Jewish City Chic Weddings Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for an Autumnal Luxe Jewish Wedding at Cipriani 42nd Street, Manhattan, NY, USA

20/07/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Okay, HOW incredible is this tree chuppah dreamed up by Julia and Max for their New York Jewish wedding? Despite getting married smack dab in the heart of Manhattan, the couple, both of whom work in finance, love autumn in New York (who doesn’t?) and wanted to bring the feel of the city’s most beautiful season to their decidedly indoor affair.

And they really, really did, through the creative use of lots and lots of gorgeous indoor trees decked out with those signature autumn leaves. That’s where the chuppah comes in – and is it ever a stunner! – but the autumn tree effect extended to the couple’s wonderful centerpieces as well. The overall feel was totally magical – almost like an indoor walk through Central Park on a beautiful October day. Don’t miss Andrew Henderson’s beautiful photos of the day.

And as if that weren’t enough NYC fabulousness for one wedding, we’re also smitten with Julia and Max’s adorable invitations by Bella Figura, featuring whimsical sketches of classic NYC icons – like a subway train pulling away with a “Just Married” sign! Too cute!

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave it to the bride – who looked ravishing in Monique Lhuillier – to fill you in on the details…

How we met

Julia, the bride: Max and I met over a summer internship at Morgan Stanley while still in college. The two of us were alphabetically seated next to each other during a week of training in Manhattan, and immediately thought the other was special. Even though we had planned to work on different coasts post-graduation, we made our relationship work long distance. A few years later, Max joined me in California where we’ve now been living together for 4 years.

An Allison Webb Bride for a 1920s Glam Jewish Wedding at the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, Chicago, Illinois, USA

13/07/2020 by Karen Cinnamon 3 Comments

We could not be more excited to be sharing the gorgeous vintage glam Jewish wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Jacklyn, a registered nurse, and Jeffrey, who owns a real estate company!

Taking cues from the old-world luxury vibe of their ca. 1929 venue, the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, Jacklyn and Jeffrey turned the hotel’s already stunning ballroom into an eclectic fantasyland, full of luxe florals and pampas grass, in a neutral color palette with pops of gold – including an absolutely stunning gold chuppah, which the couple covered with the groom’s grandfather’s tallitot. Don’t miss Erin Hoyt’s moody, classic photos and This Charming Heart’s wonderful trailer.

We also love the creative approach Jacklyn and Jeffrey took to structuring their day: Jacklyn wanted to be sure everyone would see her in her dress for the first time as she walked down the aisle, so to help with the flow of the day the pair opted to have their ketubah signing the night before the wedding. This turned into a very special gathering for an intimate group of 20, including family and friends who’d flown in from Poland and Dubai, beautifully photographed by the bride’s friend, fashion photographer Anna Stokland.

And we’re in love with the couple’s ketubah, a replica of an Italian ketubah dating from 1768 which they purchased from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com! (PSA to all history lovers: in addition to their fantastic collection of contemporary designs, Ketubah.com also has a wonderful collection of historical designs based on ketubot from all over the world, some dating back to the 1500s.)

There’s so much more we could say about this exquisite wedding, but we’ll leave it to Jacklyn, who looked like an absolute supermodel in Allison Webb, to share the rest…

How We Met

Jacklyn, the bride: We met through mutual friends. Went on one date and we instantly knew, that night, we were each other’s “one”.Continue Reading

A Sassi Holford Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London, UK

10/07/2020 by Karen Cinnamon 1 Comment

We’re so excited to be sharing the gorgeous Jewish wedding of another of our Smashing The Glass Brides Club members today! Not only did Laura, a nutritionist, and Josh, a project management consultant, have the quintessential London wedding at the stunning St Pancras Renaissance, but they also worked with some of our very favorite Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to make sure their big day was nothing less than a smashing success, as evidenced in the joyous photos from Chiko Photography.

First off, we’re all about Laura’s elegant bridal look, featuring a classic gown by Sassi Holford and the chicest updo by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Hair by Slo. Stylist Sarah-Louise is so loved by #STGbrides, and reading Laura’s kind words it’s no wonder why: “She was always at the end of the phone when I needed both hair and non-hair related advice, and on the day she blew me away with how she did everyone’s hair and made everyone feel.”

