DIY wedding Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Smashing the Glass

A Boho bride in cowboy boots for a DIY rustic Jewish wedding at Moshav Mevo Modi’im, Israel

22/10/2015 by Karen

Nikki and Gavriel met via the power of Google search (no kidding… read their ‘how we met’ story below!) but their Jewish wedding was far from hi-tech. It was a super cool, relaxed rustic affair set in Gavriel’s home town in Israel with an abundance of lovingly crafted DIY details.

So much of the wedding was DIY’ed straight from the heart, from the stunning florals organised by the couple and their families (no pro florists involved at all!) to the home-made wooden signs, hay bale seating, BBQ menu and the beautiful bride’s jewellery all made by Gavriel’s mother. She also created Nikki’s stunning baby’s breath flower crown. Is she one talented mama or what?

I absolutely love Nikki’s bridal style and how she accessorised her dress with that deep green sash. And she totally rocks those cowboy boots of hers. I’ve always loved a bride in cowboy boots — such a cool look for a country style affair.

The whole W Day is full of natural and rustic details — unfussy and relaxed, but ever so pretty. Perfect for a venue surrounded by wonderful nature.

Enjoy this treat of a Friday wedding with images by one of our ever-talented Smashing Suppliers, Herschel Gutman Photography, who captures the essence of the day perfectly.

How we met

Nikki, the Bride: A friend and I were looking for a new experience and for whatever reason googled “religious farms in Israel”. We found a little family farm on a moshav and helped out a here and there with the farm duties on our stay. The daughter of the family asked if we wanted to hang out with her and her friends. We said yes and through her we met a group of guys. The mother of the family told us, “be careful — moshav boys are dangerous!” But over the course of the weekend I hung out with Gavriel on the moshav.. we talked and I listened to him playing the guitar and singing (as well as admiring his devastatingly good looks!) I couldn’t not give him my number…. Well the rest is history and here we are about two years later…. as husband and wife!

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Carmel & Aviv | ‘love carnival in a green house’ DIY Jewish wedding at the groom’s rose farm, Northern Israel

27/08/2015 by Karen

Carmel and Aviv knew that they wanted to make their wedding as personal to the two of them as they possibly could, so what could be better then doing everything (and I mean everything!) themselves? Oh yes — once these two had decided on a DIY W-day, it was full steam ahead, and then some. Get ready to admire what is probably one of the most DIY’d weddings I have ever featured on Smashing The Glass. It truly gives new meaning to the phrase, ‘labour of love’.

For 6 months, this gorgeous pair made the drive every weekend from Tel Aviv, to the groom’s family farm in Northern Israel to renovate an old greenhouse from the bone. They straightened the ground, laid a concrete dance floor, and planted literally thousands of flowers and trees. (To give you an idea, they planted about 400 sunflowers in one field alone!).

And it didn’t stop there. Once the space was ready, Carmel and Aviv made everything themselves from the decorations to the flags to the signage, not to mention hand-crafting their invitations, table numbers and place names. There was also a flower booth on the day, with live flower weaving to decorate the guests. Genius.

The most personal thing they incorporated though, was a wonderful heirloom — their chuppah canopy. It has been used in the groom’s family for two generations for every wedding in the family, and Aviv’s grandmother weaves the names of every new couple into it. How magical is that?

A immense amount of time and effort has clearly gone into this incredible wedding, so enjoy all the wonderful details and get ready for some serious pinterest-induced mania! Both the bride and the groom have written the report today, and why wouldn’t they when there was so much joint involvement with the wedding planning ? One of my favourite quotes from the groom is:

Our wedding was full of happiness and love. We guess that when people see how much love you’re putting into it, they return it with extra.”

I love that.

Their day is exquisitely photographed by the super talented Shai Franco and don’t miss the highlights film at the end by the equally accomplished Shahar Lev.

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5 details to make your wedding totally ‘YOU’… without breaking the bank

10/06/2015 by Karen

This is a guest post by Aleisha McCormack

I Love (with a capital L) seeing all the ways couples can truly express themselves with crafty wedding details (and usually a bit of a sense of humour).

All of the following projects are simple to produce…no glue gun required and are fairly inexpensive…saying that, you can go to town with anything, so if your budget is high, attach diamonds to everything, or use nicer card.

1. Ask your guests to send in their favourite party anthems on their RSVP cards

This is a 2 for 1 tip. If you aren’t having a DJ or band then this request helps you compile a song list that guarantees that everyone coming to your wedding will have a tune that will get them up out of their seats and grooving. The old will be happy because one of their songs might get a look in and you aren’t having to come up with a list (if that isn’t your bag).

Free printable and image: United With Love

2. Use free printables

There are some wonderful free printables going around on the interwebs that are editable and super fun. One idea that I really have been digging is the quirky FAQ and fact lists about the couple that are being put on the back of menus and ceremony programs. This may sound pretentious but done in the right way, it can be a lot of fun, particularly if you reveal some little titbits about yourselves that even close friends might not know. Cheryl has 469 teaspoons from around the world. Michael has seen Ace of Bass in concert 6 times. OK, Cheryl and Michael are losers but you get the picture.

Image: Etsy

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Jessica & Pete | Vineyard Jewish Wedding on a full moon night, Naches, Washington, USA

11/03/2014 by Karen

I adore this wedding and not just because it’s set in a winery, there’s a full moon, a cute dog, and there’s an intimate outdoor ceremony, but because there is so much effort from family and friends.

Jessica, the Bride, says, “We didn’t have a particular theme – our wedding was really all about celebrating our relationship and commitment to one another with our friends and family, all of whom were an integral part of making the day come together: Our whole bridal party was made up of our brothers and sisters; friends and family came together to do all the floral arrangements, place settings and venue dà©cor; the groom built the chuppah; my father officiated; a dear friend did my hair; I wore my grandmother’s jewelry — from top to bottom our wedding was a reflection of the people who mean so much to us and have made us who we are.”

Victoria & Oliver | Super-Creative Back Garden Jewish Wedding in Highgate, London, UK

12/12/2013 by Karen

Today folks we have back garden glamour abound, with a wedding hosted in the bride’s parents’ home followed by a reception at the bride’s grandparent’s home. How lovely is that?

There’s loads of super creative DIY, a gorgeous Alice Temperley bride, a Routemaster bus, some swimming pool action, and some immense photography from Richmond Pictures.

Victoria, a creative arts therapist, and Oliver, a theatre producer, met during their time at the Newcastle University Theatre Society where they played two drunks in Kebab! The Musical . What an awesome ‘how did you meet’ opener!

VENUE + LOCATION
Victoria, the Bride: We had the ceremony in my parent’s garden in Highgate. They have a lawn down some garden steps, which makes it feel like a secret garden almost. We then took red London buses to my Grandparent’s house, also in Highgate, as they too have a lovely garden – we had a marquee here. I grew up in both these gardens so both venues had a lot of sentimental value and my fiancà©e loved the gardens too. (My Grandpa died a few years ago but my Grandma was thrilled to host everyone — she danced all night. This was particularly special as she passed away 6 months later. We have such great memories of her as hostess with the mostess!)