Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

An Oshrat Mishal Bride for a Laid-Back Destination Jewish Wedding by the Sea at Atlantis Gardens, Larnaca, Cyprus

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Michal and Ilan, Atlantis Gardens, Larnaca, Cyprus

Michal and Ilan wanted an unforgettable destination for their Jewish wedding – and they found the perfect spot, Cyprus’s Atlantis Gardens, thanks to their amazing planner Noam of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kai Wedding Planner.

The couple worked closely with Noam to curate an authentic and carefree experience for their guests, including a Greek tavern kickoff party complete with traditional food and drinks, Cypriot tunes, and some plate smashing!

In Michal’s words,

Noam of Kai Wedding Planner, our star planner, was an absolute godsend. He flawlessly brought all our visions to life, catering to every little wish and request with genuine dedication. From our very first chat, we knew he was the perfect fit for our special day.

The whole celebration was so full of emotion and love – don’t miss the incredible images from Lychee Weddings!

Now over to Michal…

Michal and Ilan, Atlantis Gardens, Larnaca, CyprusMichal and Ilan, Atlantis Gardens, Larnaca, Cyprus Michal and Ilan, Atlantis Gardens, Larnaca, Cyprus Michal and Ilan, Atlantis Gardens, Larnaca, Cyprus
How We Met

Michal, the bride: We first crossed paths during the crazy COVID times when a mutual friend set us up. Our love story blossomed at a hospital where I was working as a EMT and Ilan as an intern and later Orthopedic resident. Fast forward to today, we’re still working side by side at the same hospital.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

How to Make Your Jewish Wedding Fun for Your Guests with GUESTPIX

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When we ask couples their top priority for their Jewish wedding, more often than not we hear the same answer: making sure each and every guest has an absolute blast. Sure, you and your partner are the stars of the day, but your wedding is about so much more than the two of you – and that’s why we sat down with our friends at GUESTPIX to chat about some easy ways to make sure your guests stay engaged and entertained from start to finish.  

GUESTPIX is a cutting-edge digital photo-sharing and hosting solution that makes it easy and fun for your guests to share images, videos, and digital guestbook messages with the two of you, during and after your big day (plus all the pre- and post-wedding events) via a private QR code.

Unlike asking guests to share their photos on social media with a hashtag, GUESTPIX keeps your special moments off social media and under your control. You won’t have to download images one by one from texts or emails, or chase your loved ones to send you high-res files of the shots you love on social media: GUESTPIX will deliver original quality digital photos and videos straight to you, ready to download in a single click. They’ve got packages to suit weddings of all sizes, and you can use GUESTPIX wherever you are in the world.

It couldn’t be more user-friendly – for you and for your guests. Plus, GUESTPIX has come up with some fun guest activities that will make snapping pics part of the entertainment!

Here’s how you can use GUESTPIX to make your wedding a blast for everyone involved:

Invite Your Guests to Contribute to Your Digital Albums

With GUESTPIX’s new Albums package, you get to effortlessly collect and organize all the cherished moments from your special events as your guests capture them. From the engagement party through to the aufruf, the wedding day itself, and beyond, GUESTPIX’s Albums feature gives you a highly-customizable set up for your different wedding events, with built-in privacy and security settings so you can control which albums guests can see and access via the QR code options.

Guests will have a blast capturing unique memories to share with the two of you, from emotional moments under the chuppah to the unforgettable energy of the hora to the wild dancefloor at the afterparty, and you’ll receive a treasure trove of images capturing the wedding from multiple perspectives.

Challenge Your Guests with GUESTPIX “I Spy” Photo Cards

We’re absolutely obsessed with GUESTPIX’s “I Spy” photo challenge. This is such a fun and easy way to add a fun activity for your guests while encouraging them to capture more of the shots you’ll want to revisit in the future.

Setting up an “I Spy” challenge couldn’t be simpler: before the event, just use one of GUESTPIX’s editable Canva templates to create a list of fun photo tasks for your guests, such as:

  • The ketubah signing
  • Someone laughing
  • The badeken
  • A group selfie
  • Smashing the glass
  • Guests dancing the hora
  • The best-dressed guest

Distribute the list to your guests on the day or display it in various spots around the venue and let the fun begin! Everyone will have a blast hunting for these special shots, and it adds an extra layer of engagement and fun. As they upload their snaps and in-the-moment videos to GUESTPIX, not only do you get a diverse collection of candid moments to treasure, but it also encourages guests to mingle and interact with one another.

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A Same-Sex Jewish Wedding Celebration Extravaganza at Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El, Plantation, Florida, USA

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This wedding is just chock full of Jewish joy – and we are here for it! It was a no-brainer for Sam, an attorney and the Vice President of Instruction and Online Education for BARBRI, and Mark, the Cantor and Co-Senior Clergy at Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El in Plantation, Florida, to marry at their home congregation – where Mark just celebrated his 30th anniversary as Cantor!

