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A Galia Lahav Bride for an Intimate Destination Jewish Wedding Weekend on the Italian Riviera at the Belmond Caruso, Ravello, Italy

27/06/2022 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Get ready to be blown away by one of the most exquisite Italian destination Jewish weddings we’ve seen in, well, ever! Travel lovers Marianna, an artist and handbag, footwear, and accessory designer, and Ari, a hospitality entrepreneur, worked with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Infinity Weddings to plan a truly unforgettable multi-day celebration with 50 of their nearest and dearest, making the most of the Amalfi Coast’s incredible food, vibrant culture, and stunning landscape.

Being a designer herself, Marianna wanted to be closely involved in the design process, yet she and Ari also wanted to work with a planner who could help them execute their vision with as little stress as possible. Sara of Infinity Weddings was the absolute perfect fit, executing the couple’s vision perfectly and allowing them to be fully present to enjoy the day.

We couldn’t be any more in love with the couple’s venue, the Belmond Caruso, which Marianna calls “the epitome of Italian Riviera.” The whole thing looks like a dream, and the amazing Nakutis Photography captured it all so artfully.

There’s lots more to say about this exquisite wedding – we haven’t even mentioned the bride’s unreal Galia Lahav gown – but we’ll leave it to Marianna to fill you in on the rest…

How we Met

Marianna, the bride: Ari reached out to me on Facebook when I came up for him as a suggested friend. After a few unanswered message and pick up lines about “sending me a kiss” (my last name is Senderkis), I finally replied. A few days later he surprised me by calling me through the Facebook app. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed our conversation. I agreed to meet him for lunch near my office. Although we only had 20 minutes together before I had to rush back to work, we were both instantly attracted to one another. We became a couple very soon afterContinue Reading

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for a Magical Candlelit Indoor Garden Jewish Wedding at The Dorchester, London, UK

30/05/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

We are absolutely blown away by the pure, unadulterated gorgeousness of today’s London Jewish wedding! Kelly, a restauranteur (she’s the owner and founder of A.O.K Kitchen), and Abel, who’s in property focusing on social housing, set out to plan a celebration evoking a magical candlelit garden, complete with tons of romance and beautiful flowers – and did they ever pull it off!

Everything about this day – from the flowers to the chuppah to the luxe backdrop provided by the couple’s venue, The Dorchester – gave off the ultimate fairy tale vibes. And that’s before we even get into Kelly’s exquisite Monique Lhuillier gown! As soon as Kelly spotted this dress – adorned with colorful hand-embroidered flowers and butterflies – she knew it was the perfect fit for her special day.

Now over to Kelly…

How We Met

Kelly, the bride: We were introduced by a mutual friendContinue Reading

A Dorit Izbizki Bride for a Pandemic Jewish Wedding at Xanadu, Petach Tikva, Israel

23/05/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

When they first started planning their wedding, Eliana and Pinny, both Americans who made aliyah on their own, put a premium on choosing a date that would allow their parents and siblings to fly in for the simcha.

However, the Omicron variant had other plans, and the week before the wedding, Israel shut its borders – even to first-degree relatives. As devastating as it was for the couple to accept that so many important family members wouldn’t be able to make it, they decided to forge on – and despite the sadness that comes with being far away from loved ones (though Eliana and Pinny did find some clever ways for their long-distance siblings to participate via Zoom!), the pair pulled off a truly amazing day. And that was largely thanks to the incredible network they’ve grown in their time in Israel – so much so that, even with international guests out of the picture, they still had a 300-person wedding!

Lucky for Eliana and Pinny, one key VIP who was able to make it was their photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman Photography. From the moment they got engaged, these two knew Herschel was the only photographer for them – so much so that, in Eliana’s words, “I wouldn’t have considered a date that we couldn’t have had Herschel Gutman as our photographer!” And Herschel and his team didn’t disappoint – in addition to being a total delight to work with on the day, they also did an incredible job capturing all the emotion and energy of this very special day.

There’s so much more we could say about this wonderful Jewish wedding, but we’ll leave it to the bride – who looked radiant in Dorit Izbizki – to fill you in on the details…

How we Met

Eliana, the bride: Mine and Pinny’s older sisters, Shosh and Yael, have been friends for years now. Ever since I moved to Israel, 2 years after Pinny did, my sister has been saying “You have got to go out with Shosh’s little brother!” For years though the timing was never right. He’s in his fourth year of the army, and I just began law school. Finally, last May, my sister brought up his name again and we both said yes.

The day after his first text to me we went out on our first date… and we just clicked right away. Six months later, on my 21st birthday, he proposed!

