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A Romantic Destination Jewish Wedding at Villa Medicea di Lilliano, Tuscany, Italy

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Naomi and Nathan, Villa Medicea di Lilliano, Tuscany, Italy

We love a Jewish wedding in Tuscany! And Montreal couple Naomi, a luxury travel concierge and planner, and Nathan, an accountant, had one of the best.

Their big day at Villa Medicea di Lilliano featured the chicest mismatched bridesmaids, a Mamma Mia-inspired flash mob, the most incredible kosher catering by Cantina Giuliano, and so much more.

To make the celebration of their dreams a reality, the couple opted to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Sandro Poli of The Couplers. In Naomi’s words,

If you’re Jewish and getting married in Italy he’s the guy for you!! He’s so amazing and super helpful. He really helped us with everything from A-Z. It was truly amazing working with him especially since he spoke Italian and is also Jewish so he really knew the ins and outs of everything. I couldn’t recommend him enough. He truly became family.

Sandro, who worked in fashion before becoming a wedding planner, even sewed sleeves onto Naomi’s dress 20 minutes before the chuppah!

Don’t miss the wonderfully stylish photos by Isabella Pratesi – they’re truly something special.

Read on for all the details in Naomi’s own words…

Naomi and Nathan, Villa Medicea di Lilliano, Tuscany, Italy Naomi and Nathan, Villa Medicea di Lilliano, Tuscany, Italy Naomi and Nathan, Villa Medicea di Lilliano, Tuscany, Italy Naomi and Nathan, Villa Medicea di Lilliano, Tuscany, Italy

How We Met

Naomi, the bride: Nathan and I grew up in Montreal and are the same age. The Jewish community of Montreal is incredibly special and everyone kind of knows each other. Growing up we always kind of knew of each other (we went to different Jewish schools though). The summer of 2021 my best friend suggested going on a trip to Greece with a couple of her friends. At the time she was seeing Nathan’s cousin so she invited him and he invited his friends. We ended up doing a big trip to Greece! There is where Nathan and I’s friendship started. And then once we got back we pretty much fell in love right away. We started dating two weeks later.

Funnily enough earlier that summer Nathan worked for my dad (my dad owns a kosher pizza restaurant) and Nathan was doing deliveries as a summer job! So my dad already loved him and he was accepted into the family pretty quickly. On our way back from Greece we were all supposed to go to Israel but due to Covid our flights got cancelled. Him and his friends ended up going to Paris (they are all from there) and by fluke I ended up stuck in Paris for 3 days. We hung out every day. Honestly we’ve been inseparable since.

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A Multicultural Nigerian-Jewish Wedding at LJS and Dyrham Park, UK

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We love it when a couple crafts a one-of-a-kind wedding that truly reflects both of their backgrounds and the life they’ve built together – which is exactly what London couple Emma, an investment analyst in finance, and Justin, who works as a senior manager in digital marketing, did.

Emma and Justin’s shared Jewish faith plays a central role in shaping the way they live, so it was only natural for them to choose to hold the religious part of their wedding at their beloved shul,  LJS in St. John’s Wood.

The next part of their day was focused on celebrating Emma’s Nigerian heritage: after the chuppah, everyone moved on to the reception and vibrant Nigerian cultural ceremony at Dyrham Park, a beautiful country house and golf club located in Hertfordshire. The Igbo-Arochukwu cultural wedding featured a wine carrying ceremony, a symbolic moment where the bride carries wine from her father to present to her groom, followed by the blessing of the marriage. The evening also included performances from Ekombi dancers, paying tribute to Emma’s maternal Oron-Nigerian heritage. Helen Weir captured the day so beautifully from start to finish – don’t miss her exquisite imagery!

Now over to Emma…

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How We Met

Emma, the bride and Justin, the groom: We met towards the end of the Covid lockdowns, as restrictions began to ease in late 2021, through the dating app Hinge. Our first date was at the Patch Bar near Moorgate, where we ended up trying karaoke and exploring central London. The rest, as they say, is history! Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Country House Jewish Wedding in White at Sopwell House, St Albans, UK

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Natalie-and-Josh-Sopwell-House-UK

We love a country house Jewish wedding – and Natalie and Josh’s big day at Sopwell House in St Albans is really something special! Natalie and Josh loved the gorgeous grounds and the private, remote feel – all while being an easy trip from London.

