Etsy Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Willowby by Watters Bride for a Double Feature Interfaith Jewish Wedding Anassa Hotel in Latchi, Cyprus and Westlake Village Inn Los Angeles, CA, USA

16/03/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Some couples get to have one wedding in a totally, jawdroppingly breathtaking setting. Stephanie and Raphael got to have TWO! Combining an intimate ceremony in Cyprus (at the same hotel where the pair’s love story began to unfold) with a bigger party for family and friends near their home in LA, they these two maintained continuity between the two events by putting Mediterranean style at the center of both events – and by booking beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor LUZ Photography for both the Cyprus and LA festivities, who not only provided totally stunning pics from each event but also brought photographic continuity between the ceremony and reception.

We also love how this interfaith couple worked to craft a personal ceremony that was meaningful to both of them. This meant a contemporary take on mikveh with a dip in the Mediterranean Sea the evening before the ceremony, a ketubah, circling (each circled the other three times, and then the two did one last circle together in unison), exchanging personal vows, choosing a close friend to officiate, and, of course, smashing the glass!

There’s so much more we could say, but we’ll hand you over to Stephanie – who looked gorgeous in Willowby by Watters – for the rest…

Two Weddings

Stephanie, the bride: On July 3rd, 2019 we were married in a small, intimate ceremony with only a few friends at the Anassa Hotel in Latchi, Cyprus. The location plays a significant role in our love story. The two of us were friends for many years until we travelled together in Tel Aviv and then Cyprus. It was there, at the Anassa hotel, that we realized we both had strong feelings for one another, beyond just friends.

On September 1, 2019, we celebrated our marriage with our family and friends at the Westlake Village Inn near Los Angeles, CA. Both of us have roots in Los Angeles, and the Westlake Village Inn provide us with a convenient, beautiful reception location that captured the Mediterranean vibes of our wedding.

An Emmy Mae Bride for a Chinese-Jewish Wedding with a Peony Chuppah at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Wellesley, MA, USA

04/03/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

It never fails to set our hearts aflutter when we see a couple merge their diverse backgrounds into one beautiful Jewish wedding. And we adore a peony chuppah. Therefore, we knew from the get go that we were going to fall head over heels for the wonderful Chinese-Jewish wedding of college sweethearts JingJing, who works in data analytics, and Andrew, who’s in software development.

Since these two were planning a Massachusetts wedding all the way across the country from their home in Seattle, they knew they’d need some support in planning the big day. And so they turned to the fabulous Luba of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Primavera Dreams, who they knew they could trust to understand their diverse families and cultures.

Luba worked with the couple to incorporate traditions both Chinese – like pops of red, the traditional Chinese wedding color – and Jewish – like the stunning peony chuppah – into the day. There were even some small touches reflecting the groom’s Russian heritage thrown into the mix, like chamomile incorporated into the florals.

And back to that peony chuppah… peonies are JingJing’s favorite flowers (and, after scrolling through these lovely photos by Mark Spooner, maybe ours too?), so it was only natural to showcase them. Mixed with fresh greenery and other flowers in shades of pink, peach, and white, the chuppah struck the perfect balance between minimalism and whimsy, simplicity and lushness.

There’s so much more we could say, but we’re going to leave the rest to the bride, who looked so elegant in her 3D floral lace dress from Emmy Mae Bridal…

A Garden Venue

JingJing, the bride: We got married at The Gardens at Elm Bank at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in Wellesley, MA. We wanted a primarily outdoor venue that would be beautiful on its own, and we were definitely partial to the garden aspect (we got engaged at a botanic garden!). Elm Bank checked all our boxes for setting as well as location and flexibility as a vendor.Continue Reading

A Lee Petra Grebenau Bride for an Intimate Destination Jewish Beach Wedding Weekend at Aruba Marriot Resort and Stellaris Casino, Aruba

21/02/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

There’s nothing like a destination wedding weekend – just you and your beloved and your very nearest and dearest friends and family, away from it all, coming together and getting to know each other and celebrating your love. That’s exactly what Jessica, a speech language pathologist, and Max, a manager for a pipe supply company (#masefourthwithbejess), did, jetting off to the Aruba Marriot and Stellaris Casino with an intimate crowd of 40 to party all weekend long.

These two threw a laid-back, informal centered around a huge dance party – and followed up with another party the next day on a private pirate boat! The couple flew in their photographer, Nela from Christian Oth Studio, and she was, in the bride’s words, a total Rockstar, snapping beautiful, artful photos from start ot finish.

