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Home > Real Jewish Weddings > Jewish DIY Weddings > Page 13

Ilana & Josh | Daytime Jewish Farm Wedding at South Pond Farms, Pontypool, Canada

30/01/2015 by Karen

DAYTIME-JEWISH-WEDDING
You can tell from the way that Ilana  and Josh  approached the planning and styling of their Jewish wedding that they’re a creative, authentic, laid-back (and eco-friendly!) couple.

They  chose to hold their ceremony outdoors, a brave move with the sometimes  temperamental weather,  but it definitely paid off as it meant that they could marry underneath a beautiful outdoor chuppah, created  by Ilana’s dad  using her  grandmother’s floral table cloth,  surrounded by greenery and with a breathtaking, uninterrupted view of the rolling  hills.

I adore this wedding for so many reasons —  it’s  full of natural and rustic details, from the seasonal handpicked wild blooms, to the incredible cakes lovingly made by Josh’s sister-in-law, to  the  meaningful family heirlooms for the chuppah and kiddush cup, and the homemade jam favours that doubled up  escort cards.

I also love Ilana’s delicate,  pretty Pronovias  dress — perfect for a daytime wedding — and Josh’s  dapper sartorial choices, and of course the dreamy portrait shots by Ash Nayler. Ash also put together a gorgeous wedding film, shown  at the end of the post, which I must admit brought a tear to my eye.

I think you’ll love it too…

Ilana  and Josh  have written their wedding report together —  it’s really lovely to hear from a Groom who had so much input into the big day.

Daytime Jewish Farm Wedding at South Pond Farms, Pontypool, CanadaDaytime Jewish Farm Wedding at South Pond Farms, Pontypool, Canada
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Amanda & Charley | Super fun and intimate laidback Jew-ish wedding at the Santa Barbara Courthouse, and The Lark, Santa Barbara, California

20/01/2015 by Karen

santa-barbara-courthouse-weddingI love it when my readers email me with their wedding planning queries and stories. I first heard from Amanda, a Smashing The Glass reader (and today’s beautiful bride!)  back in July 2014 with the following email:

Hi Karen! I am reaching out in regards to Kathleen and Liz’s beautiful wedding in Palm Springs that you featured on Smashing the Glass earlier this year. I am getting married this September and I have been looking for a chuppah far and wide. I haven’t had much luck, but I absolutely love Kathleen and Liz’s chuppah and was hoping you would be able to either provide their contact information or pass this email along with my details. I would love to ask if I could potentially rent their chuppah and incorporate their beautiful handmade piece in another celebration of love. If not, I completely understand but I figured it never hurt to ask!

I was so delighted that Amanda had reached out to me about this idea, and immediately put her in touch with Kathleen and Liz. For logistical reasons, the ‘passing of the chuppah’ didn’t work out, but there is a happy ending to the story! Amanda and Charley found a local craftsman who constructed their ideal chuppah out of reclaimed wood, and what’s really lovely, is that after their wedding, Amanda and Charley wanted to spread the love of their chuppah and pass it on, and they did just that (full story below!)

Amanda contacted me after her big day with her wedding story, and I am so delighted to share it with you today. It’s a true ‘Smashing The Glass’ W Day, bursting with creativity, authenticity and bucket loads of L.O.V.E.

These two pulled off their big day on a modest budget, and what an incredible job they did. So although the top image looks truly opulent, this is in fact an incredibly casual, laid back wedding with some amazing budget ideas. In fact Amanda says “keeping our wedding small and manageable left enough money for a honeymoon to Cambodia which was the best way to kick off spending the rest of our lives together!”

The biggest budget tip these two adhered to was keeping it small. They shared their celebration with a select group of close family and friends (just 40 people) and were confident enough not to invite the people who weren’t closely involved in their lives.

Can you believe that Amanda’s TWO divine wedding dresses, her shoes and her accessories were all purchased for under $1000 ( £650)?! All the florals were bought by Amanda from a local flower shop the day before the wedding, and instead of spending their budget on live music or a DJ, these two had their nearest and dearest contribute to a wonderfully personal Spotify playlist.

Amanda and Charley… I take my hat off to you. You definitely achieved your aim of creating the greatest party on the smallest budget.

