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A Caroline Castigliano Bride for a Whimsical English Countryside Jewish Wedding at Langley Park, Cotswolds, UK

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We couldn’t think of a better way to close out the year than with the fabulous English countryside Jewish wedding of STG Brides Club member Alice, who works in advertising, and Micael, founder and CEO of a licensed medical cannabis producer!

The pandemic forced these two to postpone four times, and to make a pretty drastic pivot in locale from Israel to the UK – but you’d never know it from how absolutely picture-perfect their big day turned out! While COVID meant a long-haul destination wedding wasn’t in the cards, Alice and Micael opted to keep that destination feel by booking Langley Park in the Cotswolds for an all-weekend bash.

Alice was a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club during her wedding planning, and we’re so touched by her kind words about the group:

The biggest thing in Brides Club was the support network. During the pandemic, it felt as though we would never have a wedding. It was very reassuring to be amongst people going through the same thing and there were lots of resources to help navigate through it the best way possible! We also got a discount with the brilliant Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Big Day Designs, who printed our invitations. It was the first Jewish wedding for the majority of our vendors and Smashing the Glass was great for giving them all the information they needed.

We’re absolutely obsessed with the glam photos by Elena Popa and second shooter Emily Rose Hamilton – can you believe it was their first time photographing a Jewish wedding?!

There’s so much else to say about this beautiful day – from the surprise South African touches Alice added for Micael, who had lots of guests from home who sadly weren’t able to attend in person due to the pandemic; to the incredible private badeken the pair shared after not seeing each other for a full week; to the sweet custom illustrations Alice and Micael commissioned from The Millustrator. But we’ll leave it to Alice to fill you in on all that…

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How we Met

Alice, the bride: We usually just say long story! But we met in 2009 at a party in London. He is South African and was visiting his cousins who live in London. He never actually spoke to me on the night but later messaged me on Facebook. We dated long distance for several years whilst he was at university in Israel. He finally moved to London and we had a few make ups and break ups before getting engaged in 2019.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Etsy Bride for an Interfaith Jewish Wedding with Plenty of DIY at Farms Country Club, Wallingford, Connecticut, USA

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We could not be more delighted to be sharing the gorgeous interfaith Jewish wedding of our beloved Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Nalda! Nalda, a licensed massage therapist, married groom Dan, who works in higher education, in a heartfelt ceremony with some truly wonderful DIY touches.

First off, how special is it that Nalda’s crafty mom made the couple’s chuppah canopy and chair sashes? She also helped crochet kippot for the guests – and Nalda and Dan even learned to crochet themselves so they could join in! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to touching personal details – don’t miss the super special way the couple included Nalda’s son in their ceremony! You can tell from Misha Book‘s photos what a truly special day it was.

And of course we’re so touched by Nalda’s kind words about our Brides Club. In her words,

Brides Club was an invaluable resource during our planning. I spent so much time reading through all the Brides Club checklists and guides, on everything from choosing your planning priorities, to picking traditional music, and what to include in our programs… The other Brides Club members are always so supportive and quick to provide advice, insight, creative ideas, or just a listening ear. I can honestly say our wedding wouldn’t have been half of what it was without Brides Club.

There’s so much more to say – just for starters, the wild story of Nalda’s Etsy dress, and the couple’s surprise minimoon – but we’ll hand you over to the bride now…

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How we Met

Nalda, the bride: We met on Hinge!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Lillian Wild Bride for an Autumnal Jewish Brunch Wedding at Towne & Oak in Winnetka, Illinois, USA

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We love a good brunch wedding here at Team STG. And bagels-and-lox-loving couple Carly and Jonathan’s autumnal Midwestern Jewish wedding is one of the best we’ve seen – pandemic or not.

These two always wanted a fall Sunday afternoon wedding, but just as they began planning COVID-19 started taking hold. After much deliberation, they decided to go full steam ahead rather than waiting for the crisis to pass, embracing their intimate wedding of 13 (down from an original guestlist of 150) and sharing a professional livestream with those who couldn’t be there in person. And even though it wasn’t the wedding they’d initially planned, you can tell from each and every one of Alisha Tova‘s stunning photos what a very special day it was.

We’re obsessed with the couple’s gorgeous ketubah, custom designed and handmade for them by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor BRITcolors. Britt spent time getting to know Carly and Jonathan so she could dream up a unique ketubah that was totally, 100% them – and she totally knocked it out of the ballpark with the finished product, featuring ‘70s-inspired floral designs in a mixture of embroidery and watercolor.

There’s so much more to say about this awesome wedding – for starters, don’t miss the chic contemporary geometrics and subtle autumnal florals – but we’ll let Carly, who looked so elegant in her Lillian Wild gown, fill you in on the rest…

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How We Met

Carly, the bride: My work is in brand marketing and storytelling, and Jonathan works to develop strategic partnerships. We met during the summer of 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. My profile had appeared in the friend suggestion section of Jonathan’s Facebook newsfeed. Jonathan soon discovered that my dear friend Alex was our mutual connection, so he reached out to him asking about my status.

