DJ Gil Fux Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Colorful, Multicultural Colombian-Israeli Jewish Wedding with Garden Vibes at Bustan Abu Ghosh, Israel

30/09/2022 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

We are absolutely in love with today’s gorgeous multicultural Jewish wedding – not to mention the awesome globetrotting love story of Laura, who’s in business administration, and Daniel, a lawyer, whose relationship took them from Madrid to New York to Israel, where they now live!

Celebrating the merging of their two backgrounds – Laura originally hails from Colombia, while Daniel is Israeli – was the theme for this very special day, and the couple carried it through in everything from their flowers to their music to their ultra-personal ceremony to their venue: they chose to make it official at Bustan Abu Ghosh, which is not only stunning but also happens to be run by a Muslim owner who loves Jewish weddings! In the couple’s words, “We thought it would be fitting to exchange our vows in a place where two different religions and cultures came together to create something magical, as this was precisely what happened with our relationship.” How special is that?!

Laura and Daniel chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ben Kelmer to document their big day – as an amateur photographer herself, Laura knew she wanted someone who could take natural, authentic photos capturing special moments in time. And no one does that better than Ben Kelmer!

There’s so much more to say about this fabulous wedding, but we’ll turn you over to the couple for the rest of the story…

How we Met

Laura, the bride and Daniel, the groom: We met in January 2018, the day we started our MBA at IE Business School in Madrid, Spain. From there, it took a while for us to formally become a couple. Laura was immensely scared of commitment due to previous experiences and did not come to the MBA with any plans to fall in love, let alone to be in a serious relationship. She was also very scared of getting involved with someone from a different religion (Laura is Catholic and Daniel is Jewish). Laura thought she would expose herself to being hurt if she fell in love with someone whose family might not accept her.

After we did get together, we applied and got accepted to Yale School of Management, for a dual degree program. We left Madrid together in August 2018 and graduated from Yale in May 2019. We then moved in together in New York City and got engaged in January 2020. We were planning to get married in October 2020, before COVID changed all of our plans… Continue Reading

A Vine-themed Gay Jewish Wedding with a Grapevine Chuppah at Chalk Hill Estate, Healdsburg, California, USA

18/05/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s wedding makes us want to book a one-way ticket to California, stat. Would you just look at that light? Those rolling hills? And the grapevine chuppah?!

Yes, Adam, a real estate developer, and Lowell, who owns and operates a group dental practice, had a grapevine chuppah. The dapper duo married at Chalk Hill Estate, a winery in Sonoma County – just north of their San Francisco home – and their forest floor-themed wedding was basically an ode to the stunning venue.

The couple mixed traditional wedding flowers in favor of vines, branches, and forest foliage, and nowhere did they put this policy into better use than in choosing to have their chuppah constructed from vines and grapes from Chalk Hill’s vineyards. I just can’t get over how cool it looks — you’ve got to check out the close-ups. And if you were too nervous to eat pre-ceremony and found yourself feeling a little peckish, chuppah grapes to the rescue! Bonus?!

Photographer Belathà©e and videographer Dareen Baca of Reel Eyes Media captured everything about this day so beautifully, from that wonderful golden autumnal sunlight to the love between the couple.

On a poignant note, the devastating 2017 Northern California wildfires started on the night of Adam and Lowell’s wedding, and several towns surrounding their beautiful venue were destroyed in the course of the disaster. As the couple put it, “Like smashing the glass, this was a reminder that even at our happiest moments, there is struggle and hardship all around us.”

With that, we’ll turn you over to Adam and Lowell…

A Winery Venue

Adam and Lowell, the grooms: We were married at Chalk Hill Estate, a winery in Sonoma County. We’d always envisioned a fall wedding in Napa or Sonoma for a number of reasons – the food, the colors, the serenity, and because, for us, it’s a local “destination.” We toured many venues in Napa and Sonoma and were drawn to Chalk Hill because its vast landscapes had a rugged elegance that felt right for us.

A Berta Bride for a Hi-Tech Forest-Themed Jewish Wedding at Lago, Tel Aviv, Israel

16/03/2018 by Karen

Nature meets up-to-the-minute technology in today’s breathtaking Israeli Jewish wedding. Shirin, a teacher, and Shai, an engineer, joined their passions for the outdoors and for the latest in multimedia design. The Tel Aviv-based couple chose to wed at Lago, a gorgeous contemporary venue (named for the beautiful lake on the property) that pairs spectacular outdoor scenery with an indoor space equipped with 3-D video mapping technology.

