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A Martina Liana and Galia Lahav Bride for a Joyfully Jewish Destination Wedding at the Four Seasons Firenze, Italy

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Olivia and Amir, Four Seasons Firenze, Florence, Italy

Today we’re heading to Florence today for the most joy-filled Jewish destination wedding at the breathtaking Four Seasons Firenze.

Bride Olivia, a speech language pathologist, and groom Amir, who works in construction and development, knew they wanted a destination celebration that would give their nearest and dearest an excuse for an unforgettable Italian holiday, and we can’t think of many settings more magical than this one.

From the start, Olivia and Amir wanted a wedding that would look as happy as they felt, and that came through in a gloriously vibrant floral palette that filled the venue with color and energy – don’t miss their fabulous floral chuppah in the wonderful images by D2 Photography! We’re also obsessed with the duo’s exquisite ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com, designed by artist Britt Yudell.

Olivia looked incredible in the elegant Martina Liana A-line gown she chose for the chuppah. Later, she changed into a short, sparkly, pink dress by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Galia Lahav – the perfect party look for dancing the night away.

We’ll let Olivia fill you in on the rest…

Olivia and Amir, Four Seasons Firenze, Florence, Italy Olivia and Amir, Four Seasons Firenze, Florence, Italy Olivia and Amir, Four Seasons Firenze, Florence, Italy Olivia and Amir, Four Seasons Firenze, Florence, Italy

How We Met

Olivia, the bride: We actually met in high school at a party. After high school Amir went straight to Israel, but we stayed loosely in touch. Several years later (in 2019), Olivia was on a family trip to Israel to celebrate her brother’s Bar Mitzvah where they reconnected officially. A little over a year later, Amir moved back to America permanently… and the rest is history!

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A Multicultural Persian-Jewish Wedding Celebrating Unity, Love, and Connection at JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA

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Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA

Victoria and Jake incorporated meaningful symbolism throughout the entire celebration, from pomegranates on their invitations, representing abundance in both cultures, to custom-designed kippahs. Every tradition was intentionally chosen to reflect not only where the couple came from, but also the life they are creating as husband and wife.

They began with a traditional Sofreh Aghd, the Persian wedding table filled with symbolic elements representing love, prosperity, health, and a joyful marriage, which they followed with a Jewish ceremony beneath the chuppah, symbolizing the home they would build together.

Not that Victoria and Jake stinted on style – this was one seriously elegant wedding, centered around a monochromatic palette of soft pinks with the most stunning florals. We also love that the duo “wanted the celebration to feel less like a formal reception and more like guests had stepped into a vibrant Middle Eastern beach club—where everyone was welcomed, every culture was celebrated, and no one wanted to leave the dance floor.” Don’t miss the incredible energy in the exquisite photos by Vadim Pastuh.

One of the most meaningful moments happened during the reception, when Victoria and Jake danced with the American, Israeli, and Persian flags, in a beautiful celebration of surrounded by love, joy, and unity. In Victoria’s words, “Our wedding was a reminder that love transcends labels, borders, and traditions.”

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

Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA

Venue

Victoria, the bride: Jake and I chose the JW Marriott Grande Lakes because it offered everything we were looking for in a wedding venue. The staff was exceptional—attentive, professional, and dedicated to making every detail seamless. The expansive resort also allowed our guests to enjoy both privacy and the full resort experience throughout the weekend. It was especially important to us to select a venue close to a major airport, making travel convenient for our family and friends flying in from across the country.

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A Jewish Wedding Filled with Good Ruach, Good Vibes, and Good People at The Langham, London, UK

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Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

We adore a London Jewish wedding – and Gabi and Harry’s at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Langham is really something special.

The bride, who works in sustainability for an insurance company, and the groom, an associate engineer, knew The Langham was the one as soon as they visited. They fell in love with not only the gorgeous ballroom but the whole vibe, which really encapsulates all the elegance and glamour of London.  

Gabi and Harry’s vision for the day was “good ruach, good vibes and being with all our favourite people,” and you can see that they absolutely pulled it off. Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Claudine Hartzel took the most beautiful photos and made Gabi and Harry feel so comfortable on the day – in Gabi’s words, “It was more like having a friend in the room taking pictures of us. She was also EVERYWHERE and captured also the right moments, but also was somehow never in the way!”

The couple’s videographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Michael Pearl Films captured all the energy of the day so perfectly – and Gabi and Harry report that nearly two years on, they still can’t get enough of their wedding video and watch it frequently!

