Jewish Destination Weddings Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Pronovias Bride for an Intimate Destination Jewish Wedding at Villa Cora, Florence, Italy

27/03/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Buckle your seatbelts, we’re taking off for beautiful Florence, Italy, where Atlanta couple Ilyssa, a strategy pricing analyst for a hospitality company, and Nick, who works as a sales sngineer for a HVAC distributor, held the intimate destination Jewish wedding of their dreams!

Taking their cues from their majestic venue, Villa Cora, Ilyssa and Nick kept things romantic and elegant with plenty of flowers, greenery, candles, and romantic lighting. And their outdoor chuppah was truly the stuff of fairy tales – sitting amidst a stunning backdrop of the autumnal Florentine countryside, covered in greenery and flowers, and set at the end of an aisle strewn with rose petals and lined with candles. Don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Leigh Wolfe!

We’re also obsessed with the couple’s exquisite ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Danny Azoulay Ketubahs. In Ilyssa’s words, “The verbiage on our ketubah really resonated with us and the life we want to build together through Judaism. The verbiage ended with ‘Set me as a seal on your heart.’ I had this engraved on the inside of Nick’s wedding band, so we can always remember what our ketubah represents even on the hard days.” Awwww!

There’s so much more to say about this very special Jewish wedding – like, how great is it that instead of a wedding came Ilyssa and Nick opted for a midnight pizza bar?! – but we’ll let Ilyssa herself fill you in on the rest…

How we Met

Ilyssa, the bride: It was your typical modern day romance… We met on Bumble in 2016. At the time, Nick was living in Atlanta while I finished my undergraduate degree in Athens at The University of Georgia. As we are both big beer fans, it was only natural that our first date was at an Atlanta brewery. After dating for 5 years Nick finally asked me to be his wife at the Cator Woolford Gardens in Atlanta, Georgia.Continue Reading

A Joyful Jewish Wedding on the Mediterranean at Bayit al Hayam, Yafo, Israel

17/03/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

There’s nothing like an Israeli Jewish wedding – and we’re obsessed with the joyous union of Rebecca, a technical writer, and Nativ, a lawyer, at the stunning waterfront venue Bayit al Hayam. The whole wedding was an ode to Tel Aviv – the city where the couple met and fell in love – and everything about the day really showcased what a very special place it is.

This wedding really has it all – Mediterranean views, fabulous golden light, delectable food, the kind of child party Israeli weddings are known for, and, of course, tons and tons of Jewish joy!

It was all captured so perfectly by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ori Carmi Photography. In Rebecca’s words, “The photos he captured from our wedding are pure magic; I can’t put into words how happy we are with them. He photographed the feeling and the true essence of the moment; each time I look at the photos I’m transported back to that bliss.”

Read on for the full story…

How we met

Rebecca, the bride: We actually met exactly three years ago this April, during the first week of the COVID lockdowns! It’s a crazy story. The lockdowns in Israel were really strict at the beginning, and it was illegal to leave your house to go more than 100 meters. We matched on Tinder, and I (Rebecca) was curious about where Nativ lived because you never know right? So I asked him by chance to drop a pin of his location, just for laughs.

I remember being stunned to see that his location was 90 meters away. Basically next door neighbors! We met that night for a “social distance walk” and then every day after that. We decided if we went 30 days of seeing each other every day, that was it.

Don’t forget, the world was at a complete standstill at this point, so we were spending every moment together, and it was the most fun we ever had. I always say it was like a “pre” honeymoon where we got to enjoy each other’s company. I moved in after two months and the rest is history. 🙂

A Kallmeyer Bride for a Parisian Chic Jewish Wedding at Pavillon Dauphine, Paris, France

06/03/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

It’s not easy planning a Jewish wedding long-distance – and that goes double when it happens to be halfway across the world, as was the case for California-based couple Axel and Susie! In honor of Axel’s French roots – he’s originally from Lyon, France – the couple opted to make things official in none other than the City of Lights.

