Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog - Page 46 of 402

A Jewish Wedding with a Fabulous Floral Chuppah at Hummingbird Nest Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

29/01/2024 by Karen Cinnamon

Justine, a medical resident, and David, who works in finance, got married at one of our very favorite outdoor Jewish wedding venues, Hummingbird Nest Ranch. Focusing on the natural beauty of their California setting, the duo let their venue take the lead, choosing neutrals and earth tones to complement their surroundings.

This included an absolute stunner of a floral chuppah – don’t miss it in the dreamy photos by Joe Silva – and a gorgeous nature-inspired custom ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Meirav Finn, which Justine and David now proudly display in their home.

We also love some of the fun touches the pair incorporated into their day, like opting for had charcuterie board-style platters on each table instead of individually plated dinners, and an afterparty by the pool featuring hookahs, a cigar bar, and paninis!

Read on for the rest of the story in Justine’s own words…

How We Met

Justine, the bride: We met in New York while I was in Medical School there. David was in town for work and a mutual friend introduced us.Continue Reading

Win a Stay in Kosher Paradise at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, the Caribbean’s Ultimate Jewish Wedding Destination

23/01/2024 by Karen Cinnamon

If you’ve been here awhile, you know how obsessed I am with Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in the Bahamas. Team STG member Sam couldn’t stop raving about her epic weekend visit, and I just love the fact that there’s now a luxury hotel in one of the most gorgeous spots in the Caribbean that’s SO perfect for Jewish weddings.

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is the only luxury hotel in the Caribbean offering in-house kosher catering for your big day, kosher wedding specialists on hand to help you every step of the way, on-site kosher restaurants, and even the option to cater a kosher Shabbat dinner for your guests before or after the main event. And that’s before we even get to the pristine white sands, crystal-clear water, blue skies, and flamingos (more about that later).

I’m absolutely thrilled to offer you a chance to win three nights’ stay for two at the Caribbean’s hottest Jewish wedding destination, so you can experience it all for yourself!

The dreamiest destination in the Caribbean

Surrounded by gorgeous beaches, tranquil water, and warm sun, Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is the perfect setting for a stunning wedding weekend where you and your loved ones can get away from it all to celebrate the big day distraction-free. And it’s just a few hours’ flight from the East Coast of the US, with nonstop flights available from many US cities.

It’s a truly epic destination for an unforgettable Jewish wedding in tropical paradise, and I’m so excited that we’ve teamed up with Grand Hyatt Baha Mar to offer one lucky couple (you can be single with a plus one, engaged or married to enter) a chance to experience the luxuries of the hotel, including:

A three-night stay in a standard king room
A $200 gift certificate for one dinner at Cinko Asian Latino Grill, Grand Hyatt Baha Mar’s kosher restaurant
Site tour available upon request
Total value = $2600

A Jewish Wedding at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is a truly one-of-a-kind venue for a Jewish wedding. There’s no place else in this kind of lush Caribbean setting that makes it SO easy to throw a kosher wedding.

Grand Hyatt Bahar Mar perfectly combines local color (literally – you can even have the hotel’s friendly flock of pink flamingos join you for a meet and greet during your cocktail hour!) with classic luxury, incorporating the culture and spirit of the Bahamas while attending to all the nuances that make Jewish weddings special.

When you (and your guests!) need a little downtime, you can take advantage of the resort’s eight exquisite pools, get cozy in a private poolside cabana, or enjoy spa treatments at the 30,000-square-foot ESPA at Baha Mar – and for those seeking more active pursuits, there’s golf, water sports, a luxe beachfront waterpark, cooking classes, and so much more.

Spectacular Service every step of the way

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar’s kosher wedding specialist handles all the details to elevate your wedding, from helping you build Jewish and cultural traditions into your day to private Shabbat dinners overlooking the ocean.

You’ll receive a full range of unparalleled services to help you personalize your Jewish wedding your way, and you’ll have help with all the details that will elevate your day, from helping you select decor and vendors to delivering gift bags and late-night snacks. Continue Reading

A Joyful, Multicultural Bedouin-Jewish Wedding at Bustan, Abu Ghosh, Israel

22/01/2024 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s very special wedding showcases Israel at its absolute best – its beauty, its diversity, its abundance of beautiful traditions, and, above all, the spirit of its people. Bride Ari, a freelance writer is a Sephardic Jew who made aliyah from the US, while groom Angelo, who’s in the process of becoming a detective with the Israeli Police, is Bedouin – and their wedding was all about blending their two cultures into a heartfelt (and stylish!) celebration of their love for each other, their friends and families, and Israel.

The merging of these two cultures was beautiful, but it wasn’t easy. While it was important to them to have Jewish ceremony, they weren’t able to have a Rabbinute wedding, so they turned to the organization Havaya to find an officiant who helped them craft an utra-personal ceremony. As for aesthetics, in Ari’s words, the couple’s theme was “trying to find ways to include both of our cultures in a way that didn’t look like the Ottoman Empire threw up all over the place.”

