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A Suzanne Neville Bride for a Botanical Wonderland Jewish Wedding at the Royal Lancaster, London, UK

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Get ready for a truly unforgettable London Jewish wedding! Leanne and Dudi’s celebration at the Royal Lancaster featured a crowd of 400, a fabulous floral chuppah, a gorgeous lace gown by Suzanne Neville, and an epic party with a packed dancefloor and some seriously incredible Israeli dancing – thanks to the couple’s band, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The White Keys.

In Leanne’s words, The White Keys were “a fantastic band, really got stuck in with the guests and able to understand the vibe throughout,” and we couldn’t agree more!

Photographer Paul Toeman captured all the joy and energy of the day so beautifully – read on for the full story!



How We Met

Leanne, the bride: We met online on Hinge (dating app) coming out of Covid. Dudi works for his family company M&Sons in construction and I work for a Global Tech event, Data Centre World London.

Our first date was like a business meeting, we are both very work motivated so we discussed a lot about our jobs, our goals and ambitions over a lovely bottle of red (or 2!)Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Adili Studio Bride for an Enchanting Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Habustan, Gan Iruim Bcfar, Israel

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We’re in love with the magical garden wedding of Ellie and David, both Australian olim in Israel. Filled with greenery, sparkling fairy lights, and sweet rustic touches, this outdoor wedding was nothing short of enchanting.

Ellie and David opted to DIY their stationery – which they loved working on together in the leadup to their Jewish wedding – and we’re obsessed with Ellie’s super cool dress by Adi Hirsch of Adili Studio in Modiin, Israel. The couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, captured the day so beautifully – and we’re not at all surprised to hear that he was a joy to work with from start to finish.

With both the bride and groom being from Australia, lots of friends and family members couldn’t make it to Israel to celebrate in person – and we love the duo’s clever workaround, in the form of a Whatsapp group! Ellie and David sent the link around to those who were unable to attend the wedding, and then on the day they had QR codes that guests could scan to join the group – along with instructions to record, film and photograph parts of the wedding to share to the group!

There’s so much more to say about this very special day – read on for the full story in Ellie’s own words…

 

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How We Met

Ellie, the bride: David and I are currently both students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. We went to the same school in Sydney, Australia, and in high school we were part of the same friend group, we became good friends and enjoyed hanging out together on school camps and at social events. In year 12 we started dating and soon after finishing school we went on the same gap year program to Israel with Bnei Akiva.

After outlasting all the relationships on our program, we both independently decided to make aliya and join the army. David served in Tzanchanim and I served in Search and Rescue. Despite the ongoing long distance when our off weekends weren’t in sync and when David returned to Australia to work, we managed to make it work. It only took us 5 years to understand that were made for each other and on a trip together to Australia in 2023, David proposed and the rest is history. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Inclusive Modern Orthodox Jewish Wedding at Congregation Beth Shalom, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

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Rachel and Ben’s Pittsburgh Jewish wedding was all about celebrating with loved ones – and we adore the way they centered their celebration around including family and friends.

Rachel, an intensive care nurse, and Ben, who  works in healthcare tech, chose to wed at Congregation Beth Shalom, Rachel’s family synagogue, and they were married by Ben’s family rabbi. They knew they wanted an inclusive yet traditional Modern Orthodox wedding, bringing in gender equality through touches like having a male and female guest read each of their Sheva Brachot – first in Hebrew, and then in English translation.

Rachel and Ben chose incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Portraits by Sean as their photographer, and they couldn’t be more thrilled with their choice. In the bride’s words,

We spoke to Sean several times on the phone throughout our planning process and were so impressed with his profound interest in Jewish traditions, us, our families, and in helping us have a beautiful wedding. I was particularly impressed by his commitment to help my father (who has some mobility issues) and give him back some dignity in pictures. Sean and his staff were kind, professional, respectful, and flexible when our timelines when they did not go according to plan! 

Read on for all the details of this very special day…

 

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How We Met

Rachel, the bride: We met at a Rosh Hashana dinner at Brandeis University, where we both went to college. We met in 2016 and officially started dating in 2017. We were long distance for several years in between Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, and Wisconsin.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Summery Jewish Wedding with Lots of DIY Touches at South Hampstead Shul, London, UK

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Eloise and Eytan, South Hampstead Shul, London, UK

We love it when a couple brings their personalities to their Jewish wedding – which is exactly what Londoners Eloise and Eytan did! Both arts and crafts fans, the pair opted to design all of the wedding stationery themselves, from the invitations and seating chart to thank you cards and place names.

The couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kate Swerdlow Photography, “captured every moment in just the right way and made us feel comfortable from the beginning of the process which started with our engagement shoot and gave us constant updates whilst editing our photos.”

We also love that Eloise and Eytan chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Davies, a mega-talented harpist, to play at their wedding – first accompanying their band Neshama, and then as a duet with violinist Miriam Kramer during the reception.

Read on for all the other details of this very special day – including a live wedding painter and an adorable wedding post box decorated by the bride and groom!

Eloise and Eytan, South Hampstead Shul, London, UKEloise and Eytan, South Hampstead Shul, London, UK Eloise and Eytan, South Hampstead Shul, London, UK Eloise and Eytan, South Hampstead Shul, London, UK
How We Met

Eloise, the bride: We met on the Taglit trip Birthright in Israel on the coach from the airport to our first hotel. There were over 40 of us on the trip and somehow we found ourselves sat across the aisle from one another.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Eisen Stein Bride for a Jewish Wedding with Italian Vibes at Idit Winery, Israel

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We are absolutely in love with the gorgeous Jewish wedding of Melissa, who works in social media, and Lavy, a data scientist. Their outdoor celebration at Israel’s Idit Winery drew inspiration from Sorrento, Italy, with lots of blues and yellows, and naturally tons of lemons!

This wedding was so full of special touches – from the “shop” Melissa and Lavy set up, full of fun items for their guests like sweets and personalized t-shirts, and an emotional first look  under the chuppah. The couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jossef Si, captured everything exquisitely. In Melissa’s words,

What I liked about his photography was that his photos felt really romantic but with an artistic edge. I loved the colors of the photos and how they were edited, as well as the range of compositions he used. And about Jossef – he was an absolute pleasure and so calming to be around which is exactly what we needed! As well as that, his pictures say it all. Just gorgeous.

Read on for more from the bride – who looked so chic in her gown from Israeli designer Eisen Stein…


How We Met

Melissa, the bride: We met on Tinder and our first date was in Independence Park in Tel Aviv.Continue ReadingContinue Reading