California Jewish Wedding Archives - Smashing the Glass

A No Holds Barred DIY Carnival Backyard Jewish Wedding in Los Angeles, California, USA

08/08/2018 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

We have NEVER seen a wedding like today’s one before. Fact.

Plenty of couples choose themes, and pull them off beautifully, but the level of dedication this couple put into their carnival Jewish wedding is just off the charts. We’re not just talking about a wedding that hints at a fair aesthetic; Talia and Danny actually set up a full-on carnival in the bride’s parents’ backyard. We’re talking a Ferris wheel, games (complete with life-sized stuffed animal prizes!), photo booths, claw machines, a balloon artist and a stilt walker… and that’s just the beginning!

Even more impressive is how much of the work the couple – along with Talia’s family – put in themselves, from artistic details to heavy-duty stuff like wiring. With the help of their multitalented florist, Dawn of Tularosa Flowers – who did so much more than just florals – the pair made their dream into a reality, with everything from the big stuff (that Ferris wheel!) to the smallest details (the floral centerpieces were inside popcorn containers – genius).

It doesn’t hurt that Talia has got to be one of craftiest brides we’ve encountered – so much so that this fall she’s opening an arts and crafts business where people can come and make projects of their own. After seeing the ah-mazing photo props she crafted from cardboard boxes – Zoltar’s head, a popcorn machine, and more – plus her spiffy ticket booths (also crafted from cardboard) we think you’ll agree she’s found her calling.

Photographer Shimmy Lautman and videographer Michael Newman did SUCH a fantastic job capturing all the glorious details (a drone was involved!).

We haven’t even gotten to the carnival cart food, or the Kinder Surprise Egg invitations (yes!) – but we’ll leave it to Talia to tell you the rest.

A Backyard Wedding

Talia, the bride: We got married in my parents’ backyard. It’s the house I grew up in since I was born, and my father also grew up in the house. It meant a lot to me to get married there because it’s where all the milestones of my life happened. From taking my first step, to losing my first tooth, to graduating high school, all of my memories took place there, so it made it extra special to also have my wedding there.

A Vintage Bride with an Heirloom Gown for an Outdoor Wedding at Wente Vineyards, Livermore, CA, USA

13/07/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

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Today’s Jewish bride has got one of the most incredible wedding dress stories we’ve encountered yet. Her gorgeous vintage gown was worn not only by her mother, but by her grandmother and aunt too.. I mean WOW!

It’s hard to believe that Alana’s dress dates all the way back to 1949 (!) – but with some modifications, which the dress’s previous wearers kindly permitted, it’s the perfect blend of contemporary and vintage, and just the thing for an outdoor winery wedding. You’ve got to check out all the lovely details in Nightingale Photography’s pics.

Alana, a customer success manager, and Ben, a landscape architect, initially planned on renting their synagogue’s chuppah, but it turned out it was broken and out of commission! This setback turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since it prompted Ben to build one from scratch – and it turned out just tremendously. We love the modern design, and those flowers in the corners? Perfection!

Now over to Alana for the rest of their gorgeous Jewish wedding story…

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How we met

Alana, the bride: We met online on Jdate!

A Vine-themed Gay Jewish Wedding with a Grapevine Chuppah at Chalk Hill Estate, Healdsburg, California, USA

18/05/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s wedding makes us want to book a one-way ticket to California, stat. Would you just look at that light? Those rolling hills? And the grapevine chuppah?!

Yes, Adam, a real estate developer, and Lowell, who owns and operates a group dental practice, had a grapevine chuppah. The dapper duo married at Chalk Hill Estate, a winery in Sonoma County – just north of their San Francisco home – and their forest floor-themed wedding was basically an ode to the stunning venue.

The couple mixed traditional wedding flowers in favor of vines, branches, and forest foliage, and nowhere did they put this policy into better use than in choosing to have their chuppah constructed from vines and grapes from Chalk Hill’s vineyards. I just can’t get over how cool it looks – you’ve got to check out the close-ups. And if you were too nervous to eat pre-ceremony and found yourself feeling a little peckish, chuppah grapes to the rescue! Bonus?!

Photographer Belathée and videographer Dareen Baca of Reel Eyes Media captured everything about this day so beautifully, from that wonderful golden autumnal sunlight to the love between the couple.

