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A Jesus Peiro Bride for a Foodies’ Jewish Wedding Inspired by Italy at Offley Place Country House Hotel, Hitchin, UK

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We are SO thrilled to be featuring the gorgeous Jewish wedding of our beloved Brides Club member Ella today! Ella just happens to be a food photographer – and she and Joel, a finance analyst, are huge foodies, so naturally delectable eats played a big role in the couple’s day.

They’re also avid travelers, and despite getting married close to home in the UK, Ella and Joel chose “Amalfi lemon grove” as their theme, inspired by a favorite holiday. The pair worked with a fabulous team, including a whole bunch of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors, to make their dream a reality… and did they ever succeed! We’re positively drooling over Matt Parry’s exquisite photos of the day.  

When it came to food, it had to be Italian – and only the best would do. Ella and Joel chose to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Feast by Ed Shaerf, one of the most innovative names in the kosher food scene. Even though Feast is based in Manchester, in Ella’s words, “Their food is worth paying for their travel down south.” The menu included a sharing antipasti, orange polenta cake and lemon sorbet served in hollowed-out lemons for dessert, and even an Amalfi lemonade stand during the reception. No wonder guests are still raving about the food!

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Alexandra’s Florist brought Ella and Joel’s lemon grove dreams to life, and we are OBSESSED with the results. Alex even incorporated large leafy lemons – the bride’s favorite – into the floral arrangements! And how gorgeous is the couple’s floral chuppah?!

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ambassador Band got everyone onto the dancefloor in their trademark style, and the couple loved working with Geoff in the leadup. Ella and Joel opted to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Elegante by Michelle J as their on-the-day coordinator, and, in their words, “she basically came in as a guardian angel in the most stressful time.”

Now over to the bride, who looked super cool in her contemporary halter-top gown by Jesus Peiro…

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How we Met

Ella, the bride: We first met at a pre-meet dinner for an Aish trip to New York. It was this random pizza place in a really touristy area in Leicester square. Joel turned up an hour late wearing a bright blue Fred Flintstone t-shirt. My first thoughts…who is this haha. He has always been a bit of a joker, actually one of the things that makes me love him the most is that he always makes me laugh.

We then went on the Aish trip a few days later and he became the best friend I could have ever asked for. A few months after the trip Joel told me he loved me as more than a friend, on facebook messenger…I was scaredy cat and told him I wanted him to stay as my best friend. 9 months down the line I realised I was ready to take the leap and told him ‘I was all good’…and we were 🙂Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Berta Bride for a Magical Lakeside Jewish Wedding in Webster, Massachusetts, USA

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Jenna & Noaam, private residence, Webster, Massachusetts, USA

We’re absolutely obsessed with the glorious lakeside Jewish wedding of Jenna, who works in HR, and Noaam, in property technology and residential real estate! What a fantastic spot for a wedding – made even more special by the fact that the New York-based couple made the lake retreat their primary residence during the pandemic. When you see it in Studio Nouveau’s photos, we’re pretty sure you’ll agree.

Knowing what a gem of a location they had on their hands, Jenna and Noaam decided to keep the focus on their luscious surroundings, opting for delicate touches to enhance the natural beauty of their surroundings. We’re especially in love with their hand painted ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush. The custom watercolor features verdant greenery that captures the feel of their wedding spot so perfectly!

We’re also crazy for Jenna and Noaam’s  gluten-free/dairy-free kosher vanilla and lemon cake from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor By the Way Bakery, which their florist decorated simply with fresh flowers.

There’s so much more to say about this wonderful day, but we’ll leave the rest to the bride, who looked positively ravishing in the Demi gown from Muse by Berta…

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How we Met

Jenna, the bride: I had been living and working in NYC for 10 years when in the fall of 2018, Noaam, who was living in Boston at the time, decided to visit New York for a few weeks during his slow season of work. While there, we matched on the dating app Hinge and Noaam asked me to meet him for a drink. A couple days before we were scheduled to get together, Noaam revealed to me that he actually lived in Boston, not NYC, but wasn’t looking for a short term fling. I wasn’t interested in a long distance relationship and I made up an excuse to cancel at the last minute. Noaam was disappointed but persistent and came back to NYC the following week and asked me out again! That time I agreed.

We met at a bar near my apartment on the Upper East Side and we laughed the entire date. I was also happily surprised that when I told him that I had two cats, he wasn’t put off and he wasn’t allergic!

We then continued to see each other, traveling back and forth between Boston and New York, and in a short amount of time became exclusive. After a year of long distance dating, Noaam moved in with me in NYC.