After our engagement, with both of our parents and most of our siblings living in America, it was important to choose a date that everyone would be able to fly in and share in the simcha! (We had no idea of the impending omicron variant…at the time, it really seemed like we arrived at the light at the end of the tunnel with the third vaccine open for everyone in both Israel and America.) We then chose a date in December that would be the last time all of our siblings can fly in for a while, with that said, we had a pretty short engagement.Continue Reading

A Suzanne Neville Bride for a Conservatory Jewish Wedding at Syon Park, London, UK

09/05/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

There’s not much we love more than seeing a couple work with a mega-talented team of our beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to make their Jewish wedding a day to remember – which is exactly what London couple Emma and Arik did!

From the moment the duo chose Lucie and Alex from #STGvendor Ruby J Events as their wedding planners, they were off and running. Lucie and Alex understood the vibe the couple were after and ran with it, sourcing an amazing team of vendors and taking care of all the details so that Emma and Arik “were able to enjoy every minute of planning and every second of the day” – no small feat, especially during Covid!

Another amazing #STGvendor, Sensation Band, provided the perfect soundtrack to the ceremony, with Guy singing the couple down the aisle accompanied by Jason on keyboard. For the reception, #STGvendor Balagan Roaming Band roamed the venue getting the party going and creating an electric atmosphere for the evening!

To capture their day, Emma and Arik opted to work with Promise Photography and #STGvendor Michael Pearl Films. The duo found Michael an absolute delight to work with, and they’re in love with bot their highlights video as well as the full 2-hour version!

Last but absolutely not least, the couple chose #STGvendor Feast by Ed for his mouthwatering kosher catering, and they were bowled over by not only the deliciousness of it all but the beautiful presentation too – and how wonderful Ed himself is to work with, of course!

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave the rest to the bride, who looked so elegant in Suzanne Neville…

How we Met

Emma, the bride: Arik works in data analytics and I’m a nanny, 2 professions that would never cross paths if it hadn’t of been for Hinge! We chatted for a while on the app and then we arranged to go for a drink (neither of us knowing at that point that neither of us drank). We met at Sophie’s bar in Soho and stayed chatting and laughing for hours, which is pretty much how we spend every day now – minus being in Sophie’s bar!

We moved in together 1 year later and spent 2 months living together at my dads at the beginning of lockdown. Arik was sad to leave so that was a good sign! I came home after a long walk with my sister one day (not knowing that Arik had planned this, to get me out the house), to find Arik on one knee in the lounge, surrounded by rose petals, candles and holding a ring. The rest as our rabbi said under the chuppah, is soul music.Continue Reading

An Alexandra Grecco Bride for a Super Chic Design-Conscious Jewish Wedding at The Lawrence, Jaffa, Israel

14/04/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

Sometimes we encounter a wedding so jawdroppingly stylish it just blow us away. And that’s exactly what happened when we first set our eyes on the fabulous Jewish wedding of Tel Aviv couple Olivia, is director of partnerships at an AI startup, and Ohad, who runs a global e-commerce company.

Their wedding was full on Israeli chic in the best way possible, with every element – from the artful, unposed photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ben Kelmer (who the couple found right here on STG) to the epic design spearheaded by Yahav Green and beyond.

Olivia’s an American who made aliyah a few years back, and since many of the couple’s guests were visiting Israel for their first time, the pair wanted to pull out all the stops to showcase the magic of their home city of Tel Aviv. And between welcome drinks at a rooftop bar in the heart of Shuk HaCarmel, a food tour of the market, and a rehearsal Shabbat dinner catered by Israeli chef Eyal Shani, we’re pretty sure all attendees came away 100% smitten. Even the couple’s venue, The Lawrence in Jaffa, was picked in part for its uniquely Middle Eastern vibes.

As a design aficionado, it’s no surprise Olivia looked exquisitely chic in her simple, classic gown by Alexandra Grecco… read on to hear of the story from her!

How we Met

Olivia, the bride: We are actually a pandemic love story! Olivia made Aliyah to Israel 4 years ago and during the first Covid wave in spring 2020, she befriended a few other Americans in her Tel Aviv apartment building. One of her neighbours, Josh, invited a few people over one night and even though Olivia was a bit hesitant because everyone was just coming out of lockdown, she stopped out (after all, the apartment was one floor below hers).

Ohad was there but truthfully, Olivia doesn’t remember meeting him (or anyone else). A few weeks later, Josh called Olivia and asked if he could set her up with his “very Israeli friend with a huge heart.” Olivia didn’t even ask for a photo (very unlike her) and she met Ohad a few days later. Olivia was immediately charmed by his warmth, wit, and generosity (and it was their first time being inside a restaurant in months, thanks to COVID). Turns out, Ohad had been nagging Josh for Olivia’s number ever since they met at Josh’s house.

Our relationship was on fast forward thanks to a series of intense lockdowns in Israel that we spent together (and even one camped out at Ohad’s parents house in the south of Israel). Olivia is 35 and Ohad is 38 so we knew we wanted to lock it up fast – and we did! We got engaged 10 months after we met, on the eve of Pesach 2021.Continue Reading