainly is!) will be able to take amazing photos on even the most dismal of days — so don’t be so quick to snub that winter date your dream venue has open.

Now over to Tom, who looked simply smashing in her gown by Israeli designer Gali Karten…

How We Met

Tom, the bride: Matan and I have been best friends since the age of 15. We were in the same class in high school, lived together in an apartment through our bachelor’s degrees, travelled all around the world together etc…

What seemed to be obvious to everyone around us took us 15 years to realize.

2.5 years ago, alongside a beautiful friendship, we became business partners — we are the proud owners of Tomka Designs, a company for wedding designs in Israel. This partnership turned to be the best decision we ever made as it led to a beautiful love story.

After a year of working together, something we can’t really explain happened and a close friendship turned into a strong relationship. At the age of 30, we both knew “this is it” and that we were heading for a wedding.

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A Made With Love Bride for a Luminous Jewish Wedding on the Beach at Kochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

19/12/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

What is it about beach weddings? Whether they’re in Israel, Florida, or somewhere further afield, we just cannot get enough of them. That blue water, the sound of the waves… throw in a palm tree (or several) and we’re sold.

And oceanside venues don’t get much dreamier than Kochav Hayam, where Milen who works in HR, and Arad, an accountant who also owns a judo club, held their stunner of a Jewish wedding.

From the exquisite sunset ceremony to the magical twinkly lights in the indoor reception hall to the lovely floral chuppah decked out in white flowers and greenery, it’s a seriously beautiful day — captured so exquisitely by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, who worked his photographic magic to capture the most luminous, elegant images.

Videographer Roey Harazy was no slouch either — he surprised the couple with a drone (!) on the day, which he used to capture some absolutely breathtaking footage of the Caesarea coastline.

Milen was the epitome of a radiant bride in her two dresses — one for the ceremony that she custom designed from a simple gown with the help of a seamstress, and the other (for the reception) from Made With Love — and we’re delighted to put you in her capable hands for the rest of the story…

How we met

Milen, the bride: We both graduated from IDC – we met in the cafeteria!

A Vera Wang Bride for a Romantic Destination Jewish Wedding at the Hilton in Tel Aviv, Israel

05/11/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Dreamy chuppah alert! We’re totally obsessed with Sharona and Eyal’s fantastic chuppah, draped in hanging white flowers atop translucent columns. And we’re not not obsessed with the fact that it all went down outside, overlooking the ocean, during a picture-perfect sunset. PERFECTION!

Like everything about this gorgeous wedding, it was the perfect mix of romantic and modern. Take Sharona’s choice of a positively princess-worthy Vera Wang gown for the ceremony, followed by a decidedly contemporary Zuhair Murad number for the reception.

We also love the way this pair fused their two backgrounds: Sharona’s Sephardic, and Eyal’s Ashkenazi. They wanted to make sure their musical choices honored both sides, so they started off with traditional Ashkenazi music for the Israeli dancing, then switched over to an Israeli singer, and, to make sure the couple’s contemporary tastes got some airtime, ended the evening with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor DJ Teta, who being one of the very best in the business, kept the dancefloor packed until 2AM!!

Oh, and did we mention that they had a super cool pre-wedding henna party, a Sephardic tradition meant to bring good luck? If anyone ever wants to invite us to one of these, we’re ALL IN — just saying!

Before we turn you over to Sharona, if you haven’t already, don’t delay signing up to our FREE online event: ‘The secrets to an unforgettable Jewish wedding’ with our founder and editor, Karen, happening on Monday November 12 — it’s going to be totally unmissable for anyone currently planning a Jewish or Jew-ish wedding, and places are filling up fast!

How We Met

Sharona, the bride: My husband is in real estate and I am an accountant. We met when I was 19, on my husband’s 20th birthday in Israel. Our mutual friend invited me to his birthday party where we met. A day later he messaged me on Facebook and the rest is history.Continue Reading