Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

‘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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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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A super cool and creative, colourful Jewish wedding at Middle Street Synagogue, and The Grand, Brighton, UK

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Oh my goodness. Where on earth do I start with this wedding?! It’s such fun, and it’s just bursting at the seams with creative details that will make you squeal. Seriously — it’s that good!

There are gold pineapples, the most exquisitely branded stationery (all designed by the bride), an enchanting alternative to a guest book, bridesmaids in the most epic shade of coral, a personalised head-in-hole board (a must-have when your wedding is by the English seaside!) and beautifully designed welcome bag totes (again designed by bride) filled with Brighton Rock, fish & chips shaped crackers, and all sorts of other seaside-themed treats.

It’s clear from looking at all of the delicious details in this big day that Danielle poured her heart and soul into all of the planning. Everything was evidently created with the greatest care and love, and, not surprisingly, her wedding features some of my much-loved Smashing Suppliers doing an AMAZING job.

I’m talking about Jonny Mosesson (their incredible chazan under the chuppah —who also was the chazan at my wedding!) and Stephanie Allin, Danielle’s sensational wedding dress designer, who bizarrely enough, designed my wedding dress too! Danielle says, “I hope that anyone reading this who likes the sound of anything we did gets in touch with our vendors because they made our day so incredible — they were absolutely brilliant.”

This wedding is literally the perfect mix of Jewish tradition and super cool creativity and I think you’re going to love it. I certainly did!

Oh, and their ‘How We Met’ story is beyond… their mums set them up!!

All of the laughter was captured by one of my favourite photographers, Kristian Leven, making a very welcome debut on STG today. 

Take it away Danielle!

Jewish wedding Brighton
how we met

Our mums set us up. Yes, it’s true!

They knew each other when they were kids growing up in Leeds and then happened to be seated together at a wedding two years ago. They figured out that they both had kids the same age. Who were single. My mum had had a few too many cocktails and so Gideon’s mum, someone who will never take no for an answer, ended up going home with my phone number! When I spoke to my mum about the wedding the next day, she never mentioned it because she never thought he would call. And he didn’t. But he texted! And the rest is history!

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“My best Jewish wedding photo” by Ronen Boidek

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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 Ronen Boidek.

Ronen-Boidek

‘The look in her eyes’ by Ronen Boidek

I love black and white photos in general, but this photo in particular I love for many reasons. The low depth of field brings you into the photo and the emotion of the moment. I love the look in her eyes, and how the sharpness of her face stands out in contrast to the softness of the background..”

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