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A Galia Lahav Bride for a Romantic Jewish Wedding Full of Natural Beauty at Bayaar, Israel

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Today’s stunner of a Jewish wedding showcases so much of what makes Israel such a very special place. Erika and Zachi chose to make things official at beautiful Bayaar, one of those only-in-Israel outdoor venues just brimming with lush natural beauty.

The couple’s incredible wedding planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Craspedia Events, expertly guided them through the process every step of the way – and she did an absolutely stellar job working with them select the perfect décor to complement the exquisite surroundings

Erika looked so radiant in her romantic mermaid gown by beloved Israeli designer Galia Lahav, and the couple chose to exchange heartfelt personal vows as part of their chuppah. You can see all the love and emotion coming through bright and clear in every single photo from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tzahi Shemesh.

In summing up her biggest wedding planning advice, Erika advises other couples to “seize the chance to savor the most extraordinary day of your life as it swiftly unfolds.” Now more than ever, these are wise words we should all take heed of – not just on our wedding day, but every day.

Now over to Erika…

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How We Met

Erika, the bride: I am an economist, while he is a lawyer, and we both share an entrepreneurial spirit, primarily focusing on online ventures such as trading platforms, cryptocurrencies, and online gaming. Although we had crossed paths a few times due to our shared industry, it was on Tinder that I came across his profile. I liked what I saw, and we began chatting. After three weeks of daily conversations, we decided to meet for our first date.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Fighting Back with Love: A Wartime Jewish Wedding at Nefesh B’Nefesh, Jerusalem, Israel

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We’ve heard so many inspiring stories of Israeli couples getting married since October 7. Today’s newlyweds, Aviva and Jeremy, are among them.

Aviva, a wedding hair stylist and makeup artist originally from London, and Jeremy, an ASO Analyst for a marketing agency who hails from Sydney, had originally planned a big Jewish wedding to take place on October 17. When the war broke out, they had to make some major changes to their plans – including a new venue, a much smaller guest list, and a revised date of October 25 to allow Jeremy’s parents time to get to Israel amidst constant flight cancellations.

Luckily, Aviva and Jeremy had been working with wedding planner Vicki Rosen from the beginning, and she was able to help the couple plan what amounted to a whole new wedding from scratch at Nefesh B’Nefesh’s campus overlooking the Jerusalem skyline – which the organization generously offered up to couples who needed somewhere to get married during the war – in just 6 days!

One constant throughout it all was the couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman. Aviva knew she wanted to book Herschel even before she got engaged, and when the wedding was postponed she and Jeremy chose their new date around his availability! And a quick scroll through Herschel’s ultra-emotional images will show you why.

During the chuppah, Aviva and Jeremy’s rabbi shared some moving words speaking to the couple’s situation:

In times of war, there are two ways of fighting back: one is to physically fight and battle and our beloved soldiers are doing so, while the other way is to love and to build families.

Such a powerful reminder that, in the end, that’s really what Jewish weddings are all about.

Now over to Aviva…

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How We Met

Aviva, the bride: We met at a Shabbat meal at a friend’s house and soon after Jeremy asked me out for coffee. We connected over our mutual love of fiction books and chocolate. I knew I was falling for Jeremy when he drank an entire cup of melted chocolate on one of our early dates! Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Badgley Mischka Bride for a Magical Garden Jewish Wedding Weekend at Borgo Stomennano, Monteriggioni, Italy

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Anya & Kevin, Borgo Stomennano, Monteriggioni, Italy

We love it when a couple plans a Jewish wedding that’s totally, 100% them – and that’s exactly what Anya and Kevin did in creating their swoonworthy three-day wedding weekend celebration in Italy.

The Charlottesville, VA-based couple found the perfect spot to bring their loved ones together for three days of music, food, wine, yoga, and, of course, lots of Jewish joy in Borgo Stomennano, where their magical garden dreams came to life.

Anya and Kevin opted to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Primavera Dreams to plan the festivities, and were thrilled at the way founder Luba helped them source fabulous local vendors and incorporate personal details. In Anya’s words, “Having a wedding planner was extremely helpful and took away so much stress. We are so glad that we worked with Luba. No matter how well you plan, something will always go wrong and it will never be what you think.”