On a poignant note, the devastating 2017 Northern California wildfires started on the night of Adam and Lowell’s wedding, and several towns surrounding their beautiful venue were destroyed in the course of the disaster. As the couple put it, “Like smashing the glass, this was a reminder that even at our happiest moments, there is struggle and hardship all around us.”

With that, we’ll turn you over to Adam and Lowell…

A Winery Venue

Adam and Lowell, the grooms: We were married at Chalk Hill Estate, a winery in Sonoma County. We’d always envisioned a fall wedding in Napa or Sonoma for a number of reasons – the food, the colors, the serenity, and because, for us, it’s a local “destination.” We toured many venues in Napa and Sonoma and were drawn to Chalk Hill because its vast landscapes had a rugged elegance that felt right for us.

An Adrianna Papell Bride for a Colorful, Intimate Jewish Wedding with a View at Greens Restaurant and Fairmont Heritage Place, San Francisco, USA

04/05/2018 by Emily Sacharin

Happy Fri-yay! Emily here, and as a former Bay Area kid, today’s glorious Jewish wedding tugged at every last one of my heartstrings. From the ceremony at Fairmont Heritage Place at Ghirardelli Square, held on a balcony gazebo overlooking the bay, to the reception at iconic Greens Restaurant, which features yet more beautiful views of the bay – and also happens to be my absolute favorite special occasion restaurant from my California days – Judy and David’s wedding is so quintessentially San Francisco it hurts.

So I might be just a little biased. But even if you’re not a nostalgic ex-San Franciscan, there’s so much to love about this wedding, from the orange and yellow floral color scheme to the whimsical tree-themed ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink With Intent to the ultra-intimate ceremony, where the couple had their guests stand around them rather than facing them.

Keeping things intimate was key for Judy, an elementary school principal, and David, a software engineer. The pair always knew they wanted a small wedding, with lots of participation from their closest family and friends: Judy’s friends assembled and decorated the chuppah (which the couple found on Craigslist!), family members recited the seven blessings during the ceremony, and they were married by David’s sister, who is rabbi.

Now over to Judy, who looked absolutely radiant in her Adrianna Pappell dress…

How we met

Judy, the bride: We met on Coffee Meets Bagel.

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for an Ultra-Luxe Jewish Wedding with an Ombre Floral Chuppah at the Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills, California, USA

16/04/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s wedding is 100% pure #chuppahgoals. In fact, everything about this wedding is #GOALS! Davina and Faraz chose to marry at the ultra-elegant Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, and Butterfly Floral transformed the hotel’s ballroom into an absolute floral wonderland.

And then there’s the ombre chuppah. Starting with hot pink roses at the bottoms of the super cool curved columns (a totally awesome, unique design feature), the flowers fade gradually to light pink and then to white. An enormous ring of white roses frames the talit in the center – and, as a sweet detail, there are even little roses hanging from the top of the chuppah, under the talit. Totally jaw-dropping.

Between that chuppah, the bridal party entrances (SO good – watch the film below!), the stunning pink rose table runners (they really are beyond), Davina’s Swarovski-encrusted Louboutins and dress of dreams, and the floral fabulousness, this wedding is pure STG Luxe and we LOVE it!

Videographer David Medill produced a wedding video not to be missed – as much for the raw emotion of the ceremony and ketubah signing as for the wild dancing!

Speaking of wild dancing, music was ably handled by Liv Entertainment, one of our VIB [Very Important Bride] Vendors, offering a 10% discount to members of the VIB Club. They’re just one of many handpicked vendors offering discounts or free gifts to members of our club (who also receive around-the-clock support and advice from my team and me, plus all kinds of cool bridal extras and goodies). If you haven’t joined yet, don’t delay as we’ll be closing membership for this quarter next Thursday April 26th!

Photographer Jessica Claire did simply the most outstanding job of capturing the couple’s dreamy day, and they can’t stop raving about her fantastic energy and sweet personality. This fab photographer, who works in California and New York, also is another of our VIB Vendors, offering a $250 discount on any wedding package only to members of the VIB Club.

I’m sure you’re impatient to see some more of the couple’s fantasy florals by now, so I’ll turn you over to bride Davina, who looked like a princess in her stunning strapless lace Monique Lhuillier gown (which she bought in Paris!).

A Hollywood Wedding

Davina, the bride: Faraz and I got married at the Beverly Wilshire on Wilshire Boulevard. It has always been one of my favorite hotels because of its elegance both from outside of the hotel and inside the ballroom. Not to mention, Pretty Woman (one of my favorite movies of all time) was filmed there!