Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A BHLDN Bride for a Laid-Back American-Israeli Jewish Wedding with a Touch of Glam at Al HaYam, Sdot Yam, Israel

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Kelly and Guy, Al HaYam, Sdot Yam, Israel

We love a multicultural Jewish wedding – and American bride Kelly and Israeli groom Guy, who both work in the Tel Aviv tech scene – had one of the best!

The couple wanted to use their big day as a chance to share their love of Israel with loved ones from abroad, and Al HaYam in Sdot Yam was the perfect place to do just that. With some help from their wedding producer Vanessa Events, they crafted a day that perfectly blended the duo’s Israeli and American backgrounds, from the food to the music to the traditions. Don’t miss it all in the wonderful images by Tzahi Shemesh.

One thing we especially love is the unique touches Kelly and Guy’s rabbi helped them add into their ketubah signing: each family member shared one word they wanted to bless the marriage with, then poured their glass of wine into a shared carafe that the pair drank from during our ceremony. How special is that?

This day was filled with so many beautiful details – read on for the full story in Kelly’s own words…

Kelly and Guy, Al HaYam, Sdot Yam, IsraelKelly and Guy, Al HaYam, Sdot Yam, IsraelKelly and Guy, Al HaYam, Sdot Yam, IsraelKelly and Guy, Al HaYam, Sdot Yam, Israel

How We Met

Kelly, the bride: I moved to Tel Aviv from the U.S. almost seven years ago, planning to stay for just three months. But as my dad said in his wedding speech, I ended up falling in love twice — once with Israel, and once with Guy.

About three years after the move, we matched on Bumble. It was still during covid, so for our first date, we took an illegal walk around the block. From the moment we started talking, we never really stopped. We’re both night owls, so we’d walk or sit in the park for hours, talking until nearly sunrise. Three years later, Guy proposed on a trip to Greece.

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A Sarah Seven Bride for a Super Cool Jewish Wedding Celebrating Mexico City at Hacienda de Cortes, Jiutepec, Mexico

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Alana and TJ, Hacienda de Cortes, Jiutepec, Mexico

When Alana and TJ, both American entrepreneurs living in Mexico City, set out to plan their Jewish wedding, they knew they wanted to use it as an opportunity to share their beloved adopted hometown with their family and friends – and they found the most perfect venue in Hacienda de Cortes, a gorgeous hotel full of character with space to accommodate guests.

We love how the couple opted to embrace the natural beauty of their venue, opting for a color scheme of all greens when it came to flowers and décor and a wooden chuppah adorned with more greenery – with some disco balls thrown in for good measure!

And we’re especially obsessed with Alana and TJ’s fabulous ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tchotchke. In Alana’s words,

All of the designs are things that you’d want to keep on display year round because they’re so beautiful, and we wanted a ketubah we’d love to have up forever. We looked on Etsy and other websites and didn’t love the super traditional options.

Then we found Tchotchke, founded by Adam Paskow, who designed gorgeous menorahs, mezuzah’s and more, and it was hard to pick one as they were all fantastic. Ultimately, we decided on the “shapes” design by Emunah Winer, who has a creative agency, rum and tequila brand. We didn’t know how cool she was before we picked it, but we should have.

Don’t miss it in the stunning images from Efege Photography.

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

Alana and TJ, Hacienda de Cortes, Jiutepec, MexicoAlana and TJ, Hacienda de Cortes, Jiutepec, MexicoAlana and TJ, Hacienda de Cortes, Jiutepec, MexicoAlana and TJ, Hacienda de Cortes, Jiutepec, Mexico

How We Met

Alana, the bride: We met at a dinner in Mexico City! I had been in the city for 4 years and TJ a few months when a 5 person dinner turned into a 17 person dinner and we sat next to each other. Our friend Kate eagerly asked what I thought of him after the dinner as she thought he could “match my energy,” and we exchanged numbers.

We saw each other two nights later, though both were entertaining friends from out of town, and then I invited him to a party, and to my house for a pre-party, which was 8 mostly Spanish speaking women and TJ. Despite not speaking Spanish well yet, he did great. We had a great time at the party and went on a date before he left Mexico to move out of his San Francisco apartment and planed to be back in a month.

During that month we kept chatting and he invited me to join him and his friends in Napa for a birthday trip. Since we barely knew each other I didn’t know what to say or do, so I did nothing. Then he took the pressure off, Kate assured me I wouldn’t get murdered, I decided to go on the trip, it was fantastic, and we’ve been together since!

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A Galia Lahav Bride for a Super Stylish Jewish Wedding Full of Modern Romance at 1 Hotel South Beach, Florida, USA

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Courtney & Jason, 1 Hotel, Miami, Florida, USA

We absolutely love seeing the choices Jewish wedding pros make for their own celebrations – and so naturally we were thrilled to be able to feature the luxe nuptials of Courtney, an NYC and FL-based fashion and wardrobe stylist with a focus on bridal styling, and Jason, a real estate broker.

Courtney curated the day impeccably, and every element reflected her taste and creative vision – from the modern, refined surroundings of their venue, the 1 Hotel in South Beach, to the clean, contemporary chuppah, set against the backdrop of the ocean and surrounded by lush white blooms from the ground up for a one-of-a-kind aesthetic – don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by PS Photography and trailer by Senderey.

