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A Suzanne Neville Bride for a Timelessly Classic Jewish Wedding in Tuscany at Villa Oliva, Lucca, Italy

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Katie and Jamie, Villa Oliva, Lucca, Italy

There’s nothing like a Tuscan wedding – between the gorgeous scenery, the brilliant sunshine, and, of course, the food, there’s no wonder it’s one of the most popular destination spots for STG couples. And Katie, who works in PR for interior and lifestyle brands, and Jamie, who works in sales, had a truly unforgettable Tuscan Jewish wedding.

We were so thrilled to hear that they found their wonderful venue, Villa Oliva, right here on Smashing The Glass – and it’s easy to see why they fell in love with the verdant grounds at first sight.

Katie and Jamie’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Alessandro Colle, and videographer, Alte Vedute, “went above and beyond, and they captured every single moment possible! We trusted them and were happy to follow their lead, and we’re thrilled with the results!”

Read on for all the details of this magical day in the bride’s own words…

 Professions / notes for Emily –

Jamie works in sales, whereas i work in PR for interior and lifestyle brands.

 Katie and Jamie, Villa Oliva, Lucca, Italy Katie and Jamie, Villa Oliva, Lucca, ItalyKatie and Jamie, Villa Oliva, Lucca, ItalyKatie and Jamie, Villa Oliva, Lucca, Italy

How We Met

Katie, the bride: We first met when we were 16 on an Israel tour! We became best friends, and over time, we ended up becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. 10 years later, Jamie proposed!

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A Fairytale Jewish Wedding at Castello Bevilacqua, Verona, Italy

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Lyndsay and Bill, Castello Bevilacqua, Verona, Italy

A magical Jewish wedding in an Italian castle? Yes, please! SoCal couple Lyndsay, the podcaster behind The Pain Game Podcast, and Bill, a radio talk show host, had the most fantastic destination wedding in Verona’s majestic Castello Bevilacqua.

They focused on bringing out the fairytale vibes of their fab venue, as well as bringing in lots of lemons, in honor of all the lemons the couple have had thrown at them – and the awesome lemonade they’ve made out of whatever’s come their way!

We also love that, to bring their far-flung guests together, Lyndsay and Bill had a mystery dinner the night before the wedding to break the ice.

When it came time to choose the perfect team to capture their big day, Lyndsay and Bill chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Collephoto. Photographer Alessando Colle, second photographer Laura Bongiorni, editor by Serena Rossi, and videographer Damiano Mariotti made up the dream team.  

Read on for the full story in Lyndsay’s own words…

Lyndsay and Bill, Castello Bevilacqua, Verona, Italy Lyndsay and Bill, Castello Bevilacqua, Verona, Italy Lyndsay and Bill, Castello Bevilacqua, Verona, Italy Lyndsay and Bill, Castello Bevilacqua, Verona, Italy

How We Met

Lyndsay, the bride: I was introduced to Bill’s morning talk show in Los Angeles about 12 years ago. Coerced by a friend that I have to listen to him. Whatever! I didn’t do talk radio. I wasn’t in the early podcast scene.  I am a musician!

But then I turned on KFI AM 640 and started listening to The Bill Handel Show based out of Burbank, CA. It is the number 1 morning drive talk show in the United States — Monday through Friday. And he also has a legal show on KFI on Saturdays as well, called Handel on the Law.

I was hooked. I started going to events where he would be, and we just started talking, and it kept going until it turned into something pretty remarkable. US.

A shorter version is: Lyndsay fell in love with Bill as a listener. Bill fell in love with Lyndsay because she was a listener. The End.

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An Ines di Santo Bride for a Destination Jewish Wedding at Villa Grabau in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

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Destination Jewish wedding Villa Grabau Lucca Tuscany Italy_0051
Happy 4th of July to all our American readers! What are you all doing to celebrate? Jetting off on a quick getaway to, say, Tuscany, by any chance? No? Us neither. But we are doing the next best thing, living vicariously through Helen and Jared’s oh-so-romantic Jewish wedding at Villa Grabau #swooooooon

And what a wedding it was. Can we talk about bride Helen’s out-of-this-world Ines di Santo gown? That train! That tulle! And that’s not even mentioning the painfully delicate beadwork on the bodice. It’s just the absolute perfect blend of sweet and sexy, dramatic and effortless. We are such massive fans of Ines di Santo — you may recall our Facebook Live with her last year— and it’s always a privilege to feature one of her brides on STG.

And once Helen had chosen it, she was pretty much good to go. As busy attorneys, Helen and Jared didn’t have  much time to devote to wedding planning, and they were so thrilled that their trusted wedding planners, Benedetta and Elena from Luccaorganizza, were able to give them the dreamy Tuscan day they wanted with minimal guidance.

Benedetta and Elena helped the couple pick everything from their venue(fun fact: it was once featured on the Bachelor), to their phenomenal photographer, Alessandro Colle. 

In Helen’s words, “Our planners made everything SO easy for us that I have to pretend to understand what other brides are talking about when they refer to ‘wedding planning stress.’” That’s some serious praise! Now over to the bride herself, who’ll fill you in on all the details of the day…

Destination Jewish wedding Villa Grabau Lucca Tuscany Italy_0053 Destination Jewish wedding Villa Grabau Lucca Tuscany Italy_0053 Destination Jewish wedding Villa Grabau Lucca Tuscany Italy_0053 Destination Jewish wedding Villa Grabau Lucca Tuscany Italy_0053How we met

Helen, the bride: We are attorneys in Los Angeles — as most tales of romance go, we met in law school at UCLA. Little did we know, despite only crossing paths for the first time in law school, our parents lived mere minutes from each other our whole lives and my sister and one of Jared’s younger brothers were in the same class together in high school! Truly a small world.

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