Outdoor Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Suzanne Neville Bride for a Timelessly Classic Jewish Wedding in Tuscany at Villa Oliva, Lucca, Italy

07/07/2025 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

There’s nothing like a Tuscan wedding – between the gorgeous scenery, the brilliant sunshine, and, of course, the food, there’s no wonder it’s one of the most popular destination spots for STG couples. And Katie, who works in PR for interior and lifestyle brands, and Jamie, who works in sales, had a truly unforgettable Tuscan Jewish wedding.

We were so thrilled to hear that they found their wonderful venue, Villa Oliva, right here on Smashing The Glass – and it’s easy to see why they fell in love with the verdant grounds at first sight.

Katie and Jamie’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Alessandro Colle, and videographer, Alte Vedute, “went above and beyond, and they captured every single moment possible! We trusted them and were happy to follow their lead, and we’re thrilled with the results!”

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

Professions / notes for Emily –

Jamie works in sales, whereas i work in PR for interior and lifestyle brands.

How We Met

Katie, the bride: We first met when we were 16 on an Israel tour! We became best friends, and over time, we ended up becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. 10 years later, Jamie proposed!

A Same-Sex Summer Camp Jewish Wedding at Forest Lake Camp, Chestertown, New York, USA

23/06/2025 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

How fun is it that today’s couple, Baylee, the founder and CEO of an AI company, and Eliana, who works in HR strategy in the financial industry, opted to hold their Jewish wedding at a summer camp?!

The couple wanted more than just a few hours to spend with their guests, so they invited their loved ones to the spend the weekend with them at Forest Lake Camp! Instead of a formal rehearsal dinner, Baylee and Eliana held a welcome barbecue for all of their guests – and pre-wedding, everyone loved the range of activities available onsite, from swimming to hiking to tennis.

We also love that the duo opted to write their own ketubah text, and read it aloud to each other as their vows during the ceremony – plus the fact that on their way down from the chuppah, guests lined the path and threw flowers at Baylee and Eliana for a colorful recessional! Don’t miss the wonderful photos by Kristen Tomkowid of Little But Fierce Photography.

Read on for all the details in the brides’ own words…

How We Met

Eliana & Baylee, the brides: We met in 2017 at a University of Pennsylvania LGBTQ+ alumni event.

A Martina Liana Bride for a Colorful Jewish Wedding Celebrating Joy at Tatton Park, Cheshire, UK

09/06/2025 by Karen Cinnamon

There’s nothing like an English country house wedding, and we absolutely adore Rachel and Stuart’s! Tatton Park, located near the groom’s hometown of Manchester, made for the perfect backdrop to this very special day – which included a wonderful outdoor chuppah on the grounds.

We love the couple’s focus on joy, beauty, and Judaism in crafting their big day – and how great is it that they made it a family affair, between Stuart’s uncle serving as the chazan and Rachel’s uncle designing the beautiful handmade ketubah! For good measure, Rachel herself designed the invitations, featuring a picture of the venue she painted.

When it came time to choose someone to capture their wedding, Rachel and Stuart chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kate Swerdlow. In the bride’s words,

I loved her relaxed style, which really captured beautiful, natural moments. Kate was also so lovely to work with – our engagement shoot at Aldenham Country Park was so much fun because she made us feel at ease and brought out the best in us. Our wedding photos are just beautiful, and I especially love how she captured the venue and all the little details so perfectly.

Cat Film Service handled videography, and the couple can’t get enough of their modern style and the way they captured the essence of the day.

Now over to Rachel, who looked so glam in her off-the-shoulder fitted Martina Liana gown…

How We Met

Rachel, the bride: We meet on Jswipe!

A Fairytale Jewish Wedding at Castello Bevilacqua, Verona, Italy

26/05/2025 by Karen Cinnamon

A magical Jewish wedding in an Italian castle? Yes, please! SoCal couple Lyndsay, the podcaster behind The Pain Game Podcast, and Bill, a radio talk show host, had the most fantastic destination wedding in Verona’s majestic Castello Bevilacqua.

They focused on bringing out the fairytale vibes of their fab venue, as well as bringing in lots of lemons, in honor of all the lemons the couple have had thrown at them – and the awesome lemonade they’ve made out of whatever’s come their way!

We also love that, to bring their far-flung guests together, Lyndsay and Bill had a mystery dinner the night before the wedding to break the ice.

When it came time to choose the perfect team to capture their big day, Lyndsay and Bill chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Collephoto. Photographer Alessando Colle, second photographer Laura Bongiorni, editor by Serena Rossi, and videographer Damiano Mariotti made up the dream team.

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

How We Met

Lyndsay, the bride: I was introduced to Bill’s morning talk show in Los Angeles about 12 years ago. Coerced by a friend that I have to listen to him. Whatever! I didn’t do talk radio. I wasn’t in the early podcast scene. I am a musician!

But then I turned on KFI AM 640 and started listening to The Bill Handel Show based out of Burbank, CA. It is the number 1 morning drive talk show in the United States — Monday through Friday. And he also has a legal show on KFI on Saturdays as well, called Handel on the Law.

I was hooked. I started going to events where he would be, and we just started talking, and it kept going until it turned into something pretty remarkable. US.

A shorter version is: Lyndsay fell in love with Bill as a listener. Bill fell in love with Lyndsay because she was a listener. The End.

A Mia Pava Bride for a Joyous Jewish Wedding at Olmaya, Jerusalem, Israel

07/04/2025 by Karen Cinnamon

Jerusalem is such a special place to get married – Tamar and Noam’s big day at Olmaya, featuring a stunning outdoor chuppah with majestic views of the Old City, is really something else.

This was such an iconically only-in-Israel wedding, and we are all about it. Tamar and Noam chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tzahi Shemesh to photograph their day, and they couldn’t have been any more thrilled with the results – take a scroll through his incredible, heartfelt images and you’ll see why. Plus, the couple can’t stop raving about how much they loved working with him, and how comfortable and fun he made their wedding day photos!

Tamar chose the most gorgeous gown by Israeli designer Mia Pava, and we can’t get enough of her beautiful, whimsical bridal style.

Read on for all the details in the bride’s own words…