Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Grace Loves Lace Bride for a California Cool Jewish Wedding with a Touch of Hollywood Glam at Spencer’s Restaurant, Palm Springs, California, USA

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Ashleigh and Brett, Spencer’s Restaurant, Palm Springs, California, USA

It’s always fun seeing the choices wedding pros make when it comes to planning their own big day. So naturally we were pleased when the Jewish wedding of Ashleigh, who works in finance by day and is a wedding coordinator by night, and Brett, a lawyer, crossed our path!

Floridians Ashleigh and Brett decided to make it official across the country in Palm Springs – partly because, well, it’s gorgeous, and partly as a tribute to the bride’s beloved late grandmother, who adored the desert.

The couple decided to go all in and embrace the vibe of Palm Springs in crafting their day, and we are here for it! Ashleigh says she wanted her day to feel like “an upbeat Lana Del Rey music video,” and does it ever! With touches of Old Hollywood glamour and pops of bright color, this was one stylish day – don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Anchored Photographs and video from Lady Mouse Productions!

There’s so much more to say – like, how fun is it that Ashleigh and Brett served mini latkes as one of their appetizers during cocktail hour?! – but we’ll let the bride fill you in on the rest…

 

Ashleigh and Brett, Spencer’s Restaurant, Palm Springs, California, USA Ashleigh and Brett, Spencer’s Restaurant, Palm Springs, California, USA How we Met

Ashleigh, the bride: We met at the University of Central Florida in 2016. Brett had recently returned back to Orlando after serving as a lone soldier in the IDF, and I had just finished a summer abroad program in Tel Aviv. Our mutual love for Israel was an immediate part of our connection. We met a few times but didn’t have each other’s phone numbers–so I downloaded J-Swipe so that I could easily find him and chat! The rest is history! Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Stella York Bride for an Intimate, Elegant Interfaith Jewish Wedding at Anderson House, Washington, DC, USA

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Today’s fabulous interfaith Jewish wedding is just beyond chic – from the historic venue to the floral chuppah to the oh-so-elegant place settings and beyond.

Carlee and Eric fell in love with Anderson House as soon as they set eyes on it – and it was truly the perfect spot for their intimate, timeless day, surrounded by close family and friends. With such an exquisite venue, they didn’t need to do much to make it shine – and so they stuck to a neutral color scheme of white and blush mixed with greenery.

We love the couple’s simple floral chuppah – and the wonderful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com that went along with it. Carlee and Eric picked a design by artist Angela Munitz mirroring the green leaves that adorned their chuppah, combined with soothing blues. They were so thrilled to be able to select an interfaith ketubah that symbolizes their love and mutual respect for each other. Don’t miss it all in Manda Weaver Photography‘s romantic images of the day.

We’ll let Carlee – who found the perfect gown in her simple, elegant Stella York  style – fill you in on the rest.

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How We Met

Carlee, the bride: We first met in law school in 2016 at the University of Florida, and Eric was one year ahead of Carlee. We were friends during law school, and then Eric spent his last semester in Chicago. After Carlee graduated in 2019, Eric moved back to Florida, they reconnected and have been inseparable since then.

Our first date was at The Breakers in Palm Beach, and this is where Eric proposed. We were walking in the courtyard when all of a sudden, Eric was down on one knee. I was completely surprised and had no idea it would happen. Our parents were watching from inside and have a video of the entire proposal. It was very sentimental since we had spent so much time in Palm Beach while we were dating and living in West Palm Beach.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Birenzweig Bride for a Rooftop Jewish Wedding in Pink and Orange at the Four Seasons Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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There’s nothing like a good rooftop Jewish wedding, with a chuppah set against the backdrop of stunning city views – and Samantha and Jacob’s Atlanta celebration truly takes the (wedding) cake!

Samantha, who is finishing up her Doctor of Chiropractic degree, and Jacob, who works at a start-up biomedical engineer company as the head developer, planned an absolutely exquisite day, featuring the most vibrant summer blooms in shades of pink and orange, a stunning ketubah from beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com  adored with a hamsa and pomegranates, and a touching memory wall honoring lost loved ones (including the bride’s brother who tragically passed away at age 19).

All the love and joy of this special day comes through so strongly in the photos from Hellen CO – read on for all the details in the couple’s own words!

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How we Met

Samantha, the bride: Where do we begin… Samantha and Jacob met when they were very young, during middle school at a homecoming dance, by being introduced from mutual friends. From there and throughout middle and high school, they talked on and off (Facebook messenger fashion) until they decided to catch up at a local park their junior year and hit it off right away.

