California Jewish Wedding Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Vera Wang Bride for a Magical Outdoor Jewish Wedding at The Vineyards in Simi Valley, California, USA

31/10/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

We are absolutely and unequivocally in love with today’s gorgeous outdoor Jewish wedding. The garden chuppah, the California vibes, the perfect summer light… just WOW. Miki and Sonja Photography captured it all SO perfectly, and videographer Stavro Productions made such a moving recording.

But this awesome celebration was about so much more than the magnificent surroundings. Lisa, a therapist who works with Holocaust survivors in addition to running her own concierge practice, FeelingConfidential, and Alexander, a personal injury attorney, also made sure their big day was full of unique personal touches.

For instance, we love how the duo designed their ceremony programs to be folded into fans, so that guests could use them to keep cool during the outdoor ceremony.

And how sweet is it that Lisa recorded herself reciting a blessing, and then arranged to have it played while guests (and the groom, of course) were waiting for her to walk down the aisle?!

Now over to beautiful Lisa, who looked like an absolute modern day princess in her gorgeous Vera Wang…

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How We Met

Lisa, the bride: Although we both lived in NYC at the same time, lived in Israel at the same time, and attended various parties and events over the last 10 years, we had never met.

3 years ago Lisa was living in Los Angeles, and Alex in his hometown of Las Vegas. My best friend and Alex’s best friend set us up the old fashioned way. We went on our first date in Las Vegas on the strip… the date lasted 7 hours 🙂

Flash forward a few months later, Alex knew he couldn’t take the LA girl out of LA, so he quit his job, passed the CA state bar, and started anew in LA to be with me. The ultimate sacrifice for love 🙂

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for an Ultra-Glam Old Hollywood Jewish Wedding at the Four Seasons, Los Angeles, California, USA

24/09/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

We are totally obsessed with the bride, Natasha’s fab Monique Lhuillier gown in today’s mega-glam Jewish wedding. The lace, the fit, that gorgeous pouf at the bottom… LOVE.

It’s no wonder lovely Natasha ended up with such a fab gown – as a buyer for Forever21, she knows a thing or two about fashion. So does dapper groom Ariel, as the CEO of an LA-based clothing manufacturer.

From the stunning outdoor palm-tree lined ceremony space (so LA) to the ever-so-glam reception space, the couple’s style is out in full force. And if you needed further evidence of their fantastic taste, they used one of our very own Smash Glass Pouches under the chuppah! Check it out in Wind Productions’ fantastic photo just below.

Beyond the aesthetics, we’re also super touched by the efforts Natasha made to include her parents, who live all the way on the other side of the world in London, in the planning.

She chose her mega-luxe venue partly because it just happened to be the hotel her parents had stayed at (and adored) on their very first visit to her after she made the big move across the pond, and even let her mum and dad design the wedding invitations!

There’s so much more to love about this wedding, but we’ll let Natasha fill you in on the rest…

Old School Hollywood

Natasha, the bride: we got married at the Four Seasons, Los Angeles. It’s actually funny because 6 years ago when I moved to Los Angeles on my parents’ first trip to visit me here they stayed at this hotel. I remember at the time them seeing a wedding while being there and saying what an amazing place to make a wedding… six years later I ended up having my wedding there.

This wasn’t the only reason , it’s close to where we live and very old school Hollywood with a beautiful outdoor setting… but the fact that my mum and dad loved the venue so much swayed me as I always try and make them happy too. As my dad kept saying to me… this is really our wedding Natasha… when you have a daughter and she gets married – then it will be your wedding!

A Nicole Bakti Bride for a Garden Glam Jewish Wedding with an Asymmetrical Chuppah at Sheraton Universal, Los Angeles, California, USA

17/09/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Gorgeous chuppah alert! We are completely obsessed with Tami and Phil’s asymmetrical chuppah, with sheer fabric draped over bamboo posts, and gorgeous garden flowers for extra wow factor. This chuppah is just so effortlessly elegant, and totally perfect for the couple’s Garden Glam-themed Jewish wedding.

It’s such a fantastic modern minimalist (but not too minimalist!) look. If you want a touch of florals but an ornate chuppah design isn’t your style, this is a beautiful inspiration.

It’s no wonder this day is full of fantastic touches like that: bride Tami is a co-owner of event planning and interior design business Side by Side Design (along with her twin sister!), so she knows a thing or two about planning a wedding. You won’t want to miss The Argus Image’s images of this one, from the dancing to the desserts.

We are also super touched that Tami reports she chose to submit her wedding to Smashing The Glass over other wedding blogs because she loves how we let couples tell their own wedding stories, and what a personal touch it gives. We’re totally blushing over here!

Before we turn things over to Tami, we want to mention that today is her and Phil’s first anniversary! Happy one year, guys!

How we met

Tami, the bride: He sent me a very “cheesy” pick up line on the Hinge app, and we met up for drinks and appetizers at Black Market a few days later. Some might say we should have met long before as we both grew up in the San Fernando Valley, both went to school in Arizona (rival schools), and know lots of people in common.

I knew he was a keeper when we were walking out of the bar on our first date to get our cars from the valet. There was a bit of debris (rocks and such) outside the front door as they were doing construction on the outside patio and my shoes (which I loved and did not want to get rid) had lost all traction. I slipped, and Phil caught me… the rest is history!

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for an Outdoor SoCal Jewish Wedding at Hummingbird Nest Ranch, California, USA

27/08/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Jewish Wedding Hummingbird Nest Ranch, CA, USA_0049
You know who sometimes doesn’t get enough love around here? Child wedding attendants. Flower girls, ring bearers, and the like bring so much joy (not to mention just plain cuteness) to so many of the Jewish weddings we feature here on STG.

So today we’re putting them front and center where they belong. I mean, it’s hard not to when Jessica and Matthew’s sweet little ring boys drove a mini purple Porsche(!) with strings of tin cans down the aisle!!! So adorable, right?

But not so adorable as to overshadow Jessica’s stunning two-piece gown from Monique Lhuillier. Featuring a silk Chantilly lace beaded corset top (with a beaded shrug the bride wore for the chuppah) and a gorgeous trumpet skirt, it’s an absolute stunner. And Jessica’s made the most of it, saving the bolero to wear on her one-year anniversary and the top for the big ten-year! Such a cool idea, especially if you’re going with separates that can easily be dressed down.

There’s so much more to say about this fab wedding – we haven’t even gotten to how fantastically Armen Asadorian and Eric Film captured the day, or the gorgeous SoCal surroundings, or the fabulous Harutyunyan Events planning the whole thing to perfection!

Let’s hand over to beautiful Jessica to tell you about all the rest…

A Ranch Wedding

Jessica, the bride: We got married at Hummingbird Nest Ranch, CA. We wanted to get married somewhere different and pretty low key – kind of like us.

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

08/08/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

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.