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A Joyful, Multicultural Bedouin-Jewish Wedding at Bustan, Abu Ghosh, Israel

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Ari and Angelo, Bustan in Abu Ghosh, Israel

Today’s very special wedding showcases Israel at its absolute best – its beauty, its diversity, its abundance of beautiful traditions, and, above all, the spirit of its people. Bride Ari, a freelance writer is a Sephardic Jew who made aliyah from the US, while groom Angelo, who’s in the process of becoming a detective with the Israeli Police, is Bedouin – and their wedding was all about blending their two cultures into a heartfelt (and stylish!) celebration of their love for each other, their friends and families, and Israel.

The merging of these two cultures was beautiful, but it wasn’t easy. While it was important to them to have Jewish ceremony, they weren’t able to have a Rabbinute wedding, so they turned to the organization Havaya to find an officiant who helped them craft an utra-personal ceremony. As for aesthetics, in Ari’s words, the couple’s theme was “trying to find ways to include both of our cultures in a way that didn’t look like the Ottoman Empire threw up all over the place.”

To quote the couple,

Absolutely none of this would have been possible (including the general maintaining of our sanity) without our amazing wedding planner, Yana from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Craspedia Events. I think a lot of people say that about their wedding planner but they can’t possibly mean it as much as we do. It’s not easy being a mixed couple and all the drama that dredges up while wedding planning. Yana truly helped us navigate every step of the way and we are endlessly grateful to her and now she’s stuck with us forever.

This wedding was so full of ultra-personal touches it’s hard to know where to start – but one thing we adore is Ari and Angelo’s choice to stand under their chuppah wrapped in a shmakh (Bedouin keffiyeh), to represent the bringing together of their two cultures – and instead of the traditional red or black color scheme, they went for blue to represent Judaism and their love of Israel. Don’t miss it in the incredible photos by Yarin Taranos.

Now over to Ari…

Ari and Angelo, Bustan in Abu Ghosh, Israel Ari and Angelo, Bustan in Abu Ghosh, Israel Ari and Angelo, Bustan in Abu Ghosh, Israel Ari and Angelo, Bustan in Abu Ghosh, Israel
How We Met

Ari, the bride: We met in 2017 during just a random night out. Ari made plans to go out with a friend she bartended with and that friend brought his work friends, including Angelo. We both remember making a note of the date because it felt important. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Timelessly Elegant Jewish Wedding at Sandpearl Resort, Clearwater Beach, Florida, USA

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We can’t get enough of today’s gorgeous Jewish wedding on the water on the Florida coast! Jennifer, an ICU nurse, and Danny, a urologist, made things official at the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater Beach, where they found the perfect venue for their timeless and elegant three-day celebration.  

Naturally, Jennifer and Danny needed the perfect classic ketubah to complement their vibe – and they found just the thing from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Attias. Like all of Noa’s ketubahs, the gorgeous design the couple chose is truly a piece of art, and Jennifer and Danny are thrilled to be able to display it in their home. Don’t miss it in the beautiful photos from Carrie Wildes! 

We also love that when it came time for their mini-moon, Jennifer and Danny opted to spend it at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in the Bahamas! Just a 1.5 hour flight from their home in Tampa, it was the absolute perfect spot for the couple to relax and decompress after all the excitement of the wedding – and they especially enjoyed eating at the hotel’s kosher Asian fusion restaurant, Cinko!

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll let Jennifer fill you in on the rest…


How We Met

Jennifer, the bride: We met in early 2020 on bumble while we were living in Washington, D.C.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Watters Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding at Hilton Columbus Downtown, Columbus, USA

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How stunning is the Jewish wedding of Julie, a second grade teacher, and Jacob, a law student?!

The pair went for a classically elegant vibe for their big day at the Hilton Columbus Downtown, and they totally rocked it. Every detail from Julie’s strapless mermaid gown by Watters to their purple and white color scheme to their rousing hora was sheer perfection.

We’re especially enamored with the couple’s beautiful ketubah, which they found online at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com. Though Julie and Jacob found lots of designs they liked among the fabulous selection, they eventually settled on a wonderful light blue and grey number by designer Enya Keshet.

The duo’s photographer, Tessa at Starling Studio, captured the day so exquisitely – read on for more of her vibrant pics, plus the rest of the details about this very special day.  

