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

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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…

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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.

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An Enzoani Bride for an Interfaith Jewish Wedding with Tons of Creative Touches at Offley Place, Great Offley, Hitchin, Hertfordshire UK

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It’s always a special day when we get to blog the big day of one of our beloved Smashing the Glass Brides Club members, and Shelley’s gorgeous interfaith Jewish wedding is no exception. She and groom and Chris not only crafted an ultra-personal celebration full of creative touches, they used some of our very favourite vendors to pull it off too!

First and foremost, we love that the bride, who’s Jewish, and the groom, who isn’t, chose to work with the wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rabbi Paul Glantz (who they found right here on Smashing The Glass!) to craft an individual Jewish blessing that truly reflected the pair as a couple – complete with a lovely floral ketubah reflecting their theme of rustic elegance from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubata.

This wedding is just so full of love and emotion, perfectly captured by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rafe Abrook in the exquisite photos. And speaking of photos, we love that Shelley and Chris gave each table an ‘Instagram Challenge’ to complete, with instructions like ‘your whole table must take a photo that recreates a famous movie scene’ – what a great way to get everyone involved and socializing, right?!

Lovely Shelley could not have looked more radiant on the day, and we’re in love with her gorgeous bridal beauty look from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Makeup by Katy. Between the beautiful makeup and perfect gown from Enzoani, it’s no wonder she felt like a princess all day!

And we love that Shelley and Chris worked with the wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Abby Taubman of Colletts Travel to plan their fab honeymoon to Singapore, Bali and Hong Kong.

We so loved having Shelley in Brides Club and helping her along as she planned this amazing day – if you’re planning a Jewish or Jew-ish wedding of your own and could use a little support, guidance, community, referrals to great vendors, or anything else you can think of that will help make your day the very best it can be – do sign up for your free 30-day trial and join us!

Now over to Shelley…


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 offley place hotel jewish wedding hester ballroom hertfordshire wedding_0047
How we met

Shelley and Chris, the bride and the groom: It’s Chris writing this part! Shelley and I are teachers, as you probably would have guessed from all the crafty things we incorporated into the wedding! We met training on our PGCE, where I knew that she was the one I was going to ask to be my wife. 6 years, two houses and one cat later, we are now Mr and Mrs Amoss ☺

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A Berta Bride for a Personal Jewish Wedding at Borgo Corsignano, Poppi, Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy

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We love it when a couple plans a Jewish wedding that’s a true reflection of who they are as a couple. So naturally we’re head over heels for the fab festive weekend of  Simone, a nurse, and Etai, who works in finance.

They got married in glorious Tuscany – since their friends and family were spread out all over the world, they figured they might as well have everyone meet up somewhere fantastic, and spread the celebration out over three days to make sure they got in some quality time with all of their guests – no rushing around during the wedding dinner for these two!

We love that they opted to skip the bridal party because it’s just not a tradition that spoke to them, and we’re obsessed with the beautiful, personal ceremony they crafted, writing their own vows,  having seven family members each recite one of the original 7 blessings in Hebrew plus a modern English blessing, and choosing the most beautiful geometric floral ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubata.

Being that this wedding took place in one of the most beautiful places in the world, it’s no wonder that the couple’s trailer from wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor HD Moments is nothing less than jawdroppingly gorgeous – but it’s all the love and emotion on display that truly makes it unforgettable.

Photographer Roberta Facchini too captured the couple’s happiness – and the evident joy their guests took in celebrating them – wonderfully.

Despite a few mishaps – rain not one, not two, but ALL THREE days of the wedding weekend, friends who couldn’t make it, a guest who partied so hard he broke BOTH of his feet dancing – this was truly a perfect day.

We’ll leave it to Simone, who looked stunning in Berta, to tell you the rest of the story…


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How we met

Simone, the bride: We met on Bumble – the online dating app. I really wasn’t interested in going on another bad date, but when he told me he was Jewish and Israeli (hello – accent!!) I couldn’t resist. We’ve been together every day since unless one of us is travelling.

