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An Alon Livne Bride for an Elegant Dinner-Meets-Music Festival Jewish Wedding at the David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem, Israel

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We always love seeing how Jewish wedding pros plan their own big days – and the wedding of Tel Aviv-based event planner Steve Bar, who has a production company focused on weddings, bar\bat mitzvahs, and corporate events, and bride Sapir, who works in real estate, does not disappoint.

Together, Steve and Sapir planned a breathtaking affair they conceptualized as elegant traditional dinner-meet- music festival, reflecting their shared connection to Judaism and love of music, as well as the bride’s childhood in Europe, which inspired some of the more formal touches, like crystal chandeliers and over 1000 (!) candles.

Oh, and did we mention their chuppah overlooked the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem? Photographers Yaniv Cohen of Dynamica Studio and Shay Ohayon photographed the day so beautifully, and videographer Ronen Abayev created the couple’s fab trailer.

We’re also totally obsessed with Sapir’s TWO gorgeous gowns from beloved Israeli designer Alon Livne. For the chuppah, she opted for a traditionally romantic number heavy on the lace and tulle – and topped with a 5-meter long veil! Then, for the reception, she changed into a sleek, contemporary strapless number, which she reports as perfect for dancing. We’ll let her fill you in on the rest…

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A Jerusalem Wedding 

We chose to get married in Jerusalem at the David Citadel Hotel. We picked this location because of several reasons. First, we had our first date in Jerusalem at the restaurant of the Mamilla hotel which is right around the corner.

Second, we are very connected to the Jewish religion and having our chuppah in front of the walls of Jerusalem was magical.

Third, most of our guests and family are from Tel Aviv + the surrounding areas and abroad.  Since most of our guests never been to a wedding in Jerusalem, we chose to do something different and create a whole experience for them, starting with a beautiful wedding on Thursday evening and ending in a Jerusalem weekend with our friends and family.

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An Alon Livne Bride for a Shabbat Dinner-Inspired Jewish Wedding with a Macrame Chuppah at Jonah Club, Netanaya, Israel

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“When planning this wedding, we looked at it like the most epic Shabbat dinner we would ever throw.”

From the minute we read this line from STG Brides Club member Nikki, who works in marketing at a digital health startup (and also gives food tours and teaches yoga on the side), and Adam, who works in tech as an engineer, we were sold on their beautiful Jewish wedding.

Nikki and Adam, both Americans who met and live in Israel, wanted their wedding to be an occasion for their far-flung family and friends to come together and get to know each other – and get a taste of the couple’s life in Israel. And by the looks of the incredible photos and video from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Aya-Avi Photography, a husband and wife team handling photography and videography, they pulled it off with aplomb. Aya’s luminous photos really let the love between the pair for each other and for all their loved ones gathered together to celebrate them shine through.

We’re also in love with Nikki and Adam’s super cool macramé chuppah – and how awesome is it that they found their florist, Tom of Tomka Designs (we featured Tom and Matan’s own wedding on the blog a while back), right here on STG? The East Meets West boho style he worked with the couple to create for their chuppah area is truly beyond.

And we’re totally obsessed with Nikki’s bridal style, from her timelessly elegant gown from Israeli designer Alon Livne to her natural-with a-touch-of-glam hairstyle by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Yehonatan Yaeish – who not only styled the bride’s hair superbly but also brought great energy on the day.

There’s so much more we could say, but we’ll leave the rest to the bride… (and if you want to join Brides Club like Nikki did, click here (we’ve just released a few more free entry places – grab one before they all go!)

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How we met

Nikki, the bride: We happened to move to Israel one week apart and met 6 weeks later on Bumble. We decided to meet 10 minutes after our first conversation began and got married 2 years and 4 days later.

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An Alon Livne Bride for a Resort-Style Jewish Wedding at 5.91, Netanya, Israel

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LUZ Weddings does it again. We can never get enough of the edgy, stylish, architecturally inspired wedding photos and video from this beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, and Mor and Yotam’s gorgeous Israeli seaside wedding is no exception – if the idea of wedding photos that don’t feel like wedding photos appeals to you, scroll on to see what we’re talking about.

