Emily Harris Photography Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Carolina Herrera Bride for an Elegant Modern Jewish Wedding at Beth Torah, Aventura, FL, USA

23/09/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

What a chuppah! We’re obsessed with the cool modern acrylic chuppah – complete with luxe hanging white blossoms – Samantha, a kindergarten teacher, and Justin, co-head of corporate outreach for global real estate company Tishman Speyer, chose to marry under. That elegant all-white look, complemented by the bright pops of color from the bride and bridesmaids’ bright pink bouquets – wow! We’re still picking our jaws up off the floor after scrolling through all of Emily Harris Photography’s vibrant, joyous photos.

For that matter, ALL the flowers in this gorgeous wedding were totally wow – don’t miss the incredible ombre flower wall, or the upside down hanging tulips and calla lilies that hovered over the reception ballroom! And in keeping with the bright colorful look, Samantha and Justin chose a wonderful, colorful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Anna Abramzon, which they now display proudly in their home as a reminder of their big day and their commitment to one another.

But this wedding was about so much more than aesthetics. We love how these two incorporated their beloved late grandparents into their ceremony, with Samantha’s grandfather’s tallit used in the chuppah canopy, a kiddush cup belonging one of her grandmothers used during the ceremony, and the bride’s bouquet wrapped in lace from her other grandmother’s veil.

Now over to the bride, who looks so elegant in her Carolina Herrera gown…

How we met

Samantha, the bride: My dad and Justin’s grandpa set us up. We were both students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Justin was a senior and I was a freshman. We went out one night and had mutual friends and started talking. We dated for the second semester of his senior year and my freshman year. He was moving to New York after college, and I got back together with my ex-boyfriend. We didn’t communicate for three years.

Towards the end of my senior year at Madison, I started to think of Justin again. He posted a picture on Instagram one night and I messaged him on Facebook because I lost his number. We started talking a little and the next month after I graduated college I was in New York for a weekend visiting my sister. Justin took me out on a date that Friday night May 23rd, 2014 and we’ve been together ever since. For us, timing was truly everything.

I was in the middle of my masters program when we got married and I was working at a school. To say I was busy going to school, working and planning a wedding was an understatement.

An Inbal Dror Bride for a Mega Glam Jewish Wedding at the Ritz Naples, Florida, USA

14/01/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Two words: Orchid. Chuppah.

You know we love a good floral chuppah, and Michele and Scott went all out, packing every possible inch of theirs with glorious florals, from the poles to the edges to the gorgeous curtain of orchids hanging down the back.

This modern chic beachside wedding was packed full of luxe details, from the tiny bottles of Champagne they handed out as favors to their colorful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com to the incredible paper and leather flower wall behind their sweetheart table — truly, it’s unmissable (oh.. and if you want to get lots of creative ideas for your wedding do sign up for this with our founder, Karen! It’s totally free and totally unmissable!)

Michele, who is chief administrative officer for a private equity firm, and Scott, a wealth manager at Merrill Lynch, chose photographer Emily Harris and videographer Senderey Video to capture their big day, and we think you’ll agree they did a totally awesome job of it.

We’ll let Michele, who looked incredible in her stunner of a dress from Inbal Dror, which she found at Mark Ingram Atelier in NYC, fill you in on the rest…

How We Met

Michele, the bride: We met through mutual friends in NYC.

A Mira Zwillinger Bride for a Garden Oasis Jewish Wedding at the 1 Hotel, South Beach, Miami, Florida, USA

10/12/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

We’re experiencing some hardcore dress envy today. Seriously, HOW exquisite is bride Alyssa’s soft, whimsical Mira Zwillinger gown? It’s so dreamy, and just the right level of princess-y without being over-the-top. The story of how she ended up choosing it from beloved SoFla bridal boutique Chic Parisien is pretty epic too!

And how about Alyssa and Leon’s AMAZING chuppah?! Constructed from manzanita branches and strewn with a bed of orchids (!), it’s incredibly special — and absolutely perfect for the couple’s natural aesthetic, with a focus on greens and woods accented by bright whites.

