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A Classically Elegant Jewish Wedding Full of Personal Touches at the Langham Boston, Massachusetts, USA

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We love it when a couple puts their own stamp on their wedding – which is exactly what Lyndsay, a PharmD working in the biotech industry, and Eric, who works in finance, did! When planning their Boston Jewish wedding, the duo prioritized making the day a true reflection of their unique story, incorporating so many lovely personal touches and meaningful details.

How cute is it that Lyndsay and Eric put together a wedding newspaper they shared with their guests, incorporating stories, games, guest awards, and a guide to the Jewish wedding? They even brought Lyndsay’s maiden name, Golden, into their classic color scheme of white, black, and champagne gold. Don’t miss it all in the wonderful images from Lee Asher Photos!

And we’re obsessed with the couple’s seating chart, which consisted of an envelope for each guest with their name and table number containing a personalized letter. What a special way for Lyndsay and Eric to show their gratitude for the people in their life on the big day!

Read on for more in the bride’s own words…


How We Met

Lyndsay, the bride: An excerpt from our wedding day newspaper: As Eric likes to say, this love story began the ‘good old fashioned way’….with a swipe on JSwipe in 2022. Unknowingly, Lyndsay and Eric were essentially neighbors and only lived about a 7 minute walk from each other. Their first date was a simple coffee and tea outing in the Boston Seaport with their now shared corgi, Lulu.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Desert Bohemian Jewish Wedding with Circus Elements at Smoke Tree Stables, Palm Springs, California, USA

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We love a good theme wedding – and Rena and Alexander’s was doubly great, having not just one theme but two! While their venue, Smoke Tree Stables in Palm Springs (where the groom worked for over a decade), lent itself to a Western theme, they also opted to add in circus elements by hiring a stilt walker and face painter and setting up games like horseshoe and cornhole.

Rena and Alexander worked with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rabbi Leah Richman to craft a custom ketubah involving elements from her Desert Oasis Sunrise Ketubah with desert animals, such as the mule deer, big horn sheep, and California Rosy Boa snake. She also added hedgehog cactuses with blooms of deep magenta in the foreground, and in the background the San Jacinto mountains, beneath which the Smoke Tree Stables are nestled.

We love that the duo opted for an egalitarian Kabbalat Panim, where both bride and groom were surrounded by their loved ones, in separate ceremonies, to share stories and memories. Don’t miss it all in the wonderful photos by Kathleen Geiberger Art.

Now over to the bride…

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How We Met

Rena, the bride: We met on Bumble—one success story amid myriad tribulations. Alex was nervous to get on the phone, since he is often quiet when meeting someone new. However, Rena immediately put him at ease sharing stories of backpacking in places like Catalina, the Green Mountains, and her favorite pastime—finding hard-to-reach natural hot springs. For their first date, Alex drove four hours from Palm Springs—where he worked as a horse wrangler at Smoke Tree Stables—to Anaheim to meet at the Hidden House Coffee shop.

They talked for hours and decided on a second date: a moonlight hike in the Cleveland National Forest. They hiked Upper Hot Springs Canyon to Falls Trail under the full moon. Rena didn’t think to bring food, which turned out to be a good thing, as Alex had packed a charcuterie board and four types of wine since he didn’t know her preference.

From that moonlit picnic at the waterfall, Alex knew he wanted to marry Rena. From then on, he drove four hours for many more dates while Rena finished her postdoctoral position at the University of California, Irvine.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Amsale Bride for a Sunset Jewish Wedding with a Stunning Floral Chuppah at Lyndhurst Mansion, Tarrytown, New York, USA

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We are totally and completely obsessed with today’s breathtaking sunset chuppah! New Yorkers Sydney and Adam, who both work in the media industry, timed their ceremony so the sun would set at the exact moment they exchanged vows – and are the results ever stunning!

Lyndhurst Mansion, a historic estate overlooking the Hudson River in Westchester, was the perfect spot for the couple’s outdoor ceremony and tented reception – close to both bride and groom’s families, and featuring a beautiful landscape and garden. And Sydney and Adam’s exquisite floral chuppah fit the backdrop so perfectly!