Granted, the LUZ team had great material to work with. Mor, an import coordinator at a business importing luxury brands to Israel, and Yotam, a customer success manager at an advertising startup, both have a thing about the sea, and so it was only natural that they chose a venue that made the most of Israel’s stunning coastline. To maximize the experience, they went for a resort theme for the whole day, sticking with a palette of oceanic blues, tropical greens, and sandy beige and white.

We also love that, to add a personal touch to their ceremony, these two decided they’d each write a note to the other, to be read for the first time – aloud for all the guests to hear – under the chuppah. What a sweet, memorable touch – whether you go the sentimental route, like Yotam, or take more of a comic turn, as Mor did in hers.

There’s so much more to see about this fab wedding, but we’ll let the bride – who looked ravishing in Alon Livne– fill you in on the rest…

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How we met

Mor, the bride: Yotam started communicating at the end of the first semester of university, and I didn’t really understand why… It was only by the end of the first year that we started dating, and the rest is a true love story.

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New York Bridal Market Spring 2020 Recap {and Top Bridal Trends for 2019/20}

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Reem Acra | Photo courtesy of Reem Acra

Hello from New York! Emily here, reporting back from New York Bridal Fashion week on all the hottest Spring/Summer 2020 collections.

Grace Loves Lace | Photo courtesy of Grace Loves Lace

Bridal Market happens twice a year in NYC, in April and October (you can check out my recap of last October’s highlights here).

Yaniv Persy | Photo courtesy of Yaniv Persy

The April show is known for being a little lower-key than October’s, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t tons of fantastic new looks on display.

Halfpenny London | Photo courtesy of Halfpenny London

Because there definitely were.

Phuong My | Photo courtesy of Phuong My

Spring 2020 is looking to be a season of extremes, with clean hyper-minimalist gowns vying with some of the most opulent dresses you could ask for, dainty feminist looks like puffed sleeves and bows neck and neck with androgynous pieces like pants (and even shorts!) and fitted jackets.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

New York Bridal Market Fall 2019 Recap {and Top Bridal Trends for 2019}

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Ines Di Santo’s afterparty at the Baccarat Flagship Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images

5 days, 18 appointments, approximately 57 million Insta stories (if you missed them, you can catch the best bits in our highlights), and countless fantastic dresses later, New York Bridal Fashion week is over for another season. Basically Fashion Week for wedding dresses, Bridal Fashion Week (aka Bridal Market) is easily one of the most fun times of a wedding blogger’s year. 

Some of the collections are presented at full-on runway shows (and Ines Di Santo put on a particularly epic one this Bridal Market, plus the coolest afterparty at the Baccarat Flagship), while others are shown at more intimate appointments for small groups of buyers from bridal boutiques (plus press, of course), sometimes with the designers present. 

Suzanne Neville

Limor Rosen

Ines Di Santo Photo by FIRSTVIEW

I had some fantastic conversations with designers and PR reps, learned a ton about everything from who actually buys those epic but unwearable-looking designs you see on the runway (answer: often no one, since some designs are purely intended for editorial impact and never even make it to production) to the differences between what American and British brides are looking for in a gown (according to Sassi Holford, it’s half an inch: Americans invariably want deeper sweetheart necklines, while the Brits prefer theirs with less of a dip). The more you know!

There’s so much fantastic bridal fashion in the pipeline for next year, and I’m so excited to share it with you, along with my take on some of the top trends we’ll be seeing (or, in some cases, continuing to see) over the next year. From classic elegance inspired by Meghan Markle’s gown to a burgeoning range of alt coverups from capes to ruffs (perfect for under the chuppah!) to unexpected bursts of color, 2019’s going to be an exciting year for bridal. Pin your favorite looks!

Caroline Castigliano 

Suzanne Neville

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