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A Mira Zwillinger Bride for a Rustically Elegant Jewish Wedding at Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm, Santa Barbara, California, USA

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Laura and Danny, Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm, Santa Barbara, California, USA

Talk about a Jewish wedding with a view – we’re totally and completely obsessed with Laura and Danny’s dreamy day at Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm in Santa Barbara! With an outdoor chuppah on a meadowed bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a reception in the farm’s stunning glass greenhouse, and tons of greenery and wildflowers all around, this was one gorgeous celebration.

Laura and Danny made the wise decision to let the beauty of their location take the lead, opting for a natural and understated aesthetic featuring shades of wheat, beige and nude hues coupled with greens, as well as organic design elements like natural colored linens and textiles, exposed wood, burnished metal, and ceramic. Elena Berlo of Smashing The Glass Recommended vendor Once Upon a Paper designed the couple’s custom ketubah, translating our vision into a truly beautiful and meaningful piece.Don’t miss it all in the wonderful photos by Tara Johansen and video by Thomas Tikos-Kadji.

Now over to Laura, who looked so elegant in her gown by beloved Israeli designer Mira Zwillinger…

 

Laura and Danny, Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm, Santa Barbara, California, USA Laura and Danny, Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm, Santa Barbara, California, USA Laura and Danny, Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm, Santa Barbara, California, USA Laura and Danny, Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm, Santa Barbara, California, USA

How We Met

Laura, the bride: Danny and I were set up through a mutual friend. Our first date was at a bar in Los Angeles, CA and what was supposed to be just drinks turned into dinner and over three hours of talking and laughing. We had an instant connection and both shared a love for Documentary films. Once the physical date ended, we continued texting for another four hours that evening.

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A Same-Sex Jewish Wedding with Lots of DIY at Floriana, Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA

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Hadassah and Natanya, Floriana, Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA

We love a DIY Jewish wedding, and Hadassah and Natanya’s is one for the books! The Jerusalem-based brides, who opted to wed near Natanya’s hometown at Floriana in Ipswich, Massachusetts, added so many incredible handcrafted elements to their day, and we here for it.

Despite the long distance, the duo planned the entire wedding themselves, and it was a priority to make every detail of the day totally, 100% them. They crafted a halakhic same-sex ceremony featuring each bride circling the other 7 times, a modified birkat erusin blessing followed by egalitarian kiddushin, sheva brachot recited by family and friends, and finally a joint smashing of the glass!

And of course there’s all the awesome DIY projects. The couple did their own flowers, designed their ketubah, and crafted custom benchers – and perhaps coolest of all, Hadassah sewed  her own wedding gown from scratch! Don’t miss all the gorgeous details in the wonderful photos by Lana Shevorski.

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

Hadassah and Natanya, Floriana, Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA Hadassah and Natanya, Floriana, Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA Hadassah and Natanya, Floriana, Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA Hadassah and Natanya, Floriana, Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA

How We Met

Hadassah, the bride: We met as students at the Joint Program between the Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia University. We first got to know each other in a class about Martin Buber junior year, and started dating second-semester senior year.

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The Top 5 Ways to Cover Your Shoulders Under the Chuppah in 2026

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Tonic bolero by Galia Lahav

From pearl-dusted couture boleros to barely-there detachable details, shoulder coverage for the chuppah has officially entered its fashion-forward era. Today’s Jewish brides are embracing clever, removable layers that honor tradition and personal style – without compromising on the dress of their dreams.

Ben and Lauren, Kin House, Wiltshire, UK

Lauren‘s shrug | Photo by Natalie J Weddings

Whether you’re drawn to timeless elegance, modern minimalism, or a touch of drama, there are more beautiful options than ever before for ceremony-ready coverage that feels intentional, elevated, and unmistakably bridal. Here are our top five chic, modern ways to cover your shoulders under the chuppah in 2026 – and look effortlessly stylish while doing it.

