Jewish Budget Weddings Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Naturally Beautiful Jewish Wedding in the Colorado Mountains at Vail Wedding Deck, Vail, Colorado, USA

05/01/2018 by Karen

Today’s gorgeous mountaintop Jewish real wedding is a testament to keeping it simple and letting your surroundings do the talking. This works particularly well when your surroundings happen to be the glorious mountains of Colorado!

With a little help from the Internet, and a lot of help from a rabbi with encyclopaedic local knowledge, Jordan and Josh made their dream day a reality, complete with a first look, a gondola ride to the top of the mountain and an epic hora dance – all in the same place that the Obamas stayed during their visit to Colorado!

Jordan and Josh are both lawyers, living in New York City, but had such a profound connection to Vail that they chose to have a destination wedding there, with 50+ friends and family flying out to celebrate with them.

Their intimate ceremony involved their close family, with all hands on deck for the music and blessings, which we definitely approve of!

We also ADORE the proposal story. Jordan and Josh met on a train platform when Jordan asked him for directions. The pair hit it off straight away, and Josh ended up riding the train to her destination with her. A few years later, Josh popped the question on the very same train platform. How adorable is that??

Back to the big day – Jordan looked simply beautiful in her David’s Bridal dress, and all the magic was expertly captured by photographer Sharee Davenport.

That’s enough from us – it’s now Jordan’s turn to take over Smashing The Glass to tell us all about her and Josh’s big day. Over to Jordan!

How we met

Jordan, the bride: We met when I was in law school (in Chicago) when Josh was visiting home for Yom Kippur from business school in New York. I was at the train station in Chicago going to my family’s house for breakfast and Josh was going to the suburbs for a Northwestern football game. I asked him for directions, and that’s how we met!

We ended up riding the train together that day and added each other on Facebook. He messaged me that night and said that, while he liked me, he lived in New York, and asked to set me up with his cousin. I said no, but to let me know the next time he was in town. We met up that night and have been together ever since (almost four years).
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A Whimsical, Laid-Back Jewish Wedding Day Bursting with Color at Collingwood, Ontario, Canada

18/12/2017 by Karen

Today’s real wedding had us wondering – how can a big day this laid back be SO pretty?? There’s something to be learned from letting go of worry and doing things exactly as you want to do them – it will work out perfectly on its own, because it will be everything you truly want.

Asha and Matt’s four-day Jewish wedding camping extravaganza took place in Ontario Canada. Bursting with color, life and what looks like an extraordinary amount of fun, the couple and their guests shed their shoes for a chilled-out extended celebration.

With dreamy, romantic floristry and a whimsical, bohemian look (including a wow-factor wooden chuppah, adorned with floral arrangements) the whole day looked like something from the pages of a Midsummer Night’s Dream!

Gorgeous bride, Asha, found her perfect dress by Dress The Population at Nordstrom, and finished it off with a beautiful bespoke sari veil and a fabulous flower crown. She looked like a fairy princess – and a ridiculously happy one at that.

Guests lay on blankets for storytime speeches, and were treated to an ice cream van mid-afternoon. The whole thing sounded so wonderfully relaxing, we wish we’d been there!

Outstanding Recommended Vendor, Niv Shimshon, made the most of the stunning scenery, capturing some truly epic images that we just CANNOT stop staring at! And Keren Rosenberg‘s film below is SO beautiful. An absolute must-watch…

It’s Asha’s turn to take over the blog for the full writeup of her and Matt’s fun-loving Jewish wedding day. We’re pretty sure you’re going to want to steal every last detail, so don’t say we didn’t warn you, and enjoy!

How we met

Asha, the bride: How we met is a favourite story of mine! Matt is the best friend of one of my cousins. I used to come to Toronto every summer (from when I was about nine) for a family camping trip.

When I was 17 and Matt was 19, he came over to hang out with my cousin, and we met for the first time. That day, Matt loudly announced in front of everyone that he would marry me one day. We remained friends for years, always chatting through instant messenger apps every few months, and always hanging out at my family’s house when I visited Toronto.

Seven years later, we started speaking more seriously and lo and behold, I moved to Toronto. We were engaged and had bought a home together within six months… when you know, you know.
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A Chinese / Jewish “Chewie” Star Wars-Inspired Wedding With a ‘Shabbatical’ at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Colorado, USA

10/11/2017 by Karen

Ever wondered what we mean when we say “your Jewish wedding your way?” Well, luckily, Quan and Jesse have created the perfect example of what that looks like – a totally unique celebration that perfectly represents them as a couple (and Star Wars!!).

To celebrate bride Quan’s Chinese heritage, and groom Jesse’s Jewish background (and, of course, love of Star Wars), the couple affectionately dubbed their big day their “Chewie wedding”. How cute is that??

