Galia Lahav Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Galia Lahav Bride for a Magical Private Island Jewish Wedding at Osea Island, Essex, UK

12/06/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Looking for an ultra-memorable venue for your Jewish wedding? How about renting out your very own PRIVATE ISLAND?! That’s what today’s nature-loving couple, Jasmin and Brett, did – their big day took place on the magical Osea Island, a private island off the coast of Essex. Trust us, you don’t want to miss Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Claudine Hartzel’s epic photos of this dreamy day that is full-to-the-brim packed with incredibly talented STG Recommended Vendors.

It all came together with a little help from the wonderful (and multitalented) James Alexander from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor and legendary band Totem, who the couple worked with to plan their big day – and yes, Totem also gave one of their unforgettable performances during the wedding. And how cool is it that, on the coordination end, James brought in none other than master planner Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Michelle Jacobs from Elegante by Michelle J ?

One special touch we’re totally obsessed with: knowing that they wouldn’t be able to talk to each and every one of their 300+ guests, Jasmin and Brett decided to write a little ‘message in a bottle’ (so perfect for the private island venue, right?!) to thank each of their guests for being there.

And how sweet is it that the couple’s rabbi surprised them during the ceremony by calling the bride’s grandfather to read the pair’s beautiful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubata?

Jasmin knew she wanted to wear an Israel designer, and she found the gown of her dreams – a one-shouldered fantasy of blush tulle and glitter from the inimitable Galia Lahav– at beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Browns Bride in London.

Also, are Jasmin’s luscious locks giving anyone else serious hair envy? Anyway, we’ll hand you over to her now…

How we met

Jasmin, the bride: My husband and I first crossed paths at a mutual friend’s restaurant and the rest is history 🙂

A Galia Lahav Bride for an Elegant and Energetic Persian Jewish Wedding at the Sheraton Universal, Los Angeles, CA, USA

24/05/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

We love a good Persian Jewish wedding here at STG, and today’s is no exception. Sadaf, a clinical pharmacist, and Payam, a personal injury lawyer, had an epic party – with over 500 guests, how could they not?! The awesome energy kept everyone on the dance floor nonstop, and we really do mean nonstop – the bride and groom were so busy tearing up the dance floor that they skipped dinner!

And we love how they followed the Persian Jewish tradition of having the wedding party and close relatives walk down the aisle before the bride and groom and their parents – for Sadaf and Payam, that amounted to over 40 people, each of whom danced down the aisle to a song of their choice!

We’re obsessed with the glam photos from V Production – and how cool is the post-wedding shoot they did of the couple at Malibu Creek State park?!

We’re so touched by how the couple included Payam’s mom, who had tragically passed away two years before, into the wedding, by dedicating the wedding to her on their invites and displaying a picture of her under the chuppah.

We’ll let Sadaf, who was nothing short of ravishing in her dreamy Galia Lahav mermaid gown, tell you the rest…

How we met

Sadaf, the bride: Two and a half years ago, Payam and I attended a mutual friend’s house party. We never talked or met at the party. After the party, a mutual friend told Payam that she thinks we may be a good match for one another.

A few days later Payam send me a message on Facebook. Since we were not Facebook friends, his message went into my spam folder. After a few months I accidently came across his message, which was upper, cute. In the message he wrote: “a mutual friend has spoken highly of you and I would like to get to know you”. It was too cute to say no. I messaged him back and we started a conversation. On June 27th 2016, we finally went on our first date and the rest was history.

2019 Real Jewish Brides: Introducing Rebekkah + Jakob: How They Met To The Present Day…

11/12/2018 by Smashing The Glass

Today on the blog we’re introducing our 3rd gorgeous bride from our crop of 2019 Real Jewish Brides! Please give a warm welcome to Rebekkah, who will be marrying Jakob on 11th July 2019 at The Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada.

