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A Naeem Khan Bride for a Cozy, Outdoorsy Jewish Wedding at The Hideout, Kirkwood, California, USA

21/06/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

We love it when a couple isn’t afraid to do their Jewish wedding their own way – after all, helping couples do just that is really at the core of our mission. So naturally we were psyched when Kathleen and Carter’s wedding popped up in our inboxes.

These two knew their priority was a warm celebration with their loved ones, minus the stress that can so easily dominate wedding planning. They also knew they wanted to honor the groom’s love of the outdoors.

So they went right for the stuff that mattered to them and scrapped what didn’t when crafting their super fun wedding weekend at rustic venue The Hideout, in the mountains just outside Tahoe, full of hot chocolate, giant lawn games, and – above all – plenty of quality time with the couple’s nearest and dearest.Photographer Lindsey Gomes captured the wedfest in all its cozy glory.

We love that the wedding party made breakfast together in the lodge on the morning of the wedding, and Kathleen took the DIY approach to her own and her bridesmaids’ hair and makeup, “because I wanted everyone to be relaxed and feel like they were just getting ready with friends.” The best!

Another thing we love? The couple’s gorgeous ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tallulah Ketubahs, inspired by the breathtaking mountain setting.

There’s so much more we could say about this fab, laid-back wedding, but before we hand you over to the bride (who looked simply smashing in Naeem Khan), we’ll leave you with one last tidbit: she and Carter opted to exchange vows to each other in private on the morning of the wedding before saying them in front of their guests during the ceremony so they could have that special moment together, just the two of them. Awwwww!

A Wedding in the Mountains

Kathleen, the bride: Carter is a consummate outdoorsman, and he has slowly but surely brought me into his world (I own a backpacking pack, a pair of skis, and climbing shoes, to name just a few new acquisitions since we started dating!), so it was a goal of mine to find a venue and plan a wedding that he would be super excited about – and that’s exactly what happened!

I knew it needed to be outdoors, remote, preferably in the mountains because that’s his happy place. The Hideout was exactly that – secluded, breathtaking, unique, and just outside Tahoe. Carter loved it as soon as I brought him on the first visit.

A Grace Loves Lace Bride for a Laid-Back Garden Jewish Wedding at Holly Farm, Carmel, California, USA

17/06/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Sometimes it’s the things that don’t go to plan at a wedding that make the best memories. That’s what happened at the beautiful Jewish wedding of Martina and Rob (how cute is their hashtag, #cromerhitahomer?).

Obviously, there’s a ton here that DID go to plan. I mean, can we talk about this venue?! Straight up tropical garden paradise. Flowers and greenery for daaays. It’s truly a one of a kind space – Martina says she felt like she was in an alternate universe, and we totally get it.

And the couple’s chuppah? Pure magic. Trust us, you don’t want to miss the breathtaking photos from One Love Photography.

We’re totally obsessed with the bride’s ethereal, boho dress from Grace Loves Lace – such a perfect fit for the venue, and it looks ridiculously light and comfortable, too.

There were a few mishaps along the way – the ceremony starting without the bride, Martina’s father stepping on the back of her dress as he walked her down the unexpectedly narrow aisle – but we love that Martina’s response was to laugh it off. In her words, “The ceremony faux pas became some of the best and most talked-about moments over the course of the weekend and I could not be happier about it. Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.”

Take it away, Martina!

Theme

Martina, the bride: The spirit of our wedding was all about togetherness. We have an incredible love story that spans over a decade – we wanted our guests to get caught up in it and become a part of our story. We kept it light and fun and full of good humor and romance. Of course it didn’t hurt that we were surrounded by gorgeous flowers and scenery. It was impossible not to feel like something really special was happening. Perfect!

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for a Glam Jewish Wedding at The Pierre Hotel, NYC, USA

10/06/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

We love it when a couple lets the location of their Jewish wedding inspire their choices for the big day. And today’s wonderful couple, Jessica and Jonathan, did just that. First off, they chose NYC’s iconic The Pierre Hotel as their venue, and let the city chic vibes set the stage for their aesthetic.

Then there’s the swoon-worthy portrait session in Central Park with Nate from The Day capturing the glorious scenery (not to mention the glam couple!) photographically and Reuben Hernandez from The Day on video.

