Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Home > Real Jewish Weddings > Jewish Country House Weddings

A Martina Liana Bride for an Elegant France-Meets-New Jersey Jewish Wedding at Park Chateau, East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

by

Ester-and-Alex-Park-Chateau-East-Brunswick-New-Jersey-USA

A local venue that feels just like being whisked away to a chateau in the Loire? Yes, please! That’s exactly what today’s couple, Ester and Alex, found in East Brunswick, New Jersey’s Park Chateau – a venue so gorgeous Ester knew she wanted to marry there before she even met her now-husband!

Naturally, this was an uber-elegant wedding, with a color scheme of white and green with hints of gold, the perfect princess gown by Martina Liana, and a stunning modern ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush.

All the wonderful details and emotion of the day were captured exquisitely by photographer Maria Kalitina – who not only shot some fab images but kept everyone calm on the big day – and husband-and-wife videographer duo Greg and Dierdra from Lorenzo Media Productions.

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

Ester-and-Alex-Park-Chateau-East-Brunswick-New-Jersey-USA Ester-and-Alex-Park-Chateau-East-Brunswick-New-Jersey-USA Ester-and-Alex-Park-Chateau-East-Brunswick-New-Jersey-USA Ester-and-Alex-Park-Chateau-East-Brunswick-New-Jersey-USA
How We Met

Ester, the bride: We met in a funny way. We matched on JSwipe October of 2018 but didn’t meet in person until Christmas Eve 2018 at this event called Matzah Ball.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Rustic Jewish Wedding all about Travel and Music at Offley Place, Hitchin, UK

by

Ekaterina-Richard-Offley-Place-UK

Today’s couple are lucky to have careers they’re passionate about: Ekaterina is a live events producer, and Richard is a VP of sales working for a travel company. So it was only natural that music and travel played a big role in their fabulous Jewish wedding – as did the pair’s shared love of all things rustic.

They found the perfect spot to combine all the things they love in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Offley Place in Hertfordshire. It ticked ALL their boxes for a countryside feel and easy access from their home in North West London, and provided the perfect backdrop for their gorgeous rustic florals and birch chuppah. Check it out in the wonderful photos by Steven Porridge ad Julie Kim Photography.

With Ekaterina working in live events, and she and Richard being music lovers, a top-tier band was always going to be a priority. And Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Sensation Band was the absolute perfect fit. From the chuppah to the dinner to the party, “they were incredibly engaging and really delivered a phenomenal performance.” Ekaterina reports that guests kept commenting on the performance and asking the duo where they’d found such an awesome band!

Realizing it’s easy to make a wedding all about the bride, Ekaterina knew she wanted to incorporate Richard’s love for travel into the wedding too – and we’re obsessed with the creative details like “wedding passports” as wedding brochures, a departures board as the table plan, and boarding passes for place cards.

Read on for more from the bride…


   Ekaterina-Richard-Offley-Place-UK Ekaterina-Richard-Offley-Place-UK Ekaterina-Richard-Offley-Place-UK Ekaterina-Richard-Offley-Place-UK

How we Met

Ekaterina, the bride: A friend of ours introduced us during lock down and we knew pretty much straight away that this was a soul connection. The truth is, this was actually the second time we met – just a more successful rendez-vous than the first one. After a few romantic walks in the park, I had told him that he “felt like home”, that’s when I knew he was my soulmate as he made me feel whole.

We got engaged in April 2022 and decided to get married before the chagim that year (September 2022), which didn’t leave us much time for preparations! We also bought a house that summer and had some changes at work. A very turbulent year! But it is these bumps that made me even more sure of my choice in partner as we held each other’s hand through it all.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pioneering Modern Orthodox Same Sex Wedding at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, New York, USA

by

Max & Zach, Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, New York, USA

We are so in love with today’s stunning same sex Jewish wedding! New Yorkers Max, Director of Startup Ecosystem Development at SAP, and Zach, Director of Artist Relations + Partnerships at Great Bowery’s Trunk Archive, crafted a day that perfectly blended Jewish tradition with impeccable contemporary style.

Same sex Orthodox weddings are still in their early years, and we love that Max and Zach – along with their officiant, Rabbi Avram Mlotek – are at the forefront. The pair worked with their rabbi to craft a ceremony that aligned with their values as Modern Orthodox Jews AND as members of the LGBTQ+ community.

While much of the ceremony looked like any traditional Jewish wedding, one difference is that instead of a traditional ketubah, Max and Zach opted to use a Shtar Shutafut, a Halachic Partnership Contract, to formalize their marriage. The couple worked with Rabbi Mlotek on the text. They also exchanged rings under the chuppah, and each smashed a glass.

It’s so heartwarming to see how Max and Zach were able to craft the wedding of their dreams, without having to compromise on any aspect of their identities – and you can really see the joy in each and every shot by photographer David Perlman.