THREE FACTS: (1) Rebekkah and Jakob were introduced by mutual friends while Jakob, who is from Germany, was in Rebekkah’s hometown of Calgary on a specialized work visa. (2) They are getting married at a beautiful mountain resort in a national park in Alberta, Canada! (3) Rebekkah is a “very satisfied member” (her words) of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

How We Met

Hello everyone, my name is Rebecca Singer. I am 26, I grew up on a farm in southern Alberta (western Canada). I am not your average Jewish bride, but despite my different lifestyle I am still just a Jewish girl with a crazy loving mom and a crazier family.

My fiancà© Jakob and I met August 2015 on wait for it… Tinder, well, half on Tinder. We were also set up by a mutual friend, but it wasn’t till we swiped each other right that I took him up on a date. Jakob is a master gun maker who at the time was living here in Calgary, Canada, on a work visa – he’s from Regensburg, Germany. I was then studying while working at a professional show jumping barn.

We spent our first date walking our dogs along a river, I really wasn’t sure how I felt about Jake other then that I liked him and that I LOVED his dog. I am obsessed with dogs so when this hottie rolled up with a very cute and incredibly well-trained Springer Spaniel I was impressed.

We had a nice time chatting and walking until, as if in a rom com, it started to downpour on us. I made a break for my car and opened the back door for my German Shepherd Zus to jump in, but his dog Pauly bounded in before my Zus had a chance to. Our date continued with us stuck talking in my car with two stinky wet dogs chilling in the back seat. That’s been our relationship ever since, me, him, and our dogs.

Before I met Jakob, I knew exactly the qualities I wanted the love of my life and future husband to have, and Jakob has every one of those things…. except that he is not Jewish. In the beginning I was medium hung up on the him being German thing. I think it’s because I’m the great-granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. It didn’t take my Jakob long to show me how wrong my preconceptions had been. He truly is the sweetest man’s man I have ever met.

2019 Real Jewish Brides: Introducing Alexandra + Jordan: How They Met To The Present Day…

27/11/2018 by Smashing The Glass

Today on the blog we’re introducing our 1st gorgeous bride from our crop of 2019 Real Jewish Brides! Please give a warm welcome to Alexandra, who will be marrying Jordan on 26th May 2019 at The Grove in Cedar Grove, New Jersey.

THREE FACTS: (1) Alexandra and Jordan met in college and have been together ever since. (2) They are planning a romantic fairy tale garden wedding inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream – LOVE! (3) Alexandra’s wearing Galia Lahav for the big day – one of our absolute fave Israeli designers!

Our Story

We met at a party in college — he was the social chair of his fraternity who wanted to develop a relationship with my sorority, and I was the vice president of my sorority who was hungry for a change of social scenery!

We developed a close friendship that quickly blossomed into true love, and spent our junior and senior year as a couple. We were long distance the year following graduation, gaining firsthand experience behind the phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

I then moved from New Jersey to Boston to be with Jordan and we have happily lived together for over three years!

Galia Lahav Bridal Fashion Show {Live from Browns Bride}

18/11/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

You might have noticed I’m just a little obsessed with Israeli bridal designers. It’s no secret that today Israel just happens to be home to a disproportionate number of top designers creating cutting-edge gowns that are truly works of art. And one of the best of the best is Galia Lahav.

I was lucky enough to snag Galia Lahav’s head designer Sharon Sever as a participant in my Smashing Summit at the beginning of the year – we chatted about style ideas for the fashion-forward bride.

This week I’ll be luckier still, because THE Galia Lahav herself will be chatting with me live on the Smashing The Glass Facebook page Friday, 23 November, and we’ll get to see some of the totally breathtaking designs from her fall 2019 collections.

One of the most sought-after bridal designers in the world, Galia Lahav began her career in the art world, and her background as an artist shines through in every piece that carries her name. She got her start in the bridal world creating custom gowns for brides in Israel over 30 years ago, and the rest is history. Based in Israel, Galia rarely makes international appearances, so this is a real honor for Smashing The Glass!