Designer Hilit Gordon loaded the space with oodles of verdant greens and white florals–we’re talking about some truly massive arrangements here–for a forest chic vibe, with stunning boughs of greenery hanging from the ceiling in a super sophisticated touch.

As if all that weren’t dramatic enough, the venue’s tech capabilities meant that the couple were able to have a fab VJ, Gil Valdman, project a custom-designed image of a forest on the walls with the 360 ° video mapping. What a cool surprise for the guests as they walked into the hall after the ceremony!

This couple’s story really highlights the difference a great planner can make in crafting an amazing day (without making yourself crazy in the process!). Shirin and Shai quickly decided to turn to a wedding planner to help them realize their vision, and they found the perfect match in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Naama Raicher.

Along with her colleague Yael Kfir Frumkes, Naama helped the couple work out all the details to make their hi-tech forest fantasy come true. According to Shirin, Naama and Yael made the process relaxing and stress-free–how often do you hear a bride use those words to describe wedding planning?!

In addition to their primary photographer, Nitzan Gur of Love Marriage, the couple’s planners encouraged them to bring in a second photographer, Liat Federman, who specializes in shooting interiors to make the most of their breathtaking dà©cor. Yet another point for Naama and Yael–Shirin and Shai are so glad to have Liat’s stunning photos of the venue in all its glory. Rounding things out was videographer Roma Nerom of Nerom, who captured the day in live action.

Beautiful bride Shirin wanted a dress that made her feel like a princess yet was still comfortable to dance all night in, and she found her perfect match in a sparkling rose-gold Berta. And now it’s over to her to fill you in on the details of her exquisite day…

How we met

Shirin, the bride: We met during our military service through a mutual friend. We were together for 6 years prior to the wedding.Continue Reading

A Lee Petra Grebenau Bride for a Super Luxe Jewish Wedding with a Performance by THE Gipsy Kings at David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem, Israel

26/02/2018 by Karen

Today’s super luxe Jewish wedding contained plenty of surprises, from the astounding floral arrangements throughout the reception to the insanely gorgeous chuppah, the violinists during cocktail hour to Moshe Peretz and the ACTUAL Gipsy Kings playing the reception!

The couple chose to have a religious ceremony, conducted by none other than the Chief Rabbi of Israel, in Jerusalem, originally home to bride Natalie. Careful nods to their faith were included throughout the celebration, honoring the history and atmosphere of the incredible surroundings.

Beautiful bride Natalie looked a million bucks in her TWO(!) divine, sexy and gorgeous Lee Petra Grebenau gowns, with a see-through leg and gorgeous illusion embellishments. We. Are. In. Love!

Wedding planner and florist, Kby Design, created an incredible aesthetic, as you can see from the beautiful spread of images below from none other than our fabulous Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, the one and only Ran Bergman.

This is the kind of divine big day that can only really be described through the medium of pictures, so we’ll now pass you over to Ran and to Natalie for the full story.

How we met

Natalie, the bride: We met on Rosh Hashana three years ago at a mutual friend’s house.

A Pnina Tornai Bride for a Family-Oriented Jewish Wedding with a Stunning Chuppah at Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

26/01/2018 by Karen

Brothers Alexander and Jason chose to have their weddings back to back in Israel, so it was only fitting that we should feature their weddings back to back on Smashing The Glass! Jason and Nicole’s big day went live on Wednesday – and Melissa and Alexander’s is featured right now – today!

The decision was made to have the two Jewish weddings in quick succession as the brothers shared many guests and wanted to ensure that they didn’t have to fly to Israel twice. We love that the two brothers shared in each other’s joy in that way – for Jason and Alexander, it really as all about family.

As well as sharing guests, the pair shared an incredible photographer and DJ, but we’ll get to that….

We love the whole aesthetic of this stunning Israeli big day. From the couple’s fashion-forward and elegant outfit choices (that Pnina Tornai dress, though – serious wedding dress envy) to the magnificent floral chuppah, put together by the genius KBY Designs.

We also think the children’s choir is such a moving, and seriously adorable idea – so original and cute!

Melissa and Alexander’s impeccable taste extended, of course, to their choice of photographer Ran Bergman, who we absolutely adore, for reasons which will become obvious as you scroll through his divine set of pictures. We love this wedding!