This gorgeous wedding featured a seriously star-studded array of vendors, from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ruth Mergi, who provided the couple’s beautiful modern chuppah, to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ana Paz Cakes, who crafted an oh-so-elegant orchid-studded white tiered cake, to photographer Emily Harris, who captured some incredibly emotion (not to mention a whole lot of pretty).

We love that Alyssa made the bold decision to dress her bridesmaids in white — it’s not for everyone, but the shots of the bridal party all together are pretty stunning!

Take it away, Alyssa!

Garden Oasis

Alyssa, the bride: We got married at The 1 Hotel. I chose this location because it is absolutely breathtaking. The decor in the hotel is exactly my style and the theme I wanted to portray–everything is green, wooden decor, earthy and organic feeling.

The live green plant wall in the reception room was also a major selling point for me. It really added to the room and made for a great photo back drop for all of my guests!

Also, every time I walked into the hotel I felt like I was in some sort of garden oasis. I wanted my guests to feel like they were at a destination wedding on vacation and I really felt like the 1 Hotel provided that feel.

A Martina Liana Bride for a Modern Romantic Jewish Wedding by the Ocean with a Willow Chuppah at Eau Palm Beach, Florida, USA

21/11/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Close your eyes. You’re on a beach. You can hear the waves crashing, in and out…

For Leigh and Chad (#HappiLeighEverCassett), this wasn’t just a soothing meditation. It was their ACTUAL wedding. The sound of waves crashing was the soundtrack to their dreamy ceremony took place on a terrace overlooking the Atlantic (Palm Beach, no less), and the scenery… well, we’ll let Emily Harris’s photos and Senderey Video’s trailer speak for themselves.

As if that weren’t enough, the couple also had a totally gorgeous chuppah made of willow branches and dragonwood (see, it even SOUNDS magical), adorned with flowers — just the thing to complement the natural surroundings.

Oh, and can we talk about how AMAZING Leigh looked in her fitted trumpet gown from Martina Liana? It looks like it was absolutely designed with her in mind… pure perfection.

She’ll fill you in on the rest of the details — like the surprise confetti blast during we had a confetti blast during the hora!

Modern Elegance

Leigh, the bride: We got married at the Eau Palm Beach. We picked this venue as we wanted to get married overlooking the ocean and the Eau has an amazing terrace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

We both grew up in South Florida, and Palm Beach was far enough away for even in-town guests to make a weekend of the event. In addition, the hotel is a 5-star resort, yet is quaint and inviting, and the lobby feels like your living room.

The hotel was formerly a Ritz Carlton, and the style is pure Ritz elegance. Our theme throughout the weekend was modern elegance and the Eau captured that perfectly. The service, food, and staff were top notch!

A Pnina Tornai Bride for an Uber Glam Jewish Wedding at the Four Seasons in Palm Beach, Florida, USA

13/08/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

This mega-chic Jewish wedding is so picture perfect, between the dreamy Palm Beach setting and the jaw-dropping florals (have you seen that chuppah?!) you’d never guess that it almost didn’t happen. Brett, a social worker, and Dakota, who works in real estate, had to cancel their original wedding date at the last minute when their venue closed due to a Category 5 hurricane. Luckily, they were able to reschedule — with ALL of their original vendors, no less. How fabulous is that?!

But this wedding is so much more than its dramatic origin story. We ADORE Brett’s guipure lace gown by Pnina Tornai, which she custom designed alongside Pnina herself at Kleinfeld. It’s sexy without going over the top, and could it fit Brett any more perfectly?!

We’re also pretty smitten with the florals, courtesy of Lane of Dalsimer Atlas. The couple gave him more or less free reign over the flowers, and it turns out that was an excellent call.

Their floral chuppah is just the dreamiest, lush and romantic as can be. And we love the ultra-creative multilevel tabletop dà©cor setup Lane came up with! Check it out for yourself in Emily Harris Photography and Senderey Video Productions’s fantastic captures of the day.