Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Lihi Hod Bride for a Tropical Boho Jewish Wedding at Ronit Farm, Kfar Shmaryahu, Israel

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We are loving the tropical vibes of today’s gorgeous Jewish wedding – Shahar and Or really pulled off the perfect carefree outdoor Israeli wedding at beautiful Ronit Farm. The bright colors, unconventional florals, lanterns, and colorful glassware all come together to create a serious party vibe.

The couple knew they wanted their wedding photos in natural daylight, so they opted to marry on a Friday at noon – love that these two knew what they wanted and went for it!

And that chuppah! With natural wooden poles wound with tropical vines, greenery, and exuberant flowers, we’re totally transported to an island paradise. Asaf Kliger’s colorful, warm photos capture it all so perfectly, and videographer Nir Tenenbaum’s fantastic trailer makes us feel like we were there for the big day.

There’s so much more to say about this fun wedding – like the top-secret performance by a famous Israeli rock star that the couple surprised their guests with! – but for that we’ll turn you over to Shahar, who looked radiant in her boho chic dress by Israel designer Lihi Hod…


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How we met

Shahar, the bride: Our story is the story of two highschool lovers. We met back in high-school 11 years ago, where Shahar had the guts to send Or the first text message. 

Since then we have been through everything together. Army service, travelling South America for 7 months and many vacations in Europe. We’ve been through university together – both bachelors and masters. 2 rental apartments in Tel-Aviv and the list goes on and on.

Nowadays, Shahar is a MA student for clinical psychology at IDC Herzliya, whereas Or is finishing med school at TAU university.

We live at a small and cozy apartment in central Tel-Aviv, and are thinking about adopting a new doggy friend for our family soon!

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A Pronovias Bride for a Secret Garden Jewish Wedding at Alexander, Emek Hefer, Israel

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It’s the beautiful Jewish wedding of our wonderful blogging bride Rebecca! It’s always a special moment for us seeing our blogging brides get married after following along throughout their planning, and today is no exception. Rebecca, a fashion buyer, and David, a financial advisor, had the most stunning destination wedding in Israel, and we are totally in love with everything about their big day.

Rebecca adores flowers, so it was a given that they’d play a big part in her day. And we’re totally blown away by her exquisite ketubah and gorgeous table centers – focusing on greens and whites, everything meshes so well with the natural beauty of the venue.

It doesn’t hurt that the couple worked with some of our very favorite Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors. From the amazing Ran Bergman on photography and videography – he and his team captured all the emotion and love, not to mention the gorgeous décor, so perfectly – to the pair’s gorgeous modern ketubah from Ketubata, with a green and white floral design that perfectly mirrored the décor for the day, Rebecca and David truly assembled a dream team.

We’re crazy about Rebecca’s long-sleeved fishtail lace gown by Pronovias, which she found at beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Mirror Mirror in London – in the bride’s own words, Mirror Mirror“want you to feel 100% and go above and beyond to make sure you are happy.” Rebecca’s Swarovski hair clip fromSmashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Emmy London was the perfect complement to her classically glam bridal style.

There’s so much more to say about this awesome wedding, but before we hand you off to the bride we’ll just leave you with this last little tidbit: the couple served their midnight snack in personalized Tupperware adorned with their wedding logo! If you’re looking for an unexpected favor idea that’s both fun and useful, we think this is a pretty excellent choice.


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How we met

Rebecca, the bride: One night in March 2017 I was swiping on Jswipe and I came across David. We had lots of mutual friends, one being my best friend I had just booked my holiday with, so when we matched I instantly called her and said ‘who’s’ this?!’ to which she replied ‘OMG I love him he’s a really good friend you should definitely go on a date with him – I don’t think he’s THE ONE but I think you will fancy him and he is super tall’.

Being 5ft8 height is a REAL thing for me. I was like ‘how tall’ and she said ‘put it this way, you will be able to wear your highest heels’. The struggle is real for tall Jewish girls to find a tall Jewish man, I was so sick of wearing flats and worrying about how tall someone was — so knowing he was tall I already knew my outfit for the first date!

