Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

“My best Jewish wedding photo” by Elissa R

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A weekly series where  I ask some of the world’s best wedding photographers to pick out their favourite shot from their Jewish wedding portfolio. This week it’s the turn of Elissa from  Elissa R Photography.

Elissa R Photography

‘Emotions’ by Elissa R

It’s been several years since I photographed this wedding — and, truth be told, it was the first Jewish wedding that I ever shot!  But this image is still one of my favourites. The couple folded 1000 paper cranes together, and you can see garlands of them hanging off the tree. The sun filtered through the giant oak tree branches so beautifully. And even though it’s a far-away shot, I love how you can get a sense of the emotion in the photo: the rabbi’s embrace, the couple’s heads touching, and everyone’s attention focused on them in the centre.   “

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Rafaela & Erez | DIY wedding at Hatira Castle, Kibbutz Ga’ash, Israel

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KIBBUTZ-GAASH-WEDDING
Pretty handmade  details, freshly picked wild flowers,  and a wedding dress  designed and made by the talented bride feature in this morning’s wedding all the way from Kibbutz Ga’ash in Israel.

Rafaela  is one super cool bride with great taste and very creative hands! I love how she  incorporated her and Erez’s names into their chuppah and  did  you know that she not only designed her dress, but also her bag, hair accessories, and all six of the bridesmaid dresses too!

The gorgeous  images come from one of my much-loved Smashing Suppliers,  Dror Einav, who’s captured all of the love and details, and  with a great sense of humour too. Take it away, Rafaela…

Kibbutz Ga'ash wedding
A garden venue in a castle

Rafaela, the Bride:  We wanted a beautiful garden venue, but  food and indoor air-conditioned dancing was also important to us. When we stumbled across  Hatira  (which means ‘castle’ in Hebrew), we knew it was the one. The place was gorgeous, with fantastic  acoustics and delicious food and we said yes on the spot!

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‘Old Hollywood’ destination Jewish wedding at The Great Synagogue of Florence and Villa Di Maiano, Florence, Italy

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Jewish-wedding-Florence
Olivia and Jacob  are one seriously hot couple  —  I mean just  look at  David Bastianoni‘s gorgeous  images of them both… And it gets even better. They chose a wedding theme of  50’s / Old Hollywood glamour meets The Godfather. Off the scale, right?!

Both  Londoners,  (they met 7 years ago at Nottingham University) the bride and groom opted  to marry in Florence, as that’s where Jacob proposed to Olivia. They chose the  breathtaking  Great Synagogue of Florence followed by a magnificent party at  Villa Di Maiano,  and their big day is every bit as glamorous and romantic as you’d expect. There’s an  immense  chuppah made from gypsophila, pretty blush  pink roses  and candles, beautifully ornate calligraphic decor, a classic convertible  wedding car, a mille-feuille wedding cake constructed in front of the guests, a phenomenal firework display… I could go on and on  and on!

As you’d expect, our bride and groom look impeccable stylish too — Olivia  in a beautifully cut bespoke  Suzanne Neville gown (based on a design that her and her  mother created), and Jacob  in a bespoke suit by  Cad and the Dandy. It’s a super chic  wedding, full of  panache, and lots and lots of heart.

Not only do we have the insane  images by STG fave,  David Bastianoni,  but we also have the 8mm film by  Marriage à  la Mode.Jewish wedding Florence
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“My best Jewish wedding photo” by Casey Brodley

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A weekly series where  I ask some of the world’s best wedding photographers to pick out their favourite shot from their Jewish wedding portfolio. This week it’s the turn of  Casey Brodley.

casey-brodley

‘Elated’ by Casey Brodley

This photo was taken immediately following the first kiss after the chuppah. Both Charley and Amanda were so over the moon elated that they had just tied the knot, and Charley, overcome with emotion, grabbed Amanda’s hand and kissed it as they made their way out of the ceremony. He had tears of joy streaming down his cheeks, and Amanda had the biggest smile on her face.

Candid moments like this are the reason I shoot weddings, and the reason I believe it’s important to hire a good photographer. Even though there are many other photos from this wedding that are technically “better” photographs, not one stands up to the emotion you get from this single image. I know Charley and Amanda can look at this picture and relive that moment. And others who see it– whether you know the couple or not– are able to see and feel the intense love these two have for each other. And that’s all that really matters to me as a photographer. “

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How To Have The Most Fun On The Dance Floor At Your Jewish Wedding

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Jewish-Wedding-Dancing
Top image: Kelly Kollar Photography, taken from Ava & Josh’s Art deco-inspired  Jewish wedding
All other images:  Laura DeBourde Photography, taken from Amy  &  Steve’s Jewish wedding

I have to hand it to Steve, my husband — he knows how to set priorities when it comes to wedding planning. We got married last month, and he didn’t care too much about many of the little details — talk of place cards and napkin rings didn’t garner much interest. But when it came to planning our wedding reception (or party, as we liked to call it), he knew exactly what he wanted.

We both love to dance and often host parties at our flat — friends end up dancing in the kitchen, the living room and even the hallway. Music was always going to be an important part of our big day. When we first started talking about what kind of party we wanted to have, Steve said it was important to him to invest our money in three things —

  1. A groovy dance floor to complement our largely 70’s, 80’s and 90’s playlist
  2. A band or/and D.J. that we respected
  3. Lighting to create a party mood

Jewish wedding dancing
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