Jewish Budget Weddings Archives - Page 3 of 6 - Smashing the Glass

A laidback Israeli wedding at Kalamata and Neve Schechter Center, at Neve Tzedek and Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel

08/07/2016 by Karen

Orit and Ido had a simple, contemporary wedding with a calming subtle blue colour scheme that was small, intimate, informal, and unquestionably stylish.

They decided to do away with many wedding traditions in favour of creating a day that reflected them as a couple as well as making it an amazing experience for all their friends and family, and I have to say that looking at their super stylish photos it definitely made for the most wonderful, personal day.

On the fashion side, I’m totally coveting Orit’s custom-designed dress and those beautiful bronze shoes – the perfect accompaniment to the scenic backdrop of sunnies skies and golden beaches.

I love how tuned in these two were to their own desires and so much so, they chose not one but three different venues that they frequent regularly. One of them, Dallal, is one of my all-time favourite Tel Aviv brunch spots so I’m super happy to be featuring it today on the blog!

With thanks to the lovely Danielle from Danielle Yashar Photography for submitting the eye candy. Happy Friday folks!

A wedding that reflected us and the things we love doing

Orit, the Bride: As we started planning our wedding, it was clear to us that we wanted it to be our day. For us that meant doing things we like the most, surrounded by our family and closest friends.

We wanted our event to be intimate and we wanted to have the opportunity to spend time with each one of our guests. We started our morning in the Dallal Bakery at Neve Tzedek where we regularly meet friends for coffee at the weekend. We strolled along the beach to Jaffa, which is so beautiful at this time of the year, and there we met our family for a brunch at Kalamata restaurant (one of our favourite restaurants) which is located in old Jaffa over looking the Mediterranean sea.

Just before Shabbat we gathered our family and closest friends in a nearby synagogue at Neve Schechter-Legacy Heritage Center for our chuppah. After the exchange of rings we kissed our family goodbye and returned to Kalamata for a festive and upbeat lunch with our friends. To close the day, we invited everybody to a private concert by one of our favourite artists and whilst taking in the sunset at the Old Jaffa Port.

A Pink ‘geeky-fairytale’ Jewish wedding at East-TLV, Tel Aviv, Israel

28/06/2016 by Karen

I really REALLY love today’s wedding. I mean how can you not adore a wedding that includes Jazz mixed with Japanese pop and Disney tunes, a Star Wars wedding cake, Pokemon Poké Balls for ring boxes, and an astonishing bride with a hot pink petticoat and epic My Little Pony trainers (plus several more shoes changes!). This Jewish wedding has heart and personality at it’s core and I absolutely love it.

Today’s bride has monumental style and really knows her own mind… Anyone who is considering stepping away from the white/ivory/champagne norm – I hope this wedding gives you the confidence to do so!

There are so many fun creative touches. Take the bride’s oh so pretty floral crown and her glittery 50’s make up and the cat magnets designed by the bride, as well as rustically styled tables (proof that you don’t need to go overboard to make something look absolutely gorgeous) and the creative cartoon-style table numbers and… oh I could go on and on and on.

What a wonderful glorious mix! Come on and have a peek and enjoy the images by Noa Magger plus the film courtesy of Shahar Lev.

How we met

Ravid, the Bride: We actually met at…….. McDonalds! Some eight and a half years ago. Avishai was a cashier and I was a cook, and we also used to work opposite shifts. I was dating someone else at the time. Somehow we ended up on the same shift one day and clicked right away. He did all he could to have me break up with the other guy(!) and our boss, who saw the chemistry, kept suggesting we should go out.

When we actually let our boss know we were dating he exclaimed ‘well finally’ – I guess you can say we owe this to him (and he was also a guest at the wedding – we’ve even introduced him to our parents!).

We went to a movie the day I broke up with the other guy, and it was really a love at first sight. We survived my time at the army as well as his, and went through a lot together – and now we’re married… I’ll stop being a walking cliche now!

A cool urban warehouse venue in Tel Aviv

We got married at the East venue in Tel Aviv, an urban hangar which used to be a factory owned by the national electricity company. We knew two things before we picked the venue: we wanted it to be urban and fresh (not a garden of any kind), and we knew we wanted it to be in Tel Aviv. We found East, which was not only the coolest place for a wedding, but was also in walking distance to our apartment!

We felt like it was a match when we first set foot there. We also knew that we were aiming for a summer wedding. Summer in Israel is terribly hot, so it had to be somewhere with an option for air conditioning and dancing in a closed space. So the chuppah and reception were outside (we handed out fans for people to survive the heat), and the rest of the evening was indoors.

