Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

The Jewish Joy Journal (my new book) is here!

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TODAY IS THE DAY! You can now pre-order my book – the Jewish Joy Journal – the perfect daily practice to feel happy, connected, and confident from the inside out.

Part goal planner, part gratitude journal, part non-judgmental Jewish BFF, this journal will fill your life with daily joy, purpose, and nourishing Jewish values.

And there are some amazing strictly limited edition FREE bonus gifts for those who get in early including this set of five Jewish Joy postcards!. First come, first served:

 

This 6 month journal is designed to help you connect more deeply with your Jewish identity, achieve your goals, and live a more fulfilling, joy-filled life.

The Jewish Joy Journal will help you:

  • ✔ Reconnect with who you truly are – Jewishly, professionally, and personally
  • ✔ Feel happier and more resilient
  • ✔ Plan and track progress towards your biggest goals (great for wedmin!)

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A Mirror Mirror Bride for an Ultra-Romantic Jewish Wedding on the Beach at Caesar Yam, Caesarea, Israel

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Get ready to be blown away by today’s Jewish wedding – absolutely everything about Leanne and Mottie’s big day is pure #weddinggoals, from their incredible venue RIGHT on the beach in Israel (don’t miss their chuppah!) to the ultra-romantic photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ori Carmi Photography to Leanne’s exquisite gown found at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Mirror Mirror in London – bridal style doesn’t get any more classically elegant than this!

Leanne and Motttie were initially supposed to marry in summer 2020 – and while they didn’t end up making things official until 2022 thanks to the pandemic, we’re pretty sure you’ll agree that the finished product was more than worth the wait. So was Leanne’s beautiful Mirror Mirror gown in London – she fell in love with the dress at first sight just after getting engaged back in 2020, and two years later she adored it just as much!

And we haven’t even gotten into the sheer perfection that is Ori Carmi Photography! His photos are the perfect blend of authentic emotion and good old wedding day glitz – and of course he did a fab job capturing the breathtaking setting too. Leanne and Mottie can’t stop raving about their photos – and neither would we!

We’ll let the couple take it from here…

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How we Met

Mottie, the groom: We met on Instagram! Leanne was a bridesmaid at a wedding of a mutual friend and when I saw a picture of them, I asked my friend who Leanne was as I thought she was gorgeous. I sent her a message and that was that. We made Aliya together in 2020 and both work in HiTech now, Leanne in finance and myself in sales.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for a Glam Jewish Wedding on the Bosphorus at the Four Seasons, Istanbul, Turkey

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Ezgi and Benjamin, Four Seasons, Istanbul, Turkey

Today we’re so thrilled to be featuring Smashing The Glass’s first ever wedding in Turkey! And we couldn’t have asked for a better introduction than the fabulous Jewish wedding of Ezgi, an associate director of analytics, and Benjamin, a senior technical business development manager.

The couple, who live in NYC, are frequent visitors to Ezgi’s hometown of Istanbul – and for their big day, they wanted to showcase the city they love. And did they ever go all out! From their venue choice of the Four Seasons, where they were able to wed against the iconic backdrop of the Bosphorus, to  the way they incorporated elements of Turkish culture into their décor (not to mention their epic wedding welcome bags), to their exquisite custom invitations featuring Turkish motifs and a map of Istanbul, Ezgi and Benjamin left no detail unattended.

And we are totally and completely obsessed with their fabulous mirrored chuppah! Swathed in blue and white floral arrangements, reflecting the turquoise waters of the Bosphorus at sunset in the background – chuppahs don’t get much better than this! Don’t miss Puci Wedding Story’s exquisite photos.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll turn you over to Ezgi – who looked so glam in Pronovias – for the rest…

Ezgi and Benjamin, Four Seasons, Istanbul, TurkeyEzgi and Benjamin, Four Seasons, Istanbul, TurkeyEzgi and Benjamin, Four Seasons, Istanbul, TurkeyEzgi and Benjamin, Four Seasons, Istanbul, Turkey
How we Met

Ezgi, the bride: We met on campus at the University of Pennsylvania, where we both went to college. One lucky weekday night, we were both pulled into planning a midnight birthday party for one of our mutual friends. Benjamin walked into Ezgi’s dorm room with his big radiant smile and introduced himself.

As we started decorating the room for the birthday girl’s arrival and started chatting, Ezgi was really taken by his confidence, intellectual curiosity, and positive energy; she asked their mutual friends to set them up on a date. Benjamin had a good feeling about Ezgi as well; he thought she was beautiful even in the old lounge clothes she wore on the day they met, and could tell she was a kind soul only after spending a few hours with her. So he said yes. The rest is history.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Paloma Blanca Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding at the Intercontinental Hotel Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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Stephanie-Mitchell-International-Buckhead-Georgia-USA

Today’s gorgeous Jewish wedding is 100% pure classic elegance, and we are here for it! Atlanta couple Stephanie and Mitchell had the absolute dreamiest glitzy ballroom wedding in white and gold. Combine that with some seriously glam florals in white, an uber-chic gown by Paloma Blanca, and magazine worthy photos from The Decisive Moment and you’ve got it all.

Oh, and did we mention the couple’s beautiful ketubah, which they found on Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com? We adore the contemporary design featuring serene blues, and we’re also obsessed with the fact that Stephanie and Mitchell opted to have their grandparents – his grandmother and her grandfather – sign the ketubah as witnesses. What an incredibly special moment that must have been!

There’s so much more to say about this exquisite wedding, but we’ll leave it to the bride to fill you in on the details…

Stephanie-Mitchell-International-Buckhead-Georgia-USAStephanie-Mitchell-International-Buckhead-Georgia-USAStephanie-Mitchell-International-Buckhead-Georgia-USAStephanie-Mitchell-International-Buckhead-Georgia-USA
How we Met

Stephanie, the bride: I was a medical assistant and he was a patient. Two of my friends said in the past we would make a great match and by fate he ended up being a patient where I worked. We got engaged at Piedmont Park – he told me his boss was in town and wanted our dogs to meet at the park. I also needed to look presentable. I had no idea!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Martina Liana Bride for a Very NYC Jewish Wedding, City Winery, New York, USA

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There’s no place like New York City. And we could not be more obsessed with the way today’s couple, Carleigh, a law student, and Ian, a financial reporter, channeled that Big Apple energy into their fabulous Jewish wedding.

For these two city dwellers, there was never any question that they’d get married anywhere but NYC. And their venue, City Winery, was the perfect spot to highlight the city’s energy (don’t miss the wonderful photos by Tiffany) – plus, it happens to be set in a stunning spot on the water. Naturally, Carleigh found her Martina Liana gown at Kleinfeld, THE quintessential New York bridal spot. And at the end of the night, the duo made their grand exit in a vintage NYC yellow cab.

We also love Carleigh and Ian’s commitment to making sure every aspect of their wedding was 100% “them” – from swapping out the traditional Seven Circles, in favor of each walking three around the other and then one together, to giving out packs of baseball cards during cocktail hour in honor of Ian’s baseball card collection, to opting for a stunning custom ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor BritColors incorporating a Torah verse with personal meaning.

This was such an incredibly special day, and we hope you’ll read on to hear the rest in Carleigh’s own words!

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How we Met

Carleigh, the bride: We met like any good millennial couple does these days: on Tinder. It may not have been love at first swipe… but we instantly had a good banter going, built largely on our shared experiences working in media. We both worked for our college newspapers, Carleigh at Duke, and Ian at the University of Pennsylvania.Continue ReadingContinue Reading