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A Grace Loves Lace Bride for a Laid-Back Garden Jewish Wedding at Holly Farm, Carmel, California, USA

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Sometimes it’s the things that don’t go to plan at a wedding that make the best memories. That’s what happened at the beautiful Jewish wedding of Martina and Rob (how cute is their hashtag, #cromerhitahomer?).

Obviously, there’s a ton here that DID go to plan. I mean, can we talk about this venue?! Straight up tropical garden paradise. Flowers and greenery for daaays. It’s truly a one of a kind space – Martina says she felt like she was in an alternate universe, and we totally get it.

And the couple’s chuppah? Pure magic. Trust us, you don’t want to miss the breathtaking photos from One Love Photography.

We’re totally obsessed with the bride’s ethereal, boho dress from Grace Loves Lace – such a perfect fit for the venue, and it looks ridiculously light and comfortable, too.

There were a few mishaps along the way – the ceremony starting without the bride, Martina’s father stepping on the back of her dress as he walked her down the unexpectedly narrow aisle – but we love that Martina’s response was to laugh it off. In her words, “The ceremony faux pas became some of the best and most talked-about moments over the course of the weekend and I could not be happier about it. Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.”

Take it away, Martina!

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Jewish wedding Holly Farm Carmel California USA_0040
Theme

Martina, the bride: The spirit of our wedding was all about togetherness. We have an incredible love story that spans over a decade – we wanted our guests to get caught up in it and become a part of our story. We kept it light and fun and full of good humor and romance. Of course it didn’t hurt that we were surrounded by gorgeous flowers and scenery. It was impossible not to feel like something really special was happening. Perfect!

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A Monique Lhuillier Bride for a Modern Rustic Jewish Wedding at The Grove Hotel, Chandler’s Cross, Hertfordshire, UK

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It’s always a special day when we get to blog the real Jewish wedding of one of our wonderful Brides Club members, and today it’s Sami’s turn!.

Sami and Toby (#happilywebberafter) had the most wonderful big day, and we’re so thrilled to be able to share it with you. We’re also totally blushing at Sami’s kind words about the club:

“It was so heart-warming to have lots of lovely ladies around you sharing the build up and excitement. I feel like it is one big family and everyone wants the best for everyone else and their wedding!”

We think Brides Club is pretty special too – and the doors are open for new members to join (we now have almost 200 members!). Do come on in and join us too! If you’re planning a Jewish or Jew-ish wedding, it’s truly an incredible resource and community and we are offering 30 free days to every bride-to-be if you join before this Monday 11 June!

But back to Sami’s wonderful wedding – we’re pretty jazzed that she and Toby worked with so many of our very favourite UK-based Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors, from the amazing Jonny Mosesson, who sang during the chuppah (and we totally agree with Sami’s description of him as having the voice of an angel!) to The Function Band, who created an electric atmosphere that kept everyone dancing from start to finish, and videographer Denee Motion, who not only captured the emotion and energy of the wedding so perfectly (don’t miss their trailer!) but also developed a wonderful friendship with the couple over the buildup to their wedding.

We’re thrilled that Sami had a fantastic experience shopping for her Monique Lhuillier gown at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Wedding Club – she’d had a preventative double mastectomy prior to the wedding, so it wasn’t a given that wedding dress shopping would be smooth sailing. In fact, Sami’s experience was so wonderful that since the big day she’s left her old job in fashion buying to work for The Wedding Club, where she’s now store manager and runs operations for both of their London boutiques!

As joyful as this wedding was, the fact that Sami’s mum tragically passed away from cancer 5 and a half years prior cast a bittersweet shadow. We love that Toby bought Sami a locket with a photo of her mum to attach to her bouquet so they could still walk down the aisle together – what a meaningful touch.

There’s so much more to this fab celebration, but you’ll have to read Sami’s beautiful writeup (and immerse yourself in Paul Toeman’s wonderful photos) for the rest…



How we met

Sami, the bride: Toby and I met in a club in Birmingham, he was in his first year of university and I was on my gap year. We got on straight away, although at the time I was with somebody else. It started as an incredibly strong friendship, and after a year and a half (by which time my other relationship had ended), it turned into love, and we haven’t looked back since. 

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