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A Spiritual, Magical Florida Backyard Jewish Wedding Reimagined Due to COVID-19

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Today’s Jewish wedding is so unbelievably, jaw-droppingly, breathtakingly gorgeous, it’s hard to believe it wasn’t the couple’s Plan A all along. But believe it or not, bride Ganga, whose work combines counseling, astrology, ritual, and ecological design to support clients through change and loss, and Seth, a strength and conditioning coach who draws on a similarly interdisciplinary background, pulled together this intimate, impromptu wedding in the bride’s mother’s back garden after their original plans were waylaid by coronavirus.

These two had a bigger wedding at an eco-retreat all lined up – and they still plan to hold that bash, with their original lineup of vendors, next year – but when the pandemic hit, they changed their plans to this pared-down backyard celebration with a focus on spirituality.

The couple, who are both training to be inter-spiritual ministers, poured themselves into developing a ceremony that felt deeply authentic to them both, from their circling around each other to the Adon Olam, to adapting the seven blessings to reflect poems and blessings from many traditions to reciting their own vows.

We also love the thought they put into selecting their gorgeous Gingko Spiral ketubah by Temma Gentles from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com: the ginkgo has been around for over 300 million years, meaning it’s a true adaptor and survivor – just what we all need to be in these uncertain times.

And would you believe these exquisite photos were shot by a first-time wedding photographer? Ganga’s bridesmaid – the only one who was able to make it in the end – just happens to be mega-talented photographer Thais Aquino, who’s clearly a natural at weddings!

Now over to Ganga, the bride…

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How we met

Ganga, the bride: We met through my best friend who had been one of Seth’s students, on New Year’s Eve 2016. The first thing I remember asking Seth was what his intention for 2017 was, to which he replied, “just to be love.” That immediately told me we were on the same page in our approach to life, and within a few weeks we were learning how to be love, together.

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Can You Postpone a Jewish Wedding Because of Coronavirus?

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Rabbi Paul Glantz officiating Laura and Gio’s wedding

We’ve been hearing that some of our STG Brides Club members have been getting pushback from friends and family when discussing the hard decision to postpone their Jewish wedding due to COVID-19.

You may even be getting messages from well-intentioned loved ones that it’s forbidden by Jewish law to push back your wedding date. But chances are, the people giving you flack about postponing are struggling to give you a solid reason for their objections.

So we wanted to clear things up for you once and for all. We chatted with our resident expert in all things Jewish law, Rabbi Paul Glantz (who has officiated many beautiful STG real weddings),  and he says it’s 100% fine to postpone a Jewish wedding.

It’s absolutely fine to postpone a Jewish wedding for Covid-19

Although it’s true that there’s a strong custom not to postpone under normal circumstances, it’s just that: a custom. There’s absolutely nothing in halacha (Jewish law) prohibiting it. While some very strict rabbis are taking the stance that, even amidst the pandemic, Jewish weddings shouldn’t be postponed, it’s important to know that that’s a very strict interpretation. 

Rabbis who are advising couples to avoid postponing may be relying on the tradition of not delaying joyous events – which, while a strong theme in Jewish law, absolutely does not override the stronger principle of pikuach nefesh, the idea that the preservation of human life takes priority over just about all other Jewish laws and customs. Given the danger of gatherings at this time, it’s pretty clear that by waiting to hold your wedding until the pandemic has receded, you are honoring pikuach nefesh – and there’s not much more Jewish than that!

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A Noa and Ayelet Bride for a Masquerade Jewish Wedding at Beit Shmuel, Jerusalem

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In need of a little vacation from reality? We’ve got just the thing, in the form of the fantastic masquerade-themed Jewish wedding of Devorah, who (fittingly) works in theater, and Yitzchak, who works for GoDaddy and blogs on the side – where you can read his take on the wedding.  

Because they got married on Rosh Chodesh Adar – the first day of the month of Purim, they decided their theme would be masquerade. With masks as favors and candelabras wrapped in roses on every table, this wedding could not have been more atmospheric – and how great that the guests totally got into the spirit, attending in masks and dress-up items of their own. The photos and video from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor aya-avi – a husband and wife duo, with Aya on photography and Avi on videography – are truly breathtaking, and we’re not at all surprised to hear the couple have been receiving an endless stream of compliments on them.

We’re also obsessed with Devorah and Yitzchak’s chuppah – and not just because of the stunning views overlooking Jerusalem’s Old City. Devorah crafted the chuppah herself, using her beloved late grandfather’s tallit for the canopy, draped over wooden poles wrapped in roses. So simple, and so perfect.

