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

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Carly-Jonathan-Towne-Oak-in-Winnetka-Illinois-USA

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, CanadaJordana and Josh, Pleasant Creek, CanadaJordana and Josh, Pleasant Creek, CanadaJordana 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

A Magical Laid-Back Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Ein Chemed, Jerusalem, Israel

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HOW magical is the Israeli Jewish wedding of Andrea, a medical massage therapist, and Yehoshua, who works in sales?! Their gorgeous Jerusalem Hills venue, Ein Hemed, looks like an absolute fairy tale wonderland – all trees and twinkly lights – the perfect choice for two nature lovers!

Picking a venue that was totally stunning all on its own also helped the couple stay on budget – not much was needed to make Ein Hemed shine. With just a simple chuppah, lanterns and flower petals lining the aisle, and pinecones and herbs on the tables instead of flowers, Andrea and Yehoshua created the ultimate rustic vibes without breaking the bank.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman Photography (whose team also handled videography) captured not only the marvelous aesthetics of the day, but – in his trademark style – the couple’s story too.

We also love how the pair – both of whom made Aliyah on their own – took the wedding as an opportunity for their friends and family to get to see Israel and the lives they’ve built in the country. There’s so much more to say, but we’ll let Andrea take it from here…


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How We Met

Andrea, the bride: We like to say that we met at the party we didn’t want to be at. It was a very cold and stormy February night. It was a night that no one would have wanted to leave their homes, yet thankfully we both did. A mutual friend was having a party to celebrate his birthday. I debated whether to go or not thinking that perhaps many friends would not show to the party because of the horrible weather.

In the meantime, Yehoshua was already out due to the fact that he was going to the kotel for 40 days straight in the merit that his bashert would be revealed. That night he even struggled to find a minyan (10 men) because of the torrential downpour. Nonetheless we both ended up at that party, however, he showed up shortly before I was planning on leaving. We spoke very briefly and then said our goodbyes- no numbers exchanged.

Almost one month later we both attended a wedding that I, Andrea, did not plan on attending. A friend’s husband was unavailable and she convinced me to come take his place. Thankfully I agreed because I turned around during the ceremony, and there I saw the brightest smile 🙂 Yehoshua and I got a ride home together, this time, exchanging numbers. 6 months later we were engaged and another two and a half months we were married! God was our clear matchmaker and we are forever grateful!

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A Dorit Izbizki Bride for an Intimate Israeli Jewish Wedding at The Garden, Ma’ale Hachamisha, Israel

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Yosepha-and-Sam-The-Garden-Maale-Hachamisha

If not for the customized face masks, you’d barely know today’s picture-perfect Jewish wedding was impacted by COVID-19. But while childhood sweethearts Yosepha and Sam were lucky enough to wed before the tightest pandemic restrictions kicked in, the spread of the coronavirus still meant that many overseas friends and family were unable to attend, leaving them with a small (by Israeli standards) guest count of 150.

Though it was obviously disappointing to have so many loved ones missing, Yosepha and Sam focused on the positives – both of having a more intimate gathering, and of being able to go through with their big day at all, under the circumstances! And we love that the couple’s siblings surprised them by collecting videos of their relatives who couldn’t be there wishing them mazel tov and letting the pair know how much they wished they could celebrate together – it was a total surprise to Yosepha and Sam, and they were so touched by the gesture.

As always, we’re in love with the emotional photography Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman Photography. His images are so full of joy and love, and they really capture the pure elation Yosepha and Sam clearly felt to be able marry in the setting of their dreams, in the presence of so many of their loved ones. We’re totally not surprised to hear these two have been receiving endless compliments on their photos!

There’s lots more to say about this wonderful wedding, but we’ll leave the rest to the bride, who looked so beautiful in her wedding dress by Israeli designer Dorit Izbizki…

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How we met

Yosepha, the bride: Sam and I met about 12 years ago when his family made aliyah. They moved in to the house right next door and lived there for about 2 years. We were all really young, I think I was 9 and Sam was 11. We would hang out with our siblings and neighbors together.

Our sibling wrote us a “story book” about how we met and our relationship. It was really cute and funny. Everyone would joke about how I always had a crush on the boy next door, though I think it was the other way around 🙂 

A few years after Sam and his family moved, we met again at scouts camp. We spent a lot of time together talking and hanging out. We started going out when I was in 9th grade, Sam in 10th. We’ve been together for over 6 years now, together throughout high school, Sam’s army service and my national service. It wasn’t always easy, not seeing each other for weeks at a time when Sam was on base, and dealing with stuff that you never imagined happening. 

We were so young when we got together, we both grew up a lot and changed together. It’s interesting to think about how we used to be and where we got to today. We’re both so different from how we used to be but with every change we always grew closer. We both feel extremely lucky to have had each other all these years. 

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