Jewish Destination Weddings Archives - Smashing the Glass

An Alon Livne Bride for a Shabbat Dinner-Inspired Jewish Wedding with a Macrame Chuppah at Jonah Club, Netanaya, Israel

24/01/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

“When planning this wedding, we looked at it like the most epic Shabbat dinner we would ever throw.”

From the minute we read this line from Brides Club member Nikki, who works in marketing at a digital health startup (and also gives food tours and teaches yoga on the side), and Adam, who works in tech as an engineer, we were sold on their beautiful Jewish wedding.

Nikki and Adam, both Americans who met and live in Israel, wanted their wedding to be an occasion for their far-flung family and friends to come together and get to know each other – and get a taste of the couple’s life in Israel. And by the looks of the incredible photos and video from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Aya-Avi Photography, a husband and wife team handling photography and videography, they pulled it off with aplomb. Aya’s luminous photos really let the love between the pair for each other and for all their loved ones gathered together to celebrate them shine through.

We’re also in love with Nikki and Adam’s super cool macramé chuppah – and how awesome is it that they found their florist, Tom of Tomka Designs (we featured Tom and Matan’s own wedding on the blog a while back), right here on STG? The East Meets West boho style he worked with the couple to create for their chuppah area is truly beyond.

And we’re totally obsessed with Nikki’s bridal style, from her timelessly elegant gown from Israeli designer Alon Livne to her natural-with a-touch-of-glam hairstyle by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Yehonatan Yaeish – who not only styled the bride’s hair superbly but also brought great energy on the day.

There’s so much more we could say, but we’ll leave the rest to the bride… (and if you want to join Brides Club like Nikki did, click here (we’ve just released a few more free entry places – grab one before they all go!)

How we met

Nikki, the bride: We happened to move to Israel one week apart and met 6 weeks later on Bumble. We decided to meet 10 minutes after our first conversation began and got married 2 years and 4 days later.

A David’s Bride for a Rustic DIY Backyard Jewish Wedding on a Budget in Door County, Wisconsin, USA

13/12/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

We were sold on this DIY Jewish wedding on a budget from the moment we read in the brides writeup, “We wanted the wedding to be about the community coming together.” Because isn’t that really what it’s all about?

Super crafty couple Federica and Nathan did nearly everything either themselves or with the help of family and friends – from building their own birch chuppah (from fallen trees on the groom’s family’s property!) to creating their own playlists to setting up on the day. Nathan’s mother grew and picked the flowers, and designed Federica’s bridal bouquet. Even the photographer, Mandelette, just happened to be the groom’s cousin!

And Federica did her own hair and makeup, baked her own wedding cake, AND designed and illustrated the invitations, on the day stationery, and ketubah – talk about a triple threat!

It’s really touching to hear how this wedding brought the couple’s friends and family together – with the bridal party, the families, and the couple themselves all pitching in to help with setup the morning of the wedding. But we’ll let the bride, who looked stunning in her Davidʼs Bridal dress, tell you about that…

How we met

Federica, the bride: We met in 2013 attending Ulpan in Israel. The first time I saw him he had just gotten off his Aliyah flight and still had his suitcase with him. We went from the small Kibbutz where we met to living in Tel Aviv, from Tel Aviv to northern Italy and now Rome.

An Essense of Australia Bride for a Sunset Jewish Wedding at Cochav Hayam in Caesarea, Israel

29/11/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Okay, we just can’t even with that sunset chuppah. Truly the stuff Jewish wedding dreams are made of. But would you believe it if we told you that wasn’t even the most remarkable thing about the incredible wedding of Brides Club member (and blogging bride) Lindsay, an insight manager at a media agency, to groom Dan, an account manager working in corporate events?

So first of all, we’re OBSESSED with Lindsay and Dan’s table plan: they got a polaroid of every guest, then wrote a personal note on the back. These were all laid out for guests to collect as they came in and find their table numbers. Genius!

We’re also super inspired that these two worked with non-profit Israel Blooms, an organization that will collect flowers leftover at the end of the wedding and repurpose them into small arrangements that they distribute in hospitals and old age homes. What a meaningful (and easy) way to spread the joy of your big day!