Sam and Mark worked with Beverly Diane of Beverly Diane Party Consultants to plan the day – or rather, multi-day wedding celebration extravaganza – of their dreams, and in the grooms’ words, “She understood the assignment and really wanted to capture “us” authentically when designing and planning.”

The wedding weekend started with a Shabbat service and dinner, followed by a day of togetherness with loves ones from near and far a the couple’s home.  Sunday was the big day, with a morning ceremony followed by a brunch for all the guests. In the evening, the duo wrapped things up with a 5-course dinner party for their closest loved ones, featuring toasts and roasts from guests and an impromptu musical welcome speech from the grooms. The whole day was filled with so much love and laughter, beautifully captured on photo and video by Bells and Whistles Studios.

Read on for all the details in Sam and Mark’s own words…

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How We Met

Sam, and Mark, the grooms: We first met in 2009 at a guest house in Key West while both in other relationships. In 2020, Sam reached out to Mark out of the blue (both were single by then). After catching up, we discovered that, by pure coincidence, we had both made reservations at the same guest house in Key West where we originally met, a few weeks apart. The rest is history.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Kyha Studios Bride for a Modern Jewish Wedding Bringing the Spirit of Tel Aviv at Island Art and Taste – Residence, Athens Riviera, Greece

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New Yorkers Allison, a Physician Assistant in dermatology, and Shane, a dentist, originally planned to hold their Jewish wedding in Tel Aviv. Due to the war, they made the hard choice to pivot to a new destination – but we love that they brought most of their original Israeli vendors along for their July 5th, 2024 celebration at Island Art and Taste – Residence in Greece’s Athens Riviera.

Due to the change of location, Allison and Shane were unable to tour new venues themselves – but luckily they had an amazing planner, Tel Aviv-based Liad from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor LBI Productions, on their side. Liad and his team helped them work through their pivot, even doing a venue tour for them and sending tons of photos and video so Allison and Shane could make an informed decision.

In Allison’s words, “Liad Bar Ilan and his team are truly incredible and I couldn’t recommend him more. He made the planning process so smooth even with the obstacles that occurred with switching our wedding to Greece.”

We also love that Allison and Shane found their perfect ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com, featuring a blue ocean background  that reminded them of Greece and their venue.

†he couple’s photographer, Yoni of Haim Afriat & Co., captured the day exquisitely, and you can really feel the fun and joy in each of his wonderful candid shots.

 Read on for all the details in Allison’s own words!

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How We Met

Allison, the bride: We met through a mutual friend and the rest was history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Miri Couture Bride for an Ultra-Moving Jewish Wedding Bringing Light to Dark Times at Gioia Mia, Kibbutz Nachshonim, Israel

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Amidst the sorrow, anger, and heartbreak, we will never stop celebrating Jewish continuity because that is exactly what we are fighting for. Today’s real wedding is all about bringing Jewish joy into a dark time – something we could all use more than ever this week. 

Israeli couple Dalya, a data analyst, and Zach, a student and sales advisor, were originally scheduled to make things official on October 22, 2023. After October 7, they knew they had to postpone – but when their new Jewish wedding date rolled around in January, they were more focused than ever on bringing the light.

Dalya and Zach’s wedding was an emotional reunion with loved ones from abroad and friends serving in the army who got the night off to join their celebration. A highlight of the chuppah was a special prayer for the protection of the state of Israel and IDF soldiers – including Zach’s beloved brother.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman photographed the day and captured every moment of joy so perfectly. In Dalya’s words, “Herschel delivered on all fronts, capturing candid, dramatic, fun, and natural shots. He was also fantastic at improvising. On the day of our wedding, it was pouring rain, and he creatively used umbrellas to give us some of our favorite shots. He made sure the photos looked stunning despite the weather, capturing the moment and the beauty of the hall perfectly.”

This was such an incredibly special and meaningful day – in the bride’s own words,  “Being able to have a wedding during some dark times in Israel was the greatest way to show our enemies that we will always win and overcome anything they want to challenge us with.” Now over to Dalya…

Dalya-Zach-Gioia-Mia-Kibbutz-Nachshonim-Israel Dalya-Zach-Gioia-Mia-Kibbutz-Nachshonim-IsraelDalya-Zach-Gioia-Mia-Kibbutz-Nachshonim-IsraelDalya-Zach-Gioia-Mia-Kibbutz-Nachshonim-Israel
How We Met

Dalya, the bride: I moved to Herzliya, Israel on October 22, 2022. During my first weeks in Herzliya, Zach would come up and make small talk. When Chanukah arrived, Zach and his roommates hosted a community event. My roommate messaged me, asking if I was coming. I decided to join my friends at the event. There, Zach approached me, we started talking, and the rest is history. About a week into dating, Zach told me he would marry me, and little did I know that a month into our relationship, we would already be meeting each other’s parents.Continue ReadingContinue Reading