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A Rebecca Schoneveld Bride for a Magical Backyard Jewish Minimony in New York, USA

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We’ve seen our fair share of backyard micro Jewish weddings, and each and every one has been beautiful, but the nuptials of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Lilia, who works in arts philanthropy as a grants manager, and Alex, a digital solutions manager for an international publishing company, take it to a whole new level.

These two postponed their plans for a big wedding due to COVID but still wanted to make things official, and so they went forward with a micro celebration in Lilia’s parents’ backyard that was nothing short of magical. It doesn’t hurt that Lilia’s mom’s garden is totally stunning, and we love the way the couple ran with the vibe in planning their décor – for instance, how awesome is their chuppah?! Don’t miss Rachel Rodgers’ luminous photos of it, and all the other details of this ultra-memorable day.

Beyond the exquisite aesthetics, we love how much thought Lilia and Alex put in to making their minimony special in a way that wouldn’t leave them feeling like the bigger wedding they have planned for the future won’t feel “like just a performance.” To that end, they opted to leave some traditions, like circling and their ketubah, for Wedding 2.0. In place of a ketubah, the couple decided to write their own take on tenaim (a traditional Jewish engagement document that stipulates the conditions of the marriage that both families need to maintain prior to the chuppah), featuring promises to each other – kind of like vows!

Before we turn you over to Lilia, we want to leave you with her beautiful words about her experience as a member of our Bride’s Club:

I have found the group to be SO warm and welcoming, and a joy to be a part of. Karen has been such a great help – she even helped brainstorm ideas for when we were reimagining a wedding with no dancing (which is my favorite part of weddings!). It has been so wonderful to have so many knowledgeable brides and brides-to-be at my fingertips, and I’m so grateful to be part of the community.

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How we met

Lilia, the bride: We met on OKCupid in 2017.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Two Gorgeous Brides for a Same-Sex Backyard DIY Jewish Micro Wedding in Cambria, California, USA

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We are absolutely obsessed with the joyous, intimate, family-focused micro Jewish wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Sidnie, a diagnostic medical sonographer, and Monique, a cafe manager. Due to COVID, these two shifted their plans from a 115-guest wedding at a winery to a micro affair in Mo’s parents’ backyard.

While this obviously wasn’t their first choice, we love how the pair embraced the opportunities their minimony opened up for them – from being able to include all their friends and family from all over the world via livestream to special touches like a rehearsal dinner flower arrangement party, where everyone teamed up to assemble bouquets, corsages, and boutonnières for everyone at the wedding!

We love how Sidnie and Mo involved their family in everything from building their chuppah to cooking the reception meal to setting up and taking down all the décor – even their photographer, Adrian Throckmorton, is a cousin, and of course we’re SO incredibly touched by Sidnie’s beautiful words about her experience as a member of our Brides Club:

As a newly converted Jewish woman, it was incredibly powerful to feel such a sense of community with Jewish brides all over the world. From advice on a wedding dilemma to celebrating WPWs, these women made me feel like I had hundreds of the most dedicated bridesmaids supporting me! There were times I didn’t want to pester the people in my life with what was happening with the wedding and in those moments, Brides Club was there for me.

And we’re all over the couple’s stellar bridal fashion sense – Sidnie’s Essense of Australia gown, featuring  elegant off the shoulder straps, buttons all the way down the back, and pockets, and Mo’s custom suit she created with LGBTQ+ and size inclusive company Sharpe Suiting, where, with the help of her consultant, she was able to tie in everything from the wedding colors and flowers to embroider “Ani Ledodi V’Dodi Le” inside her jacket!

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How we met

Sidnie: We met working at a movie theater in Los Angeles 7 years ago!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Magic Secret Garden Backyard Jewish Micro Wedding in Chappaqua, New York, USA

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Okay, HOW amazing is Samantha and Brandon’s uber-dramatic chuppah for their Jewish wedding?! These two built a raised platform above a hot tub in the groom’s parents’ backyard, where they wed, to form a dramatic perch from which they got to look out at all their guests while making it official. Samantha says they went “a little over the top,” but we think they got it just right. Don’t miss it in Mindy Briar’s epic shots!

The custom chuppah platform is also the kind of thing that would probably be hard to pull off in a traditional venue. The couple, who had originally planned a big black-tie wedding, pivoted to something much more intimate so that they could marry on their original date ofOctober 3, 2020, and we love that they took advantage of all the options afforded them by their Plan B. Gathering with just local family, and including loved ones from outside the New York area via Zoom, Samantha and Brandon shifted gears to pull off the magic secret garden-themed wedding of their dreams – and it was all inspired by their amazing custom ketubah!

These two had a clear vision of what they wanted, and they worked with beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tallulah Ketubahs to bring their dream ketubah to fruition – and then some! Founder Rachel was ultra-attentive to the couple’s wishes, and, in addition to the gorgeous, colorful hand-painted florals framing the text, she incorporated ultra-personal touches, like the pair’s cats, and passports to represent their love of travel. The level of detail is just phenomenal – we bet you’ll be just as blown away as we are!

