California Jewish Wedding Archives - Page 9 of 13 - Smashing the Glass

A Vera Wang Bride for a SUPER Luxe Jewish Wedding with a 20-Person Bridal Party and Epic Chuppah at Bacara Resort & Spa, Santa Barbara, California

29/11/2017 by Karen

OK, we do not say this lightly: prepare yourselves. Seriously, Adriane and Sam’s super luxe Jewish wedding had us rubbing our eyes in disbelief, because it’s genuinely one of the most INCREDIBLE (note the gratuitous and well-earned use of all caps) real weddings we’ve ever featured on the blog. No exaggeration, this wedding is truly something else. There are not enough adjectives in the thesaurus to describe just how divine it is.

Editor Karen found this beauty on Instagram and immediately knew it HAD to grace the Smashing The Glass pages.

Where to start? The dà©cor was simply out of this world, which is no surprise, given that the wedding brought together some of California’s most coveted wedding vendors. The epic two-night celebration took place in dreamy Santa Barbara, California, at Bacara Resort & Spa, with its beautiful view of the ocean. Night one had a whimsical, boho-chic aesthetic (and a two-hour silent disco), while the second night boasted a stunning, clean all-white formal design with an abundance of white orchids and a stunning display of hanging lights.

Their chuppah was the stuff of fairytales, with a romantic, rustic walkway (those doors!!) leading to a showstopper of tumbling flowers and lit candles. It is genuinely gasp inducing and spine tingling in equal measure.

We don’t have enough words of praise for wedding planner Kate Carlson Event, florist Butterfly Floral and LIV Entertainment for forming what is every bride’s dream team and creating something so special it looks pulled from the pages of Vogue. Just amazing.

Words don’t really do any of this justice, but fortunately the happy couple had the one and only, yes THE Jessica Claire (!!) on hand to capture the magic (pro tip, if you’re going to have a larger-than-life wedding, make sure you have one of the world’s best photographers) as well as incredible videographer, David Medill, whose gorgeous, cinematic wedding video you can watch above.

Bride Adriane looked like a Hollywood A lister in her perfect blend of bridal and sexy Vera Wang gown, and with her expert hair and makeup artist team at her side. Adriane also layered phenomenal pieces of jewelry from her own bohemian-chic jewelry company, JAE Jewelry, which she co-owns with her sister, so she really knew her stuff (and you guys should totally check it out)!

Adriane had no fewer than 17 bridesmaids, two bridesmen and one maid of honor, making it a 20-person-strong bridal party!!

OK, if we don’t stop gushing now, we never will. Ladies and gentlemen, please get your best Pinning fingers ready, and give it up for bride Adriane and her fabulous writeup.

How we met

Adriane, the bride: We met at a mutual friend’s birthday in Palm Springs, California. We immediately connected and our story continued from there…

An Alon Livné Bride for a Super Luxe Boho Beautiful Jewish Wedding at Four Seasons Westlake Village, California, USA

16/10/2017 by Karen

Say WHAAAAT? That was our first, and very understandable, reaction to this sensational spread of images from Jasmin and Eliot’s absolutely ah-mazing Jewish wedding day.

After we were done rubbing our eyes in disbelief like cartoon characters, we managed to take in the divine details that made this big day so special. First of all, the unfathomably beautiful venue, Four Seasons Westlake Village, which came with its own waterfall, the perfect setting for a shabbat pre-wedding celebration. No wonder they made a weekend out of it!

The waterfall was matched only by the epic, cascading floral arrangements, tumbling from tables, adorning the tipi-inspired chuppah – we’ve never seen anything quite like it, so you’d be forgiven for Pinning so fast your fingers start smoking a little.

Everything about this boho-beautiful big day was perfectly matched with the theme – the naked cake, the sweet, contemporary stationery, the aisle made from layered vintage rugs. There was not a dà©cor item out of place.

Beautiful bride, Jasmin, looked ridiculously incredible in her truly unique, showstopping Alon Livné beaded dress, and in her first-look gown, a really original photoshoot idea that we simply adore.

Speaking of photography, this stunner of a wedding was shot by an absolute photography legend, Jessica Claire, whose work we are thrilled and honored to feature on the blog. A wedding this luxe deserves nothing less than a photographer who can do it justice, and Jessica Claire did it justice and then some. We are in love!

We’ll hand you over to Jasmin for all of the details about how her and Eliot’s special day came together. Prepare yourselves for incoming wedding pretty – it’s a little overwhelming!

A shabbat dinner by the waterfall

Jasmin, the bride: We got married at the Four Seasons Westlake Village. It was the first place we visited, and the last place we circled back to after looking at over 10 venues.

I am from New York, and Eliot is from Orange Country, so we wanted a destination that was comfortable for our guests for the entire weekend. We threw a big shabbat dinner inside/outside by the waterfall, and Sunday brunch at the venue outside by the garden terrace.

