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A Rustic Israeli Jewish Wedding at Ein Yael, Jerusalem, Israel

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Dana & Chaim, Ein Yael, Jerusalem

There’s nothing like a good outdoor Jewish wedding. And we’re especially in love with the one Dana, a graduate student in linguistics at Hebrew University, and Chaim, a lawyer, pulled off – no matter that their initial decision to opt for an open air affair was driven by COVID restrictions.

Luckily, Israel is chock full of stunning outdoor venues – and we’re obsessed with Dana and Chaim’s choice of Ein Yael, a breathtaking archaeological park right next to a forest and packed with Jerusalem stone, history and lots of nature. The rustic, outdoorsy vibe was perfect for their day – aside from a few carefully placed flowers, the pair opted to let the natural beauty speak for itself rather than laying on the décor.

And, as always, we’re totally and completely in love with the couple’s exquisite photos from the amazing Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman. Herschel is such a popular photographer among STG couples getting married in Israel – and between his incredible talent and calming presence on the day, it’s easy to see why! Don’t miss the couple’s post-wedding Old City photoshoot, either – Herschel got some positively magical shots of the newlyweds wandering around Yemin Moshe at 2 AM!

Now over to the couple…

Dana & Chaim, Ein Yael, JerusalemDana & Chaim, Ein Yael, JerusalemDana & Chaim, Ein Yael, JerusalemDana & Chaim, Ein Yael, Jerusalem
How we met

Dana, the bride: Her version: A mutual friend

His version: I had just gotten back from a 6+ month trip to South America and wasn’t yet looking for a serious relationship. Finding a new job and getting settled again were priorities for me. But then again, man plans and God laughs…

A friend messaged me with a “random question”, which translates to “are you seeing anyone?” when you’re a single religious guy in Jerusalem between the ages of 23 and still alive.

I told my friend that I wasn’t really looking at the moment, but was happy to hear about her friend and maybe grab drinks. She told me about Dana and I was obviously immediately interested. After a few more messages my friend came back with “I know you’re taking it slow, but don’t drag this out… like she knows you have her number”. Great.

So I called her.

“Ken?! MAH?!” (yeah?! WHAT?!)

“Uh, hi…it’s Chaim. Ariella gave me your number….?”

“Oh, uh, hi!”

Apparently I was tenth in line after nine straight spam calls. Not exactly the smooth start I was looking for, but we then spoke for a good few minutes, had some laughs and I asked her out to drinks. That was almost three years ago, and it was the best intro call I’ve ever made.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Michal Taylor Bride for a Colorful Jewish Wedding at Bezzela Hahar, Machasiya, Jerusalem, Israel

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Elinoa-and-Yonah-Bezzela-Hahar-Israel

Even though Israeli couple Elinoa and Yonah held their Jewish wedding during the pandemic, they were lucky enough not to have to make major changes to their plans. Sure, they changed venues two weeks(!) before the big day – but, happily, they made that change in order to be able to invite MORE guests (including Yona’s entire army unit), not because they had to cut their list down.

As always, we’re totally and completely blown away by the couple’s incredible wedding photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman. Like so many couples, Elinoa and Yonah knew they wanted him as their photographer before they were even engaged. In Elinoa’s words, “Herschel has this magical way of just capturing moments – being truly in them with you but also making you feel like it’s only the two of you. There was not a moment throughout the wedding where I noticed a camera on me or in my face and I think that’s a testament to the true skill Herschel has.”

There’s so much more to say about this gorgeous wedding – just for starters, we love that Elinoa designed all the wedding stationery herself! – but we’ll let the bride, who looked exquisitely elegant in Michal Taylor, fill you in on the rest…

Elinoa-and-Yonah-Bezzela-Hahar-IsraelElinoa-and-Yonah-Bezzela-Hahar-IsraelElinoa-and-Yonah-Bezzela-Hahar-IsraelElinoa-and-Yonah-Bezzela-Hahar-Israel
How we met

Elinoa, the bride: We’ve both always sort of been in the background of each other’s lives. Our parents were all part of Bnei Akiva in England, which if you’re familiar with anyone who grew up in England and went to BA – everyone knows everyone. My father-in-law was a madrich to both my parents, Yonah’s uncle was my dad’s madrich & my mother in law was a good friend of my uncle through-out high school. The four of them made Aliyah around the same time & lived in the “merkaz klita” in Ra’anana. Our families both settled down in Ramat Beit Shemesh and we grew up always sort of aware of each other but were never necessarily friendly (although we have got a few pictures of us together from when we were little). Eventually my family moved to America and then to Ra’anana meaning the next time we crossed paths was when they would come to stay with us for Shabbat.

Yonah’s second cousins live in Raanana and they are good friends of ours so every time they had a simcha, Yonah’s family would stay with us. In August 2016 they came to stay with us and Yonah and I sort of caught each other’s attention. A few days later I noticed he had FB messaged me wishing me good luck in my year of sherut leumi in Jerusalem. Turns out he was just being nice and not flirting but I took it as flirting and told him to let me know next time he was in Jerusalem and we would hang out. 9 months later he texted me asking if I was free, May 26th 2017 we went on our first date and we’ve been together ever since. Our relationship has spanned 2 year of sherut leumi, Yonah’s army service (and subsequently many, many drives to his base), almost an entire degree, traveling, and much, much more.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Galia Lahav Bride for a Tropical Jewish Wedding at Casali Del Pino, Rome, Italy

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Hannah-and-Oscar-Casali-del-Pino-Rome

The fabulous Italian Jewish wedding of Hannah and Oscar, who both work in the clothing business and are launching their own jewellery line, combined two of our very favorite styles: Roman luxe and tropical boho.

