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A Destination Jewish Wedding Full of Personal Touches at Achuza, Beit Hanan, Israel

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Planning a Jewish wedding from thousands of miles away is no small feat. Luckily, London-based couple Jodie, who works as a decorative homeware buyer, and Matt, a football agent realized that straight off the bat when they started planning their big day in Israel, and they made sure their first planning decision was choosing a great planner to help smooth the way.

Even luckier for Jodie and Matt, they found one of the best of the best: Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Victoria Rosen Events. Vicki is a popular choice among STG couples opting to wed in Israel, and this couple’s rave review of her planning prowess makes it clear why: in addition to helping them source some truly outstanding vendors (not to mention their gorgeous venue),

Vicki seamlessly ran the whole day’s events so carefully and left us and our parents feeling totally calm, happy and taken care of. She couldn’t do enough to help us. Always available, nothing was too much. Vicki was incredibly supportive and always positive, friendly and super-efficient.

We’re also crazy about all the fun, memorable touches the couple added to their day. For starters, they had a flower stand (inspired by a something they saw right here on Smashing the Glass!) in the reception area, where guests could have bespoke floral hair accessories and button holes made on the spot! And if that weren’t enough, they also hired a glitter face painter to make sure their guests had a night that was literally sparkling. Oh, and pre-wedding, Jodie and Matt also blew their own smash glass and kiddush cup to use under the chuppah!

You can probably already guess that this was one fun wedding – and if you have any doubt, a quick scroll through Idan Hasson’s radiant, joyous photos should set you straight.

Now over to Jodie…

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Nature and Soul

Jodie, the bride: We got married at Achuza. Matt didn’t want to get married in a hotel hall and I vetoed beach venues because of what humidity does to my hair! : ) We were both looking for a soulful, outdoor venue surrounded by nature and somewhere that we could create a fun and intimate party atmosphere for all of our friends and family. We fell in love with Achuza as soon as we walked up the path towards the venue. It’s surrounded by flora and the chuppah is stunning and all natural.

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A Destination Jewish Vineyard Wedding with Breathtaking Scenery at Eureka Estate, Durbanville, Cape Town, South Africa

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Today’s fab Jewish wedding is giving us serious travel FOMO! Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Hannah, the head of weddings at Jimmy Garcia Catering in London, and Darren, the general manager of a bar in Chancery Lane, chose to wed in the groom’s home country of South Africa in no small part thanks to the nation’s positively breathtaking scenery.

And their decision to wed at a vineyard in Cape Town’s magnificent wine region did not disappoint! As an events professional in London, the bride felt strongly that she wanted her own wedding to be very different than the ones she works on – and we’re pretty sure this stunner of a big day fits that bill. Where else can you have your chuppah overlooking lush valleys of grapes amidst rugged mountain ranges?! We’re obsessed with the captivating imagery from photographer Gavin Casey and videographer Josh Hundermark.

Naturally, we love all the personal touches these two put into their big day – there’s WAY too many to list here, but we’re especially enamored with the tequila bar (with a neon sign that read “Until death do us party”)!

Now over to Hannah, who has the kindest words to say about her time in Brides Club:“I was surrounded by like-minded ladies, each creating their own unique weddings all around the world, and it was hugely comforting.” Doesn’t get much better than that!

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How we met

Hannah, the bride: We were invited to a charity dinner hosted by one of our mutual friends. We had never met, and this all changed when Darren asked this friend of ours to point out one girl at the event, that knows how to have fun. Our friend pointed me out and with such confidence, he made a beeline in my direction and captivated me with his South African accent and charm.

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An Enzoani Bride for a Forest Garden Jewish Wedding at Hacienda Del Alamo, Malaga, Spain

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Remember when we were able to do things like go on getaways to Spain (and, er, leave the house)? Until we’re able to get back at it, let us invite you on a quick virtual getaway to sunny Malaga, for the beautiful Jewish wedding of Kimi and Richard.

This one really is a stunner – Kimi and Richard took full advantage of the rustic forest garden vibes of their venue, complete with the most exquisite outdoor chuppah featuring birch poles, white flowers, and greenery. 

