Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Home > Real Jewish Weddings > Jewish City Chic Weddings > Page 8

A Galia Lahav Bride for a Relaxed Jewish Wedding All About the Party at Riverpark, New York, USA

by

When they set out to plan their Jewish wedding, New Yorkers Samantha, a software engineer, and Alex, an endocrinologist, knew they wanted their big day to be all about dancing and celebrating.

They turned to their phenomenal planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Andrea Adelstein of NYLUX Events, and she went above and beyond in making the day of their dreams a reality. She helped them find the perfect NYC venue, Riverpark restaurant, and craft the perfect relaxed evening full of dancing and fun.

A few special touches we can’t get enough of: the gorgeous birch chuppah, the 11 PM espresso martinis and fries, and the fact that Samantha and Alex each smashed a glass at the end of the ceremony! Oh, and we can’t forget Samantha’s stunner of a gown from beloved Israeli designer Galia Lahav!

Take one look at Karlie Louise’s wonderful photos and you can tell what a blast the duo – and everyone around them – was having! Read on for the rest of the story.  


How We Met

Alex and Samantha met at a math competition in high school, where they were both competing. Samantha offered to put her number in Alex’s calculator and the rest is history. 14 years later, they are newlyweds. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Alyssa Kristin Bride for a Very NYC Jewish Wedding Inspired by Art Deco and Old Hollywood at Carnegie Hill, New York, USA

by

Kara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USA

Today’s Jewish wedding is just so quintessentially NYC, and we are obsessed! Kara is the Sr. Manager of Video Programming Operations at Vogue & British Vogue, and Ian, who’s in property management, adore the city, and their choice of Carnegie Hall as their venue allowed it to play a starring role.

The couple dreamed of a chic, elegant day inspired by Art Deco and Old Hollywood – with a few musical odes to Carnegie Hall thrown in for good measure. Their amazing planner, Andrea from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nylux Events, brought the vision to life SO perfectly – Laura Huertas captured all the details exquisitely in her photos.

We’re in love with Kara and Ian’s minimalist, architectural chuppah – and we love that they chose to sign their ketubah, which they purchased from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com, in front of all their guests right before the ceremony began!

There’s so much more to say about this fab day – we’ll leave it to Kara, who could not have looked chicer in her Alyssa Kristin gown, to tell you all about it…

Kara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USA Kara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USAKara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USA Kara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USAHow We Met

Kara, the bride: We met in college, no crazy story 🙂Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Suzanne Neville Bride for an Ultra-Chic Jewish Wedding with a Fairy Light Chuppah at Nobu Hotel Portman Square, London, UK

by

Sophie-and-Jonny-Nobu-Portman-Square-London-UK

Today’s Jewish wedding is one for the books – and it just happens to have one of the coolest chuppahs we’ve seen, ever! London-based couple Sophie, a lawyer, and Jonny, who’s in real estate investment, made things official at Nobu Hotel Portman Square, and the mix of contemporary chic with traditional elegance made for the perfect backdrop for this very special day.

We are OBSESSED with the couple’s fairy light chuppah, which created the most magical atmosphere. This is such a fabulous inspiration if you’re after something a little different for your chuppah – and how good would it be for a winter wedding?!

The couple found the perfect photographer Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Liam Collard Photography. They loved Liam and Stam’s relaxed, down to earth approach, not to mention their exquisite documentary style photography – and needless to say, they could not be more thrilled with the results!

We’ll leave it to Sophie – who looked radiant in her bespoke gown from Suzanne Neville – to fill you in on the rest…

Sophie-and-Jonny-Nobu-Portman-Square-London-UK Sophie-and-Jonny-Nobu-Portman-Square-London-UKSophie-and-Jonny-Nobu-Portman-Square-London-UKSophie-and-Jonny-Nobu-Portman-Square-London-UK
How We Met

Sophie, the bride: We met whilst at university but started dating through an app!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Matilda Ndrecka Bride for a Persian-Ashkenazi Jewish Wedding at Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, Long Island, New York, USA

by

Nicole and Jordan, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, Long Island, NY, USA

Well, here it is… our last real Jewish wedding of 2023! And we’re going out with a bang with the joyous, multicultural wedding of Nicole and Jordan at Long Island’s Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation.

Both bride and groom are very connected to their Judaism and cultural backgrounds – hers Persian and his Ashkenazi – and from the beginning they knew they wanted to incorporate elements of both traditions into their Jewish wedding. You’ve got to read on – and scroll through Amanda of Swiger Photography’s wonderful images – to see it all for yourself, but we’re especially in love with the couple’s Hana-Bandoon, or henna party, and their traditional Persian procession, which Nicole describes as “a giant family dance party,” complete with Nicole’s cousins serving as flower-men!

It was important to Nicole and Jordan to find a ketubah that honored both their backgrounds and their artistic vision, and they loved working with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Britt Yudell from Brit Colors, an incredible artist based out of Israel, on a custom piece. In Nicole’s words, “Britt is so talented, professional, artistic and dedicated to her craft. Britt worked patiently with us and listened to all of our ideas. From that, she created a stunning piece of unique art work that we will cherish forever!”

There’s so much more to say about this very special day – read on for the full story in Nicole’s own words…

Nicole and Jordan, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, Long Island, NY, USANicole and Jordan, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, Long Island, NY, USANicole and Jordan, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, Long Island, NY, USA Nicole and Jordan, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, Long Island, NY, USA 
How We Met

Nicole, the bride: Like so many couples of the 21st century, we met online. We met during the pandemic. At the time, Jordan, who was a data analyst, was working from home and had barely left his apartment in months while Nicole – who was an intern physician in New York- felt like she hadn’t left the hospital since the start of the pandemic. Each felt like the other was a breath of fresh air.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Caroline Castigliano Bride for a Classic and Elegant Jewish Wedding at The Biltmore, London, UK

by

Ella-and-Josh-The-Biltmore-Mayfair-UK

Who could use some extra Jewish joy right about now? We certainly could – and that’s why we’re bringing you the beautiful London Jewish wedding of Ella and Josh. The bride and groom, both business owners, brought SO much love and emotion to their big day, and we hope you’ll feel as inspired as we do by their ultra-moving photos by Robert Shack and video by Andrei Weddings.

The Biltmore in London was the perfect setting for Ella and Josh’s timeless and traditional Jewish wedding, and their classic décor, filled with white florals and abundant greenery, complemented the space so exquisitely – as did Ella’s gorgeous modern gown by Caroline Castigliano.

Music is such a big part of the atmosphere at a Jewish wedding, and Ella and Josh couldn’t be more thrilled with their choice of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Matzoh Boys. In Ella’s words, “They were fantastic! The atmosphere was just the best – they really brought the London and Manchester crowd together. We loved their Israeli music sets especially and the chuppah was beautiful.”

Read on for all the details of this very special day in the bride’s own words…

 Ella-and-Josh-The-Biltmore-Mayfair-UKElla-and-Josh-The-Biltmore-Mayfair-UK
How We Met

Ella, the bride:  We met through mutual friends – I was living in Birmingham and Josh was in Manchester. 

Continue ReadingContinue Reading