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A Jenny Packham Bride for a Greek Island Fantasy Jewish Wedding at the Royal Myconian Hotel, Mykonos, Greece

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Claudia & James, Royal Myconian Hotel, Mykonos, Greece

Ok, who could use a sunny island getaway about now? Yeah, we thought so. For those of us not lucky enough to be jetting off to beachy paradise, do the next best thing and live vicariously through the fabulous Jewish wedding of UK couple Claudia, who works in advertising, and James, who works in affordable housing, who tied the knot in their favorite holiday destination, Mykonos.

We’re not sure what we love more, the totally epic locale, or the fact that Claudia and James worked with an amazing team of beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to make their dream day a reality. Their first port of call was Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Elegante by Michelle J, who was, as always, “a dream to work with and took a lot of the stress off us in the planning process and the day.” Michelle helped the duo translate their island-perfect color scheme of crisp whites an blues into the fabulous day you see in the wonderful photos by Anna Roussos.

The couple’s stationers, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Cartalia, designed the most exquisite pocket-style invitation suite in coordinating blues and whites, and the couple’s chazzan, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jonny Mosesson – who they flew out from London along with two of his musicians – performed in their trademark unforgettable style at the chuppah and again for the Israeli dancing.

And we haven’t even mentioned the fact that Claudia was lucky enough to have a bespoke wedding dress designed for her by a close friend of her mum’s – none other than Jenny Packham herself! We’ll turn you over to the bride for the rest…

Claudia & James, Royal Myconian Hotel, Mykonos, Greece Claudia & James, Royal Myconian Hotel, Mykonos, Greece
How We Met

Claudia, the bride: We met through mutual friends in 2013, James had just finished his masters and Claudia had just finished her second year at university.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Alessandro Rinaudo Bride for an Israeli-Italian Jewish Wedding at Villa Miani, Rome, Italy

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We love it when a couple combines their backgrounds to make for one ultra-memorable Jewish wedding. And how cool is it that bride Rinat, who speaks fluent Hebrew, and groom Carlo, who’s Italian decided to swap languages for their speeches as a surprise for their guests?!

And then there’s the swoonworthy, ultra-romantic Italian venue, Villa Miani. Once the residence of a noble family, we couldn’t imagine a dreamier spot for an outdoor wedding. Photographer VD Image captured the day SO perfectly!

We’re also obsessed with Rinat’s two very different but equally fantastic bridal looks, both from Italian designer Alessandra Rinaudo Bridal Couture. Starting with a romantic two-piece number combining a princessy full skirt with the most delightful guipure lace top for the chuppah and switching into a lighter, sparklier mermaid style for the reception, Rinat was one radiant bride from start to finish.

Now over to you, Rinat!

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An Italian Wedding

Rinat, the bride: We got married at Villa Miani in Rome. The villa was originally the residence of a noble Venetian family and up until the beginning of the century was still an exclusive country house. We found the location very romantic and  elegant with open-air terrace, garden and fantastic halls. We had no doubt as we saw it, we felt that it was the finest setting for an unforgettable wedding.

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A Super Spiritual Enchanted Garden Jewish Wedding with an Epic Old City Photoshoot at Bezzela Hahar on Moshav Machasiya, Israel

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You know we love it when a couple really focuses on bringing out the spiritual side of their Jewish wedding. And lucky for us, that’s exactly what Australian-turned-Israeli couple, Rachel and Yehuda, did in planning their traditional day.

Capitalizing on the beauty and holiness of their adopted home, this duo opted for a venue that just exudes Israeli charm. Bezzela Hahar’s stunning outdoor grounds made for the dreamiest enchanted oasis setting, between the lush greenery and abundant Jerusalem stone — and it could not have been more perfect for the couple’s ultra-meaningful sunset (!) chuppah.

Also amazing is the post-wedding nighttime photoshoot in Jerusalem’s Old City Gilad Mashiah orchestrated for Rachel and Yehuda. This spiritual pair wanted to conclude the celebration with prayers at the Kotel (Western Wall), which just happened to provide a backdrop for some truly, amazingly touching photos.

Oh, and we’re obsessed with the fact that the couple set up a live feed of their ceremony for friends and family who couldn’t make it in person. Such a wonderful way to keep your loved ones in the loop, especially if you have lots of family overseas like Rachel and Yehuda did. Their grandparents who weren’t able to travel even ended up holding a viewing party for their friends back home — awww!

Now over to Rachel, who lived out all her Disney princess fantasies and then some in her magical, modest Tali Shurin wedding dress…

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An Enchanted Garden in Israel

Rachel, the bride: We got married at Bezzela Hahar on Moshav Machasiya. We were looking for a place with a beautiful outdoors for the chuppah, and seating space indoors, and Betsela Hahar immediately gave us the impression of an enchanted garden, whimsical and breathtaking. The location worked for us perfectly. It was convenient for our family in Bet Shemesh and Jerusalem.