Enjoy Amanda’s story below, and all the wonderful images taken by the rather talented Casey from CLB Creative

laidback Jewish wedding at the Santa Barbara Courthouse, and The Lark, Santa Barbara, California
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Jessica & David | Outdoor, rustic, relaxed Jewish wedding, full of handmade and DIY details, at The Bivouac, Swinton Park, North Yorkshire, UK

02/01/2015 by Karen

rustic-wedding
I was so thrilled when  the talented  wedding dress designer, Sally Lacock, alerted me to Jessica & David’s unbelievably beautiful and creative  Jewish wedding. I’m almost at a loss as to  where to start when talking about it — I’m like a New Year’s Eve Catherine Wheel spinning off in a hundred and one different directions wanting to tell you about each and every one of the exquisite details that make up their Yorkshire Dales wedding (and it’s actually the first time I’ve featured a wedding from this corner  of England  (NB. Please submit more from this region!)

We’ve got floral crowns, a  highly personalised ceremony, a patchwork  chuppah made by  all the couple’s  friends and family,  sewn together by the groom’s mum, and decorated with Yorkshire wild flowers, fantastic  music choices, the smiliest bride I’ve ever seen,  a “Balkanistic” boogie dance band,  beautiful wild blooms, a  jukebox filled with 100 of the couple’s favourite songs that guests played between sets and throughout the weekend, tipis, personal touches, and not surprisingly,  it looks as if everyone had an absolute hoot judging from the beams on all the guests  faces.  Every picture is  wonderfully happy and fun-filled  and smiley and exactly what a wedding should be.

Bride Jessica’s  report is a joy to read, and Alex Brenner‘s images will make you feel all warm inside and put a lovely big smile on your face. Without further ado I give you one of  Smashing The Glass’s  most immense weddings yet. Jessica and David, I take my hat off to you…

Outdoor, rustic, relaxed Jewish wedding, full of handmade and DIY details, at The Bivouac, Swinton Park, North Yorkshire, UK
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An Enzoani bride for a laidback Outdoor Garden Jewish Wedding at the Bride & Groom’s Home, Los Angeles, USA

11/11/2014 by Karen

Outdoor-Garden-Picnic-Jewish-Wedding
When the gorgeous Misti and Asaf tied the knot in Los Angeles they chose to host the celebration in their new home, and bear in mind that this brave couple had only moved into it a week before their big day!

But they couldn’t have been more thrilled with their venue choice, as “having the wedding in our home made it amazingly special”, says Misti. “Whenever we look into our garden, we can see where we took our vows and celebrated with friends and family. In a way, it makes our wedding part of our everyday lives.”

Misti is so beautiful with delicious bridal accessories to match — I mean you just can’t help but gawp at her super sparkly pink shoes in awe! There are also some lovely DIY details like flower seed favours which you must check out.

Jonas Seaman‘s photography is exquisite and I adore the light he’s captured – he has managed to paint a beautiful soft, timeless quality over the entire day. Enjoy!

Casual Outdoor Garden WeddingCasual Outdoor Garden Wedding
HAVING OUR WEDDING IN OUR OWN HOME
Misti, the Bride: Having gone to a number of weddings, our favourites have always been outdoor weddings with a casual and personal atmosphere. I think that having our wedding in our house made it extra special for us.

Our wedding was especially unique as we moved into our house the Saturday before the wedding. Our venue truly marked the beginning of our new life together.

My family and some awesome Midwesterners showed up early in the week to help us unpack and get ready for the wedding. When they showed up, we did not even have a kitchen sink. During our rehearsal dinner, our front yard fence was being built. On the Saturday of the wedding, a friend put on the house numbers a few hours before our guests began arriving. By the time the ceremony started, the house was completely transformed into a beautiful home and wedding.

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Maya & Danny | Outdoor DIY Garden Jewish Wedding at Cedar Bend Events, near Austin, Texas, USA

03/10/2014 by Karen

DIY garden wedding
This morning’s w-day is the union of teenage sweethearts Maya and Danny, and the wedding report is written entirely by the dashing groom! This sweet pair have been together since they were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (they met when they were 15 years old) and they had their wedding desserts catered by the same ice cream parlour as they had their first date at. Isn’t that adorable?

They had such a fun, authentic wedding. I love the hand-crafted details, the purple touches (a nod to Maya’s purple hair?), the vibrant blooms, the Harry Potter favours, and the outdoor relaxed vibe.

Plus, any wedding that includes a family performance of “Sunrise, Sunset” from Fiddler on the Roof gets a big thumbs up from me!

Their entire day really is beautiful. Enjoy all of the wonderful images taken by the rather talented Cory Ryan, and when you get to the end of the post, tell me how much do you love that very last picture?

Outdoor DIY Garden Jewish Wedding at Cedar Bend Events, Austin, TexasOutdoor DIY Garden Jewish Wedding at Cedar Bend Events, Austin, Texas
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