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

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Justine-and-David-Hummingbird-Nest-Ranch-Simi-Valley-CA-USA

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…

Justine-and-David-Hummingbird-Nest-Ranch-Simi-Valley-CA-USA Justine-and-David-Hummingbird-Nest-Ranch-Simi-Valley-CA-USAJustine-and-David-Hummingbird-Nest-Ranch-Simi-Valley-CA-USAJustine-and-David-Hummingbird-Nest-Ranch-Simi-Valley-CA-USA
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 ReadingContinue Reading

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

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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 ReadingContinue Reading

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

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Ari and Angelo, Bustan in Abu Ghosh, Israel

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…

Ari and Angelo, Bustan in Abu Ghosh, IsraelAri and Angelo, Bustan in Abu Ghosh, Israel Ari and Angelo, Bustan in Abu Ghosh, IsraelAri and Angelo, Bustan in Abu Ghosh, Israel
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 ReadingContinue Reading

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

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Kara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USA

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…

Kara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USA Kara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USAKara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USA Kara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USAHow We Met

Kara, the bride: We met in college, no crazy story 🙂Continue ReadingContinue Reading

The Top 10 Must-Have Jewish Wedding Photos

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Jewish weddings are so full of memorable moments. The emotion, the tradition, the energy, and above all, the love – there’s just so much Jewish joy in the air. And your wedding photos are the thing that allows you to preserve all that joy for a lifetime. But with so much going on, how do you make sure all the most essential bits get captured for posterity?

I sat down with Liam and Stam from Liam Collard Photography, the international award-winning London-based wedding photographers behind some truly unforgettable STG weddings, to pick out the top 10 must-have shots for your Jewish wedding album – the bare-bones basic ones you absolutely, 100% don’t want to be without. 

Liam and Stam have photographed Jewish weddings around the world in their trademark creative documentary style, and their years of experience mean they’re perfectly primed to share their expertise on how to make sure all those individual moments come together to form a carefully crafted narrative of your day in a way that’s compelling, emotional, and totally you. So without further ado, let’s get to the photos!

                

The Tisch

The tisch is where the groom’s party gathers to celebrate before the ceremony. It’s a time of joy, tradition, and often lively singing and dancing. Liam and Stam love capturing candid, documentary-style shots of the heartfelt speeches, camaraderie, and powerful emotions.

The Ketubah

The moment when the couple (or in some instances just the groom) signs the traditional Jewish marriage contract is such a powerful testament to the sacred commitment you’re making to each other. Liam and Stam note that this moment lends itself to gorgeous images with soft, intimate lighting and thoughtful composition.

The Badeken

We hear time and time again that this is one of THE most emotional Jewish wedding moments, and it’s easy to see why. There’s nothing like the moment when the groom covers his bride’s face with a veil – especially if the couple have spent the past 24 hours, or even longer, apart per Jewish tradition – and you want to make sure you choose a photographer who’s equipped to capture the narrative of this moving ritual. 

The Chuppah

Naturally you’ll want photos of the two of you standing under the chuppah – the focal point of the Jewish wedding ceremony. The beautiful symbolism of the chuppah as the new home you and your love are building together, the emotional connection, and the beauty of the chuppah structure itself all lend themselves to stunning images that beautifully encapsulate the essence of your ceremony.

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