To quote the couple,

Absolutely none of this would have been possible (including the general maintaining of our sanity) without our amazing wedding planner, Yana from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Craspedia Events. I think a lot of people say that about their wedding planner but they can’t possibly mean it as much as we do. It’s not easy being a mixed couple and all the drama that dredges up while wedding planning. Yana truly helped us navigate every step of the way and we are endlessly grateful to her and now she’s stuck with us forever.

This wedding was so full of ultra-personal touches it’s hard to know where to start – but one thing we adore is Ari and Angelo’s choice to stand under their chuppah wrapped in a shmakh (Bedouin keffiyeh), to represent the bringing together of their two cultures – and instead of the traditional red or black color scheme, they went for blue to represent Judaism and their love of Israel. Don’t miss it in the incredible photos by Yarin Taranos.

Now over to Ari…

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How We Met

Ari, the bride: We met in 2017 during just a random night out. Ari made plans to go out with a friend she bartended with and that friend brought his work friends, including Angelo. We both remember making a note of the date because it felt important. Continue Reading

Why a Wedding Podcast Is the New Must-Have Jewish Wedding Keepsake

17/01/2024 by Karen Cinnamon

If you’re engaged, you’re almost certainly planning to book a professional photographer. You may well be looking for a videographer to capture your day in live action, too. But have you considered a wedding podcast?

Even if you’re an avid podcast listener, chances are you haven’t considered recording your own. But wedding podcasts are a new way to capture those precious wedding memories, from the beginning of your love story all the way through to the big day.

And we love that Story Locker, a one-of-a-kind UK podcast recording service, has made it so easy and accessible for couples to craft a personal one-off podcast celebrating their love. It’s the perfect souvenir to cherish for years to come – and to share with family and friends so they can take part in all the love and joy of this exciting moment in your lives together – and they’ve got a special 15% discount for members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

Why Record a Wedding Podcast?

A wedding podcast is a fabulous new tool to capture the excitement and warm memories of your engagement and wedding. It’s a perfect complement to your wedding photography and videography, as unlike those more traditional means of capturing your special day, a wedding podcast allows you to capture more than just your wedding day itself.

On your wedding podcast, you’ll have the chance to tell the whole story of your relationship from the very beginning. It’s a new and unique way to create a digital legacy in your own voice, one you’ll cherish for years to come.

How It Works

With Story Locker, you can record a studio-quality personal podcast, recorded with a professional interviewer – no experience or access to cutting-edge recording equipment required!

First off, you can choose whether you want to record your podcast before the big day, with a focus on your story as a couple from first date to engagement and wedding planning, or after, which means you’ll be able to include memories of your wedding day itself, too.

You’ll also have a chance to decide whether you’d like to record a 45-, 60-, or 90-minute podcast.

Then, you’ll get to choose one of Story Locker’s top-tier professional interviewers – who’ve worked at the BBC, Radio One, The Guardian, ITV, Channel, 4, Heart FM, Sky, Netflix, Capital FM and more – to record with you. You’ll have a chance to schedule a 30-minute video call with your chosen interviewer so you can get to know each other prior to recording.

You’ll record your wedding podcast from the comfort of your own home (you’ll need a laptop or a desktop PC with either a Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser), and Story Locker will send you a studio microphone and headsets (which are yours to keep). A tech producer will ensure quality and attention to detail.

Then, the best part: you’ll receive your very own professionally edited wedding podcast, complete with a curated music overlay, plus two soundbites from your podcast to share on your socials! Your podcast will be stored safely in your own Story Locker, along with show notes and photos illustrating your love story.

You’ll have the opportunity to make changes to the recording if you wish – and once it’s all finalized, you’ll be able to share your podcast with friends and family, via a dedicated QR code Story Locker will supply.

An Alyssa Kristin Bride for a Very NYC Jewish Wedding Inspired by Art Deco and Old Hollywood at Carnegie Hill, New York, USA

15/01/2024 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s Jewish wedding is just so quintessentially NYC, and we are obsessed! Kara is the Sr. Manager of Video Programming Operations at Vogue & British Vogue, and Ian, who’s in property management, adore the city, and their choice of Carnegie Hall as their venue allowed it to play a starring role.

The couple dreamed of a chic, elegant day inspired by Art Deco and Old Hollywood – with a few musical odes to Carnegie Hall thrown in for good measure. Their amazing planner, Andrea from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nylux Events, brought the vision to life SO perfectly – Laura Huertas captured all the details exquisitely in her photos.

We’re in love with Kara and Ian’s minimalist, architectural chuppah – and we love that they chose to sign their ketubah, which they purchased from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com, in front of all their guests right before the ceremony began!

There’s so much more to say about this fab day – we’ll leave it to Kara, who could not have looked chicer in her Alyssa Kristin gown, to tell you all about it…