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A David’s Bride for a Dreamy Outdoor Jewish Wedding Just Before Lockdown at HaGiva, Giv’at Brenner, Israel

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Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Naomi and Daniel are one seriously lucky couple. Their ridiculously gorgeous Jewish wedding in Israel took place as the COVID-19 crisis was becoming increasingly more serious, just days before the country banned gatherings of more than ten people. And while the bride, a physics teacher, and the groom, an aerospace engineer, didn’t have their big day go untouched by coronavirus – there was plenty of stress about increasing restrictions and whether family and friends from the UK would be able to make it, and in the end many guests weren’t able to make the trip – their close relatives made it out to Israel in time, and most of the wedding went to plan.

And it was an awesome plan! We’re in love with the garden vibes of their gorgeous venue, Giv’at Brenner, and we’re obsessed with the efforts these two made to personalize their day, like making a list together of seven things to pray for and then reading and praying for one item each time Naomi circled Daniel under the chuppah, and finding ways to honor female guests in their Orthodox ceremony.

And how cute is it that the couple got matching personalized Converses to wear for the reception?! The photos from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman Photography are so full of love and emotion, with each moment captured so beautifully.

Now over to the bride, who looked radiant in her simple David’s Bridal dress (the first she tried on!), which she had altered to add in sleeves and a higher neckline…


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How we met

Naomi, the bride: We both grew up in London, with similar social circles, same year group but never knew each other, it wasn’t until we both made aliyah that we met!

We first met at a party in Jerusalem a few days after I had made aliyah, we chatted for about 5 minutes and Daniel wanted to ask me out but felt it wouldn’t be fair on me as I needed time to settle into the country. Over the next couple of months he hadn’t forgotten about me but some friends had told him they knew a girl who they thought would be good for him.

He agreed to meet her at a Purimseudah but thought to himself that if it didn’t go well he would try to find the number of the girl from the party. But when he walked into the Purim seudah he was surprised and delighted to find the girl from the party, me, sitting there. The rest is history! He proposed to me in September and I proposed to him in October. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for an Elegant Rustic Israel-Meets-Tuscany Jewish Wedding at Achuza Beit Hanan, Israel

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We’re so excited to be featuring the magnificent Jewish wedding of our beloved STG Brides Club member Davina, a hotel developer, and Adam, head of digital product for a legal publisher! These two had a positively dreamy destination wedding at Achuza Beit Hanan.

We adored following Davina’s planning journey in Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club, and we’re so touched to hear her kind words about the group:

Talking to the other girls getting married in Israel was a massive help. I could ask anything on the group and get advice, like my virtual bridesmaids… I also met some amazing girls who are now really close friends.”

Davina also found a bunch of her incredible vendors through Brides Club, including Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Emily & Jo, who helped the couple craft a pretty, classic design featuring their monogram that they were able to send both by post AND digitally, for their further-flung friends and family.

And then there’s Davina’s gown, which is pure, classic bridal glamour. Although she visited a number of bridal boutiques, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Mirror Mirror was the uncontested winner – and the place she found the Pronovias dress of her dreams. Davina can’t stop raving about the impeccable service she received from the whole team at Mirror Mirror, from the moment she stepped in the door through the final fitting.

Davina found the perfect match for her gown in an elegant pair of heels from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Emmy London – not only did the lace on the shoes match her gown, but Davina raves that the heels were comfortable, too!

Keep scrolling for some serious wedding magic – we’re positively head over heels for the simply magical photography from Haim Afriat and videography by Nir Tenenbaum.

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Davina and Adam, Achuza Beit Hanan, Israel
How we Met (both sides!)

Adam, the groom: About 2 years ago I was at a Shabbat dinner with some friends at the Marriott in Regents Park, London. On arriving I met and chatted with a friend named Lisa, while also noting a large attendance. During the evening, my attention was drawn to one of Lisa’s friends, who didn’t stop smiling and laughing. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I thought she was stunning!

At the end of the night I was determined to find her, as I feared I may never see her again. Searching through the crowd I found her and we had a quick conversation that ended with me suggesting that we meet again. Two years later, I’m very excited to be marrying that girl, the beautiful Davina.

Davina, the bride: My flatmate, Yael suggested we go to the 2016 CJL Shabbat dinner with some of her friends. We arrived at the Marriott, Regents Park to find the room packed with more than 300 young people. We looked for Lisa, Yael’s best friend and saw her talking to a guy, so we just said hi and moved on. I noticed he was wearing a very nice original grey and burgundy jacket and had amazing blue eyes.

At the end of the evening, I was talking to some friends when Yael told me that she was going home. I was about to pick up my coat to leave, when the guy with the grey and burgundy jacket stopped me and told me that Yael was looking for me. I reassured him, said that she found me and continued my route.I was on my way out when Yael, said to me “I think Adam wants to talk to you”. I looked at whom she was referring to and thought “Why not?” I asked her to wait 2 minutes so I could find out what he wanted. I didn’t know that this would be the first conversation with my future husband!

Three days later (yes, 3 days… what the hell was he doing?!) he added me on Facebook and invited me for a date. As I was travelling that week we had to wait until Sunday to meet. We couldn’t wait to see each other, so we started writing in the first week and didn’t stop. Two years later on the 29 September 2018 Adam surprised me by going down on one knee and asking me to marry him in a very romantic setting with candles and rose petals everywhere.

