Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

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

by

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

by

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

by

Carleigh-Ian-City-Winery-New-York-USA

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!

Carleigh-Ian-City-Winery-New-York-USACarleigh-Ian-City-Winery-New-York-USACarleigh-Ian-City-Winery-New-York-USACarleigh-Ian-City-Winery-New-York-USA
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

Rosh Hashanah Giveaway: Win a Gorgeous Honey Dish by Yaeli Vogel

by

With Rosh Hashanah right around the corner, we’re teaming up with iconic Jewish artist Yaeli Vogel over on our @yourjewishlife Instagram to give away this gorgeous honey dish and spoon – the perfect centerpiece for your Rosh Hashanah table!

This ceramic honey dish is from Yaeli’s High Holiday 2022 Rimon Collection that includes Jewish New Year challah covers, Simanim dishes, napkins, prayer books, and more!

Yaeli’s got such a delightful and uniquely whimsical style in the world of Judaica, and her heirloom-quality pieces are just SO special (they also make great wedding gifts!).

How to Enter

To enter all you need to do is to like our Instagram post, leave a comment with your favorite thing about Rosh Hashanah, and tag a friend. Please note you must also follow both @yourjewishlife and @yaelivogel on Instagram to be eligible to win. 

The competition is open to anyone 18 and over, wherever you are in the world, so hop on over to Instagram and get your entry in before Monday September 12 at 5 PM EST!

An Enzoani Bride for a Family-Focused Jewish Wedding with a Stuning Floral Chuppah at Offley Place, Hitchin, UK

by

The wonderful Jewish wedding of Sophie, a sustainability executive, and Daniel, a legal technologist, has so much going for it – stunning florals, a gorgeous chuppah, rockin’ music, and an exquisite venue, to name just a few things.

And we adore them all. But most of all, we love that these two made it their highest priority to make sure their big day felt like a big, welcoming community, centered on happiness, love, and family. Especially meaningful was the fact that Dan’s dad – who’d been in hospital and rehab for 8 months recovering from Covid – was able to be there, and you can just feel the emotion come through in each and every one of the photos from Jo Russell of Chiko Photography, and every frame of the epic wedding video by Max from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion.

Sophie and Daniel opted to work with a number of our beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors, including their venue, #STGvendor Offley Place – which “ticked every single one of our boxes and then some” between its welcoming staff, beautiful grounds, and accessible spaces – and #STGvendor Toastmaster Jango, who helped to ensure the day ran smoothly – and also provided invaluable assistance in the runup to the big day. They also opted to make their wedding gift list with #STGvendor The Wedding Shop, who we love for their fab selection of not only general home goods but Judaica too!

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave it to Sophie – who looked simply ravishing in Enzoani – to fill you in on the rest…


How we Met

Sophie, the bride: The story of how we met depends on who you ask! However, we can both agree we met at the University of Manchester, and have been together coming up to 10 years.Continue ReadingContinue Reading