A to Z Events Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Chana Marelus Bride for a Pretty in Pink Fairy Tale Jewish Wedding at Ein Chemed, Jerusalem, Israel

20/07/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

We just cannot get enough of today’s Jewish wedding. We see a lot of beautiful weddings here at STG, but this one is really and truly unlike anything we’ve encountered before. Bride Daniella always wanted “a fairy tale princess wedding,” and she and groom Natan went ALL OUT to make it happen.

It didn’t hurt that this is pretty much the ultimate industry insider wedding — wedding planner Adena Mark at A to Z Events just happens to be the mother of the bride, and Daniella herself is a bridal makeup artist. So it’s safe to say this mother-daughter duo knew what they were doing.

Between the knockout pink flowers on the ultra-romantic chuppah, the pink chiffon arches lining the entrance, and the pink sweets table, this wedding really was, this was the kind of Jewish wedding that would do Cinderella proud. You’ve got to check out Shabi Kedem’s photos of it all.

And then there’s that dress. We love that Daniella wasn’t afraid to make a bold choice, bypassing traditional white for a sparkly pink princess gown she custom designed together with Chana Marelus. With intricate floral beading and a huge, poufy skirt, this is the kind of gown that absolutely takes center stage. Now over to lovely Daniella…

How we met

Daniella, the bride: Natan and I grew up in the same small community, so it’s amazing we didn’t meet earlier than we did. We met on my 15th birthday through some mutual friends. Through the years we were close friends and hung out in the same social groups but we both dated other people through high school.

During my post-high school year of National Service and while he was waiting for his draft date into the IDF, we found ourselves hanging out just the two of us more often and talking on the phone for hours until morning. One night rather than directly asking me out, he tricked me into a date. I thought we were meeting with our big group of friends but when he picked me up alone I discovered he had asked everyone else not to come. Unbeknownst to us, they followed us and joined us for sushi dinner and then just he and I went back to his place, watched a movie, and carved a watermelon into a shark.

We’ve been together through his entire 3.5 year army service, an earthquake in Nepal, too many family losses, and lots of celebrations, and throughout it all, we never doubted the strength of our relationship. Four and half years later he finally popped the question and, now, 5 years later we share a last name ðŸ˜Š

Yukie & Jason’s Moroccan-themed destination wedding, with three designer dresses, at Caesar Yam, Caesarea, Israel

28/11/2016 by Karen

Yukie and Jason’s Moroccan market-themed Israeli destination wedding was an epic, four-part production, thanks to super helpful mother-in-law, Victoria and their incredibly talented planner, Adena at A to Z Events.

Bright colours abound with lavish gold accents, maximalist patterns and oh my goodness, check out that cake! At Smashing the Glass HQ, we’re also loving the drama of those fantastically opulent thrones for the bride and groom (move over Posh and Becks), and these brilliant stylistic choices are matched only by the loveliness of the couple’s story.

For anyone out there who is living the sometimes taxing reality of the old adage, absence makes the heart grow fonder, take heart – this loved-up pair have proved that long-distance relationships can have a truly happy ending. With a groom from New York, a bride from Tokyo, the groom’s parents from Moscow but living in Israel and most of the guests taking their first trip to the Holy Land for the couple’s wedding, this is a love that brought together cultures from all over the world for a truly beautiful celebration.

The ceremony was custom built for Yukie and Jason. While it was important to them to have a ceremony that was “official” according to the religion, with Yukie having recently joined the tribe, they also wanted it to reflect their own feelings and personal connection to Judaism. Some of the personalised details included a reciprocal ketubah, and when the groom smashed the glass, the bride simultaneously smashed a plate. The rabbi composed his speech by asking the bride and groom for three important memories and three reasons they were each other’s one and only — from this, he created an incredibly moving tribute to their relationship.

Oh, and if you’re not already sick with jealousy over Yukie’s amazing Oscar de la Renta gown, she also had two more gorgeous dresses for the evening parties! Feast your eyes on it below, all perfectly captured by photographer Shabi Kedem and Levi Dovid.

How we met

Yukie, the bride: I am Japanese and spent my entire life in Japan before I met Jason. We met nine years ago in Tokyo while he was on vacation with his brother.

