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An Eisen Stein Bride for a Jewish Wedding with Italian Vibes at Idit Winery, Israel

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We are absolutely in love with the gorgeous Jewish wedding of Melissa, who works in social media, and Lavy, a data scientist. Their outdoor celebration at Israel’s Idit Winery drew inspiration from Sorrento, Italy, with lots of blues and yellows, and naturally tons of lemons!

This wedding was so full of special touches – from the “shop” Melissa and Lavy set up, full of fun items for their guests like sweets and personalized t-shirts, and an emotional first look  under the chuppah. The couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jossef Si, captured everything exquisitely. In Melissa’s words,

What I liked about his photography was that his photos felt really romantic but with an artistic edge. I loved the colors of the photos and how they were edited, as well as the range of compositions he used. And about Jossef – he was an absolute pleasure and so calming to be around which is exactly what we needed! As well as that, his pictures say it all. Just gorgeous.

Read on for more from the bride – who looked so chic in her gown from Israeli designer Eisen Stein…


How We Met

Melissa, the bride: We met on Tinder and our first date was in Independence Park in Tel Aviv.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Miri Couture Bride for an Ultra-Moving Jewish Wedding Bringing Light to Dark Times at Gioia Mia, Kibbutz Nachshonim, Israel

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Amidst the sorrow, anger, and heartbreak, we will never stop celebrating Jewish continuity because that is exactly what we are fighting for. Today’s real wedding is all about bringing Jewish joy into a dark time – something we could all use more than ever this week. 

Israeli couple Dalya, a data analyst, and Zach, a student and sales advisor, were originally scheduled to make things official on October 22, 2023. After October 7, they knew they had to postpone – but when their new Jewish wedding date rolled around in January, they were more focused than ever on bringing the light.

Dalya and Zach’s wedding was an emotional reunion with loved ones from abroad and friends serving in the army who got the night off to join their celebration. A highlight of the chuppah was a special prayer for the protection of the state of Israel and IDF soldiers – including Zach’s beloved brother.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman photographed the day and captured every moment of joy so perfectly. In Dalya’s words, “Herschel delivered on all fronts, capturing candid, dramatic, fun, and natural shots. He was also fantastic at improvising. On the day of our wedding, it was pouring rain, and he creatively used umbrellas to give us some of our favorite shots. He made sure the photos looked stunning despite the weather, capturing the moment and the beauty of the hall perfectly.”

This was such an incredibly special and meaningful day – in the bride’s own words,  “Being able to have a wedding during some dark times in Israel was the greatest way to show our enemies that we will always win and overcome anything they want to challenge us with.” Now over to Dalya…

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How We Met

Dalya, the bride: I moved to Herzliya, Israel on October 22, 2022. During my first weeks in Herzliya, Zach would come up and make small talk. When Chanukah arrived, Zach and his roommates hosted a community event. My roommate messaged me, asking if I was coming. I decided to join my friends at the event. There, Zach approached me, we started talking, and the rest is history. About a week into dating, Zach told me he would marry me, and little did I know that a month into our relationship, we would already be meeting each other’s parents.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An EddyK Bride for a Timelessly Elegant Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Ronit Farm, Kfar Shmaryahu, Israel

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This is one dreamy wedding! Israeli couple Lihi, a Neuroimmunology PhD student, and Eitan, an Electrical and Computer Science Engineer, married amidst the lush greenery of Ronit Farm, and the whole day was the most exquisite celebration of their love.

A venue as gorgeous as Ronit Farm doesn’t need much in the way of décor, and Lihi and Eitan opted to keep things focused on highlighting the natural beauty of their venue.

The couple chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jossef Si to photograph their big day, and they couldn’t have been more thrilled with their choice. In Lihi’s words,

Jossef Si is the best, most talented photographer, and we knew he would be our photographer before we were even engaged. His talent surpassed any other photographer we saw and it all came true on the day of the wedding. Jossef captured every moment in such an effortless and organic manner that we felt the emotion with each photo.

Read on for more in Lihi’s own words…

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How We Met

Lihi, the bride: Almost 8 years ago, we were set up by our close friends, Romi & Gabriel, and have never looked back since. We have gone through everything since then, from being in the Israeli Air Force, to studies from Bachelor’s all the way to PhD, made a home for ourselves, and many adventurous trips all around the world.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Vera Wang Bride for an Israeli-American Jewish Wedding at Hagiva, Givat Brenner, Israel

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If you can’t get enough of Israeli weddings, we’ve got a treat for you! The fabulous Jewish wedding of Alexa and Nitay, at gorgeous Hagiva, has all the things we love about weddings in Israel: a gorgeous outdoor setting filled with greenery and Jerusalem stone, gorgeous chuppah, Israeli food and music, and, of course, epic party vibes.

Nitay is Israeli, while Alexa is American – and the pair perfectly combined the best of both wedding traditions to make sure everyone felt comfortable and included on the day. They turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Vanessa Ohayon to help bring their vision to life – and did she ever! In Alexa’s words,

Vanessa is a true professional at what she does. When we first met Vanessa, we connected instantly and she understood our vision from the start. Vanessa brings her amazing energy into every detail of any wedding. She had a solution for everything and when there were any hiccups (there are always hiccups), she knew how to bring us down to earth and find the best way to handle them. We couldn’t have done it without her!

We’re also obsessed with the couple’s exquisite photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tzahi Shemesh. Have a scroll through and we’re pretty sure you’ll agree with Alexa’s assessment:

He made us laugh, feel comfortable, and most importantly, captured our “in the moment” memories. Him and his team were at every angle and made sure to not miss a thing! He is an artist and makes us relive our special day every time we look back at the photos. They’re magnificent!

There are so many more fabulous details to share about this very special wedding – we’ll turn you over to the bride, who looked timelessly elegant in Vera Wang, to fill you in…

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How We Met

Alexa, the bride: Nitay and I both lived in Chicago after college. We had many mutual friends who all met up one night to go out in January 2017. Nitay approached me the second he saw me and made sure he didn’t leave without getting my number! Later that week we went on our first date to a sushi restaurant. The rest is history 🙂Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Ysa Makino Bride for a Cambodian-Jewish Wedding at The Noor, Jaffa, Israel

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When American couple Ayia and Christopher, both emergency room nurses, decided on a destination wedding in Israel, they knew they needed a stellar planner on the ground to make the day of their dreams a reality. They found the perfect fit in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Bebke, led by dream team Inbar and Gev. To quote Ayia, Bebke is “a creative powerhouse,” and helped the duo with everything from finding the perfect only-in-Israel venue to incorporating the groom’s Cambodian heritage into the day.

Ayia and Christopher knew they wanted to get married somewhere with character and history – the kind of space that couldn’t be anyplace else but Israel – and Bebke delivered: hidden away in Jaffa’s artistic alleys, The Noor is an absolute stunner, the kind that really encapsulates the magic of Israel.

We also love the way Bebke worked with the couple to incorporate Cambodian culture into the day, culminating in a traditional Cambodian/Khmer string tie ceremony. Ayia and Christopher changed into traditional outfits and knelt on colorful pillows, with incense burning and traditional Cambodian wedding music playing in the background, as each guest approached  them and tied a red string on both the bride and groom’s wrist, followed by a blessing for a happy and healthy marriage. Don’t miss  Mor Elnekave and Ben Mizrachi’s exquisite photos of this unmissable moment.

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How We Met

Ayia, the bride: We met on a dating app as it was the heart of Covid and everything was closed. We bonded knowing we were both working so hard, and dealing with so much sadness and stress in the emergency room. It bonded us. We met a month later and it was all history from there 🙂Continue ReadingContinue Reading