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A Cinq a Sept Bride for an Exquisite Jewish Micro Wedding Planned in Just 2.5 Weeks at Birchwood Country Club, Westport, Connecticut, USA

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Today’s bride, Nicki, not only had to contend with COVID scuppering her original wedding plans over summer 2020; she was also in the midst of her PhD defense! Luckily, her mother just happens to be mega-talented wedding planner Susie, founder of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Pink House Productions, so when – just after completing her doctorate in biomedical engineering – Nicki, who’s now working as director of R&D for a biotech company working on rapid testing for COVID-19, and groom Ricky, a portfolio manager at a hedge fund in New York City, decided they wanted to make things official on an expedited timeline, they had the dream team on hand to bring their dreams to life.

And in just two-and-a-half weeks, Pink House Productions planned one of the most gorgeous micro weddings we’ve seen yet! The bride and groom gathered with their families to celebrate their love in a stunning, intimate outdoor ceremony in Nicki’s hometown of Westport, CT, and the outcome was truly exquisite – we’re obsessed with each and every gorgeous shot from photographer Mark Kornbluth.

Understandably, Nicki wasn’t in the mood for intense wedding planning just after having completed her PhD, and so she left most of the decision-making to her mom. Susie and the whole team at Pink House Productions went above and beyond, working in fun touches like personalized candle favors for each guest, candy stations containing the bride and groom’s favorite treats (individually packaged and set up in a COVID-friendly fashion, naturally, and even surprising the couple with a Mister Softee ice cream truck at the end of the night!

Nicki also happens to have been a beloved member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club, and we’re so touched to hear how helpful she found it to be able to, in her words, “see how so many other brides pivoted, and how they were able to deal with the stress and uncertainty of the situation.” She and Ricky also found their ketubah supplier, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com, through Brides Club, and can’t stop raving about how wonderful they were to work with – even rushing the ketubah to work with the couple’s expedited timeline!

If that’s piqued your curiosity to find out what our ultra-supportive Brides Club community’s all about, now’s your chance, because through this Sunday, November 1, we’re offering a FREE 30-day trial membership – but don’t forget to sign up ASAP, because the doors close at midnight Sunday.

Now over to Nicki, who’ll fill you in on all the gorgeous details of her day…

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How we met

Nicki, the bride: Although we were both graduates of the University of Pennsylvania (Nicki from  the school of engineering, Ricky from Wharton) we did not know each other at PENN, and were set up on a blind date four years ago by mutual friends!

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A Willowby by Watters Bride for a Reimagined Jewish Micro Wedding at a Private Airbnb in Malibu, California, USA

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Nina and Lee, private residence, Madison, CT

We could not be any more excited to share the absolutely incredible micro wedding of our beloved STG Brides Club member Nina to Lee! I know we’re all tired of hearing the word “pivot” at this point – but thes two truly pulled off one of the very best pandemic pivots we’ve seen.

Initially, Nina and Lee had planned to have two big celebrations this summer: one in Israel, where Lee’s family lives, and the other at Nina’s family’s home on the beach in Connecticut. When it became clear that neither of these festivities would be able to go forward as planned, rather than scaling things back or postponing, the couple opted to totally change course and do something totally different.

And in just three weeks, these two managed to plan the most gorgeous micro wedding with 14 guests (friends only – since Lee’s family was unable to travel from Israel, the pair opted to have all relatives participate via Zoom) in the hills of beautiful Malibu – a place neither of them had so much as visited before! – to be followed up by a two-week RV honeymoon driving up the California coast and then east to their engagement spot of Steamboat, Colorado! With all the traveling involved in their original wedding lineup, Nina and Lee hadn’t been planning on a honeymoon at all, and they count being able to go on one as their biggest replanning win.

We’re also obsessed with the couple’s beautiful chuppah canopy, which the bride’s mother knit by hand into an intricate pattern with hearts hidden in the details, so that with the sun shining overhead during the ceremony it cast heart-shaped shadows all around Nina and Lee! What an incredibly special touch – don’t miss it in the exquisite photos by photographer Jess of We are Matt and Jess. And how gorgeous is Nina and Lee’s colorful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com?! They wanted something out of the box, and we think they found just the thing to match the vibes of their laid-back boho day.