And then there’s Courtney’s gown, by beloved Israeli designer and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Galia Lahav. As a longtime admirer of the designer’s artistry, Courtney was positively smitten from the moment she tried on the Horizon gown. In her words,

The craftsmanship was extraordinary—the silhouette, the structure, the detailing—every element felt elevated, sexy yet chic and original. It was everything I had hoped for and more—timeless, striking, and uniquely me. I felt like all layers of my life added onto a dress, from the dramatic drape, sexy sheer detailed bustier, delicate flower detail with pearl and shimmer.

It was such a perfect expression of Courtney’s style, and we just can’t get over how absolutely smashing she looked in it!

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

Courtney & Jason, 1 Hotel, Miami, Florida, USACourtney & Jason, 1 Hotel, Miami, Florida, USACourtney & Jason, 1 Hotel, Miami, Florida, USACourtney & Jason, 1 Hotel, Miami, Florida, USA

How We Met

Courtney, the bride: Jason grew up with my now brother-in-law and was also good friends with my sister. In 2020, the two teamed up to set me and Jason up on a date—and the rest is history. We hit it off immediately, began dating soon after, and in the spring of 2025, we tied the knot at the 1 Hotel in South Beach.

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A Disney Fairy Tale Weddings Bride for a Spring Jewish Wedding in Lilac and Sky Blue with Lots of Love for Israel at the Sheraton Grand Hotel, London, UK

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Shera & Jared, Sheraton Grand Hotel, London, UK

Between the horrific terrorist attack in Manchester on Yom Kippur and the second anniversary of October 7 coming up tomorrow – even as we enter into the joyous festival of Sukkot – this is shaping up to be a hard week. Like so many times throughout our history, we’re required to take on the difficult task of holding sadness and joy all at once. And today we’ve got a beautiful Jewish wedding that encapsulates exactly that balancing act.

Though the UK-based couple wed at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Park Lane, London, Israel is always close to Shera and Jared’s hearts, and their love for the country was a key theme running throughout the big day – from a tallit purchased by the bride’s parents on a trip to Israel just days prior to October 7 to Israeli flags on the dance floor to a moving Misheberach for the IDF under the chuppah and a heartfelt tribute to the groom’s late friend Jake Marlow, who was murdered at the Nova Festival.

We’re obsessed with all of the love and emotion that come through in every shot from the couple’s photographer, Devon Shoob, and every frame from their videographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Michael Pearl. His trailer is truly something special – do give it a watch!

We’ll let Shera fill you in on the rest of the details…

Shera & Jared, Sheraton Grand Hotel, London, UK Shera & Jared, Sheraton Grand Hotel, London, UK Shera & Jared, Sheraton Grand Hotel, London, UK Shera & Jared, Sheraton Grand Hotel, London, UK

How We Met

Shera, the bride: Our story started over 10 years ago where we both had met at our Jewish youth movement, Jewish Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade (JLGB).

Having known each other for a couple of years, it wasn’t until we were both older where, like many young Jews today, we matched on JSwipe. At the time, our connection was nothing more than just a couple of messages to each other with a waiting response time of about 3-5 working days!

A few months went by and to our surprise, we were both interrailing across Europe at the same time. The waiting response time had decreased to 5 minutes where we were both non-stop messaging trying to coordinate how our paths would cross.

It wasn’t until we had both returned and reunited back at JLGB Summer Camp that year, where we both had that funny feeling you get in your belly and it definitely wasn’t from the camp food. Our feelings became clear about one another and at that point, we knew it was something more than a friendship. 7 years later, Jared got down on one knee in Thailand and now after 8 years together, in May 2025, we became Mr and Mrs Bourne.

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A Winter Jewish Wedding Planned in 80 Days at Grace Events, Rishon Lezion, Israel

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Elsie and Yonatan, Grace Events, Rishon Lezion, Israel

You’d never believe it to scroll through their stunning photos, but Elsie and Yonatan planned their fabulous Jewish wedding from start to finish in just 80 days!

The couple, both olim looking to celebrate their love not only for each other but for their home in Israel too, found the perfect team of vendors to make the day of their dreams come true on a tight timeline – in Elsie’s words, “This country is full of people who want to make a simcha happen, and I got so much help from every vendor who was excited to be a part of our day.”

Grace Events – Event Hall in Rishon Lezion provided the perfect setting for the big day – beautiful nature, close enough to Tel Aviv to be convenient for guests flying in from abroad, perfectly sized for the couple’s smaller (by Israeli standards) guest list, and, last but not least, boasting great food!

Elsie and Yonatan knew they wanted Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman to capture their special day. In Elsie’s words, “Herschel is the most recommended photographer in every bridal group I joined!. His lighting and framing made every photo seem so naturally perfect without the need to retouch or edit them barely at all. He also accommodated our desire to have pictures taken in Jerusalem and meet us at our venue across the entire country in Rishon later that day!” It doesn’t get much better than that!

Read on for the rest of the story in Elsie’s own words…

Elsie and Yonatan, Grace Events, Rishon Lezion, Israel Elsie and Yonatan, Grace Events, Rishon Lezion, IsraelElsie and Yonatan, Grace Events, Rishon Lezion, IsraelElsie and Yonatan, Grace Events, Rishon Lezion, Israel

How We Met

Elsie, the bride: We both got hired to work at Mikes Place, a bar on the beach in TLV, for the summer. I had just made Aliyah and moved into an apartment in Yafo, and while I was getting introduced to the staff, my wallet was stolen. I lost all my American and Israeli IDs and cards and I was so saddened.

Yoni went up and down the tayelet looking to see if it had been dropped – he even pulled up security camera footage at the bar to see if he could spot the person who took it. He instantly became my first real friend in Israel and we’ve been inseparable ever since.

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