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

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Alice-Micael-Langley-Park-Cotswolds-UK

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

A Classically Elegant Jewish Wedding at Hazelton Manor, Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada

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Mimmi and Justin, Hazelton Manor, Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada
We’re so in love with the classic Jewish wedding of Mimmi, a makeup artist, and Justin, who works in finance! Being a wedding pro herself, it’s no surprise Mimmi pulled together an absolutely picture-perfect day, with everything from an ultra-elegant custom gown by Paloma Blanca to a stunning floral chuppah to magazine-ready photos by Lace & Luce.

While Mimmi always thought she’d do her own wedding day makeup, a month before the big day she realized it would be too stressful and made the smart decision to book Faces by Tess, who did a totally fabulous job while also freeing Mimmi up to focus on the spirituality of her special day.

We’re also obsessed with Mimmi and Justin’s exquisite paper cut ketubah, custom designed by the talented Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Attias in Israel!

And did we mention that the couple opted to end their big day with a henna party, in honor of Justin’s Moroccan heritage? Obsessed!

We’ll let Mimmi and Justin fill you in on the rest…


Mimmi and Justin, Hazelton Manor, Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada

Mimmi and Justin, Hazelton Manor, Woodbridge, Ontario, CanadaMimmi and Justin, Hazelton Manor, Woodbridge, Ontario, CanadaMimmi and Justin, Hazelton Manor, Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada
How we Met

Mimmi, the bride and Justin, the groom: Justin saw Mimmi at the library two years ago. He usually never approaches girls as he is really shy and conservative but this time he just had to approach her because she looked absolutely beautiful. Once he approached her there was no looking back.

A few months later Justin suffered a serious panic attack that landed him in the hospital, he had an existential crisis for 3 months and didn’t feel like the same person he once was. Mimmi was there for him during these 3 months, they got to know each other on a mental, emotional, and spiritual level. After these few months Justin knew what he had in front of him and wasted no time to propose with a beautiful custom designed radiant cut diamond. Six months later we are married!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Acquachiara Bride for a Magical Pandemic Jewish Wedding at Villa Miani, Rome, Italy

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Diletta and Stefano, Villa Miani, Rome, Italy

How gorgeous is this incredible chuppah?! We’re totally and completely obsessed with the all-white floral masterpiece Diletta, an architect, and Stefano, a consultant, dreamed up for their big day. Everything looks SO perfect, you’d never guess they had to drastically change their plans midstream due to COVID – including a change of venue to better accommodate their reduced guest list.

Luckily, the pair ended up at beautiful Villa Miani, one of our very favorite Roman venues, and with some help from their wedding planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Deborah di Castro, and their vendor team, everything came together perfectly – despite the uncertainty that came with planning amidst fears of a new lockdown. (As it happened, Diletta and Stefano’s wedding date fell at a time when cases were low in Italy – but one month later, Rome was back in lockdown.)

Diletta had a strong vision for her wedding from the get-go: a sophisticated all-white look, carried out in her florals, that fabulous chuppah, and of course her Acquachiara gown, adorned with hundreds of white fabric “petals.” Don’t miss all the exquisite details in Azeta‘s photos and Sesame Films’ trailer.

Diletta and Stefano, Villa Miani, Rome, ItalyDiletta and Stefano, Villa Miani, Rome, ItalyDiletta and Stefano, Villa Miani, Rome, ItalyDiletta and Stefano, Villa Miani, Rome, Italy
How we Met

Diletta, the bride: We met at a friend’s party.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Riki Dalal Bride for a Fabulously Floral Jewish Wedding at The Langham, London, UK

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How incredible is this floral chuppah?! It’s really a stunner – which is no surprise when you find out that today’s bride, Gaby, is a former wedding planner and floral designer, now working in interior design. Gaby’s got a serious passion for flowers – so much so that she and groom Alex, who works in finance operations/business intelligence, picked their wedding date in part based on when the best selection would be in bloom!

As if that chuppah (and Gaby’s credentials) weren’t giveaway enough that this pair has impeccable taste, we were also delighted to learn that they worked with some of our very favorite Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to bring their dreams to life.

First, the amazing Dimitria Jordan, who crafted the couple’s exquisite wedding stationery with so much attention to each and every detail – don’t miss the wonderful results, featuring delicate florals, gold foil, scripted font, custom wax seals, and more, in Mike Garrard Photography’s breathtaking photos.