There’s so much more we could say about this awesome wedding, but we’ll let Nina, who looked effortlessly chic in Willowby by Watters (turns out the dress she’d picked for her wedding in Israel worked perfectly for Malibu!), fill you in on the rest…

Oh… and just before we hand over to Nina – make sure you join our Wedding Planning Bingo Challenge which starts today! A must for every Jewish and Jew-ish bride, you can sign up here.

Nina and Lee, private residence, Madison, CTNina and Lee, private residence, Madison, CTNina and Lee, private residence, Madison, CTNina and Lee, private residence, Madison, CT
How we Met

Nina, the bride: Lee and I met the way many couples meet these days…on a dating app!  When we matched, Lee was living in Colorado and I was living in Boston.  Lee was in Boston for a week for work, and while we didn’t have time to meet before he went back to Colorado, it just happened that I was headed to Colorado for a work trip the very next week!

The only time Lee and I had to meet face to face was while I was at a bar with company…Lee brought a friend and swung by the bar where I was hanging out.  We chatted for a bit, went on a walk around the block just the two of us.  The next week Lee flew back to Boston and took me to a matinee performance of The Blue Man Group and then out for Israeli food!  From that point on, Lee and I were all in.

We did a few weekend trips going back and forth between Boston and Colorado, skiing, going to concerts, and eating delicious meals (all of our favorite things).  A few months later, Lee made the decision to relocate to Boston and after 5 months of dating we moved in together!  One year later we were engaged and just about a year later we were married!  When you know, you know.

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An ASTR Bride for a Jewish Micro Wedding Pulled Together in Just Two Weeks at Endicott Estate, Dedham, Massachusetts, USA

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As if we weren’t already in awe of all the many couples who are pulling together beautiful Jewish weddings during the pandemic, today’s couple brings it to the next level: both bride Yvonne and groom Gabriel are physicians in Boston – working exactly the kind of crazy hours you’d expect – AND they managed to pull together the bulk of the wedding in just TWO WEEKS prior to their date of July 25, 2020. Yep, you read that right… two weeks!

How’d they do it? With the help of a fantastic planner, the mega-talented Luba of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Primavera Dreams. Because of their time constraints, the couple opted to take a hands-off approach to planning, putting their full trust in Luba to execute their dreams for a simple, elegant, intimate (the two invited just immediate family and one friend on each side) outdoor wedding. After just a few Zoom meetings with Yvonne and Gabriel, Luba was off and running – and she pulled everything together perfectly, as evidenced in Alex Gordias’s stunning photography.

Yvonne and Gabriel didn’t begin planning until February 2020, so they knew from the start that COVID would have an impact on their day – and they were able to build this intimate day from the beginning rather than having to back out of plans for a bigger wedding. They were able to pick their venue, Endicott Estate, based in part on the fact that they could have not only an outdoor ceremony but an outdoor dinner, too, and Yvonne knew from the getgo she wanted to forgot the traditional bridal salon and alterations experience for safety reasons and so instead opted to order lots of white ready-to-wear dresses online, finding the perfect fit in a simple, lightweight number by ASTR the Label.

Read on for the rest of Yvonne’s account of this very special day – we truly could not be any more impressed!

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How we met

Yvonne, the bride: We met in 2014 through a mutual friend (his medical school friend and my residency friend). When the mutual friend found out Gabriel was coming to Boston to train as a fellow in trauma surgery, he immediately said that we should meet and the rest is history!

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A Dorit Izbizki Bride for an Intimate Israeli Jewish Wedding at The Garden, Ma’ale Hachamisha, Israel

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If not for the customized face masks, you’d barely know today’s picture-perfect Jewish wedding was impacted by COVID-19. But while childhood sweethearts Yosepha and Sam were lucky enough to wed before the tightest pandemic restrictions kicked in, the spread of the coronavirus still meant that many overseas friends and family were unable to attend, leaving them with a small (by Israeli standards) guest count of 150.