We also love that, in addition to their general wedding gift list, the duo opted to set up a We Judaica registry with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Contemporary Judaica – such a smart idea!

Now over to Gabi…

Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK Gabi and Harry, The Langham, London, UK

How We Met

Gabi, the bride: Harry and I met when we were 15 years old at a Jewish Youth Group (JLGB) on a Winter Camp. We became good friends and also went on Israel Tour together when we were 16. At 17 we started dating and the rest is history! Gabi went off to uni and Harry did an apprenticeship so we navigated a long-distance relationship for a few years. In 2021, we moved in together and then engaged in 2023. We got married in 2024 and then last year (2025) we moved across the world together to Sydney.

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A Verdin Bridal Bride for a Chicago-Meets-New Orleans Jewish Wedding at The Langham Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, USA

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Dylan and Daniel, Langham Hotel, Chicago, USA

Today’s couple, Dylan, an elementary school teacher at a Jewish day school, and Daniel, a medical student, wanted their Jewish wedding to capture the magic of two cities that have played a special role in their lives: Chicago, where they currently live – and where they married at the gorgeous Langham Hotel – and New Orleans, where they met as undergrads at Tulane.

Dylan and Daniel added lots of fun nods to their life in the Big Easy, like the throwing of Mardi Gras beads from the stage. We also love that the duo, who collect match books from around the world during their travels, had custom match boxes at the bars! Don’t miss all the wonderful details in the beautiful images by Christy and James of Christy Tyler Photography.

And of course we can’t leave without saying a few words about Dylan and Daniel’s stunner of a floral chuppah, featuring blooms in pink and white.

Now over to Dylan…

 Dylan and Daniel, Langham Hotel, Chicago, USA Dylan and Daniel, Langham Hotel, Chicago, USA Dylan and Daniel, Langham Hotel, Chicago, USA

How We Met

Dylan, the bride: We met in 2019 at Tulane University when we were set up for Daniel’s ZBT formal (Dylan was in SDT) and have been together every since.

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An Ultra-Personal Chanukah Jewish Wedding Micklefield Hall, Hertfordshire, UK

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Ella and Aaron, Micklefield Hall, Rickmansworth, United Kingdom

We love a Chanukah wedding, and Ella and Aaron’s is one of the best we’ve seen! Their vision for their winter Jewish wedding was “twinkly winter wonderland with lots of doughnuts, latkes and joy,” and they worked with the most talented team – including a number of beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors – to bring it to life.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Uptown Events planned the day to perfection, recommending vendors – including the couple’s stunning venue, Micklefield Hall, after their original location fell through – and making sure everything ran smoothly on the day. They also guided Ella and Aaron to choose a DJ Live act when it came to entertainment – and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Twentysomethings ended up being “such a hit that they’ve since become the unofficial band for our whole group, with two other couples booking them since!”

Ella and Aaron made all the stationery themselves (with their small business It IS Personal) – including the most adorable dreidel-shaped reserved seating signs and matchbox place cards in honor of Chanukah. Also perfectly on theme? The duo’s wedding menu, which included latkes, a full salt beef bar, and savoury pulled beef doughnuts (in addition to the sweet kind). Don’t miss all the fabulous details in the exquisite photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Claudine Hartzel, who captured all the emotion and joy of the day so beautifully.

Another Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, Carmel Designs, painted the couple’s wonderful custom ketubah, merging their vision for a design in keeping with their rustic wedding vibes, incorporating the Tree of Life and reflecting Ella and Aaron’s love of animals.

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

 

Ella and Aaron, Micklefield Hall, Rickmansworth, United Kingdom Ella and Aaron, Micklefield Hall, Rickmansworth, United Kingdom Ella and Aaron, Micklefield Hall, Rickmansworth, United Kingdom Ella and Aaron, Micklefield Hall, Rickmansworth, United Kingdom

How We Met

Ella, the bride: We met the way so many modern couples do these days – on good old Hinge! We first met in June 2022, when Aaron was finishing his teacher training year, and Ella was working at her local synagogue. Aaron is now Pastoral and Wellbeing Manager at his old Jewish secondary school, and Ella works as Children and Family Educator at the synagogue we’ve joined together, while training to be a therapist. Our professions are an example of how well our values align – something we were both aware of when we met, and is one of the many reasons we instantly clicked and fell for each other so quickly! Not even a month into dating, we’d booked our first holiday to Israel together for Chanukah that year.

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