There’s so much more to say – like how much we love that the duo named their signature cocktail the Goldie Spritz, after their rescue dog! – but we’ll turn you over to the grooms for the rest…

Max & Zach, Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, New York, USA Max & Zach, Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, New York, USA Max & Zach, Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, New York, USA Max & Zach, Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, New York, USA
How we Met

Max and Zach, the grooms: We first matched in November 2018 when we were both home visiting our families on Long Island, NY for Thanksgiving. We instantly clicked on our first date in December 2018, which coincided with the second night of Chanukah. We were engaged on March 13, 2022 and the rest is history.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Jewish Wedding in Blue and Purple at Stock Brook Country Club, Essex, UK

by

Becca-Ellis-Stock-Brook-Country-Club-Billericay-UK

When Becca, who works in a Jewish secondary school, and, Ellis, a pharmacist, started planning their UK Jewish wedding, they knew they wanted it to be a combination of both of their personalities and tastes.

That started with their color scheme: Ellis’s favorite color is purple, while Becca’s is blue, and so that became the basis for their wedding look – with some dashes of white interspersed.

Flowers were a key part of tying it all together, and the couple – who describe themselves as “completely clueless” about flowers – turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Alexandra’s Florist, who brought their vision to life (including decorating their gorgeous floral chuppah!) and spent lots of time going over different flower types and colors until they were 100% happy. Don’t miss the lush florals in Megan Donati Photography’s wonderful images of the day!  

We loved hearing about Becca’s wedding dress shopping experience as a plus size bride – she began her search with trepidation, and while there were some bumps along the road we’re happy to report a very happy ending in the form of the traditional A-line gown of her dreams AND a fabulous boutique that made her feel totally at ease all through the process.

There’s so much more to this wonderful Jewish wedding, but we’ll turn you over to the couple for the rest…

Becca-Ellis-Stock-Brook-Country-Club-Billericay-UK Becca-Ellis-Stock-Brook-Country-Club-Billericay-UK Becca-Ellis-Stock-Brook-Country-Club-Billericay-UK Becca-Ellis-Stock-Brook-Country-Club-Billericay-UK
How we Met

Becca, the bride and Ellis, the groom: Hello! Becca and Ellis here, together known as Bellis! We had our Big Fat Jewish Wedding on the 30th of May 2022.

The story of us officially getting together is a 21st Century type of romance! We were both due to be going on Macnoar Israel tour in July 2011 and we already had a few mutual friends. Prior to going on tour, one of Becca’s friends broadcasted her pin over Blackberry messenger (lol trendsetters).  Ellis was already one of our mutual friends’ contacts, and he decided to add Becca.

We began talking over BBM as well as skyping regularly and decided to meet up before going away – we felt there may be something romantic there.  We officially met in person and had our first date on the 25th of June, 2011 (many moons ago) and have been together ever since – the rest is history! Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Suzanne Neville Bride for an Elegant Autumnal Jewish Wedding Weekend at Four Seasons Hampshire, UK

by

Rebecca-Dexter-Four-Seasons-Hotel-Hampshire-UK

We just love it when a couple works with a fabulous team of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to make their Jewish wedding dreams a reality – which is exactly what today’s couple did!

Rebecca, a primary school teacher, and Dexter, a portfolio manager specialising in charities, have busy professional lives, and so they made the smart decision to work with a great planner, who really got them and their vision. They found the right match in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Louise Perry Weddings, who “completely understood our vision of an elegant wedding, with accents of bright autumnal colours (inspired by Rebecca’s parents’ southern African roots).”

The couple’s venue, Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire, hit all the right notes with its classically luxe style and varied event spaces providing plenty of options for the tisch, ceremony, reception and party – it’s truly a beautiful setting; don’t miss it in the photos by Luke Hayden!

Rebecca picked Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Sensation Band for music, and they couldn’t have been more thrilled with the way Sensation kept the energy going all through the night. The pair wanted dancing between courses, with speeches split across the evening, which the band was happy to accommodate and they even let Rebecca and Dexter lead dancing from the stage at the end of the night!

We’ll let Rebecca – who looked so classically elegant in Suzanne Neville – take it from here…

Rebecca-Dexter-Four-Seasons-Hotel-Hampshire-UK Rebecca-Dexter-Four-Seasons-Hotel-Hampshire-UK Rebecca-Dexter-Four-Seasons-Hotel-Hampshire-UK Rebecca-Dexter-Four-Seasons-Hotel-Hampshire-UK
How we Met

Rebecca, the bride: We met in in 2012 – our penultimate year of school – through mutual friends at a tea party for the Queen’s Jubilee. We clicked instantly, and have now been together for 10 years. Since then, we have gone on to university together (Nottingham University), and now live in north London.Continue ReadingContinue Reading