And then there’s the cinematic masterpiece that is the couple’s wedding video from beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion. We’re not at all surprised to hear that the team made Laura and Josh feel super comfortable on the day – or that they’re obsessed with their video and the amazing memories it brings back. This is one trailer not to be missed!

We’re also crazy about the couple’s modern ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Elena Berlo, in the most wonderful palette of blues, greens, and golds. It’s a true piece of art, which Laura and Josh now proudly display in their living room as a memento of their special day.

Now over to the bride…

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Venue

Laura, the bride: We got married at the St Pancras Renaissance hotel in London. I have worked around the corner from the venue for 5 years and every time I walked past it, I fell in love with it a little bit more. Soon after we were engaged, I made Josh come with me to have a look at the hotel. After we had been shown around, I couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else.

We loved all the rooms and the iconic stair case, which all could be used as part of the wedding and how the spaces were naturally beautiful and didn’t need too much dressing. Continue Reading

A BHLDN Bride for an Interabled Couple’s Ultra-Personal Egalitarian Jewish Wedding at Finsbury Old Town Hall, London, UK

06/07/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

It’s no secret that we love seeing a couple who crafts a unique Jewish wedding that’s totally, 100% them. And that’s exactly what today’s bride and groom did. Candy and Max are passionate about documenting their life together as an interabled couple at Riding Everest – Max, an investment analyst, has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, and in addition to a career in writing and social media Candy cares for Max, assisting him with all the tasks he needs help with due to his disability – and showing the world that relationships where one partner has a disability are just as loving, normal, and beautiful as any other.

And that seems to go doubly for weddings, based on Kristian Leven’s radiant, joyous photos of the day. This wedding was SO full of love, happiness, and cool personal touches, from papel picado in honor of Max’s Mexican heritage, eucalyptus leaves to reflect Candy’s Australian family, and tiny plastic horses scattered around the venue for guests to find as a nod to the couple’s 2018 horseback trek to Everest Base Camp! And they also worked in plenty of DIY touches, from hand-painted place cards (Max worked with a paintbrush held in his mouth, and Candy took charge of the calligraphy) to homemade gin favors.

We also love that these two opted to get married twice in one day, starting their day at the register office and ending it under the chuppah, which Candy and Max loved because it gave them the opportunity to have both a small, intimate wedding with just family AND a big Jewish wedding where they celebrated with their community.

And then there’s the exuberant Jewish music by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Shir! This mega-talented group not only helped the couple pick their favorite tunes and iron out logistical creases in their day, they also led the Israeli dancing and made sure that everyone – even guests who’d never before attended a Jewish wedding – got involved!

There’s so much more we could say about this awesome wedding, but we’ll leave it to Candy – who started the day in a pale blue vintage tea dress before a secret pre-chuppah costume change into a beaded dress from BHLDN – to fill you in on the rest…

How we met

Candy, the bride: We met after my masters, when I needed a part time job (an MA in playwrighting isn’t a very lucrative way to get into the job market) and Max needed a PA at work. Then we accidentally fell in love and the rest is history!

A Galia Lahav Bride for an Industrial Rustic Jewish Wedding at Knockdown Center, Queens, New York, USA

26/06/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

This is SUCH a New York wedding, and we are all over it. Jenny, who works as an associate media director at an ad agency, and Zach, who works in real estate development at a private equity firm, brought the city vibes to their Jewish wedding with everything from their choice of venue – the super cool Knockdown Center in Queens, which manages to combine industrial chic while being able to bring in greenery and rustic sophistication seamlessly – to their decision to bring in iconic NYC eats like Robertas Pizza andthe Shake Shack food truck.

And how incredible is the couple’s floating chuppah?! With all four sides open – so all 375 guests seated in the round could see the couple clearly – it brings some serious enchanted forest vibes to an otherwise urban setting. Photographer Tory Williams captured everything so perfectly.

Now over to Jenny, who looked stunning in Galia Lahav – one of our fave Israeli designers!

Industrial Rustic

Jenny, the bride: We got married at the Knockdown Center in Maspeth Queens. We were looking for a venue that was “us” and not typical. We wanted a place we could create what we wanted but that had natural beauty. Zach works in real estate and loves finding raw spaces and making them beautiful. This space had the perfect contrast of industrial chic while being able to bring in greenery and rustic yet sophisticated beauty.