Jewish Budget Weddings Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Vintage Bride for an Eco-Friendly DIY Jewish Wedding on a Budget, San Juan Island Grange Hall, Washington, USA

10/01/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

We couldn’t be more delighted to feature the gorgeous DIY Jewish wedding of our Brides Club member Emily to Jason! The couple, who live on a sailboat and run a sailing business, planned a laid-back eco-wedding totally in keeping with their values and lifestyle – and in line with their tight budget.

How’d they do it? With a little help from their friends. Emily and Jason asked guests to pitch in on wedding prep in lieu of gifts, and it made for such a special day – from the food cooked by guests to a chuppah constructed from local driftwood by the Boy Scout troop Jason leads! Don’t miss it in the gorgeous images by Nyama Photography.

We loved following Emily’s wedding planning journey during her time in Brides Club, and we’re so touched by her kind words about the community:

“I loved being a member of Brides Club, joining after I got engaged was a no brainer for me because I’d already been in Karen Cinnamon’s Smashing Life and love the community she has created there. I found our ketubah, yarmulkes and invitation/wedding website through Bride’s Club. I received so much support and love in this group.”

Another thing we’re obsessed with? Emily’s gorgeous vintage dress, ordered from Etsy! The classic ‘50s styling is SO chic, and going vintage is such a great eco-friendly option.

Now over to the bride…

How we Met

Emily, the bride: We started dating after Emily moved to Bellingham, WA from New York City. Jason quickly told her that he would never live on land again. Emily started taking to life on sailboat having admired sailboats from a far for much of her life. Emily bought a ballet school on San Juan Island and moved to Friday Harbor.

After a brief time living on land and loving hosting large dinners (which Jason especially loved), Emily and Jason decided to move back full-time to the sailboat, where they are very happy and looking forward to extended cruising. We are loving life on our boat and started a sailing business, Essential Sailing Industries. Jason with an emphasis on battery and solar systems, electrical work and generally meeting and helping people work with their boats and solving their boat problems. Emily is putting her years of sewing to work making canvas for boats.Continue Reading

An Anthropologie Bride for a Casual DIY Micro Jewish Wedding at Kensington MetroPark, Michigan, USA

18/06/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

Like so many couples these days, Marisa, a clinical social worker at a psychiatric hospital in downtown Detroit, and Dan, an electrical engineer project manager for car companies, had to change their wedding plans due to the pandemic. But for these two, postponing came with a pretty sweet silver lining: they were able to make it official on their five-year dating anniversary, April 9, 2021!

The couple’s families live out of state and couldn’t make it, but their awesome crew of local friends pitched in to make their chill outdoor wedding a smashing success. For those who couldn’t make it, Marisa and Dan are planning a bigger vow renewal celebration for 2022, complete with dancing, hugging, and food trucks. Sounds like an awesome party, though to be honest we’re already pretty smitten with the couple’s micro wedding – and after scrolling through the gorgeous photos from the pair’s photographer and friend, Eclectic Desire Photography, we bet you will be too.

We’re also in love with Marisa and Dan’s gorgeous ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Windthrow Fine Art. Marisa and Stephanie – one half of Windthrow, along with her twin brother Eddie, the artist – are former coworkers, and when Marisa saw some of the gorgeous nature-inspired ketubot Windthrow is known for, she knew she’d found just the thing for her wedding – or rather, weddings: Marisa and Dan opted to sign their ketubah, along with one witness, at their micro wedding, and Marisa’s aunt (who also gifted the ketubah to the couple!) plus another witness will add further signatures at the vow renewal next year.

Now over to Marisa…

How we Met

Marisa, the bride and Dan the groom: Dan and Marisa’s wedding took place on the five year anniversary of their first date. Dan and Marisa met on Tinder and after talking via text for about a month, they met in person on April 9, 2016. Their first date was in Easton, PA at a small ice cream shop close to Lafayette College. This date was full of laughter and only a few awkward moments. Looking back, there’s a lot of different ways this first date could have unfolded (online dating is hard!) and it’s a great date to look back on and laugh about.

A year later, Dan and Marisa moved to Pittsburgh, PA. Marisa started a grad school program in social work and Dan started his career in electrical engineering. Two years after that, they moved to Michigan to pursue new job opportunities. They were open to doing something new and Marisa continued her career in Jewish non-profit community organizing before landing in her current role as a clinical social worker at a psychiatric hospital in downtown Detroit. And Dan continues his career as an electrical engineer project manager for car companies.Continue Reading

A Nouvelle Amsale Bride for an Autumnal Outdoor DIY Jewish Wedding on a Budget at Camp Holiday Trails in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

23/12/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

We could not be any more overjoyed to be featuring the gorgeous DIY Jewish wedding of our beloved Brides Club member and blogging bride Erin as our very last wedding of 2020!

Erin, a medical education coordinator at the University of Virginia, and Josh, a musician and fourth-grade teacher at a forest school, had originally planned to wed at their synagogue, followed by a reception at a local restaurant. But like so many 2020 couples, they had to retool their day when COVID hit. They were intent on marrying on their original date, but knew they needed a mostly outdoor venue that allowed for social distancing.

Luckily, Erin and Josh live in beautiful Charlottesville, Virginia, and they were able to find a spot that perfectly fit the bill in Camp Holiday Trails, which during the summer functions as a camp for children with medical needs – so not only did they end up with incredible natural scenery requiring very little in the way of added decor (abundant fall foliage AND the Blue Ridge mountains as a backdrop? Yes please!), they were able to support a good cause too.