Splashed with bright color, just how Quan likes it, the Jew-ish wedding was held at a total dream location, Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Not only did that mean a backdrop of a breathtaking Colorado landscape, but it was also full of personal meaning to the couple, who spent much of their early relationship there.

In fact, every choice the pair made, and every last detail, had sentimental value and personal significance, creating a wedding that was just for them and their loved ones. We’re not crying, we just have something in our eye!!

Oh, and if they weren’t already inspirational enough, both Quan and Jesse have taken a break from their respective high-flying jobs to, in the spirit of their seven blessings, travel the world, in what they have creatively, and brilliantly, named their “shabbatical“.

We all make commitments that we wholly intend to keep, but then find life gets in the way. Jesse and Quan have proved that nothing can keep you from your dreams, and they have absolutely taken their commitment to treating each day like shabbat for a year seriously. In fact, you can even follow their adventures on Instagram!

There’s so much to gush over, but it’s already time to hand over to proud groom, Jesse, for the full account of the day, illustrated with a sensational spread of images by Once Like a Spark.

A venue with personal history

Jesse, the groom: We were married at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. We actually had the venue booked before we were engaged. Jesse was working with a jeweler to design the engagement ring and we both knew we wanted a short engagement and a wedding before the Colorado winter.

We started looking for venues and made a call to Red Rocks. The venue usually books more than a year in advance, so we were really surprised and lucky to find out that someone was late turning in their deposit and a September date was potentially available. Fortune was in our favor and the events manager called us two weeks later to give us the date: Sept 10^th.

Red Rocks has a lot of significance for our relationship. Immediately after our first date in February, I went home and bought tickets to summer concerts at Red Rocks. I knew that I would be taking Quan to those concerts. Some of our favorite dates were during the summer concerts we attended at Red Rocks.

We fell in love in the Colorado outdoors – not only at Red Rocks, but also hiking and ski trips in the Rocky Mountains. For us, Red Rocks was the iconic Colorado venue where we wanted to host our family and friends so that they could also take in the beauty of the great outdoors of Colorado. Continue Reading

A Meital Zano Bride for a Jewish Gender-Equal Wedding at Kibbutz Ruhama, Israel

03/11/2017 by Karen

We are totally and utterly obsessed with today’s double smashing of the glass – seriously how cool are Limor and Tom above? They both participated in all the rituals, and both smashed the glass. We highly approve!

Israelis are notoriously chilled out about their weddings, and everything still comes together absolutely beautifully. We’re sure there’s a lesson in there somewhere! Limor and Tom’s personalized Jewish wedding was no exception, conducted on the lawns of the kibbutz they call home.

Chic, understated and oh so cool, the wedding was a real stunner, with the gorgeous natural surroundings setting the stage for the carefully selected décor details, including a ‘something borrowed’ chuppah and a flower station, so that guests became walking decorations.

Lovely bride, Limor, looked a vision in her Meital Zano fashion-forward dress and shawl, with groom Tom kitted out with a chic smart-casual combo from Zara.

Photographer Sahar Hai Ahava, captured all of the adorable details and the emotion of the day, with some classic, Israeli cool shots thrown in for good measure. It’s time to hand you over to Limor for the full writeup. Be warned – there’s a LOT of pretty to look at – we urge you all to get Pinning.

Home is where the heart is

Limor, the bride: We got married in the gardens of kibbutz Ruhama, our home. We live in southern Israel and the kibbutz is located in a beautiful nature reserve. We chose to invite our family and best friends to the place we love the most.Continue Reading

A DIY ‘Jew-Bu’ Wedding at The Wildflower Barn, Driftwood, Texas, USA

07/07/2017 by Karen

There’s no two ways about it, Rachel and Michael’s gorgeous Texas Jew-Bu wedding ticks all of the STG boxes. Creative? Tick. Cool? Tick. Unique? Tick. Emotional? Tick. The couple’s quirky, alternative vibe was evident in every little detail.

With a little help from some very crafty friends, acupuncturist-moonlighting-as-an-office-manager, Rachel and product manager / DJ, Michael put their personalities into all of the DIY touches, from their origami cranes to their Tibetan prayer flag chuppah, their sunflower centerpieces to their gorgeous home baked cakes, courtesy of a friend.

Rachel looked every bit the beautiful bride in her stunning, textured Theia Couture gown, chosen for its immense huggability (totally a word), which we think is just adorable. We also have total style envy over her cute cat-eye makeup look and lashes!

The day was recorded for the ages by fabulous photographer, Caitlin McWeeney, we hope you enjoy the images, and Rachel’s brilliant write up, as much as we did.