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How we Met

Julie, the bride: We met through a set-up by mutual friends. One of my colleagues is married to an old classmate of Jacob’s, and they noticed Jacob working out at the same gym as them. They asked us both if we were interested in meeting each other, and the rest is history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Autumn in the Adirondacks Jewel-Tone Jewish Wedding in Lake Placid, New York, USA

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Kelilah-Bobby-Whiteface-Club-Resort-Lake-Placid-New-York-USA

Get ready for a seriously swoonworthy landscape! Today’s couple, Kelilah, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Bobby, a localization and mapping engineer, opted to make things official in New York’s beautiful Adirondacks, near where the bride grew up.

Even better, they held it during the most wonderful time of the year in the Adirondacks: autumn! With an outdoor ceremony on the shores of Lake Placid, Whiteface Mountain in the background, and a fabulous jewel-tone color scheme, there’s so much to love about this fabulous day – don’t miss the wonderful photos by Britt Parr of Parr Photo Co..

We’re also totally obsessed with the couple’s gorgeous ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tallulah Ketubahs. Kelilah and Bobby knew they wanted a design that reflected their wedding venue and theme, and they found the absolute perfect fit in their

laser-cut design with a watercolor wash background of two love birds in the forest. Needless to say, the couple found artist Rachel of Tallulah Ketubahs an absolute joy to work with – and, despite the couple putting off their ketubah choice until the last minute, Rachel still made sure the finished product arrived ahead of schedule.

And how cool is it that after the ceremony, Kelilah and Bobby opted to spend their yichud on a romantic boat ride on Lake Placid?! Love it!

Now over to Kelilah…

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How we Met

Kelilah, the bride: We met while we were in grad school at Penn State in 2014; we are both Mechanical Engineers. We first met, unexpectantly, at a bus stop in October 2012. Apparently, Bobby wanted to meet me but had not had the opportunity previously, so he just began a conversation at the bus stop. After that brief chance meeting, our paths did not cross again until I joined the research lab he was working in, in January 2014. We are both relatively shy, so it took us a few months to really start talking about more than just research.

We are both involved with robotics and controls; his research is focused on autonomous vehicles, mine is focused on assistive and rehabilitative robotics, including designing a robotic wheelchair. Eventually, I asked him to join me for a trivia night I went to every Wednesday with a group of my friends. After that evening, we started spending more time together. By the end of July, we had our first “official” date. That December he told me he loved me at Penn State’s Arboretum; four years later he proposed to me in the same spot.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Tal Kedem Bride for a Jewish Wedding at Science World Rooftop Garden, Vancouver, Canada

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Like so many couples over the past two years, Becca and Danny ended up with a wedding that looked a lot different than the one they’d originally planned – though no less fabulous!

The pair, who live in Israel, had hoped to wed in their adopted home, but once it became apparent that the country’s borders wouldn’t open in time for beloved family and friends to attend from abroad, Becca and Danny made the tough decision to move the wedding to Vancouver, Canada, where the bride grew up, and re-plan everything from scratch. And the wedding, at Science World Rooftop Gardenswith a stunning view of Vancouver’s celebrated ocean, mountains, and greenery – was nothing short of fabulous. We’re obsessed with the photos from Lumina Weddings.

Becca and Danny still wanted to celebrate with their friends back home in Israel, though, so instead of fully cancelling their plans for their Tel Aviv wedding, they opted to keep the date and shift to a smaller, less formal party at their original venue. From the beginning, they’d been working with beloved Israeli wedding planner and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Craspedia Events, who was there for the couple through the entire rollercoaster of selecting the initial vendors, cancelling them, and then pivoting to replan what started as a formal wedding into a chill rooftop party.

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

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How we Met

Becca, the bride: After meeting Danny’s good friend at the UN in Geneva and receiving an invitation, I attended my first “Jerusalem Cooking Club” event on May 1, 2019. I knocked on the door where the cooking club was taking place and Danny was the one to open it. Upon opening the door, I asked whether or not I was in the right place, to which Danny responded “No.” To be funny. Ha. Ha. (This was literally my nervous reaction).

Following cooking club, Danny sneakily found me on Facebook via the Club’s group and started to message me about whether or not I enjoyed the event. Obviously I did, and the two of us got to talking and eventually exchanged numbers and set up a “date.”

Our first date took place in Shuk Machene Yehuda Market where we got smoothies and then bought all the necessary ingredients for ceviche. We then went to my apartment, which was above the Shuk, and made ceviche and talked for hours. The rest is history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading