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A Classic Jewish Wedding with Plenty of Shtick at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

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Tamara & Josh, Hyatt Regency Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

We’re so delighted to be featuring the gorgeous Jewish wedding of Smashing The Glass Bride’s Club member Tamara, a middle and high school history teacher, and Josh, who works in property management. 

We’re obsessed with their Scottsdale venue – nothing like an outdoor chuppah with those stunning southwestern mountains in the background – and the way the couple seamlessly tied in their classic wedding style and lilac and white color scheme. Don’t miss the wonderful pics from photographer John Solano!

Tamara is, in her own words, “obsessed with shtick,” and her crew delivered! Lots of the humor was based around the fact that Tamara and Josh attended rival schools University of Arizona and Arizona State University, respectively, and the bride’s Chabad rabbi from U of A went so far as to mention that if these two couple get together, world peace can happen! The pair also had a friend do schtick where he was eating “hand sanitizer” (jello)  and “mouthwash” (probably Gatorade)!

Tamara’s got a wild wedding gown story, too… but all’s well that ends well, and if you ask us she couldn’t have looked lovelier in the finished product!

Now over to the bride…

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A Helena Kolan Bride for a Colorful, Multicultural Jewish-Hindu Wedding at Hummingbird Nest Ranch, California, USA

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Jaime-and-Varun-Hummingbird-Nest-Ranch-California

Get ready to be BLOWN AWAY by the incredible Jewish-Hindu wedding of our beloved Brides Club member Jaime, who has an online fitness business, and Varun, who is CEO of a tech company. These two wanted a one-of-a-kind day that felt larger than life, and did they ever achieve that goal – thanks in no small part to the expertise of their wedding planner, Leora of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Best Bride, who Jaime describes as “the best wedding planner on the planet. Period.”

Blending two different faiths and cultures is no small feat, but Leora made it a breeze, working with Jaime and Varun to craft a jam-packed day – and we do mean a full day; this wedding went from noon until midnight! – including two ceremonies (one Hindu, one Jewish), a positively mouthwatering bicultural food experience featuring Israeli and Indian street food, and, of course, a rocking party to end things off.

The results were thoroughly, breathtakingly beautiful – we’re equally obsessed with the color and energy of the Hindu ceremony and the romance and drama of the sunset Jewish ceremony. And how beautiful is the couple’s floral ketubah, created by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush?! Jaime can’t stop raving about her experience working with founder Rachelle to create the perfect design to match the color and décor scheme for her Jewish ceremony.

You really, really don’t want to miss the fantastic photos from Clane Gessel and Sanaz Photography. Because their day had so much going on, planner Leora encouraged Jaime and Varun to hire two photography teams to make sure none of the good stuff went undocumented, and Jaime is SO glad she followed that advice. And the trailer by AndHer Visuals is equally unmissable.

Now over to the bride, who had not one, not two, but THREE dresses for the big day – her gorgrous, vibrant dress for the Hindu ceremony was made by Vama Designs, and her gown for the Jewish ceremony was custom made by Israeli designer Helena Kolan (who also created Jaime’s reception dress)…

Jaime-and-Varun-Hummingbird-Nest-Ranch-California Jaime-and-Varun-Hummingbird-Nest-Ranch-California
Jaime-and-Varun-Hummingbird-Nest-Ranch-California Jaime-and-Varun-Hummingbird-Nest-Ranch-California
How we met

Jaime, the bride: We met on OKCupid in San Francisco when we were both working in the start up scene. 

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Real Jewish Brides: Jaime’s Final Countdown

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Jaime will be marrying Varun on 26th October 2019 at Hummingbird Nest Ranch, California, USA. Click here to read all Jaime’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Jaime and Varun will be having a Jewish ceremony AND a Hindu ceremony – on the same day! (2) They’re planning a swanky but not stuffy wedding at one of our fave California venues, Hummingbird Nest Ranch! (3) Jaime is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!


1 month to go!

Here we are – the final sprint until the big day!

September 1 we had my bridal shower and it was so much fun to be with my family and spend the time. My mom and my aunts threw me the most beautiful shower – where I told her I wanted it to be “all things sparkly, colorful and rainbow” aka ungapatchka, lol!

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A Monique Lhuillier Bride for an Ultra-Glam Old Hollywood Jewish Wedding at the Four Seasons, Los Angeles, California, USA

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Jewish Wedding at Four Seasons Los Angeles CA USA_0011
We are totally obsessed with the bride, Natasha’s fab Monique Lhuillier gown in today’s mega-glam Jewish wedding. The lace, the fit, that gorgeous pouf at the bottom… LOVE.

It’s no wonder lovely Natasha ended up with such a fab gown — as a buyer for Forever21, she knows a thing or two about fashion. So does dapper groom Ariel, as the CEO of an LA-based clothing manufacturer.

From the stunning outdoor palm-tree lined ceremony space (so LA) to the ever-so-glam reception space, the couple’s style is out in full force. And if you needed further evidence of their fantastic taste, they used one of our very own Smash Glass Pouches under the chuppah! Check it out in Wind Productions’ fantastic photo just below.

Beyond the aesthetics, we’re also super touched by the efforts Natasha made to include her parents, who live all the way on the other side of the world in London, in the planning.

She chose her mega-luxe venue partly because it just happened to be the hotel her parents had stayed at (and adored) on their very first visit to her after she made the big move across the pond, and even let her mum and dad design the wedding invitations!

There’s so much more to love about this wedding, but we’ll let Natasha fill you in on the rest…

Jewish Wedding at Four Seasons Los Angeles CA USA_0011 Jewish Wedding at Four Seasons Los Angeles CA USA_0011

Jewish Wedding at Four Seasons Los Angeles CA USA_0011

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Old School Hollywood

Natasha, the bride: we got married at the Four Seasons, Los Angeles. It’s actually funny because 6 years ago when I moved to Los Angeles on my parents’ first trip to visit me here they stayed at this hotel. I remember at the time them seeing a wedding while being there and saying what an amazing place to make a wedding… six years later I ended up having my wedding there.

This wasn’t the only reason , it’s close to where we live and very old school Hollywood with a beautiful outdoor setting… but the fact that my mum and dad loved the venue so much swayed me as I always try and make them happy too. As my dad kept saying to me… this is really our wedding Natasha… when you have a daughter and she gets married – then it will be your wedding!

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