While the couple’s gorgeous venue, Casali Del Pino, is pure classic Roman splendor, with all the elegance, muted tones, and gently verdant outdoor spaces that entails, their décor was all exotic flowers and enormous topical leaves. Don’t miss the couple’s chuppah in the photos by Roberta Perrone – Hannah and Oscar wanted it to make them feel as if they were standing in the midst of a tropical jungle, and we think they hit the mark exactly right!

We’re also obsessed with Hannah’s stunner of a gown from Galia Lahav, the Georgia dress. As you’d expect from the beloved Israeli designer, it’s uber-glam, and we can’t get enough of the floral detailing, not to mention ALL the sparkles.

We’ll let Hannah fill you in on the rest…

Hannah-and-Oscar-Casali-del-Pino-RomeHannah-and-Oscar-Casali-del-Pino-RomeHannah-and-Oscar-Casali-del-Pino-Rome
How we Met

Hannah, the bride: We met years ago, when we were little kids during a summer camp in Italy! I arrived from Rome and he arrived from Milan.. it was love at first sight, but it took us a few years to get closer.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Tali Shurin Bride for a Jewish Wedding with a View at Olmaya, Jerusalem, Israel

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Adina-Aaron-Olmaya-Jerusalem

We’ve heard of so many couples who’ve had to scale back their Jewish weddings last-minute due to changing COVID restrictions. Not so much couples who’ve been able to upsize their weddings at short notice because restrictions were relaxed – but that’s exactly what happened to Israeli couple Adina, a social worker in a hospital in Jerusalem, and Aaron, who works in high tech as a solutions architect.

They’d initially planned a small wedding in the groom’s parents’ garden, because that’s what was permitted when they firmed up their plans. But then, ten days before the wedding, some of Israel’s restrictions were lifted, and the couple’s wedding planner, Debbie Nussbaum, managed to move the proceedings to Jerusalem’s stunning Olmaya, which is not only a gorgeous venue with stellar views but also allowed the Adina and Aaron to double their guest list!

Still, not all the important people in the couple’s lives could be there in person – most of all, their beloved grandparents in London and Sydney. However, thanks to the wonders of Zoom, the far-flung grandparents on both sides were able to livestream a bracha to the couple during their ceremony!

As always, we’re absolutely blown away by all the energy, emotion, and love shining through in every single image from the couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman – Adina was so impressed after seeing pictures he’d taken at friends’ weddings, she knew she wanted him to photograph her wedding even before she met Aaron!

Now over to the bride, who looked so elegant in Tali Shurin…

Adina-Aaron-Olmaya-JerusalemAdina-Aaron-Olmaya-JerusalemAdina-Aaron-Olmaya-JerusalemAdina-Aaron-Olmaya-Jerusalem
How we Met

Adina, the bride: We met at a mutual friend’s wedding a month and a half before the first corona lockdown. The next wedding we went to together was our own!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Antonio Grimaldi Bride for a Magnificent Countryside Jewish Wedding at Antonello Colonna, Rome, Italy

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Daniel and Daria, Antonello Colonna Resort, Rome, Italy

Get ready to be blown away by the positively swoonworthy Italian Jewish wedding of Roman couple Daria, a physiotherapist, and Daniel, a real estate developer – and get ready to be even more blown away when you find out they pulled it together in just 40 days between lockdowns.

These two had their glorious countryside luxe wedding at the most incredible venue just outside Rome all planned and ready to go when COVID hit. Like so many other 2020 couples, they had to postpone. Then, in the summer, when things were opening back up during a lull in the pandemic, Daria and Daniel saw their chance and they went for it – pulling everything together for their new date in just a little over a month!

That’s an impressive timeline for any wedding, let alone one as opulent as Daria and Daniel’s! How did they do it? With the help of an incredible wedding planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Deborah di Castro, who made sure everything – from the big-picture stuff to the tiniest details, like personalizing everything from masks and bottles of hand sanitizer to flip flops with the couple’s logo – was taken care of.

And were there ever some impressive details! For starters, feast your eyes on Antonio Carneroli’s dreamy images of the couple’s glorious chuppah, their exquisite table scapes, and, above all, the epic love and joy shining through in each and every shot – and don’t miss the trailer from Sesame Films, which makes us feel as if we’d been right there with Daria and Daniel on their day.

Now over to the bride…

Daniel and Daria, Antonello Colonna Resort, Rome, ItalyDaniel and Daria, Antonello Colonna Resort, Rome, ItalyDaniel and Daria, Antonello Colonna Resort, Rome, ItalyDaniel and Daria, Antonello Colonna Resort, Rome, Italy
How we met

Daria, the bride: We met in elementary school and we were in the same class, but during high school I changed schools. After a few years we met again and we fell in love.Continue ReadingContinue Reading