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Maggie & Jeff | New York City-infused ‘Urban Elegance’ Jew-ish wedding at the Dumbo Loft, Brooklyn, New York City, USA

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Maggie and Jeff seem like one cool couple so it goes without saying that their wedding is a super chic affair with an urban Brooklyn edge. It’s full to bursting with stunning details — just check out the gold-foiled wedding hashtag on the napkins for starters — and I LOVE the minimal yet industrial styling . It’s understated yet oh so elegant.

But as stylish as it is, tradition and family are at the heart of this affair… Jeff’s  parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were all married in Brooklyn so having their wedding at The Dumbo Loft was the perfect way to keep the tradition alive. Not only that, but Jeff’s family kiddush cup that’s been used for all their family events since the 1800’s, was used for the blessings in their wedding ceremony too.

I don’t think I’ve seen and featured such awesome pre-ceremony images either… what an epic way to spend the morning with your bridal party! (scroll down to the bottom of the post to see what I’m talking about).

More super cool NYC-flavour (literally) touches include the ultimate Brooklyn BBQ buffet, and an incredible wedding cake from Momofuku — an NYC establishment which also happens to be one of Jeff’s favourite sweet treat places.

The gorgeous set of images, as crisp and cool as the big day itself, are by Britty D. Photography.

New York City Wedding
how we met

Maggie, the Bride: We first met in our junior year in college during a business class. The class was called Emerging Economies and we took a week trip to South Korea. On the trip, we became good friends, kept in touch over the summer and shortly, after returning to school in August, we began dating…the rest is history!

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Tammy & Tom | An Inbal Dror dress for a wedding by the sea, with a very special story, at Kochav HaYam, Caesarea, Israel

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I don’t know where to start with this wedding, it has absolutely knocked me for six. When I first clapped eyes on the stunning photographs and video highlights of Tammy and Tom’s wedding, I was captivated by this ridiculously good looking couple, the chuppah set against a picture-perfect Israeli seascape, the high octane, carefree celebrations, the loved-up gazes between bride and groom and of course THAT Inbal Dror wedding dress – and just when I thought it couldn’t get any more breathtaking, I heard the incredible tale about the rabbi who officiated the wedding.

Many years ago as a young boy of eight, Sharon Shalom, the rabbi, was among a group of refugees making the arduous journey from Ethiopia to Sudan, where planes were on standby to help them flee to Israel. They travelled the entire distance to Sudan on foot, lead and protected by the IDF and Mossad agents.

At one point it all became too much for the youngster. Terrified, he was hugged and encouraged to keep going by one of the agents, who just happened to be Tom’s father. This shared experience helped forge a lifetime’s friendship, so much so, that when the young boy had grown and become a rabbi, he was told by Tom’s father that “one day you’ll be the rabbi for my son”. This wedding made that wish come true.

Understandably the tears flowed under the chuppah that day as the family and rabbi Sharon Shalom stood together for such a special and poignant moment in all of their lives. Truly beautiful.

So whilst it’s a very cool, stylish, fun, fun, fun wedding – complete with a flash mob dance – and did I mention the disarmingly attractive bride and groom? It’s a wedding with a huge heart. And given the incredible and humbling back-story of courage and kindness, the brides advice resonates very loudly “The whole point of the day is to be happy – stressing defeats the purpose. Your hubby and the meaning of the day is much more important than the napkins or your dress!”

Hear hear! (Even though her dress is actually perfection!)

The stunning photography is by Herschel Gutman one of our much-loved Smashing Suppliers, who can always be relied upon for beautiful images. The wedding film at the end of the post is by the superb Tal Herman

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Rabbi Sharon Shalom (far right) with Tom’s father (second from right) under the chuppah, beside Tammy & Tom

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Liora & David | Italian Jewish wedding at the Great Synagogue of Rome and Villa Miani, Rome, Italy

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Liora and David met through their parents, when David’s family invited Liora and her family over for Friday night dinner. That sabbath meal led to romance and an even more romantic wedding in Italy.

The magical city of Rome provided the inspiration for Liora and David’s chic destination wedding and there are some really wonderful touches. Take the Italian vespa for their wedding transport, a smorgasbord of Italian desserts instead of wedding cake (hello, lashings of tiramisu), and the choir of the Great Synagogue of Rome providing the music for their ceremony. Oh my!

