USA Archives - Page 27 of 77 - Smashing the Glass

A Martina Liana Bride for a Chic Jewish Wedding at Hyde House, Tampa, Florida, USA

23/04/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

We’re absolutely in love with the Florida chic Jewish wedding of Mickey, a doctor specializing in otolaryngology, and Scott, a director of business development. The couple, who live in Tampa, wanted to show their friends and family – the majority of whom were coming in from out of town – the best of their adopted home city.

Fortunately for them, they were able to find a gorgeous venue just blocks from their home. And even more fortunately, despite getting married during the pandemic, they were able to keep most of their pre-COVID plans in place (though with a smaller guest list, naturally).

We love that Mickey and Scott worked with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush to custom design the most exquisite ketubah, featuring gold leaf and a Star of David. And how beautiful are the photos from Justin Demutiis Photography and trailer by Connor Halden?!

We’ll leave it to the bride, who looked stunning in Martina Liana, to fill you in on the rest…

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How we Met

Mickey, the bride: We met in 2018 through a mutual friend. I was living in Tampa, Florida, where Scott had lived previously and moved away in 2012. Even though Scott was living in Nashville, Tennessee, at the time, a mutual friend in Florida was trying to set us up for months, I wasn’t even sure if this Scott guy was a real person! Finally, my friend called me up and said “Clear your schedule, Scott is coming down to meet you.” Turns out he was very real, came to visit, and even stayed and extra day we were having so much fun. We have spoken everyday since then and in May 2019 he moved down to Tampa. We got engaged that October and married one year later.Continue Reading

A Romona Keveza Bride for an Elegant Jewish Pandemic Wedding at the South Congress Hotel, Austin, Texas, USA

16/04/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

We could not be any more delighted to be sharing the gorgeous Jewish wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Maiya, the executive director of Texas Hillel, and Jerry, a physician in the US Army and a fellow in gastroenterology in San Antonio.

These two firmed up their plans for a wedding showcasing Austin at its finest in early 2020, just before the pandemic hit the US. Even as the situation worsened, they were always clear that they wanted to wed on their original December 2020 date, at their original venue, the South Congress Hotel in Austin, TX.

In the end, while Maiya and Jerry did have to drastically scale down their in-person guest list, they were still able to throw a celebration that was nothing less than fabulous. We’re obsessed with their exquisite Ruth Becker ketubah, purchased from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com, and TwoFish Weddings’s luminous photos are positively magical.

Maiya and Jerry also set up a livestream for their family and friends who couldn’t be there in person, and over 150 ended up tuning in. We love that the week prior to the wedding, the couple mailed boxes filled with wedding goodies, including baked goods from the venue, favors, and personal notes, to their long-distance VIPs – what a fun way to make virtual guests feel a part of the action!

Now over to the bride, who looked super chic in Romona New York…

How we Met

Maiya, the bride: We met in 2018 in San Antonio at the Historic Pearl. Continue Reading

A Kelly Faetanini Bride for a Rustic Romantic Oceanview Jewish Wedding at Seacoast Science Center, New Hampshire, USA

29/03/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

Like most 2020 couples, Tara, a registered nurse, and Avi, a government contractor in counterterrorism, went through several changes of plan before they finally got to throw the Jewish wedding of their dreams. The DC-based couple, who both grew up in the Boston area, had initially planned a Memorial Day wedding on the North Shore of Massachusetts – until COVID hit. Next, they postponed to Thanksgiving – but just seven weeks before the date that became their wedding day, they decided to bump things up to Labor Day.

And we’re so glad they did, because the end-of-summer date was the perfect time of year to get married outdoors at Seacoast Science Center on the gorgeous New Hampshire coast. When you’ve got the ocean as a backdrop, you don’t need much in the way of décor – but nonetheless, we’re obsessed with Tara and Avi’s gorgeous birch chuppah, which fit into the natural landscape so seamlessly. Don’t miss the breathtaking images by Alex Gordias Photography and Bob Accettulo’s moving trailer.

