Outdoor Archives - Page 6 of 92 - Smashing the Glass

A House of Savin Bride for a Colorful Jewish Wedding with Tons of Personal Touches at Micklefield Hall, Rickmansworth, UK

08/09/2025 by Karen Cinnamon

We love it when a couple adds lots of personal touches to their Jewish wedding – and Lucy and Michael really took it to the next level!

Artsy bride Lucy loves color – so much so that she couldn’t envision herself in a white dress and instead opted for a fabulous floral number by House of Savin. The couple based their color scheme for the big day around Lucy’s dress, and Lucy – who created all the wedding stationery herself! – designed it all to match the dress, too. Lucy even hand-embroidered kippot to go with the stationery design! Paul Toeman Photography (Cherish Studios) captured it all so beautifully.

We also love that Lucy created anniversary cards for each table to inscribe with messages to the couple to be opened on the wedding anniversaries that correspond with each table number!

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

How We Met

Lucy, the bride: We met at Jewish summer camp. We would have first met when we were about 11 but started dating when we were Madrichim, age 17. We grew up together and went to university together.

A Studio Myra Bride for a Second Time Around Friday Morning Jewish Wedding at Psagot Winery, Sha’ar Binyamin, Israel

01/09/2025 by Karen Cinnamon

We love that Israeli couple Noa, an ER nurse and the regional director of the Terem chain of emergency clinics, and Laurence, the VP of technical operations for a fintech company, made their Jewish wedding ultra-personal. In Noa’s words, “As an older and second-time couple, we felt very free to set aside all the traditions with which we didn’t connect. We kept our guest list small and intimate, and made sure the people that mattered most to us were involved.”

This included getting married on a Friday morning, involving family and friends in the wedding (especially the couple’s children), and planning the big day in under 6 weeks. Since the winter wedding fell on the shortest Friday of the year, the duo wanted to help their guests out with Shabbat preparations, so as favors they gave each guest a bouquet of Shabbat flowers (that matched Noa’s bouquet) and a fresh challah to take home – how nice is that?!

When it came time to choose the perfect photographer to capture their big day, there was no question that it would be anyone but Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman. In Noa’s words, Herschel “was the only vendor that I was dead set on. Thankfully he was available, even with our short engagement, and his busy schedule. Our pictures came out incredible! We are so thrilled with our choice of Herschel. He had such a calm vibe and didn’t miss a shot – he was always exactly where he needed to be.”

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

How We Met

Noa, the bride: We met nearly 3 years ago at the backyard pool party of a friend. I immediately noticed Laurence as he was the only person to show up in a button down shirt to a pool party!

That, and I noticed immediately that Laurence was an incredible listener, which made me really want to talk to him. Initially we were just friends, but about 6 weeks later I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

One of our first dates was a movie, then an MRI at midnight! The technicians were unable to remove one of my ear piercings and Laurence ended up using his teeth! We were able to make jokes and laugh.

You’re always told to choose a partner who can handle the hard things in life with you – for us, that’s how our relationship started. Navigating a new relationship while dealing with a devastating illness, including chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, was not easy.

A Luce Sposa Bride for a Rustic Jewish Wedding at HaAgam, Jerusalem, Israel

18/08/2025 by Karen Cinnamon

There’s no place like Israel for a Jewish wedding. And we love that New York couple Rachel, a program director at a Jewish non-profit running children’s programs, and Tani, a software engineer, opted to make things official at beautiful HaAgam, the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens.

Planning a destination wedding in Israel post-October 7 meant a lot didn’t go to plan. Most of the couple’s family and friends weren’t able to attend due to the war, and even up till the big day Rachel and Tani weren’t sure everything would be able to go ahead. But in Rachel’s words, the experience “taught us to focus on each other and bringing our immediate families together knowing that our wedding would be special no matter what challenges came our way” – and isn’t that really what it’s all about?

When it came time to choose a photographer to capture their special day, Rachel and Tani turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, and they couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome – don’t miss the epic pics from their end-of-night couple shoot in the Old City!

Now over to Rachel, who looked like a princess in her Luce Sposa gown…

How We Met

Rachel, the bride: We met on the dating app Hinge in the summer of 2021 right after I moved from Toronto, Canada, to NYC. Tani is American but made Aliyah to Israel in 2006. He served in the IDF and moved back to the States in 2022.

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

07/07/2025 by Karen Cinnamon

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

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…