The couple’s  photographers, Studio AQUA, captured the whole day so beautifully – so do scroll down for more gorgeousness, plus all the details in Anya’s own words…

Anya & Kevin, Borgo Stomennano, Monteriggioni, ItalyAnya & Kevin, Borgo Stomennano, Monteriggioni, Italy Anya & Kevin, Borgo Stomennano, Monteriggioni, ItalyAnya & Kevin, Borgo Stomennano, Monteriggioni, Italy
How We Met

Anya and Kevin were 12 years old when they first met on the tennis court in Manalapan, New Jersey. But their love story didn’t exactly start then. They went their separate paths for many years. After college, Kevin stayed in Charlottesville, VA, while Anya lived in Brooklyn, NY. Kevin found passion in entrepreneurship and music, and Anya in yoga and wellness.

On Christmas Day in 2018, their paths reconnected. Over hours of deep conversation, their connection was undeniable. Kevin asked Anya on a first date during a business trip to New York, and soon after, they spent their first unforgettable weekend together in Charlottesville.

Over the course of 9 months, many flights between the two cities, and a couple getaways to Hawaii and Mexico, their relationship blossomed. The values that they found in each other were exactly what they were looking for in a partner and in life. It was an easy decision for Anya to move down to Virginia in June of 2020. Kevin, Anya, and their Bernese Mountain dog, Alby, together have created a home and community in Charlottesville unlike any other.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Caroline Castigliano Bride for a Classic and Elegant Jewish Wedding at The Biltmore, London, UK

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Who could use some extra Jewish joy right about now? We certainly could – and that’s why we’re bringing you the beautiful London Jewish wedding of Ella and Josh. The bride and groom, both business owners, brought SO much love and emotion to their big day, and we hope you’ll feel as inspired as we do by their ultra-moving photos by Robert Shack and video by Andrei Weddings.

The Biltmore in London was the perfect setting for Ella and Josh’s timeless and traditional Jewish wedding, and their classic décor, filled with white florals and abundant greenery, complemented the space so exquisitely – as did Ella’s gorgeous modern gown by Caroline Castigliano.

Music is such a big part of the atmosphere at a Jewish wedding, and Ella and Josh couldn’t be more thrilled with their choice of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Matzoh Boys. In Ella’s words, “They were fantastic! The atmosphere was just the best – they really brought the London and Manchester crowd together. We loved their Israeli music sets especially and the chuppah was beautiful.”

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

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How We Met

Ella, the bride:  We met through mutual friends – I was living in Birmingham and Josh was in Manchester. 

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A Lillian West Bride for an Ultra-Personal Jewish Wedding Full of DIY Touches at Parklands Quendon Hall, Essex, UK

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If you could use an extra infusion of Jewish joy right now, look no further – we promise you the Jewish wedding of Judith, a senior manager at an IT consultancy, and Josh, a teacher at a secondary school, will put a BIG smile on your face.

We’re in love with all of the personal DIY touches the couple incorporated into their big day to make it 100%, totally them. We can’t get enough of the fun DIY activity sessions Judith and Josh set up for their guests, featuring everything from a giant Guess Who game with members of the wedding party as all the faces to an art station where guests could decorate mini canvases! Don’t miss them in the wonderful photos by Natalie and Max.

Another thing we love is that when it came to music, the duo opted to invite friends to do guest DJ sets all through the wedding with the theme of “music through the ages” – how fun is that?!

This was a wedding with lots of moving parts to be organized, and Judith and Josh wisely opted to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Events by Natasha as their on-the-day coordinator to make sure everything ran smoothly. In Judith’s words, “Natasha and her team were absolutely fantastic on the day – they prepared everything so beautifully, and were really instrumental in making things run smoothly and to time. It really allowed us to just “press play” on the day and see all the hard work being put into motion, without us having to worry about anything.”

Read on for more fabulous details in the bride’s own words!

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How We Met

Judith, the bride: We met as many modern couples do, using the help of the handy dating app Hinge! Josh was drawn in by the colourful rainbow makeup and unitard displayed on Judith’s profile (evidence of one of the many themed zoom hang-outs Judith had with her dance troupe over lockdown), and Judith was impressed by video footage of Josh scaling the boulder at Mabley Green, showing his climbing prowess and shared interest in bouldering.

We met for dinner and a drink at a local Japanese bar, and enjoyed each others’ company over some tasty sushi. The conversation flowed, and the smiles and laughs kept coming. It was Chanukah, and towards the end of the date, Josh asked whether Judith had been lighting candles to celebrate. Much to her surprise, he reached into his bag and produced a full Chanukiah, set of candles, and a lighter. Together, in the middle of the bar, we smiled across at one another in the candlelight. Judith thought it was a great story to take back to her family… little did she know that this would be the person she would want to smile and light candles with for the rest of her life!Continue ReadingContinue Reading