In March 2020 Noaam proposed privately at our apartment and organized a beautiful and intimate engagement party right after with our closest family and friends. Little did we know that only one week later NYC would shut down due to COVID! As soon as the shutdown was announced, we decided to pack a couple of bags and drive to his family’s lake house in Webster, Massachusetts with the intent of staying a few weeks until things settled down in NYC. Fast forward, and we’ve been living full time at the lake house ever since!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Laure de Sagazan Bride for an Interfaith Jewish Wedding at Newburgh Priory, West Yorkshire, UK

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We love seeing a couple plan their Jewish wedding, their way – and that’s exactly what today’s lovely couple Talia and Mike did! Combining their religions and backgrounds into one beautiful day was top priority for these two – Talia is Jewish and Mike is Christian – and that’s exactly what they did.

The pair opted to work with a celebrant, rather than have a civil wedding, so that they could mix their cultures and faiths into a one-of-a-kind ceremony that truly reflected their partnership. We’re also obsessed with their gorgeous interfaith ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush – and naturally the couple loved the experience of working with artist Rachelle. Don’t miss it – and all the other gorgeous touches – in the luminous photos from Chris Milner.

For music, Talia and Mike went for Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Shir – who’d played at Talia’s bat mitzvah years earlier! The couple wanted Israeli dancing but were worried that their mostly non-Jewish guests might not be into it. With Shir in charge, those worries were totally unfounded – the band led three amazing dance sets that got everyone dancing, and afterward guests couldn’t stop raving about how much fun it was!

Now over to the bride, who looked effortlessly chic in Laure de Sagazan…

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How we Met

Talia, the bride: We met at the University of Manchester where we both studied medicine. We actually initially met 10 years ago in our first tutorial group in first year but only became a couple at the start of our third year. We now both work as doctors, and have moved to Leeds, and now London since then.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Etsy Bride for an Interfaith Jewish Wedding with Plenty of DIY at Farms Country Club, Wallingford, Connecticut, USA

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We could not be more delighted to be sharing the gorgeous interfaith Jewish wedding of our beloved Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Nalda! Nalda, a licensed massage therapist, married groom Dan, who works in higher education, in a heartfelt ceremony with some truly wonderful DIY touches.

First off, how special is it that Nalda’s crafty mom made the couple’s chuppah canopy and chair sashes? She also helped crochet kippot for the guests – and Nalda and Dan even learned to crochet themselves so they could join in! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to touching personal details – don’t miss the super special way the couple included Nalda’s son in their ceremony! You can tell from Misha Book‘s photos what a truly special day it was.

And of course we’re so touched by Nalda’s kind words about our Brides Club. In her words,

Brides Club was an invaluable resource during our planning. I spent so much time reading through all the Brides Club checklists and guides, on everything from choosing your planning priorities, to picking traditional music, and what to include in our programs… The other Brides Club members are always so supportive and quick to provide advice, insight, creative ideas, or just a listening ear. I can honestly say our wedding wouldn’t have been half of what it was without Brides Club.

There’s so much more to say – just for starters, the wild story of Nalda’s Etsy dress, and the couple’s surprise minimoon – but we’ll hand you over to the bride now…

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How we Met

Nalda, the bride: We met on Hinge!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Lillian Wild Bride for an Autumnal Jewish Brunch Wedding at Towne & Oak in Winnetka, Illinois, USA

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We love a good brunch wedding here at Team STG. And bagels-and-lox-loving couple Carly and Jonathan’s autumnal Midwestern Jewish wedding is one of the best we’ve seen – pandemic or not.

These two always wanted a fall Sunday afternoon wedding, but just as they began planning COVID-19 started taking hold. After much deliberation, they decided to go full steam ahead rather than waiting for the crisis to pass, embracing their intimate wedding of 13 (down from an original guestlist of 150) and sharing a professional livestream with those who couldn’t be there in person. And even though it wasn’t the wedding they’d initially planned, you can tell from each and every one of Alisha Tova‘s stunning photos what a very special day it was.

We’re obsessed with the couple’s gorgeous ketubah, custom designed and handmade for them by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor BRITcolors. Britt spent time getting to know Carly and Jonathan so she could dream up a unique ketubah that was totally, 100% them – and she totally knocked it out of the ballpark with the finished product, featuring ‘70s-inspired floral designs in a mixture of embroidery and watercolor.

There’s so much more to say about this awesome wedding – for starters, don’t miss the chic contemporary geometrics and subtle autumnal florals – but we’ll let Carly, who looked so elegant in her Lillian Wild gown, fill you in on the rest…

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How We Met

Carly, the bride: My work is in brand marketing and storytelling, and Jonathan works to develop strategic partnerships. We met during the summer of 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. My profile had appeared in the friend suggestion section of Jonathan’s Facebook newsfeed. Jonathan soon discovered that my dear friend Alex was our mutual connection, so he reached out to him asking about my status.

Alex said Jonathan was a nice guy, so I gave Alex the OK to give Jonathan my phone number. Jonathan called a few days later. After a fun 30-minute conversation, we scheduled our first date. We ate a delicious dinner at the pizzeria Spacca Napoli and then saw a beautiful performance by Sarah Jarosz at the Old Town School of Folk Music.Continue ReadingContinue Reading