We love that the couple, who are Orthodox and had a traditional ceremony, went out of their way to make sure some of their female guests could participate in the ceremony, with four women who’d played important roles in Devorah and Yitzchak’s relationship holding the poles of the chuppah, and a close friend serving as MC. And both bride and groom spoke under the chuppah – just goes to show that even the most traditional of ceremonies hold plenty of space for personalization.

And how awesome is it that these two crafted their ketubah together, with the groom taking charge of the calligraphy and the bride handling the artwork?

There’s so much more we could say, but we’ll let the bride – who looked stunning in her Noa and Ayelet dress – take it from here…

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HOW WE MET

Devorah, the bride: We met at a Shabbat meal of a mutual friend. I tried to get him to come see me perform, hoping I’d impress him and that would get the ball rolling. He never came to that run of the show. A few weeks later I invited him for a Shabbat meal I was hosting and we haven’t stopped talking since. He did make up for not showing up to my show. We did another run of the show a few months later and he proposed at the end of one of them!

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Real Jewish Brides: Introducing Charlotte + Adam: How They Met To The Present Day…

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Today on the blog we’re introducing our latest gorgeous crop of 2020 / 2021 Real Jewish Brides! Please give a warm welcome to Charlotte, who will be marrying Adam on 25th April 2021 at Swynford Manor in Newmarket, UK.

THREE FACTS: (1) Adam proposed to Charlotte on holiday in Cyprus (2) Charlotte and Adam met at work in London (3) Charlotte is a member of STG Brides Club!

CHARLOTTE AND ADAM

How we met

Adam, the groom to be, and I met in October 2014 when I was working in London. Things had been a little chaotic and my manager at the time recruited an advisor to come and provide support to the company on a temporary basis. One day my manager came to me and said, “I bought you a present”. Me being me (who loves a present!) got incredibly excited only to find out it was a person, the advisor.

Filled with utter disappointment I wasn’t bought a present I met this man, Adam. Aim of the day was to get to know the business so; he rolled up his sleeves and helped me work. While I was handling various issues Adam questioned me on my plans for the weekend, telling me he had to travel back to Southampton ready for a blind date. Later I would find out this was his poor effort to determine if I was single.

While I continued to work he found a post-it note, wrote his number on it, gave it to me and left! Adam effectively being my boss made me unsure so after many coffee dates and waffles with best friend Natalie (and bridesmaid to be!) I text him on January 14th 2015!

Charlotte Adam

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A Millanova Bride for a Destination Jewish Wedding with a View at Olmaya, Jerusalem, Israel

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Who’s ready to book a flight to Israel as soon as lockdown ends? Team STG definitely is, and you just might be too after you finish drooling over Lauren and Anthony’s stunner of a Jewish wedding.

The London-based pair picked their venue Olmaya, based on its breathtaking views of the Old City of Jerusalem – which just happens to be the place these two became friends AND got engaged. Best chuppah backdrop ever, or best chuppah backdrop ever? We’re pretty sure you’re going to be just as obsessed with the incredible photos by Haim Afriat and video by Avichai Weschsler as we are.

We’re also in love with Lauren’s gorgeous Millanova dress, which she found at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Wedding Club’s Birmingham location. The bride had spotted her dream dress on Instagram three years before the big day – before she even got engaged – but, Millanova not being a widely available brand in the UK, was struggling to track the style down until she found out about a trunk show at The Wedding Club – and the rest is history!

Lauren loved the lace fishtail gown just as much as she hoped she would, and she can’t stop raving about her fab experience working with the team at The Wedding Club. In her own words, “I looked forward to every fitting, and wish I could go there every day as it was honestly the best experience.” Lauren capped her look off with a sleek high ponytail (perfect for that Israeli heat!) styled by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Yonatan Yaeish, who not only totally got the bride’s vision but also made sure her ‘do didn’t budge all day.

Over to you Lauren!

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How we met

Lauren, the bride: I work in marketing in a Jewish charity and Anthony is a director of fundraising and development at a Jewish charity. We met at the JLE, but became friends on a trip to Israel. It was on a balcony overlooking the Kotel where the journey began, and the journey is never ending.

We got engaged on a balcony overlooking the Kotel too, and the next day after the wedding, we took all our guests to the Kotel for a special Kotel experience, we had musicians, a hand held chuppah and danced and sung our way to the Kotel, it was very special.

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