Then there’s Philippa Louise, who did Gaby and her mum’s makeup – in addition to looking like absolute perfection, Gaby reports that Philippa set the perfect calming tone for the morning.

And last but certainly not least, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ambassador Band was Gaby and Alex’s pick for entertainment – one of their top priorities in planning their day. They went with a 16-piece band and can’t stop raving about the energy Ambassador brought to their day – or what a fab job the group did with music for the Israeli dancing!

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave the rest to the bride, who looked simply smashing in Israeli designer Riki Dalal…

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How we Met

Gaby, the bride: Alex and I have known each other for some time. We both went to JFS sixth form and then onto Leeds Uni, but we didn’t officially get together until after Uni.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Liz Martinez Bride for a Last-Minute Pandemic Jewish Wedding at Villa Nova, Beit Nehemiah, Israel

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May & Shachar, Villa Nova, Israel

It’s safe to say that pretty much no 2020 couple had smooth sailing when it came to their wedding. But the Jewish wedding planning journey of May and Shachar, Israelis living in NYC, was even bumpier than most.

These two started off planning a destination wedding in Tuscany. Then COVID hit Italy – hard. So they decided to shift everything back home to Israel. No small feat, but the couple managed to book their venue and vendors (all while living on the other side of the world in New York, of course).

In the midst of all this chaos, May and Shachar decided to pack up their life in NYC and head back to Israel to ride out the pandemic. Finally, living in the same country as their wedding – that should make things easier, right? Well, not quite – just a couple weeks before their wedding date of September 22, May and Shachar were faced with the prospect of a three-week lockdown.

Unwilling to postpone yet again, the duo opted to do the opposite, and move their wedding up to September 15 so they could make things official before the start of the new lockdown. By the time they closed on a new venue, they were left with just two days to pull everything together.

Luckily, May and Shachar had a stellar team on their side. To look at Shai Ashkenazi’s incredible photos, you’d never guess it all came together on such short notice – every single detail is picture perfect, and, like May says, the images look like they came straight out of a glossy fashion magazine.

There’s so much more to say about this incredible day – but we’ll leave the rest to the bride, who looked stunning in her Liz Martinez dress (followed by a custom glittery jumpsuit by Mor Morstein she changed into for the reception)!

May & Shachar, Villa Nova, IsraelMay & Shachar, Villa Nova, IsraelMay & Shachar, Villa Nova, IsraelMay & Shachar, Villa Nova, Israel
How we Met

May, the bride: Our story begins a little bit before New York. Before I moved to New York, I posted on a Facebook group called “Israelis in New York” that I’m moving to the city and looking for help with some information about the work I’m starting and some information about the city. I got a message from a guy who was familiar to me from his picture, and it turns out he is the brother of a friend who worked with me, and I met him in the past (about 5 years ago) at her house when he was visiting his family in Israel.

Since I recognized him, I decided to answer his message and we started talking, he really helped me with some questions and asked if I could bring something for his business with me to New York, of course I agreed (by the way – he didn’t link me to his sister and had no idea about our little meeting a few years ago). When I arrived to NY after the long flight I realized, that from all of Manhattan neighborhoods, the hotel I got from work was right next to his apartment! So he arrived really quickly to get his delivery – just a few minutes after I arrived at the hotel with my luggage. And from that day we never parted. We have been together for more than 3 years, living together in New York.

Shachar planned the marriage proposal in the summer, in New York. He toured locations in central park and ordered me an engagement ring from Israel based on a photo I once showed him.  It turns out that when the ring arrived on delivery to New York, I showed him a picture of another ring that I liked more, which is not similar to what he ordered for me.  He decided to change the ring and make another one exactly according to what I liked, and the whole procedure of preparing and sending the new ring took time. Until the winter.

Of course I didn’t knew there was a ring before. We arrived to Central Park on a really cold day, claiming that his brother had to choose a location for a photoshoot there.  We walked around Central Park to get to the “photoshoots” place, which turned out to be the place for the proposal – the Central Park lake.  The place was just beautiful and pastoral, and the proposal was exciting and intimate. Of course I immediately said yes!  And I cried. His brother documented everything and it was just perfect!Continue ReadingContinue Reading