Alex said Jonathan was a nice guy, so I gave Alex the OK to give Jonathan my phone number. Jonathan called a few days later. After a fun 30-minute conversation, we scheduled our first date. We ate a delicious dinner at the pizzeria Spacca Napoli and then saw a beautiful performance by Sarah Jarosz at the Old Town School of Folk Music.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Jewish Micro Wedding with the Most Breathtaking Floral Chuppah at Jacob’s Pillow, Becket, Massachusetts, USA

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Gaby and Michael, Jacob’s Pillow, Becket, Massachusetts, USA

We see a lot of cool chuppahs around here, but the one Gaby, a life and career coach, and Michael, an investment advisor, dreamed up for their big day at Jacob’s Pillow in the picturesque Berkshires really takes the (wedding) cake. Filled with gorgeous flowers, centered on an otherwise empty stage overlooking the mountains surrounding the venue, it’s really, truly, 100% #chuppahgoals. We’re absolutely obsessed with the dreamy photos by Lauren Foley of 309 Productions, and we’re guessing you will be too.

Gaby and Michael had initially planned a 200-person wedding, but when the pandemic hit they had to scale their day down to just 20 guests. Luckily, the couple had incredible wedding planner Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tara Consolati on their team to redesign the day to perfectly fit their new, smaller event. Together, they came up with a unique “interactive” ceremony that included participation by 32 guests (including some of the 300 who attended virtually via Zoom)! Friends and family gave musical performances, mini speeches, and blessings, and lit memorial candles. What an incredibly special way to make guests really feel a part of things – especially those who are physically far away!

Another wonderful touch is that Gaby’s step-sister Rachel painted the most gorgeous border on the ketubah they purchased from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com, incorporating lots of personal touches with special meaning to the couple.

There’s so much more we could say about this fab day (did we mention that Gaby found her dress by chance off the rack at Bloomingdales, for 1/10 of the price of the bridal gowns she’d been looking at?), but we’ll leave it to the bride to fill you in on the rest…

Gaby and Michael, Jacob’s Pillow, Becket, Massachusetts, USA
How we Met

Gaby, the bride and Michael, the groom: Gaby and Michael met on the dating app, Hinge, in the summer of 2018! After only a few messages back and forth they met for drinks at La Pecora Bianca in Midtown Manhattan. The night was perfect and was filled with many laughs, stories and glasses of wine. Even more fitting, Gaby went to her family home in the Berkshires the weekend afterward, a place that proved incredibly important to our relationship given we lived there for nearly 7 months during the pandemic.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Sottero and Midgley Bride for a Jewish Wedding at Pleasant Creek, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

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Jordana and Josh, Pleasant Creek, Canada

Just about every 2020 couple has a story. But not every couple’s story takes them from synagogue to horse ranch. That’s exactly the trajectory Toronto couple Jordana, who works in digital marketing, and Josh, a construction project manager, took in their wedding planning journey.

Their original plans for a 400-person black tie synagogue wedding in May 2020 were thwarted when COVID hit. Initially, the pair postponed to September, and then November. In July, Josh’s mom told them about a gorgeous horse ranch not too far from Toronto. While they had no intention of changing their plans, they decided a trip out to the ranch would be fun, and went to take a look.

But the second they saw the place – rustic barn, tall trees, horses grazing and all – Jordana and Josh knew Pleasant Creek was where they wanted to get married. And, as a bonus, at Pleasant Creek their wedding could be held outdoors – which meant, at the time, that they were allowed 100 people (with social distancing measures in place and COVID testing for the wedding party). Jordana and Josh set a date for September 2020, giving them just two months to plan a totally different wedding, this one rustic chic and outdoor rather than black tie.

It can’t have been easy making such a dramatic shift in such little time – but Jordana and Josh totally rocked it. We adore the boho rustic style they pivoted to – don’t miss their incredible chuppah! – and their ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Attias was the absolute perfect fit. Don’t miss all the gorgeous details in Purple Tree’s photos and ZiMakesFilms’ trailer.

Read on for all the details of this wonderful day from the bride, who looked positively ravishing in Sottero and Midgley…

Jordana and Josh, Pleasant Creek, Canada Jordana and Josh, Pleasant Creek, Canada Jordana and Josh, Pleasant Creek, Canada Jordana and Josh, Pleasant Creek, Canada
How we met

Jordana, the bride: Josh and I first met at Western University while we were both in our second year. Although he grew up in Toronto, Josh moved to New York before high school and was studying in Manhattan for his first year in college when he decided to move back to Canada. Luckily for me, one of my best friends went to summer camp with Josh when she was younger, and she thought we would be a great match. Turns out she was right!

We dated all throughout University and decided to move in together in downtown Toronto a couple of years after we graduated. Josh pursued a career in construction management and is now a construction project manager for a development company in Toronto, and I pursued a career in digital marketing. On our trip to Jamaica, Josh sneakily brought an engagement ring with him and set up a beautiful gazebo leading into the ocean to pop the question. He had the aisle filled with lantern candles and flowers, with a beautiful candle-lit dinner at the end and our own personal chef and photographer. It was perfect!Continue ReadingContinue Reading