Sydney-and-Chaim-The-Estate-at-Florentine-Gardens-River-Vale-New-Jersey-USA
Sydney‘s bolero | Photo by Alex Knight Studio 

1. Brilliant Boleros 

A timeless and elegant choice for brides who want to keep their shoulders covered under the chuppah, boleros add structure and sophistication without overwhelming your gown – and there are so many options, whether you’re going for a classic princess look or something sleek and modern. 

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A Pronovias Bride for a Timelessly Elegant Jewish Wedding at Cochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

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Charlotte and Jonah, Cochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

Weddings in Israel are so special, and London couple Charlotte and Jonah had one of the best! To start with, they picked the magical Cochav Hayam as their venue – in the bride’s words, “Sunset beach backdrop, gorgeous grounds, and unbelievable food made it a no-brainer.”

The duo opted to work with Yana Andreev of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Craspedia Events to make planning from abroad “not just possible, but genuinely fun and exciting.” Charlotte and Jonah can’t stop raving about how great Yana and her team were, both in the leadup and on the big day itself.

And then there’s the chuppah. The pair went for an elegant arched all-white floral chuppah set against the venue’s stunning ocean backdrop, creating the most wonderfully romantic ambience. Don’t miss it in the beautiful photos by People Photography!

There’s so much more to say about this very special Jewish wedding – like, how elegant did Charlotte look in her princess ballgown from Pronovias?! – but we’ll leave it to the bride to take it from here…

Charlotte and Jonah, Cochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel Charlotte and Jonah, Cochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel Charlotte and Jonah, Cochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel Charlotte and Jonah, Cochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

How We Met

Charlotte, the bride: We met at Cambridge University at the Jsoc on the very first Shabbat of term — I was a fresher, he was a third-year, but we didn’t start dating until a few months later!

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A Zavana Bride for a Romantic Winter Jewish Wedding at Offley Place, Hitchin, UK

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Jonny & Sophie, Offley place, London, UK

We’ve got a really special Jewish wedding to share with you today! Sophie, a media agency manager, and Jonny, a private chef, had the most beautiful romantic winter wedding at Offley Place just outside London, filled with all the best things in life: food, music, and – of course – family and community.

Given that Jonny’s a chef, the food needed to be top-notch – and he even created the menu himself! And we love that Sophie decided to have a “L-ish” (ladies’ tish) pre-chuppah. In hjer words, “The boys get a drink with their friends before they walk down the aisle, I thought why not do the same with my girls too! It was so lovely to have some of my closest friends around me before I got married, highly recommend getting your hype girlies together to have a little moment and drink before.” How fun is that?

And then there’s the music: Sophie and Jonny wanted the best of the best, and they found it in  Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The White Keys. In Sophie’s words, “their energy, talent, and incredible vocals created the most electric atmosphere.” Rounding things out were the couple’s incredible chazzan, Serge and super-talented Josh Nesbitt on the keys, who brought the ceremony to another level.

Photographer Marcus Curry captured the most wonderful images of the day, as did videographer Ayla from Reel All About It – who also created the most beautiful reels for Sophie and Jonny the very next day!

Jonny & Sophie, Offley place, London, UK Jonny & Sophie, Offley place, London, UK Jonny & Sophie, Offley place, London, UK

How We Met

Sophie, the bride: The short, not so romantic story, is Hinge! The new version of a matchmaking.

The long story is, we have always known of each other, living in the bubble, we had gone to the same school at some point and the same clubs as children.

As Jonny is slightly older than myself, he used to volunteer looking after and run sessions for younger children at a Jewish youth club called Chigwell Maccabi, ‘Chigs’ for short. My younger sister happened to be a part of this age group Jonny helped. She remembers him as the boy who used to make people laugh and run around in a monkey onesie, he remembers her as being loud and trying to keep her away from the boys.

At this very same club, Jonny’s family donated an award for volunteers each year. After his Grandpa got too old to present it himself, his dad Bradley would present the ‘Mervish award’ to those who had volunteered. My sister was the winner of this award and there has been a picture of my sister, Jonny’s dad and sister up on our wall years before we met!

I say she got the shield, but I got the trophy.

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