My friend messaged David saying you have matched with my friend and if he wanted my number — all he said was ‘oh she’s hot and he will have a look’. I wait 1 week and receive NO MESSAGE FROM HIM! I am obviously furious so decide to take matters in my own hand and message him first! #independentwoman (He still to this day said the app was “deleted” which is why he didn’t message me as he didn’t see it!)

We start messaging and we get on like a house on fire and start to arrange a first date. I am originally from Leeds and it was round Peseach in 2017 so was back home for the holiday, so we waited to meet up for a drink after.

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Real Jewish Brides: How Nargiz Is Making Both Jewish And Non-Jewish Guests Feel Included

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Nargiz will be marrying Ryan on 9th November 2019 at Farmington Hills Manor, in Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA. Click here to read all Nargiz’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Nargiz was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, and the wedding will combine her family’s traditions – they are Mountain Jews, or Gorski, and their culture is a mix of Persian and Middle Eastern influences – and Ryan’s American Ashkenazi background. (2) Nargiz’s mother tragically passed away last summer, so she has been facing wedding planning without her mom by her side. (3) Nargiz is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club! 

Different cultures, religions and ethnic backgrounds

In today’s world, it is very common for people of different cultures, religions and ethnic backgrounds to cross paths. It’s not like how things used to be 100 years ago in Russia, Azerbaijan or nearby countries. Back then, people stayed in the same city and town where their parents were born, and where their grandparents were raised. As a result, people and different cultures were not integrated as much.
 
Today, more and more people have moved their families to different cities, countries and even different continents. Everyone has their own reason to do so. 
 

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A Vera Wang Bride for a Magical Forest Jewish Wedding in the City at the Hilton Midtown Hotel, New York City, New York

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Okay, we’re still picking our jaws up off the floor from this INCREDIBLE chuppah. I mean… wow. Bride Rebecca says she felt like she was in a magical forest, and we can’t really think of a better way to put it than that. You don’t want to miss the exquisite photos by Cristina Calvi and Hy Goldberg.

Rebecca and Eric, who both work in finance, wanted to bring the outdoors in to their big day – despite getting married smack dab in the center of Manhattan – and did they ever. The fairytale trees and flowers surrounding the couple under their chuppah, amidst an uber-romantic background of flickering candles, was just beyond.

The flowers for the rest of the wedding were totally outstanding, too – the arches of hanging ombre wisteria that formed the backdrop of the badeken, the luxe tablecenters, even the flowers adorning the couple’s gorgeous wedding cake.

Now over to the bride…

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How we met

Rebecca, the bride: We grew up only a few blocks from each other and were one grade apart, but we “officially” met and starting dating in high school (Rebecca’s junior year, Eric’s senior year) and we have been together ever since. We only figured out years after we started dating that we had been on the same bus in elementary school!

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A Dana Harel Bride for a Design-Conscious Jewish Wedding at Bait Al HaYam, Yafo, Israel

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When the bride’s a designer, you can be pretty sure you’re going to end up with one seriously stylish wedding. And that’s exactly what you get in the gorgeous Jewish wedding of May, an interior designer and home stager, and Tomer, a businessman.

Given the pair’s focus on design, it’s no surprise they went for Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Luz for photography and videography. Luz’s distinct trademark style – their symmetry, their straight lines, their composition, how they present the couples as a natural part of the architectural landscape – was right up May and Tomer’s alley (and the couple were so thrilled with the results that they’re hanging a massive print of one of the architectural landscape shots in their living room!).

We also love their floral design – not only is it beautiful, but each centerpiece doubled as a gift to their guests. Such a great favor idea – and a smart way to make sure those flowers you splurged on get to be enjoyed for more than a few hours.

Now over to May, who worked with designer Dana Harel to create a custom wedding gown that was a perfect reflection of her style…

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A Wedding by the Sea

May, the bride: We always knew we wanted an intimate wedding by the sea. Bait Al HaYam was the first venue we saw, and we just knew that it was where wanted to get married. Bait Al HaYam is located in old Yafo, and that alone sealed the deal; it was a nice addition that they made it feel like home.

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