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A Limor Rosen Bride for an Ashkenazi-Yemenite American-Israeli Jewish Wedding at Bayit Al Hayam in Jaffa, Israel

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We are totally and completely obsessed with Stacey and Elkana’s GORGEOUS wedding at Bayit Al Hayam. The views of the Mediterranean are just BEYOND, and the Tel Aviv skyscape isn’t too shabby either. That perfect seaside chuppah is totally the stuff our wedding dreams are made of.

But don’t be fooled – even though the aesthetics of this fab day are totally contemporary, this couple packed a ton of tradition into their wedding too. Blending Stacey’s American Ashkenazi background with Elkana’s Israeli Mizrachi heritage was key during planning, and we’re in love with the results: the hora AND traditional Yemenite dances; music from both traditions (in addition to contemporary American and Israeli hits); a traditional (and super moving — don’t miss Roman Balashov’s exquisite photos) Mizrachi badeken in the aisle.

And lest you think good old America traditions were neglected, we love that these two planned a pre-wedding “Cake and Cocktails” night just for the Americans in attendance, featuring American-style wedding speeches, a heartfelt exchange of personal vows by the couple, and, of course, wedding cake! What a great way to incorporate some of these fun traditions that didn’t quite fit into the Israeli style of the wedding itself.

If you’re looking for some tips on how to plan a wedding that reflects you and your spouse-to-be, as well as this wedding reflects Stacey and Elkana, make sure you sign up to our FREE online event: ‘The secrets to an unforgettable Jewish wedding’ with our founder and editor, Karen, happening on Monday November 12. It’s going to be totally unmissable, with some really fantastic a-ha moments!

Okay, now we’ll hand you over to the bride, who could not possibly have looked any cooler in her boho-chic gown by Limor Rosen…

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How we met

Stacey, the bride: From our wedding site:

“Elkana will tell you that the moment he met Stacey he knew he was going to marry her. For Stacey it was a love story that fell into place as she was planning to go back to Chicago. But something about Elkana was different, and she fell hard.

Fast forward to countless Euro trips, America adventures, swims in the Mediterranean, walks with Mack, cartons of Ben and Jerry’s, and Elkana got down on one knee to ask Stacey to spend the rest of her life with him.

The answer was easy, of course… this was the fairytale she only dreamed of. Our story is truly one from the books. It’s unique, it’s different, it’s two completely different worlds joining as one! Our wedding is not only a celebration of our commitment to spend the rest of our lives together, it is a time to bring together the most important people to us, in the most incredible city in the world, and share our lives with you and the love we share!”

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A Rosa Clara Bride for a Secret Garden Destination Jewish Wedding with a Willow Chuppah at The Q in Herzliya, Israel

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Okay, HOW gorgeous is Hannah and Josh’s willow branch chuppah? Covered in the most exquisite, airy little blooms of baby’s breath and delphinium, it’s just so adorable we. can’t. even.

Hannah, a makeup artist and beautician, and Josh, a business development manager, knew the secret garden theme they chose for their Jewish wedding called for a very special chuppah.

Floral, obvs. Delicate, but distinctive. Impressive, but not overwhelming. Natural, but supremely artful at the same time. We think they knocked it out of the ballpark, don’t you? And photographer  Haim Afriat  captured it all so beautifully.

The secret garden theme extended way beyond the chuppah, too, and we love all the sweet details Hannah and Josh added in to make it come to life. While Hannah waited with her mother and soon-to-be MIL for Josh to come in for the badeken, the three ladies sat on a swing covered in roses. SWOON. And the place cards were keys, hanging by the entrance so that everyone took their own key to the garden as they entered the reception — so clever!

As if we needed another reason to be just a little bit jealous we didn’t get to attend this fab wedding ourselves, some of our all-time favorite wedding musicians, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Boutique Chupah Music  (who Hannah just happens to have grown up with!).

Though the act is best known for their phenomenal chuppah music, Hannah and Josh opted to use Boutique Chupah Music all night long (well, technically until midnight when their venue banned live music…), and we’re totally not surprised to hear that they absolutely rocked the party.

And before we hand you over to beautiful bride, Hannah (who looked SO elegant in her Rosa Clara gown) make sure you sign up to our FREE online event: ‘How to create an unforgettable Jewish wedding with our founder and editor, Karen, happening on Monday November 12.

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How We Met

Hannah, the bride: Josh and I started speaking on MySpace when we were 15 years old, after a year, one Saturday night we decided to meet up. We went to the same school, and at the age of 17 Josh asked if I fancied trying out a relationship. We have been together ever since.

We have stayed together through thick and thin. I went on a year out to Israel for 9 months, while Josh travelled the world. Josh then went to Leeds University for 3 years, and after 10 years of being ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ Josh popped the question on my birthday.

He surprised me with a trip to Amsterdam, took me to a Michelin restaurant and got down on one knee. We definitely are childhood sweethearts!

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