Although at first I thought he wasn’t my type, once we started talking we got along so well that we had a date every day for the week he was in Tokyo. We kept in touch after he left – he called me every day for the next two years.

We visited each other any time we could — he even came to live in Japan for a year. We kept our long-distance love going for for years between Tokyo and New York.

Then, four years ago, I finally decided to move to New York and we started living together.

How Israel’s Lone Soldiers Came Together To Save One Couple’s Jerusalem Wedding Day

04/11/2016 by Karen

Today, I have a rare and precious gem of a real wedding to share; one that, in my eyes, truly embodies the essence of what it means to be Jewish. I hope that you are as moved and inspired by it as I am. This introduction is a little bit longer than I would usually write, but bear with me, because I really feel that this is a truly uplifting story that needs to be told and heard. It is an honour to be able to do so on this blog.

One of the most special things about Judaism is that it really does feel like being part of one big, eclectic family. This network of ours of Jewish souls connected by our shared history, by the familiar melodies that live in our hearts, by the wounds of our ancestors and the never-give-up spirit of our community, creates a unique bond, inexplicable in words, but demonstrable in actions. We may squabble and disagree, we may exasperate one another and we may have a million different ideas about how to practice our faith (or not), but when it comes down to it, when we really need each other, we are there.

That’s why this submission stopped me in my tracks and touched me beyond words. Reading the beautiful story of this couple’s special day gave me goosebumps, particularly as it involved Israel’s Lone Soldiers

Being half Israeli, I have felt a lifelong bond with Israel and so much gratitude and affection for the young soldiers serving on my behalf. While the IDF has a system of compulsory military service for young men and women, there are also those that volunteer from overseas when they have no obligation to do so. Many of these are Israel’s Lone Soldiers. Sometimes orphaned, from broken homes, new immigrants or travelling solo of their own volition, these soldiers often have no family or close-knit support base in Israel. The experience, while admirable, can be a lonely one. With that in mind, their role in this story is particularly poignant.

Margot and Glen, felt such a deep emotional connection to Israel that, rather than opting to wed in their home city of New York, they chose to be married in the old city of Jerusalem. It was a second wedding for the pair, and a variety of logistical and emotional reasons saw them choosing to elope and not to fly in their respective children, parents, siblings and extended families.

On arriving in Jerusalem, the couple faced a hurdle when they realised that they might not be able to assemble a ‘Minyan’ (a group of ten men over the age of 13 required for traditional Jewish worship and ceremonies) for the Seven Blessings under the chuppah. With no contacts or family nearby, how would they bring so many strangers together?

Fortunately, their wedding planner, Adena, had the perfect solution. Why not invite Lone Soldiers to be their guests and to participate in the ceremony? It would certainly be meaningful, memorable and would solve their logistical issue, while creating a special experience for the soldiers too.

Margot and Glenn loved the idea, and so Adina took to Facebook with an urgent plea explaining that the US couple had no Minyan, nor family or friends to dance at their wedding and were inviting soldiers to join as their guests.

The response was overwhelming. Dozens of replies poured in within minutes. Within just four hours of the Facebook post going live, around 18 soldiers arrived on time (anyone who has been to Israel will know this is a miracle in itself) to the wedding.

Almost every branch of the IDF was represented, including Artillery, Paratroopers, Tanks, Sniper, Intelligence and more. The soldiers came from a diverse range of backgrounds and ethnicities including Israeli, Ethiopian, American, Moroccan and Belgian, observant, non-observant, ultra-observant, traditional Jewish. United by their shared Jewishness, by the mutual need for family at this special celebration, they held the four poles of the chuppah, made the Seven Blessings, sang, and clapped and danced, they lifted the groom on their shoulders and raised the bride on her chair. They ensured the merriment continued for the entire evening, fostering an atmosphere of happiness, celebration and high spirits at the wedding. By all accounts, their actions brought tears to the eyes of everybody who was there to witness it.

Although this wedding is tiny in guest numbers, intimate in atmosphere and modest in decor, it is truly one of the most emotionally meaningful real Jewish weddings I have ever blogged and I know that Margot and Glenn returned to their families in New York with stories, photos (by the incomparable, and much loved Smashing Supplier Herschel Gutman), memories and feelings of a most memorable unparalleled event.

Goosebumps, right?