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A Studio Myra Bride for a Second Time Around Friday Morning Jewish Wedding at Psagot Winery, Sha’ar Binyamin, Israel

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Noa and Laurence, Psagot Winery, Sha'ar Binyamin, Israel

We love that Israeli couple Noa, an ER nurse and the regional director of the Terem chain of emergency clinics, and Laurence, the VP of technical operations for a fintech company, made their Jewish wedding ultra-personal. In Noa’s words, “As an older and second-time couple, we felt very free to set aside all the traditions with which we didn’t connect. We kept our guest list small and intimate, and made sure the people that mattered most to us were involved.”

This included getting married on a Friday morning, involving family and friends in the wedding (especially the couple’s children), and planning the big day in under 6 weeks. Since the winter wedding fell on the shortest Friday of the year, the duo wanted to help their guests out with Shabbat preparations, so as favors they gave each guest a bouquet of Shabbat flowers (that matched Noa’s bouquet) and a fresh challah to take home – how nice is that?!

When it came time to choose the perfect photographer to capture their big day, there was no question that it would be anyone but Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman. In Noa’s words, Herschel “was the only vendor that I was dead set on. Thankfully he was available, even with our short engagement, and his busy schedule. Our pictures came out incredible! We are so thrilled with our choice of Herschel. He had such a calm vibe and didn’t miss a shot – he was always exactly where he needed to be.”

Read on for the rest of the story in the bride’s own words…

Noa and Laurence, Psagot Winery, Sha'ar Binyamin, IsraelNoa and Laurence, Psagot Winery, Sha'ar Binyamin, IsraelNoa and Laurence, Psagot Winery, Sha'ar Binyamin, Israel

How We Met

Noa, the bride: We met nearly 3 years ago at the backyard pool party of a friend. I immediately noticed Laurence as he was the only person to show up in a button down shirt to a pool party!

That, and I noticed immediately that Laurence was an incredible listener, which made me really want to talk to him. Initially we were just friends, but about 6 weeks later I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

One of our first dates was a movie, then an MRI at midnight! The technicians were unable to remove one of my ear piercings and Laurence ended up using his teeth! We were able to make jokes and laugh.

You’re always told to choose a partner who can handle the hard things in life with you – for us, that’s how our relationship started. Navigating a new relationship while dealing with a devastating illness, including chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, was not easy.

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A Magical Forest Pacific Northwest-Meets-Israel Jewish Wedding at HaGiva, Givat Brenner, Israel

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Shachaf and Josh, HaGiva in Givat Brenner, Israel

Get ready for a truly magical wedding! Pacific Northwest couple Shachaf, who works in ticketing, development, and behind the scenes at the historic Mount Baker Theatre in Bellingham, WA, and Josh, who works as an educational content editor for a Jewish non-profit, had the most incredible magical forest-inspired Jewish wedding at HaGiva in Israel.

Shachaf was a member of our Brides Club, and we’re so thrilled to hear her kind words about the group:

I don’t think I have ever felt more supported and heard than meeting with Karen during 1-on-1’s and I loved getting to know and learning from other brides who were going through the same process as me. Seeing them go through the process ahead of me gave me so much encouragement! I cannot thank Karen enough for all of her support and inspiration!

Karen also referred Shachaf and Josh to their wedding planner, Yana, owner of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Craspedia Events. In Shacahf’s words,

Yana is one of the kindest, most hard working, intelligent, and determined people I have ever met. She works around the clock, always makes you feel as though you are the only bride on her plate. I’m very lucky to have been recommended not just a perfect wedding planner, but now a life long friend.

Yana helped Shachaf and Josh plan the PNW wedding in Israel of their dreams, with tons of whimsy and character – don’t miss all the fun details like the moss-and-mushroom centerpieces!

The couple chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tzahi Shemesh to photograph their day, and they couldn’t be more thrilled with their choice. In Shachaf’s words,

It was clear that Tzahi was going to bring an amazing energy to the wedding, and he did exactly that! He brought a contagious smile and endless energy that lasted until our goodbyes at the end of the night!

Read on for all the fabulous details of this magical day in the bride’s own words…

Shachaf and Josh, HaGiva in Givat Brenner, Israel Shachaf and Josh, HaGiva in Givat Brenner, IsraelShachaf and Josh, HaGiva in Givat Brenner, Israel Shachaf and Josh, HaGiva in Givat Brenner, Israel

How We Met

Shachaf, the bride: We met at the end of 2020 when we were both in transition periods in our life. We both found ourselves temporarily under the roof of our Chabad on Campus rabbi, and we quickly became close. The rest is history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Desert Bohemian Jewish Wedding with Circus Elements at Smoke Tree Stables, Palm Springs, California, USA

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Rena-and-Alexander-Smoke-Tree-Stables-Palm-Springs-California-USA

We love a good theme wedding – and Rena and Alexander’s was doubly great, having not just one theme but two! While their venue, Smoke Tree Stables in Palm Springs (where the groom worked for over a decade), lent itself to a Western theme, they also opted to add in circus elements by hiring a stilt walker and face painter and setting up games like horseshoe and cornhole.