The couple’s photos from Idan Canfi and video from Ruslan Shane are simply sensational, and we love that Lindsay and Dan opted to have a separate couple’s photoshoot a couple of days after the wedding – this allowed them to get some dreamy portraits without them having to take time out of the wedding for photos. Such a smart idea!

Oh, and did we mention that Lindsay and Dan are working with the incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Abby Taubman of Colletts Travel to plan their honeymoon to Australia and Thailand next year?

Now over to the bride, who looked lovely in her Essense of Australia dress…

&amp;lt;span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;

How we met

Lindsay, the bride: We met through my cousin’s wife. She was an old school friend of Dan’s and decided that we would be a great match – and she was right!

A Laid-Back Destination Jewish Wedding with a Rugelach Tower at The Lawrence in Old Jaffa, Israel

25/11/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Is there anything better than a Jewish wedding in picturesque Old Jaffa? Between the historic architecture and the ocean views and the chill Israeli vibes, we’re pretty sure the answer is a resounding no! If you don’t believe us, just look at the incredible photos of Brides Club member Dianne, who is completing a surgical residency, and lawyer groom Shaya’s big day captured by mega-talented Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ronen Boidek – according to the couple, booking him was one of the very best decisions they made during wedding planning. And we couldn’t agree more!

And while you’re at it, check out the awesome trailer from videographer Vladimir Tkach.

With such a stunning setting, Dianne and Shaya knew they wanted to keep their décor simple, favoring greenery and white florals that complemented the historic space – and they found the absolute perfect person for the job in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Yana from Craspedia Events. We’re totally obsessed with the bouquets, centerpieces, and decorations she created.

And we’re positively drooling over the delicious menu from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Maasia Catering, who put together a delectable modern Mediterranean menu, complete with fun interactive food stations.

Oh, and we can’t turn you over to Dianne before we tell you about one more awesome touch: instead of a traditional cake, Dianne and Shaya opted for a rugelach tower. Yes, you heard that right – in honor of the groom’s favorite sweets from Jerusalem’s famed Marzipan Bakery, these two celebrated with three tiers of chocolate and cinnamon rugelach goodness – with a small cake on top, for tradition’s sake.

Ok, now over to the bride!

How we met

Dianne, the bride: While I am from Vancouver and Shaya is from Montreal, we met in Toronto while I was doing an elective as a medical student and Shaya was there for work. We did not think we were going to see each other again after I flew home, but here we are!

A St. Patrick Bride for a Wes Anderson-Inspired Jewish Wedding at Finca Villa Palma, Marbella, Spain

22/11/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

We don’t know what we love more about today’s gorgeous Jewish wedding, the Wes Anderson-inspired dusty pink color scheme and fun touches (think churro station!), or the meaningful, personal ceremony Claudia, a solicitor, and Marc, a dental therapist and property developer (he featured on an episode of Homes Under the Hammer), put together.

It’s hard to go wrong with a quintessentially Marbella venue like Finca Villa Palma – we’re talking palm trees, ocean vibes, and mountain views galore – but these two really took it to the next level with design touches like luxe blush pink and gold foil invitations from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor EYI LOVE, one of the very best luxury design and print studios in the business. Claudia and Marc can’t stop raving about the unique design and the high quality.

And we love that these two made sure their ceremony was a true reflection of who they are as a couple – for example, instead of Claudia circling Marc seven times as is traditional, each of them circled the other three times, and then they made a final circle together. And Claudia used her grandma’s wedding ring under the chuppah – so special!

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Bloomfield Photography captured all the details and emotion of this magical day so perfectly – we’re totally obsessed with their incredible photos. And they also connected the couple to their wonderful videographer, Reece Iveson.

Now over to the bride, who looked luminous in her St Patrick dress…

How We Met

Claudia, the bride: Marc and I met while I was living in London and Marc was living in Manchester. We went to a New Year’s Eve party with some mutual friends and things just went from there. We then did long distance for 3 years before I finally moved up to Manchester around 5 years ago!