And of course we’re obsessed with the bride’s incredible custom gown from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Lee Petra Grebenau. Lee is one of our very favorite Israeli designers, and Jessica was lucky enough to be able to work with her in person in NYC to create the dress of her dreams – something feminine yet edgy, appropriate for the beach yet not a beach dress – and above all, something with a big bow. Lee came through and then some – we could not be any more in love with the design she came up with for this beautiful bride.

And speaking of the beautiful bride, we’ll leave it to her to fill you in on the rest…

How we met

Jessica, the bride: We met at a bar in the Hamptons. My sister was dating Max’s best friend. After months of messaging my sister to set us up, I agreed to go on a date with him. We have been together ever since.

An Essense of Australia Bride for a Romantic Country House Jewish Wedding at De Vere Latimer Estate, Buckinghamshire, UK

17/02/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

There’s nothing like a beautiful Jewish wedding in the English countryside. And Samantha, who works as a voiceover agent, and Adam, the CFO of a gaming company, could not have picked a more perfect spot for theirs than De Vere Latimer Estate. Nestled in the rolling green hills of the Buckinghamshire countryside, it ticks all the boxes – historic manor house, breathtaking grounds, and that quintessential English countryside feel without requiring London-based guests to travel too far.

And of course the couple’s photographers, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor LUZ, recorded the day perfectly, in their trademark artistic, architectural style. We’re obsessed with the way the team captured the blend of traditional and modern that made this day so uniquely wonderful.

There’s so much more we could say, but we’ll let the bride – who looked absolutely stunning in her Essense of Australia gown – fill you in on the rest.

How We Met

Samantha, the bride: We met through mutual friends on a night out in London.

A La Femme Bride for a Rainbow Glitz Jewish Wedding at The Rattlesnake Club, Detroit, MI, USA

14/02/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

Happy Valentine’s Day! In honor of February 14, we’re bringing you something extra special today – the Jewish wedding of Amy Becker, who you may know as the inventive foodie behind What Jew Wanna Eat and online Judaica emporium ModernTribe, and groom Andrew, a tech executive.

Amy’s known for colorful (literally!) recipes like rainbow challah (which made an appearance at the wedding) and Jewnicorn hot chocolate, so it’s no surprise she and Andrew cooked up a totally rainbowtastic wedding. The bride describes the wedding theme as “rainbow gold glitter formal,” and in keeping with that vibrant ethos went for a non-traditional and super fun pink La Femme wedding dress. Photographers Holly and Erik and videographer Dustin, both from Mike Staff Productions, captured the day in all its glory.

This wedding was totally, 100% Amy and Andrew, and we’re obsessed with Amy’s advice on going all out to make your big day just the way you want it:

A few people advised us to pick a timeless wedding look, but we did the opposite! Don’t worry about picking something trendy or unique if that’s what you want. We added lots of colored lanterns and a Funfetti cake and neon table numbers and it felt totally us. It may look dated one day, but who cares as long as it reflected you on your special day.

And would you believe that Amy and Andrew planned the whole thing in just four months, and long-distance too?! We’re so touched that Amy credits our very own STG Brides Club with having helped them pull it off. In her own words:

I especially enjoyed bouncing ideas off other brides in the STG Brides Club Facebook group. The girls and Karen feel more like friends, and have the best ideas so you don’t have to nag your friends for feedback. I also stalked the Smashing the Glass website and got so much inspiration from the other wedding posts and the checklists were invaluable.

If you’d like to get in on the Smashing The Glass Brides Club magic too, now’s your chance! We’re currently offering a free 30-day trial so you can check out this wonderful community for yourself – but it’s only valid until Monday 17 Feb at 23:59 PST, so sign up now and see what all the fuss is about!

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Everything Bagel Forever

Amy, the bride: We met on the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel when we both lived in San Francisco, and from that day forward I was “Amy Bagel” in Andrew’s phone. Our first date was at the club Andrew is a member of, where he convinced me to try a booze-heavy Vesper instead of my usual red wine. After a few drinks and lots of laughs, we moved onto late-night oysters and talked for hours. On our third date, Andrew made me a multi-course dinner complete with a Funfetti cake to win me over, and it totally did. I was smitten and impressed.

After a month of travelling separately, we reunited on New Year’s Eve 2018, when Andrew changed his flight from Michigan to come back early to celebrate with me. He also brought me back corned beef. I knew he was a special one, and we were exclusive from then on. A few months later he proposed we move to Puerto Rico for a job opportunity, and a year after that he proposed we get married. Both were easy questions to say “yes” to. I’m still “Amy Bagel” in Andrew’s phone, and now I’m his everything bagel forever.