And they found the perfect partner in making their dreams come true in their wedding planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor La Fete. Working with a knowledgeable planner is so key when planning your big day from afar – and if you scroll through the beautiful photos from Dream Prod, we’re pretty sure you’ll agree La Fete knocked it out of the park.

Everything about this exquisite wedding was perfectly Parisian chic from the venue, Pavillon Dauphine, to Susie’s 4-piece custom wedding outfit by Daniella Kallmeyer of Kallmeyer. And naturally, the food was nothing short of gourmet.

Read on for all the wonderful details of this very special day…

How we Met

Axel and Susie met in April 2019 in San Francisco, California on the dating app “Hinge.” Axel, originally from Lyon, France, had been living in SF since 2015. Susie, originally from Washington, D.C., moved to SF from Mexico City in March 2019 and met Axel shortly after – very shortly in fact: he was her first date since moving to SF. On their first date, they met for dinner on a Tuesday night and were the last two to leave the restaurant. A few months of persistence later, Axel asked Susie to join him on a trip to France in September 2019 – and the rest is history.Continue Reading

A Berta Bride for an Ultra-Romantic Destination Jewish Wedding in White at Finca La Concepcion, Marbella, Spain

03/03/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Buckle your seatbelts and prepare for takeoff to sunny Marbella, Spain, where UK couple Natasha and Adam held their fabulous Jewish wedding!

The couple’s venue, Finca La Concepcion, was the perfect spot for their romantic summer garden wedding, and they found the perfect partner to bring their dreams to life in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Dyana Dessar, who they found right here on STG! In Natasha’s words, “Straight away we knew it was a perfect match as she completely understood my vision. I have always wanted an all-white wedding, ultra-romantic wedding with a lot of candles and sparkly lights. Dyana made sure all my visions came to life.”

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Emily & Jo carried on that vision in their beautiful wedding stationery, featuring simple, classic designs in white with highlights of gold. Natasha and Adam loved working with Emily & Jo, and they were thrilled with the results – don’t miss them in the fabulous photos by Bloomfield Photography.

Also on theme was Natasha’s exquisite Berta gown, which fit perfectly with the surroundings – and was light and comfortable enough for the Spanish summer weather!

There’s so much more we want to tell you about this absolute fairy tale of a day, but we’ll let Natasha take it from here…

Natasha, the bride: We first met nearly 10 years ago, I was 18 years old it was the night I finished my last A-level and Adam had just got back from his gap year. We are both from Manchester and went to the same high school but never bumped into each other before then. Adam proposed towards the end of lockdown, almost 8 years of being together. We were renovating our 1st house and he had decorated the house full of white roses and candles and I said yes!Continue Reading

A Coral Confortti Bride for a Romantic Israel-Meets-Maldives Jewish Wedding at Kahi Resort, Emek Hefer, Israel

24/02/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

No, we’re not in the Maldives… today’s fabulous Jewish wedding actually took place smack dab in the center of Israel! Bride Ariel, a student of early childhood development, and groom Yotam, a sports therapist and fitness coach, fell in love with the verdant vibes of their venue, Kahi Resort, and we bet you will too.

Styled with wood, bamboo, clean shades of white and green, and plenty of tall plants, Kahi’s combination of a stunning outdoor garden space plus air-conditioned reception hall ticked ALL the couple’s buttons (as did its excellent food by one of Israel’s top chefs!).

Ariel is a self-confessed perfectionist, and she knew from the start she needed an awesome planner to take the lead and keep her clam during wedding planning. She found the perfect fit in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Yael Kfir Frumkes. In Ariel’s words,“It felt like I’d found my soul twin on every issue, including the finest of details. Yael is blessed with infinite patience when it came to my requests, wishes, dreams and fantasies… I highly recommend choosing her, and in doing so, letting yourself sleep well at night!”

This special day was nothing short of magical – scroll through the exquisite photos by Ori Chayun to see it all for yourself, and read on for all the details in the bride’s own words…