Erin and Josh were on a tight budget – but luckily they also happen to be super craftsy, and they ended up creating so many incredible DIY touches that really made their day pop. The highlight has got to be the ketubah they created together, featuring a gorgeous composite photo of the couple sitting by a local pond looking up at the Milky Way (with photos by the groom) – perfectly in keeping with their loose theme of “a starry fall night in the mountains.” We also love the cool copper pipe chuppah these two built – which they plan to repurpose in the future as parts for their sukkah! Don’t miss it – and all the other handcrafted touches – in the incredible photos from Steve of Photography Champloo.

The couple also had some help from their wonderful friends and family – Erin’s sister, Kaley Agee, happens to be a professional photographer, and she pitched in with some getting-ready shots on the big day in addition to manning the videography (which Erin and Josh will be editing themselves). And when Erin determined a florist was out of budget, her amazing friend and fellow Brides Club member Karisa, sent over some unused Sola Wood Flowers left over from her own wedding, which Erin dyed and hand-painted herself.

There’s so much more to say about this fantastic wedding, but we’ll let Erin tell you the rest…

How we Met

Erin, the bride: Josh and I met how any good millennials meet – on a dating app! Josh and I had the unusual courtship of two months of talking before we ever met in person (it was the Thanksgiving holiday, then I went down to Florida to see my family over the winter holidays, and then by the time I got back, Josh was on a Birthright trip to Israel!)

We were finally able to meet in January of 2018, and we both fell hard pretty quickly after our first date at a local coffee shop (where we both unknowingly ordered the same drink!)Continue Reading

A Magical Laid-Back Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Ein Chemed, Jerusalem, Israel

12/10/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

HOW magical is the Israeli Jewish wedding of Andrea, a medical massage therapist, and Yehoshua, who works in sales?! Their gorgeous Jerusalem Hills venue, Ein Hemed, looks like an absolute fairy tale wonderland – all trees and twinkly lights – the perfect choice for two nature lovers!

Picking a venue that was totally stunning all on its own also helped the couple stay on budget – not much was needed to make Ein Hemed shine. With just a simple chuppah, lanterns and flower petals lining the aisle, and pinecones and herbs on the tables instead of flowers, Andrea and Yehoshua created the ultimate rustic vibes without breaking the bank.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman Photography (whose team also handled videography) captured not only the marvelous aesthetics of the day, but – in his trademark style – the couple’s story too.

We also love how the pair – both of whom made Aliyah on their own – took the wedding as an opportunity for their friends and family to get to see Israel and the lives they’ve built in the country. There’s so much more to say, but we’ll let Andrea take it from here…

How We Met

Andrea, the bride: We like to say that we met at the party we didn’t want to be at. It was a very cold and stormy February night. It was a night that no one would have wanted to leave their homes, yet thankfully we both did. A mutual friend was having a party to celebrate his birthday. I debated whether to go or not thinking that perhaps many friends would not show to the party because of the horrible weather.

In the meantime, Yehoshua was already out due to the fact that he was going to the kotel for 40 days straight in the merit that his bashert would be revealed. That night he even struggled to find a minyan (10 men) because of the torrential downpour. Nonetheless we both ended up at that party, however, he showed up shortly before I was planning on leaving. We spoke very briefly and then said our goodbyes- no numbers exchanged.

Almost one month later we both attended a wedding that I, Andrea, did not plan on attending. A friend’s husband was unavailable and she convinced me to come take his place. Thankfully I agreed because I turned around during the ceremony, and there I saw the brightest smile 🙂 Yehoshua and I got a ride home together, this time, exchanging numbers. 6 months later we were engaged and another two and a half months we were married! God was our clear matchmaker and we are forever grateful!

A Spiritual, Magical Florida Backyard Jewish Wedding Reimagined Due to COVID-19

24/04/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s Jewish wedding is so unbelievably, jaw-droppingly, breathtakingly gorgeous, it’s hard to believe it wasn’t the couple’s Plan A all along. But believe it or not, bride Ganga, whose work combines counseling, astrology, ritual, and ecological design to support clients through change and loss, and Seth, a strength and conditioning coach who draws on a similarly interdisciplinary background, pulled together this intimate, impromptu wedding in the bride’s mother’s back garden after their original plans were waylaid by coronavirus.

These two had a bigger wedding at an eco-retreat all lined up – and they still plan to hold that bash, with their original lineup of vendors, next year – but when the pandemic hit, they changed their plans to this pared-down backyard celebration with a focus on spirituality.

The couple, who are both training to be inter-spiritual ministers, poured themselves into developing a ceremony that felt deeply authentic to them both, from their circling around each other to the Adon Olam, to adapting the seven blessings to reflect poems and blessings from many traditions to reciting their own vows.

We also love the thought they put into selecting their gorgeous Gingko Spiral ketubah by Temma Gentles from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com: the ginkgo has been around for over 300 million years, meaning it’s a true adaptor and survivor – just what we all need to be in these uncertain times.

And would you believe these exquisite photos were shot by a first-time wedding photographer? Ganga’s bridesmaid – the only one who was able to make it in the end – just happens to be mega-talented photographer Thais Aquino, who’s clearly a natural at weddings!

Now over to Ganga, the bride…

How we met

Ganga, the bride: We met through my best friend who had been one of Seth’s students, on New Year’s Eve 2016. The first thing I remember asking Seth was what his intention for 2017 was, to which he replied, “just to be love.” That immediately told me we were on the same page in our approach to life, and within a few weeks we were learning how to be love, together.