The couple had a traditional Modern Orthodox ceremony – with a few added touches to reflect their contemporary values. We love that, in addition to calling seven men up to the chuppah to recite the sheva brachot per Jewish tradition, they opted to also invite seven women up to read Torah verses selected by the couple. We’re also in love with Tara and Avi’s exquisite ketubah by mega-talented Israeli artist Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Attias.

We’ll let Tara fill you in on the rest…

How we Met

Tara, the bride: We met when we were 12 years old and went to the same sleep-away camp and middle and high school. We dated when we were in 9th grade for a short period of time and then rekindled our relationship when we were both camp counselors at Camp Yavneh in 2015 and have been together ever since!Continue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for a Picture Perfect Jewish COVID Wedding at Larz Anderson House, Washington DC, USA

26/03/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

Merav and Dmitri’s Jewish wedding was SO incredibly dreamy, if not for the personalized masks and “vaccine” shooters we’d never have guessed it took place during the pandemic.

We’re obsessed with their gorgeous venue, Larz Anderson House in downtown Washington, DC – a spot the couple had looked at and loved when they first started planning, but eventually rejected because it couldn’t accommodate their pre-COVID guest list.

Once the pandemic hit and they had to scale things down, though, the Anderson House became a viable option. We’re not sure which we love more, the lush garden where Merav and Dmitri held their outdoor chuppah or the beautiful ballroom they used for their reception. Don’t miss a single detail in Adam Mason’s luminous photos or Wise Films’ wonderful trailer.

We’re also in love with Merav and Dimitri’s fabulous ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink with Intent. The couple searched long and hard for a ketubah that felt truly them, and when they stumbled onto one of Ink with Intent’s past ketubot featuring text printed over a picture of the couple, they knew that was the direction for them. Needless to say, the pair adore their ketubah, and it now graces a wall in their home as a special piece of art.

We’ll let the bride, who looked so elegant in Pronovias, take it from here…

How we met

Merav, the bride: Dmitri and I originally met in 2008 through a mutual friend, but we didn’t know each other well and only saw each other sparingly over the years. When he moved down to Washington, DC to start a data analytics company, we reconnected over coffee and we started working together to make the dream a reality.

Together, we worked at WeWork Chinatown (where we did our pre-wedding photo shoot!), 7 days a week, through holidays and snowstorms to build our company. Today, we have 40 employees and a growing business.

As our respect and trust for each other grew, so did our relationship. A year and a half after working together, we started dating. After 4 years of growing our company together, moving in, and adopting two cats, Dmitri proposed at a private dinner on a beautiful beach in Mexico.Continue Reading

A Rebecca Schoneveld Bride for a Magical Backyard Jewish Minimony in New York, USA

01/03/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

We’ve seen our fair share of backyard micro Jewish weddings, and each and every one has been beautiful, but the nuptials of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Lilia, who works in arts philanthropy as a grants manager, and Alex, a digital solutions manager for an international publishing company, take it to a whole new level.

These two postponed their plans for a big wedding due to COVID but still wanted to make things official, and so they went forward with a micro celebration in Lilia’s parents’ backyard that was nothing short of magical. It doesn’t hurt that Lilia’s mom’s garden is totally stunning, and we love the way the couple ran with the vibe in planning their décor – for instance, how awesome is their chuppah?! Don’t miss Rachel Rodgers’ luminous photos of it, and all the other details of this ultra-memorable day.

Beyond the exquisite aesthetics, we love how much thought Lilia and Alex put in to making their minimony special in a way that wouldn’t leave them feeling like the bigger wedding they have planned for the future won’t feel “like just a performance.” To that end, they opted to leave some traditions, like circling and their ketubah, for Wedding 2.0. In place of a ketubah, the couple decided to write their own take on tenaim (a traditional Jewish engagement document that stipulates the conditions of the marriage that both families need to maintain prior to the chuppah), featuring promises to each other – kind of like vows!

Before we turn you over to Lilia, we want to leave you with her beautiful words about her experience as a member of our Bride’s Club:

I have found the group to be SO warm and welcoming, and a joy to be a part of. Karen has been such a great help – she even helped brainstorm ideas for when we were reimagining a wedding with no dancing (which is my favorite part of weddings!). It has been so wonderful to have so many knowledgeable brides and brides-to-be at my fingertips, and I’m so grateful to be part of the community.