After many dates, Jacob, being extremely nervous, asked Samantha a million question before finally asking her to be his girlfriend. As years went by and numerous dances, football games, holidays, and family gatherings spent together, countless memories were shared with one another and their love for one another grew.

Samantha cheered Jacob on during football while Jacob supported Samantha’s never ending commitments. When college approached, their locations diverged but their love did not. Although there were over four years of long distance and all of those miles apart, their love for each other never faltered and it was coupled with numerous adventures, great food, and of course many shopping sprees!

On September 26th 2020, after exploring Charleston, SC (Samantha’s favorite place), Jacob surprised Samantha by proposing to her under a gazebo at the Charleston Battery with their families present. Finally, they will be able to solidify their title as high school sweethearts after 7+ years of dating.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for an Intimate Destination Jewish Wedding at Villa Cora, Florence, Italy

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Buckle your seatbelts, we’re taking off for beautiful Florence, Italy, where Atlanta couple Ilyssa, a strategy pricing analyst for a hospitality company, and Nick, who works as a sales sngineer for a HVAC distributor, held the intimate destination Jewish wedding of their dreams!

Taking their cues from their majestic venue, Villa Cora, Ilyssa and Nick kept things romantic and elegant with plenty of flowers, greenery, candles, and romantic lighting. And their outdoor chuppah was truly the stuff of fairy tales – sitting amidst a stunning backdrop of the autumnal Florentine countryside, covered in greenery and flowers, and set at the end of an aisle strewn with rose petals and lined with candles. Don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Leigh Wolfe!

We’re also obsessed with the couple’s exquisite ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Danny Azoulay Ketubahs. In Ilyssa’s words, “The verbiage on our ketubah really resonated with us and the life we want to build together through Judaism. The verbiage ended with ‘Set me as a seal on your heart.’ I had this engraved on the inside of Nick’s wedding band, so we can always remember what our ketubah represents even on the hard days.” Awwww!

There’s so much more to say about this very special Jewish wedding – like, how great is it that instead of a wedding came Ilyssa and Nick opted for a midnight pizza bar?! – but we’ll let Ilyssa herself fill you in on the rest…

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How we Met

Ilyssa, the bride: It was your typical modern day romance… We met on Bumble in 2016. At the time, Nick was living in Atlanta while I finished my undergraduate degree in Athens at The University of Georgia. As we are both big beer fans, it was only natural that our first date was at an Atlanta brewery. After dating for 5 years Nick finally asked me to be his wife at the Cator Woolford Gardens in Atlanta, Georgia.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Ines Di Santo Bride for a Vibrant Jewish Wedding in Orange and Pink at Mizner Country Club, Delray Beach, Florida, USA

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What a gorgeous Jewish wedding! Grace, Controller of Rilea Group Inc, and Jay, the founder and CEO of Gift of Life Marrow Registry, planned an ultra-meaningful celebration of their love filled with personal touches, and we are OBSESSED.

Everything from the happy, bright color scheme of vibrant oranges and pinks to Grace’s fabulous Ines Di Santo gown to the fun touches honoring the bride’s home country of Venezuela (you’ve GOT to read about the hora loca!), this wedding was chock full of Jewish joy and love.

And we’re positively head over heels for the couple’s exquisite custom ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Micol Designs. From the minute Grace and Jay met Micol on Zoom, the connection was immediate, and she understood their vision of incorporating their love of stained glass and artist Marc Chagall, and specifically his painted ceiling of the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris, so perfectly.

The finished product – incorporating names of family members and images representing Grace and Jay’s different backgrounds – is truly a sight to behold. Don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Manolo Doreste!

Now over to Grace…


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How we Met

Grace, the bride: We both joined a dating website called “Silver Singles” for single people over 50 years old. Jay sent me an emoji with heart eyes and after checking his profile and interpreting a chart that silver singles provides of similarities and differences why we should be a good match, I sent him an emoji stating that I was interested. We started chatting on Silver Singles website, then moved on to Instagram and then video calls. After 3 weeks, we agree to meet in person.

I, Grace, had done a list of requirements I wanted my future partner to have and I had put a note, underlined, at the end of the list that said: “I will recognize him because he will present a single red rose to me”.

Since our first date was in covid-restrictions time, Jay rented a movie theatre just for us and once we sat down, he went into his backpack and pulled a single red rose. I was left speechless and my heart raising. I told him, one day I will tell you what this rose means to me.Continue ReadingContinue Reading