When it came time to choose their photographer, the duo always knew Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Alex Knight and his team were the ones for them. Sydney had been a bridesmaid in a wedding Alex photographed and loved working with him – and that enthusiasm continued through to Sydney and Adam’s engagement shoot and the big day itself:

On a 95-degree day in September, Alex was energetic, patient, and creative — exactly what Sydney remembered, and flawlessly captured the easy love we have for each other, even while sweaty traversing through Brooklyn and Manhattan. Our wedding day was no different: the photo and video teams were so kind, and we had so much fun with our shoots around the grounds and throughout the day.

Sydney and Adam also used Alex Knight’s photo booth offering, InstaLux, which guests took full advantage of, and made a guest book where people could leave copies of their pictures along with messages for the couple. In that book, the photo team on-site also snuck in Polaroids of the bride and groom from the whole day, which was such a meaningful and heartwarming surprise for them.

We’ll let the bride fill you in on the rest of the details of this very special day…

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Sydney, the bride: We met through Bumble and worked at the same advertising agency without realizing we were only a few desk rows away. When I swiped right and saw the same company on Adam’s profile, my message to him was, “It’s a good thing we’re not on the same team, or this would be awkward.”

We met for coffee for our first date during a work day in June, and after learning more about our very similar backgrounds and love of being silly together, it was clear that we were something special. Four years later, Adam proposed in Brooklyn — close to our first home together — with his late maternal grandmother’s engagement ring.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Rainy Day Orthodox Jewish Wedding Filled with Purple and Pandas at Chicago Mitzvah Campaign and KINS of West Rogers Park, Chicago, USA

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Some couples would be dismayed by a rainy wedding day – but not Carmi and Kalman! Carmi, a behavioral therapist, and Kalman, a Medivan driver, leaned into the downpour that hit during their outdoor chuppah – so much so that the groom says the rain (which, in Jewish tradition, represents blessings to come) was his favorite part of the ceremony!

The Chicago couple kept their Orthodox Jewish wedding ultra-personal, holding their chuppah in the garden of the Chicago Mitzvah Campaign, where Kalman works; covering their chuppah with Carmi’s great-grandfather’s tallit; and incorporating lots of their favorite color, purple – and a few pandas, too, since they’re the bride’s favorite animal!

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Eliana Melmed Photography captured the day so beautifully – all the love and emotion of the day comes through in each and every shot.

Now over to the bride…  

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How We Met

Carmi, the bride: We saw each other in passing through our works and officially met at a singles event. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for a Very NYC Wedding at Temple Emanu-El and a Private Club, New York, NY, USA

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Elizabeth and Jordan, private venue, Manhattan, New York, USA

There’s no place like New York – and we love that today’s couple, Elizabeth, vice president at a bank, and Jordan, a commercial mortgage broker, made the most of the city when planning their fabulous big day.

Bride Elizabeth grew up in the city and wanted a quintessentially NYC wedding, brought out with fun details like Sex and the City-inspired signature cocktails. And then there’s the ceremony venue: Manhattan’s majestic Temple Emanu-El, which is not only a seriously stunning space but also has deep significance for Elizabeth and her family.

Elizabeth and Jordan turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Sarah Merians for photography and videography, and, in their words, “She is the best of the best so we knew we were in great hands!” Have a look at their exquisite imagery and we’re pretty sure you’ll agree.

Now over to the bride, who looked so elegant in her Monique Lhuillier gown…

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How We Met

Elizabeth, the bride: They met at a dinner on a cold winter night in NYC organized by Elizabeth’s college friend, who also happens to be Jordan’s cousin. They did not sit next to one another, although, Jordan noticed Elizabeth from the other side of the table and reached out to her after the dinner. Another group dinner was organized, until the two finally went on their first one on one date at Avra UES. At the dinner, Jordan, who was sitting across from Elizabeth asked if he could sit next to her, so mid dinner he moved his chair…the rest is history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading