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A Pronovias Bride for a Jewish Wedding with an Unforgettable Chuppah at Ahuza Beit Hanan, Israel

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London couple Olivia, a perfumer, and Sam, a software engineer, always knew they wanted to hold their Jewish wedding in Israel. When the war broke out shortly before their original wedding date of October 24, 2023, a lot of people encouraged them to rethink their plans – but the couple stuck it out, and, with the help of their wedding planner, Victoria Rosen Events (who they found right here on STG!), were able to hold their dream wedding in their favorite place – albeit 8 months later than originally planned.

Olivia and Sam dreamed of getting married surrounded by nature, and Ahuza Beit Hanan was the perfect spot. The duo fell in love with the venue’s chuppah – covered in grapevines and big enough to fit the crowd of 27 who gathered under it! – and opted to embellish it with delicate hanging crystals with roses attached and sheets of white fabric which blew delicately in the wind.

When it came time to choose a photographer, only one person would do:

the absolutely incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ronen Boidek. Ronen not only brings his professionalism but also his warmth and joy to every occasion. He is known for his artistic shots but also for his amazing candids that make you feel like you’re really back in the moment. His style is sharp and clean but completely authentic at the same time.

Olivia and Sam couldn’t be any more glad they forged ahead with their wedding in Israel, despite all the uncertainty. In Olivia’s words, “Being in Israel and having our wedding there will always be the best decision we ever made.” We’ll let her fill you in on the rest!

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How We Met

Olivia, the bride: We met at secondary school in English class, and after a few years of close friendship we developed feelings for each other and started dating! After 8 years together, Sam surprised me on the beach in Tobago with my whole family there and proposed… definitely worth the wait! Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Berta Bride for a Desert-themed Sunset Jewish Wedding at Al-Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

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Have we got a spectacular Jewish wedding to share with you today! Ella, who works in real estate investment, and Curtis, a senior recruiter, live in the UK, but they always knew they wanted to get married in Israel – and they found the perfect spot in stunning seaside venue  Al-Hayam in Caesarea.

This wedding is just so full of phenomenal energy, and the couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ronen Boidek, captured every single moment so perfectly. In Ella’s words, “We absolutely love his style of photos and I have been part of weddings who have used him before. He is so professional and made everything stress free – he even knew the correct way to tie my dress after we forgot the instructions!”

We can’t turn you over to Ella without raving about how absolutely exquisite she looked in her dress from beloved Israeli designer Berta! Read on for more in the bride’s own words…

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How We Met

Ella, the bride: Curtis and I met in first year of University at the University of Birmingham. I am from Liverpool and Curtis is from Glasgow.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Destination Jewish Wedding Full of Personal Touches at Achuza, Beit Hanan, Israel

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Planning a Jewish wedding from thousands of miles away is no small feat. Luckily, London-based couple Jodie, who works as a decorative homeware buyer, and Matt, a football agent realized that straight off the bat when they started planning their big day in Israel, and they made sure their first planning decision was choosing a great planner to help smooth the way.

Even luckier for Jodie and Matt, they found one of the best of the best: Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Victoria Rosen Events. Vicki is a popular choice among STG couples opting to wed in Israel, and this couple’s rave review of her planning prowess makes it clear why: in addition to helping them source some truly outstanding vendors (not to mention their gorgeous venue),

Vicki seamlessly ran the whole day’s events so carefully and left us and our parents feeling totally calm, happy and taken care of. She couldn’t do enough to help us. Always available, nothing was too much. Vicki was incredibly supportive and always positive, friendly and super-efficient.

We’re also crazy about all the fun, memorable touches the couple added to their day. For starters, they had a flower stand (inspired by a something they saw right here on Smashing the Glass!) in the reception area, where guests could have bespoke floral hair accessories and button holes made on the spot! And if that weren’t enough, they also hired a glitter face painter to make sure their guests had a night that was literally sparkling. Oh, and pre-wedding, Jodie and Matt also blew their own smash glass and kiddush cup to use under the chuppah!