Now over to Samantha, who’ll fill you in on all the other special details of the day…


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How We Met

Samantha, the bride: Brandon and I grew up about five minutes down the street from each other and attended the same middle school and high school, but had never crossed paths. I knew who he was because he was the cute, albeit slightly obnoxious, boy in my freshman math class. When he showed up on my Tinder 15 years later I couldn’t resist swiping right. Once we started talking we just never stopped!

Brandon is a Finance and Business Operations Manager for WeWork and I am the President and Creative Director at Auburn Jewelry, a custom jewelry company based in New York. We spend our free time together cooking, baking, dancing, gardening, hanging out with our two rescue kitties and enjoying each other’s company.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Willowby by Watters Bride for an Artsy Jewish Micro Wedding at Kinloss Synagogue and The Manor Elstree, UK

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We’ve seen lots of amazing COVID celebrations coming together on short notice, but nothing beats the ultra-artistic Jewish wedding of Aimee, a graphic designer, and Max, a classical trumpet player and music teacher! After being forced to postpone their 200+ wedding originally scheduled for May 2020, the pair settled on a minimony set for November 22, with a big reception to follow whenever it’s safe.

They were full steam ahead with their Plan B when, on October 31, the government announced a new lockdown, under which no weddings would be permitted. Aimee and Max were feeling pretty down when they got a call from their rabbi, who told them he could conduct their chuppah before Lockdown 2.0 kicked in – just 3 days away! After some frantic phone calls with their vendors, the duo were able to bring everything together for November 4, squeaking in just under the wire.   

Since the guest count was limited to 15, Aimee and Max brought in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor EventCapsule to stream their chuppah on Zoom for all the friends and family who couldn’t be there in person. They were bowled over by EventCapsule’s professional stream, complete with live editing, and their guests couldn’t believe how well put together the whole production was! Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Toastmaster Jango also brought his trademark seamless management to the day, and we can’t get over the gorgeous photographer from David Pullum.

Now over to Aimee, who looked exquisite in Willowby by Watters…

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How we Met

Aimee, the bride: We met at a flat-warming party for our mutual friend, but it turns out I had met both of Max’s brothers before him – that made meeting the family a lot easier!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Last-Minute Jewish Backyard Wedding with a Drive-By Parade in Beit Shemesh, Israel

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By the time Tamar and Bryan got engaged, they were well aware that COVID was going to be a factor in planning their Jewish wedding. The couple – Americans who made aliyah to Israel and are both currently studying for their master’s degrees in biotechnology at Bar Ilan – made sure to pick a pandemic-friendly venue (a winery with ample outdoor space) and negotiate their contracts to be as corona-proof as possible (thanks to the planning prowess of Events by Shani).

Even so, 10 days before the big day, a new lockdown was imposed, meaning wedding halls, restaurants, and other businesses started to close their doors. Even tougher, travel was limited to within 500 meters of one’s home. All of this meant Tamar and Bryan needed a new game plan – and fast. Luckily, a generous friend offered the couple the use of her beautiful backyard in Beit Shemesh, and from there everything fell into place as the duo, their families, and their planner scrambled to pull togethera 60-person wedding in full compliance with the Health Ministry’s guidelines.

Since the 60-guest limit meant lots of friends and family couldn’t be there in person, Tamar and Bryan opted to live stream the entire wedding – and it worked out so well that some virtual guests remarked that it was even better than being there in person because they were able to see things up close that they never would have been able to see because of the crowd.

The couples’ parents also surprised them with another special way to include members of their local community who couldn’t be at the wedding: a drive-by parade! And not just any drive-by parade – Tamar and Bryan’s families surprised them with a ’67 red Mustang convertible in which to cruise down the street while neighbors cheered them on. This was a totally unexpected touch, and it turned out to be one of the most joyous moments of the night.

And that’s saying a lot – this wedding was just chock full of joyous moments, and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman captured each and every one so perfectly in his wonderful photos. After seeing photos he’d shot at friends’ weddings, Tamar and Bryan were such fans they “practically planned our wedding date around when he was available” – and post-wedding, they report that his calm demeanor, patience, and flexibility, made him an absolute pleasure to work with.

We’ll let the couple tell you about the rest…

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How we met

Bryan, the groom: Tamar and I met in university…it seems like a classic story but there’s an interesting detail that I can’t help but reveal. We started off the beginning of our second year as lab partners. I knew Tamar was an excellent student and we studied really well together. After a short time, I was certain our chemistry went beyond the realm of the laboratory. I waited patiently until after finals of the first semester to ask Tamar out.

One might say that I had a certain sense of urgency considering I asked her out approximately 10 mins after she exited the test. She was flattered but promptly turned me down. After insisting and refusing to take her “no” as final, Tamar agreed to think about it. In my book that was a huge win…she’s way out of my league so a “maybe” is pretty good 🙂

Tamar got back to me two days later after consulting with some role models that Tamar trusts implicitly and looks up to and she agreed to a date where “I would have a lot of explaining to do.”

The rest is history.Continue ReadingContinue Reading