Rena and Alexander worked with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rabbi Leah Richman to craft a custom ketubah involving elements from her Desert Oasis Sunrise Ketubah with desert animals, such as the mule deer, big horn sheep, and California Rosy Boa snake. She also added hedgehog cactuses with blooms of deep magenta in the foreground, and in the background the San Jacinto mountains, beneath which the Smoke Tree Stables are nestled.

We love that the duo opted for an egalitarian Kabbalat Panim, where both bride and groom were surrounded by their loved ones, in separate ceremonies, to share stories and memories. Don’t miss it all in the wonderful photos by Kathleen Geiberger Art.

Now over to the bride…

Rena-and-Alexander-Smoke-Tree-Stables-Palm-Springs-California-USARena-and-Alexander-Smoke-Tree-Stables-Palm-Springs-California-USA Rena-and-Alexander-Smoke-Tree-Stables-Palm-Springs-California-USARena-and-Alexander-Smoke-Tree-Stables-Palm-Springs-California-USA

How We Met

Rena, the bride: We met on Bumble—one success story amid myriad tribulations. Alex was nervous to get on the phone, since he is often quiet when meeting someone new. However, Rena immediately put him at ease sharing stories of backpacking in places like Catalina, the Green Mountains, and her favorite pastime—finding hard-to-reach natural hot springs. For their first date, Alex drove four hours from Palm Springs—where he worked as a horse wrangler at Smoke Tree Stables—to Anaheim to meet at the Hidden House Coffee shop.

They talked for hours and decided on a second date: a moonlight hike in the Cleveland National Forest. They hiked Upper Hot Springs Canyon to Falls Trail under the full moon. Rena didn’t think to bring food, which turned out to be a good thing, as Alex had packed a charcuterie board and four types of wine since he didn’t know her preference.

From that moonlit picnic at the waterfall, Alex knew he wanted to marry Rena. From then on, he drove four hours for many more dates while Rena finished her postdoctoral position at the University of California, Irvine.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Sassi Holford Bride for a Rustic, Summery Jewish Wedding in Portugal

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Emma-and-Billy-Portugal

Get ready for a stunner of a Jewish wedding! Emma, originally from London, UK, and Billy, who hails from Toronto, met while living in Amsterdam. Since they knew guests would be traveling for their wedding no matter what, they figured they might as well pick a very special destination – and their Portuguese countryside venue couldn’t have been any more gorgeous.

Featuring rustic vibes and earthy tones playing off the vineyard setting – and a table plan made from custom Portuguese tiles in a green and cream color scheme – this wedding was just beyond. Don’t miss the luminous photos by The Framers.

We also love the fact that the couple used Emma’s great grandfather’s tallit as their chuppah canopy, along with Billy’s grandmother’s kiddush cup – so meaningful.

We’ll turn you over to Emma – who looked so glam in Sassi Holford – for the rest of the story…

Emma-and-Billy-Portugal Emma-and-Billy-PortugalEmma-and-Billy-PortugalEmma-and-Billy-Portugal
How We Met

Emma, the bride: We met while living and working in Amsterdam in October 2019. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Cathy Telle Bride for a Summer Jewish Wedding at Huntcliff River Club, Atlanta, USA

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Kim and Andrew, Huntcliff River Club, Atlanta, USA

There’s not much we love more than getting a chance to feature the wedding of one of our beloved Smashing The Glass Brides Club members – so we’re pretty thrilled to be sharing the beautiful Atlanta Jewish wedding of our Brides Club member Kim, an elementary school teacher, to Andrew, a contractor.

We’re so touched to hear Kim’s kind words about her experience as a Brides Club member:

I really enjoyed building the friendships and connections with other women around the world who were or had gone through the wedding planning process not long before I had done… I gained most from connecting with others and learning from their experiences and building my own ceremony and wedding experience based off what had worked well and what had not worked well for other Smashing the Glass Brides Club members.

An avid thrifter, Kim turned to stillwhite.com to find the secondhand dress of her dreams – and she found it in her stunning blush/pink colored gown by Ukrainian designer Cathy Telle. And we love that, after the ceremony, she opted to pair it with pink Keds with floral embroidery, which she enjoys wearing to this day – don’t miss them in the luminous photos by Andrea de Anda!

We’re also obsessed with Kim and Andrew’s gorgeous ketubah by calligrapher Ruth Stern Warzecha, which they found on Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com, featuring a classic design of intricate pen line decorations and the traditional seven wedding benedictions around the edge of the ketubah itself.

Read on for the full story in Kim’s own words…

Kim and Andrew, Huntcliff River Club, Atlanta, USA Kim and Andrew, Huntcliff River Club, Atlanta, USA
How We Met

Kim, the bride: I invited my best friend from high school to go to yoga and she brought along her roommate. Her roommate and I slowly built a friendship that progressed into a loving relationship over the course of two years, built by common interests, similar grounding, and complimentary personalities.Continue ReadingContinue Reading