Mr STG and I traveled to Italy for our honeymoon and it really is one of the most gorgeous places on earth. The landscape, the buildings — what an amazing place to be married. Liora and David held their ceremony at the breathtaking Great Synagogue of Rome followed by a BIG party at Villa Miani with breathtaking 360 ° views over the Rome skyline(and can we all just take a moment to appreciate their entrance song — the super fun A Far l’Amore featured in Paolo Sorrentino’s movie, The Great Beauty, set in Rome).

The whole affair was beautifully planned by our much loved Smashing Supplier, Stefania Zen from the Italian Wedding Company. Liora says that Stefania was literally her right arm throughout the planning process, and knowing how wonderful the Italian Wedding Company are, I can very much vouch for that. Big thanks also to Vinicio Ferri and Alessandro Zingone for the wonderful photos.

Come on, let’s take a look…

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Yael & Or | An astronomical party for an Israeli wedding at Tel Yah, Tel Yitzhak, Israel

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Sometimes you just know when two people are made for each other and this is most definitely the case with Yael and Or.  Together since high school, this fabulous couple decided to celebrate the start of their married life –   the first step in building their own Jewish home –  not far from the small town in Israel where they both grew up and where their families still live. Theirs is a totally sweet, and totally stylish tale.

You can’t get much better than a wedding by night in Israel.  It’s hot, fun, life-affirming and just good for the soul and oh my how beautifully this is captured by Chrisman  Studios.

Yael and Or had been crazy about these photographers for a long time and made damn sure that they had them snap up some of the most impactful wedding photographs I’ve ever seen.

I mean really, some of these images are just ridiculously beautiful — and characterful.   The shots of the swimming pool in particular look like they belong in a Taschen coffee table book.   They’re almost theatrical in their vivacity and vibrancy — which perfectly sums up an Israeli wedding. And that final shot… the  bride sure knows how to party like a rock star. Amen to that!

My other stand out love of Yael and Or’s wedding is their unique ceremony.   After cocktail hour, all 300 guests stood, yes stood, in front of  the chuppah — which just so happened to be on stage —   singing along to the Jewish prayers and songs, creating a completely engaged and loved-up atmosphere.  Perfect.

And before I hand over to the bride, it would be churlish of me not to mention  that apart from Or, there is in fact another  “the one” in Yael’s life — and that is her wedding dress.   Theirs was also a match made in heaven and one that was also approved by the whole family… even the groom!

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Ava & Josh | Super-glam Art Deco inspired Jewish wedding at 501 Union, Brooklyn, New York City, USA

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Sometimes New Yorkers just reach a level of perfection mere mortals can only imagine. This is one of those instances. Ava and Josh married in the 501 Union space in Brooklyn and theirs is an Art Deco-inspired day, serving the associated glamour, luxury and exuberance in spades. It’s stylish and polished beyond belief, yet family and their own union remains as the focal point throughout.

As an event producer, it was no surprise that the Ava, the bride, decided to orchestrate the entire day herself. In her own words, Ava ‘liked the idea of balancing organic, lush greenery and florals with fancy champagne towers and glamour golds’ — Let’s face it, this is not a run of the mill bride here — this lady knows her stuff.

And of course Ava was spot on – the organic and the glitz do work spectacularly together — diametrically opposed but so complementary. Have a look at the family style dinner amidst glamorous palms and champagne towers. The simple chuppah (incorporating her father’s tallit) and the beautiful hanging florals in the ceremony room and then, in the evening, guests partied under a gold ticker tape/snow globe effect on the dance floor.

In fact, I’m going to have to track down one of those industrial gold confetti machines, I’m not sure I can celebrate my next birthday without it. How did I not know they existed?!

While I’m at it, I might have to pinch Ava and Josh’s leaving gift ideas too — bagged coffee, late night snacks and Berocca. How super cool is that!

Ava and Josh found their photographer by browsing various wedding blogs — that’s why I love STG — I get a chance to showcase the works of the most amazing photographers and you have the opportunity to reach out and snap them up for yourselves!

Check out Kelly Kollar Photography’s photos below – and remember Ava and Josh are a very discerning couple! gold confetti weddinggold confetti wedding
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