Sarah & Dan | Rustic Jewish wedding held at their own farmhouse in Connecticut, USA

08/04/2016 by Karen

Sarah and Dan purchased a Connecticut farmhouse during their engagement – their first home together – with the dream of getting married on the property. They made it happen with their wonderfully intimate orthodox Jewish wedding on December 6th 2015, the first night of Chanuakah! Sixty of their closest friends and family joined them to celebrate the happiest days of their lives. I certainly can’t think of a better way to commemorate owning your first joint home!

This informal yet elegant affair just goes to show that you don’t necessarily have to incorporate a rainbow of colour or an abundance of details to have the wedding of your dreams. Mazal Tov Sarah and Dan!

Choosing to get married in our new home

Sarah, the Bride: After having both lived in studio apartments in New York City our dream was to live on a quiet retreat within arms reach to the city. We found a farmhouse dating back to 1790 in Connecticut, that we purchased during our engagement ,with the dream of being married on the property.

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Sarah & Anne | Super stylish Same Sex Jewish Wedding at Hart House, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

22/03/2016 by Karen

I couldn’t name this blog anything but smashing the glass. It is THE moment of a Jewish wedding and images like the one above just make me so happy. Two beautiful women, crazy in love, performing this hugely symbolic tradition under a gorgeous chuppah. I’m telling you, one of the best things about this job is definitely how uplifting it is to look at images like these.

And like all the real Jewish weddings on Smashing The Glass, this W-Day is completely refreshing. Both brides chose to forgo the traditional wedding dress style in favour of a two super sleek and contemporary creations by Carolina Herrera and Judith and Charles respectively, accessorised in Anne’s case by the most delicate headpiece.

And that’s not the only thing that has me swooning. There are gorgeous dainty florals and rustic table runners by GLP Events that not only look delightful (Anne wanted a simple arrangement of flowers that reminded her of the fields in the small French village where she grew up), they’re cost-effective too.

And the guests…well if the photos at the end of the night are anything to go by, then it’s clear that everyone had a darned good time!

Back with a bang for his 3rd feature on STG, Niv Shimshon has captured the mood perfectly with these terrific shots. Prepare to swoon.

how we met

Sarah and Anne, the Brides: We met one cold winter’s evening in Montreal and have been together nearly every day since. On the night we met, Anne was sick with a nasty flu. Sarah, a germophobe, knew it was love at first sight because she didn’t want the date to end despite Anne’s coughing, sneezing, and significantly high fever. Anne is calm, cool and collected, and Sarah is witty, funny, and shows pictures of her dog to strangers every time she has a chance.

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Blue and yellow DIY Jewish beach wedding in Crete, Greece

29/09/2015 by Karen

How about we all jet off this morning to Crete to revel in the big blue and yellow day of Meline and Damon? These two are just the cutest pair and their couple portraits are so full of warmth and affection that I’ve snuck a fair few into this post.

It’s the first time I’ve blogged a Jewish wedding from the beautiful Greek island of Crete, and the first where the bride is wearing yellow! There’s so much to love about this delicious destination wedding – the ceremony took place on the beach right by the shore, under a stunning talit chuppah overlooking the breathtaking sea views, and there are lots of creative DIY touches throughout the festivities that you’re going to love.

The couple decided to do away with many wedding traditions in favour of creating a day that reflected them as a couple as well as making it an amazing experience for all their friends and, family and I have to say that looking at the wonderful photos by Newman Photography (one of our much-loved Smashing Suppliers) it definitely made for a very special destination W-Day.

I’m totally in awe of Meline’s yellow wedding dress. The girl totally rocked that sunshine shade! She actually wanted to get married dressed up as an Elf princess or Princess Leia from Star Wars but Damon thought that was a bit too cheesy… In the end she went for this absolutely magnificent yellow gown, and in my mind it’s the perfect accompaniment to that scenic backdrop of blue skies and sandy beaches.

Get ready for an intimate, laid back wedding with sublime weather and an even more sublime couple.

how we met

Meline, the Bride: We met on the lawn on the University of Pretoria campus in South Africa over 10 years ago. I was embarking on a veterinary degree and Damon a mathematics degree (such nerds!). Damon had an apartment right next to the campus so people would hang out there a lot. We were friends for a few months before we got together. A few months later we moved in together and the rest, as they say, is history…