An Elegant Japanese-Jewish Wedding at Congregation Emanuel-el and Presidio Officer’s Club Ballroom, San Francisco, USA

06/10/2017 by Karen

It’s no secret that here at Smashing The Glass, we ADORE the coming together of two diverse cultures. While Kristin is Jewish, and so this is not a Jew-ish wedding, the couple combined elements of bride Kristin’s Japanese-American background with groom Bryan’s Jewish heritage, to create a warm and wonderful celebration like no other.

It’s no surprise that this worked so well. San Francisco-based Kristin is the business owner of Nourish, a lifestyle company that helps people define their cultural narrative on their own terms, and her and Bryan’s wedding was full of heart and placed huge emphasis on the importance of family.

From the home-style meal to the family-centric ceremony, incorporating elements of Japanese culture, every moment honored both families and it’s clear that they are very tight knit.

We’re amazed by the story of how the reception venue was discovered. We won’t spoil it for you, but be sure to read carefully, because it’s really something special!

We’re also huge fans of bride Kristin’s cool bridal style, opting for a T-shirt-style dress from Pronovias that totally matched her day-to-day style. It’s a great example of how to be the best version of yourself on your wedding day.

Fabulous STG Recommended Vendor Stephanie Caplan of The Ketubah provided the couple’s beautiful, personalized ketubah, and Perfect Circle Photography captured every detail, as well as all of the emotion, heart and soul of the celebration.

Take it away, Kristin!

How we met

Kristin, the bride: We met on a street corner in Hayes Valley (our neighborhood), San Francisco, where we would often see each other on our way to the bus stop in the morning. For a while, we were just friendly neighbors, until we went on our first date. We began dating, and Bryan proposed on that same street corner where we first met, exactly four years later.
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A Golden City-Themed Jewish Wedding at The Julia Morgan Ballroom at the Merchants Exchange Building, San Francisco, USA

19/07/2017 by Karen

Anyone who’s had the good fortune to have visited San Francisco will know that it’s one mighty city, and certainly worthy of having a whole wedding theme dedicated to it.

That’s exactly what brilliant couple Rachael, a pediatrician, and David, a scientist, did – their beautiful Jewish wedding was a total love letter to the Golden City, which is their hometown, and the beautiful backdrop to their romance.

We are all hearts for eyes over the amazing floristry, particularly the gorgeous and colorful bridal bouquet, and matching centerpieces and chuppah arrangements – simply stunning.

Family participation was integral to the celebration, with the wedding party comprised of family members, and special family heirloom jewelry worn by the bride. In fact, family played such a crucial role that all the guests were gifted one of the bride’s mom’s famous cookies, which sound absolutely delicious. We’ll wait for ours in the post!

We hope you’re as head over heels for the beautiful images by Nightingale Photography as we are, and that you enjoy Rachael’s wonderful, sparkling write up of her and David’s wedding day, particularly her anecdote about kiddush wine, which had us chuckling at our keyboards.

Take it away, Rachael!

A venue with character

Rachael, the bride: We chose to get married at the Julia Morgan Ballroom because we wanted to get married in downtown San Francisco, but we were looking for something with more character than a basic hotel ballroom.

We quickly fell in love with the beautiful design and architecture of the Julia Morgan Ballroom, and they had the date we wanted to get married available, so we snatched it up. It also didn’t hurt that the entire ceremony and reception was inside, so we didn’t have to worry about rain ruining the big day.

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An Equality-Driven Jewish Beach Wedding at The Fairmont Miramar, Santa Monica, California, USA

03/07/2017 by Karen

Some real weddings are just so full of love, heart and emotion that it shines through in every image we see, and every word the couple writes. Ryan and Jessica’s Santa Monica beach celebration was certainly one of those days.

Set in the shadow of an enormous fig tree, the tear-jerking day included a uniquely equality-driven badeken (we LOVE this idea, we suspect many couples will be borrowing it), and a ‘web of love’ during the ceremony.

The pair tied the knot in their hometown of Santa Monica, paying homage to their beachy lifestyle and adding in a minty colour scheme, which carried through in all of the details, captured so beautifully by photographer Scott Clark Photo.

While we’re talking details, we adore (amongst many other things) the rustic-look chuppah, succulent buttonholes and meaningful circle-of-life ketubah – the epitome of Jewish wedding chic.

We’ll leave you with Jessica’s lovely write-up now, but pay special attention to the ‘web of love’ image a little later in the post – so very moving and just what getting married is all about.

How we met

Jessica, the bride: Ryan and I met in Los Angeles while pursuing graduate degrees in Business Administration at the University of Southern California in 2011. We’ve been on a long journey together since: over the past six years we moved twice, first to New York and then back to LA. In 2016, Ryan joined the Jewish faith, we got engaged, and less than a year later, we were married.