We’re also obsessed with the bride’s Enzoani gown, which she found at wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ann Louise Bridal in London. The minute Kimi stepped inside the shop and met with owner Cheryll, she knew Ann Louise was the place for her – and we’re not surprised to hear that she was super impressed with the selection and service throughout her dress fitting process.

Now over to Kimi, who’ll fill you in on the rest…

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How We Met

Kimi, the bride: We met when we were 16 as I was on FZY tour with lots of his friends and the Essex boys’ and North London girls’ worlds collided! We were friends for years, regularly speaking and catching up but on a purely friendship level.

However, 9 years after meeting and a couple of years without seeing each other, a big group of 30 of us from North London and Essex all attended a music festival in Malta where Richard and I spent the whole weekend inseparable and the rest is history! We had loads of mutual friends, had met each other parents’ years earlier and everything just clicked.  

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A Suzanne Neville Bride for a Fantastically Floral Jewish Wedding at Hacienda del Alamo, Malaga, Spain

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How much do we love Jolanda and Jack’s exquisite floral chuppah? SO MUCH. A symphony of soft shades of coral, pink, cream, and sage, it is just absolute perfection – and perfectly fits the bride’s brief of “flowers, flowers, flowers” without overwhelming its stunning outdoor surroundings. You do NOT want to miss The Love Hunters beautiful photos.

No doubt about it, this is one knockout of a Jewish wedding, from start to finish. And we’d expect no less, given that it was planned by the amazing team at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor optimum weddings. The couple can’t stop raving about how much they loved working with Dyana, Sara, and Jessica, who made their big day not only beautiful but also totally stress-free.

And would you believe that Jolanda’s own nuptials marked her very first time attending a Jewish wedding, after converting to Judaism during her engagement?! Unsurprisingly, she was head over heels for the whole experience – and reports that her friends and family, many of whom were new to Jewish weddings as well, loved the day so much “we had half of them wanting to covert by the end of the ceremony”!

Now over to the bride, who looked so classically elegant in her timeless gown from Suzanne Neville…

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How we met

Jolanda, the bride: We met at the Blue Marlin beach club in Ibiza. It was truly beshert! I wasn’t supposed to be there and neither was he, but due to changes in circumstances (he had a friend visiting from Australia and didn’t want to spend it in London and I had a rearranged girls trip) we both ended up there at the same place at the same time. We chatted for about 15 minutes and didn’t see each other again until our first date a few weeks later in London. He raced back from a day at Ascot to be on time, and I was 40 minutes late – and yet here we are today!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Willowby by Watters Bride for a Double Feature Interfaith Jewish Wedding Anassa Hotel in Latchi, Cyprus and Westlake Village Inn Los Angeles, CA, USA

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Some couples get to have one wedding in a totally, jawdroppingly breathtaking setting. Stephanie and Raphael got to have TWO! Combining an intimate ceremony in Cyprus (at the same hotel where the pair’s love story began to unfold) with a bigger party for family and friends near their home in LA, they these two maintained continuity between the two events by putting Mediterranean style at the center of both events – and by booking beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor LUZ Photography for both the Cyprus and LA festivities, who not only provided totally stunning pics from each event but also brought photographic continuity between the ceremony and reception.

We also love how this interfaith couple worked to craft a personal ceremony that was meaningful to both of them. This meant a contemporary take on mikveh with a dip in the Mediterranean Sea the evening before the ceremony, a ketubah, circling (each circled the other three times, and then the two did one last circle together in unison), exchanging personal vows, choosing a close friend to officiate, and, of course, smashing the glass!

There’s so much more we could say, but we’ll hand you over to Stephanie – who looked gorgeous in Willowby by Watters – for the rest…

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Two Weddings

Stephanie, the bride: On July 3rd, 2019 we were married in a small, intimate ceremony with only a few friends at the Anassa Hotel in Latchi, Cyprus. The location plays a significant role in our love story. The two of us were friends for many years until we travelled together in Tel Aviv and then Cyprus. It was there, at the Anassa hotel, that we realized we both had strong feelings for one another, beyond just friends.

On September 1, 2019, we celebrated our marriage with our family and friends at the Westlake Village Inn near Los Angeles, CA. Both of us have roots in Los Angeles, and the Westlake Village Inn provide us with a convenient, beautiful reception location that captured the Mediterranean vibes of our wedding.

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