Though it was obviously disappointing to have so many loved ones missing, Yosepha and Sam focused on the positives – both of having a more intimate gathering, and of being able to go through with their big day at all, under the circumstances! And we love that the couple’s siblings surprised them by collecting videos of their relatives who couldn’t be there wishing them mazel tov and letting the pair know how much they wished they could celebrate together – it was a total surprise to Yosepha and Sam, and they were so touched by the gesture.

As always, we’re in love with the emotional photography Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman Photography. His images are so full of joy and love, and they really capture the pure elation Yosepha and Sam clearly felt to be able marry in the setting of their dreams, in the presence of so many of their loved ones. We’re totally not surprised to hear these two have been receiving endless compliments on their photos!

There’s lots more to say about this wonderful wedding, but we’ll leave the rest to the bride, who looked so beautiful in her wedding dress by Israeli designer Dorit Izbizki…

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How we met

Yosepha, the bride: Sam and I met about 12 years ago when his family made aliyah. They moved in to the house right next door and lived there for about 2 years. We were all really young, I think I was 9 and Sam was 11. We would hang out with our siblings and neighbors together.

Our sibling wrote us a “story book” about how we met and our relationship. It was really cute and funny. Everyone would joke about how I always had a crush on the boy next door, though I think it was the other way around 🙂 

A few years after Sam and his family moved, we met again at scouts camp. We spent a lot of time together talking and hanging out. We started going out when I was in 9th grade, Sam in 10th. We’ve been together for over 6 years now, together throughout high school, Sam’s army service and my national service. It wasn’t always easy, not seeing each other for weeks at a time when Sam was on base, and dealing with stuff that you never imagined happening. 

We were so young when we got together, we both grew up a lot and changed together. It’s interesting to think about how we used to be and where we got to today. We’re both so different from how we used to be but with every change we always grew closer. We both feel extremely lucky to have had each other all these years. 

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A Pronovias Bride for a Reimagined Backyard Jewish Wedding in Armonk, New York, USA

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Here at Team STG, we have been absolutely loving all of the reimagined pandemic weddings we’ve been seeing, Though it’s no easy feat – emotionally or logistically – to change tack when you’re deep in the midst of planning the day of your dreams, so many amazing couples are rocking it each and every day.

Like Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Danielle, a designer at Facebook, and Eric, an attorney. They had originally planned a big Jewish wedding in Washington, DC – but then COVID intervened. Once it became clear their initial plans were a no-go, the pair decided they still wanted to move things forward, and chose to embrace the opportunity to plan a different kind of wedding. Different, but no less beautiful or joyous – photographer Eli Turner’s incredible imagery is proof of that.  

Choosing the groom’s parents’ backyard as their venue, Danielle and Eric leaned into the intimacy that comes hand in hand with marrying in front of just 14 of your nearest and dearest. They opted not to stream their celebration on Zoom (though they did have videographer Tom Bowen of Bowen Films on hand to record a video they could share with friends and family unable to attend), instead letting the tight-knit group set the stage for what became the couple’s favorite part of the wedding: their ultra-personal vows, which Danielle says they never would’ve shared in front of their original 230-person guest list. We’re also in love with the couple’s wonderful nature-inspired ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Ketubah. 

Danielle and Eric also made an effort to replace other elements that they felt they were “losing” from their big wedding with new features that excited them. The two are both big fans of the band Phish, and while they’d originally deemed the band’s music too quirky to impose on their guest list, with the attendees pared down to just family they opted to go full on by booking a Phish tribute band to perform!

We’ll let the bride – who looked ravishing in Pronovias (yes, the same gown she’d picked out for the big bash) – fill you in on the rest…

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Danielle-and-Eric-private-residenceDanielle-and-Eric-private-residenceHow We Met

Danielle, the bride: We met at a Great Gatsby themed party during college, when I was a sophomore and Eric was a senior. I had a feather in her hair and Eric was wearing a full suit, which is not your regular college attire. We spent the whole night talking and by the end of the party had exchanged numbers. Eric liked that I was in the art school and very creative. I was drawn to Eric’s humor and wit.

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