We’re obsessed with the couple’s super cool Lucite chuppah, adorned with gypsophila and hanging white roses – don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by MIKI Studios.

To make sure everything ran to plan on the day, Natalie and Josh turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Toastmaster Jango. He made sure everything went smoothly so the bride and groom could relax and enjoy their day stress-free, and the couple give him lots of credit for making the day of their dreams a reality.

Now over to the bride, who’ll fill you in on all the details…

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How We Met

Natalie, the bride: We met on Hinge back in October 2020, when the covid lockdown curfew was 10pm!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Amsale Bride for a Sunset Jewish Wedding with a Stunning Floral Chuppah at Lyndhurst Mansion, Tarrytown, New York, USA

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Sydney-and-Adam-Lyndhurst-Mansion-New-York-USA

We are totally and completely obsessed with today’s breathtaking sunset chuppah! New Yorkers Sydney and Adam, who both work in the media industry, timed their ceremony so the sun would set at the exact moment they exchanged vows – and are the results ever stunning!

Lyndhurst Mansion, a historic estate overlooking the Hudson River in Westchester, was the perfect spot for the couple’s outdoor ceremony and tented reception – close to both bride and groom’s families, and featuring a beautiful landscape and garden. And Sydney and Adam’s exquisite floral chuppah fit the backdrop so perfectly!

When it came time to choose their photographer, the duo always knew Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Alex Knight and his team were the ones for them. Sydney had been a bridesmaid in a wedding Alex photographed and loved working with him – and that enthusiasm continued through to Sydney and Adam’s engagement shoot and the big day itself:

On a 95-degree day in September, Alex was energetic, patient, and creative — exactly what Sydney remembered, and flawlessly captured the easy love we have for each other, even while sweaty traversing through Brooklyn and Manhattan. Our wedding day was no different: the photo and video teams were so kind, and we had so much fun with our shoots around the grounds and throughout the day.

Sydney and Adam also used Alex Knight’s photo booth offering, InstaLux, which guests took full advantage of, and made a guest book where people could leave copies of their pictures along with messages for the couple. In that book, the photo team on-site also snuck in Polaroids of the bride and groom from the whole day, which was such a meaningful and heartwarming surprise for them.

We’ll let the bride fill you in on the rest of the details of this very special day…

Sydney-and-Adam-Lyndhurst-Mansion-New-York-USA Sydney-and-Adam-Lyndhurst-Mansion-New-York-USASydney-and-Adam-Lyndhurst-Mansion-New-York-USA Sydney-and-Adam-Lyndhurst-Mansion-New-York-USAHow We Met

Sydney, the bride: We met through Bumble and worked at the same advertising agency without realizing we were only a few desk rows away. When I swiped right and saw the same company on Adam’s profile, my message to him was, “It’s a good thing we’re not on the same team, or this would be awkward.”

We met for coffee for our first date during a work day in June, and after learning more about our very similar backgrounds and love of being silly together, it was clear that we were something special. Four years later, Adam proposed in Brooklyn — close to our first home together — with his late maternal grandmother’s engagement ring.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An E&W Couture Bride for a Vegan Country House Jewish Wedding at Offley Place, Hitchin, UK

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There’s nothing like an English country house Jewish wedding, and we absolutely love the way Amber, a research manager in fashion recruitment, and Sammy, an IT director, pulled off their epic celebration at the beautiful Offley Place in Hitchin.

With the most picturesque surroundings, a stunning outdoor chuppah adorned with white roses, and a fab vegan reception – featuring plant-based eats using ingredients from Israeli company Redefine Meat – this wedding was just full of joy and love. And we’re thrilled that Amber and Sammy found two of their fab team of professionals, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors Chazan Jonny Mosesson  and Rabbi Paul Glantz right here on STG!

Chiko photographed the day so perfectly, and CCS Video captured all the vibrant emotion of the day in their wonderful trailer. Read on for all the rest of the details in Amber’s own words!

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How We Met

Amber, the bride: We were best friends since school and at 21 we went on our first date and the rest is history! Continue ReadingContinue Reading