Jessica and Jonathan even made “best of NYC” welcome picnic baskets for their out-of-town guests, filled with favorites like Le Colombe coffee, rosé wine, Murray’s cheese snacks, and black and white cookies.

And while this has nothing to do with NYC, we love how they had their orchestra arrange customized music for each person walking down the aisle, to evoke their meaning to the couple, or a special memory. So special!

We’ll let Jessica, who looked stunning in her soft, romantic Monique Lhullier gown, fill you in on

The Pierre

Jessica, the bride: We got married at The Pierre Hotel in New York City. We are both originally east coasters with the majority of our family living in New York and Connecticut so figured NYC was not only logistically easiest but we also loved the idea of getting married in the city we call home.

We chose The Pierre as the venue because Jessica’s grandfather always said it’s the best and papa knows best! Also, we love the French flair of the hotel and even though it is an iconic New York City hotel, it very much felt like a private, intimate venue.

A Pronovias Bride for a Rustic Destination Jewish Wedding at Topnotch Resort, Stowe, Vermont, USA

03/06/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

A destination Jewish wedding doesn’t have to take place thousands of miles from home to have a seriously big impact. For evidence, see the gorgeous rustic wedding of Erica, a content manager in the pharmaceutical industry and adjunct professor in business communications, and Jared, an electrical engineer.

They knew they wanted an intimate wedding that would allow their family and friends – who hadn’t spent much time together due to living far apart – to really get to know each other. So they opted to host #GordonWeddinGetaway in Vermont’s breathtaking Green Mountains – far enough away from their home in Philadelphia to qualify as a bona fide destination while still accessible to their guests.

We love that Erica and Jared really focused on keeping everything low key and fun for their 45 guests, and never lost sight of their ultimate goal for the wedding weekend: connecting with their nearest and dearest – and allowing their family and friends a chill couple of days to connect with each other, too! And based on the wonderful photos from Jesse Schloff Photography, it seems to have gone exactly to plan.

One of our biggest goals here at STG is to make sure all brides (and grooms) to be are able to craft a wedding day (or weekend!) that’s exactly how they want it to be – and we’re so excited to be launching our first-ever FREE Jewish Wedding Planning Bootcamp, starting TODAY, Monday, June 3! It’s going to be full of tips and tools for creating the wedding of your dreams, stress-free (or just about), and it’s not too late to sign up!

Now over to the bride, who looked exquisite in her off-the-shoulder mermaid gown from Pronovias…

How we met

Erica, the bride: Like many others these days, we met online—Jdate specifically. From reading his profile, I thought we had a lot in common (we’re both from the same town). I liked that he said he liked to go mini golfing and play board games—nerdy things that I also enjoy. We also both lived in South Florida; we even went to the same high school in PA but were a year apart.

We set up our first date for October 2, 2015. We went bowling and split a pizza. I thought he was very cute and felt a connection right away. Early on, I could see Jared being “the one.”

A Romona Keveza Bride for a Family-Focused Jewish Wedding at the Belvedere Hotel, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

29/05/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Cool ketubah alert! We’re totally obsessed with Kara and Dan’s gorgeous nature-inspired design, handcrafted by the wonderful Rachelle Tchiprout of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush. Kara says Rachelle was one of her very favorite wedding vendors, and we’re not surprised – she is totally lovely to work with, not to mention being a mega-talented artist.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to awesome things about this wedding. We love how the bride, a clinical social worker, and the groom, a legal assistant, crafted a day focused on their families – they even chose Kara’s parents’ 34^thwedding anniversary as their wedding date! All the love in the room comes through so clearly in the beautiful photos from Anna Schmidt Photography and video from Just Hitched Films.

They had lots of unique creative touches, too, like their guest book – they had mini polaroid cameras for their guests to use to take pics and then past them into the book alongside their messages! They also had Jenga tiles for guests to write messages on – both awesome ideas that are just a little bit different than your standard guest book (and if you’re looking for ways to add creative personal touches that are totally you to your big day, don’t forget to sign up for our FREE Jewish Wedding Planning Bootcamp, starting June 3!)

The couple also had an artist, Maggie Smith Kuhn, on hand to paint their first dance live in real time – what a beautiful memento to have from the big day!

Now over to the bride, who looked so lovely in Legends Romona Keveza…

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