You can probably already guess that this was one fun wedding – and if you have any doubt, a quick scroll through Idan Hasson’s radiant, joyous photos should set you straight.

Now over to Jodie…

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Nature and Soul

Jodie, the bride: We got married at Achuza. Matt didn’t want to get married in a hotel hall and I vetoed beach venues because of what humidity does to my hair! : ) We were both looking for a soulful, outdoor venue surrounded by nature and somewhere that we could create a fun and intimate party atmosphere for all of our friends and family. We fell in love with Achuza as soon as we walked up the path towards the venue. It’s surrounded by flora and the chuppah is stunning and all natural.

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An Essense of Australia Bride for a Sunset Jewish Wedding at Cochav Hayam in Caesarea, Israel

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Okay, we just can’t even with that sunset chuppah. Truly the stuff Jewish wedding dreams are made of. But would you believe it if we told you that wasn’t even the most remarkable thing about the incredible wedding of STG Brides Club member  (and blogging bride) Lindsay, an insight manager at a media agency, to groom Dan, an account manager working in corporate events?

So first of all, we’re OBSESSED with Lindsay and Dan’s table plan: they got a polaroid of every guest, then wrote a personal note on the back. These were all laid out for guests to collect as they came in and find their table numbers. Genius!

We’re also super inspired that these two worked with non-profit Israel Blooms, an organization that will collect flowers leftover at the end of the wedding and repurpose them into small arrangements that they distribute in hospitals and old age homes. What a meaningful (and easy) way to spread the joy of your big day!

The couple’s photos from Idan Canfi and video from Ruslan Shane are simply sensational, and we love that Lindsay and Dan opted to have a separate couple’s photoshoot a couple of days after the wedding – this allowed them to get some dreamy portraits without them having to take time out of the wedding for photos. Such a smart idea!

Oh, and did we mention that Lindsay and Dan are working with the incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Abby Taubman of Colletts Travel to plan their honeymoon to Australia and Thailand next year?

Now over to the bride, who looked lovely in her Essense of Australia dress…

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How we met

Lindsay, the bride: We met through my cousin’s wife. She was an old school friend of Dan’s and decided that we would be a great match – and she was right!

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An Adam Zohar Bride for a Laid-Back Israeli Jewish Wedding on the Beach at Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

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We’re so excited to be sharing the beautiful Israeli beach wedding of our beloved Smashing The Glass STG Brides Club member Genna to Yoni!

These two were faced with the touch task of planning an epic Jewish wedding thousands of miles from their home in NYC in under five months – and did they ever pull it off! To scroll through their gorgeous photos from Idan Hasson, you’d never guess it all came together on such a tight timeline.

And we’re so delighted to hear that Genna attributes her success in large part to the beautiful community that is Brides Club – which she was introduced to by her wonderful wedding planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Vanessa Ohayon, the other key ingredient in bringing this amazing day together seamlessly.

In her own words, on joining Smashing The Glass Brides Club

“I instantly felt a sense of calm that I had a supportive community of women I could bounce questions and ideas off of. I was able to make the quick decisions I needed to by reaching out of the many other brides who were married in Israel.”

Thanks Genna – hearing this makes us sooooo happy!!!

We’re totally in love with the laid-back, totally Israeli beach aesthetic the couple went for – Israeli groom Yoni wanted to make sure the big day kept that Israeli party vibe. There’s a fab chuppah, the most incredible seaside setting, the dreamiest florals… and we’re obsessed with Genna’s bridal style, too. She wore a stunning lace mermaid gown by Adam Zohar (an Israeli designer, natch), and we don’t think she could possibly have looked any more gorgeous.

Over to you, Genna!

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How we met

Genna, the bride: Yoni and I met at a party on December 12, 2012 (12/12/12!) when we were both living in Tel Aviv. We started off as friends, and then dated, at points we were “on and off,” but our relationship grew and morphed into a truly solid, loving friendship and partnership. I moved back to New York in 2016 and he arrived shortly after. He proposed in Central Park in February of this year, after a 6-year relationship full of lots adventure, hard times and plenty of good. 

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