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A Helena Kolan Bride for a Colorful, Multicultural Jewish-Hindu Wedding at Hummingbird Nest Ranch, California, USA

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Get ready to be BLOWN AWAY by the incredible Jewish-Hindu wedding of our beloved Brides Club member Jaime, who has an online fitness business, and Varun, who is CEO of a tech company. These two wanted a one-of-a-kind day that felt larger than life, and did they ever achieve that goal – thanks in no small part to the expertise of their wedding planner, Leora of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Best Bride, who Jaime describes as “the best wedding planner on the planet. Period.”

Blending two different faiths and cultures is no small feat, but Leora made it a breeze, working with Jaime and Varun to craft a jam-packed day – and we do mean a full day; this wedding went from noon until midnight! – including two ceremonies (one Hindu, one Jewish), a positively mouthwatering bicultural food experience featuring Israeli and Indian street food, and, of course, a rocking party to end things off.

The results were thoroughly, breathtakingly beautiful – we’re equally obsessed with the color and energy of the Hindu ceremony and the romance and drama of the sunset Jewish ceremony. And how beautiful is the couple’s floral ketubah, created by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush?! Jaime can’t stop raving about her experience working with founder Rachelle to create the perfect design to match the color and décor scheme for her Jewish ceremony.

You really, really don’t want to miss the fantastic photos from Clane Gessel and Sanaz Photography. Because their day had so much going on, planner Leora encouraged Jaime and Varun to hire two photography teams to make sure none of the good stuff went undocumented, and Jaime is SO glad she followed that advice. And the trailer by AndHer Visuals is equally unmissable.

Now over to the bride, who had not one, not two, but THREE dresses for the big day – her gorgrous, vibrant dress for the Hindu ceremony was made by Vama Designs, and her gown for the Jewish ceremony was custom made by Israeli designer Helena Kolan (who also created Jaime’s reception dress)…

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How we met

Jaime, the bride: We met on OKCupid in San Francisco when we were both working in the start up scene. 

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An Allure Bridals Bride for a Jewish Wedding with Light Up Sneakers at Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus, Aventura, Florida

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We’re obsessed with this Jewish wedding. Why? Because Aliza, who runs online bar and bat mitzvah tutoring business Hebrew Hangout, and Michael, who works in digital marketing, had the brilliant idea to wear light up sneakers when they were introduced as husband and wife!

We knew this idea was a winner as soon as Aliza shared it in Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club shortly before her big day – and so did the couple’s parents, who got in on the action themselves. They all had their shoes blinking during the hora, and it was INCREDIBLE – don’t miss the photos and video from Miami Wedding Center.

And how gorgeous is Aliza and Michael’s copper chuppah? We’re loving the understated modern look, with just some light floral accents. And then there’s the couple’s gorgeous paper cut ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Attias! It’s a true piece of art – and it also happens to coordinate perfectly with the breathtaking blue sky and ocean in some of the pair’s dreamy outdoor portraits.

We’ll leave it to Aliza, who looked so elegant in Allure Bridals, to tell you the rest…

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A Blank Canvas 

Aliza, the bride: Our venue was Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus in Aventura, FL. Originally we didn’t want this venue. My sister got married there and it was important to me to do things very differently than she did but in the end, after looking at some other venues, we decided that financially it just made the most sense. We’d get what we knew would be really delicious catering. Eric, the event planner and caterer there, has been doing this for years and KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING!

He is so busy and for good reason. We love that the event space there is already set up with all the lighting you would ever need and it’s got a white floor and the entire room is draped in white so it’s really a blank canvas. You can do so much with the space. 

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A Lazaro Bride for a Family Focused British-American Jewish Wedding at the Groom’s Childhood Home, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

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We love it when a couple makes family the center of their Jewish wedding. And that’s exactly what Melanie and Benjamin did, starting with their choice to hold their intimate celebration at the groom’s childhood home. If we had a backyard like this to get married in, we’re pretty sure it would be our choice too – don’t miss the incredible photos of the outdoor sunset chuppah from Stefanie Kamerman Photography.

Family members near and far pitched in to help make the day a success – Benjamin’s sister Jessica even planned the wedding! – and we love the way the pair brought in British elements to honor the bride’s English background, from the flowers to the marmalade favors to the vintage English blue-and-white China.

Most special of all, though, is that the groom’s father, who was diagnosed with cancer just after Melanie and Benjamin got engaged, successfully completed treatment exactly one month prior to the big day, so the day served as a double celebration.

Now over to the bride, who looked ravishing in Lazaro Bridal (speaking of which, don’t miss her wild dress fitting story!)…

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How we met

Melanie, the bride: We met on Tinder. When I first got on the app – the app didn’t work correctly. I entered the age range for men I was interested in as 30 and above – he was 28 at the time. Lucky for Benjamin, the age range I entered didn’t go into effect immediately and his profile popped up for me to swipe on. He was too cute to not swipe right on and it was a match!

I immediately freaked out and messaged Benjamin saying I swiped because I thought he was an absolute doll face but he was too young for me. Luckily Benjamin is very persistent and did not let this get in the way. He proceeded to ask me on lots of different dates which I declined because of our age difference. He decided to change up his strategy and started name dropping different restaurants. He dropped the name of a swanky jazz restaurant I had been dying to try – the rest is history. 

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