Herschel Gutman Photography Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Heidi Hudson for an Intimate Second Marriage Destination Jewish Wedding on a Budget at the Mount Zion Boutique Hotel, Jerusalem

28/10/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Gorgeous chuppah alert! We’re obsessed with the way Nicki, head of trust fundraising at a national charity, and Andrew, who runs his own business as in commercial energy surveying and is a qualified pilot on the side, worked with their venue’s already stunning in situ outdoor foliage-laden chuppah, by adorning it with white roses and marking the path down the aisle with pillar candles and eucalyptus leaves. Pure perfection!

This was a second marriage for both members of the UK-based couple, and we love how they kept things intimate and family-focused, with a clear understanding of what mattered – celebrating with their nearest and dearest – and what didn’t. This was really a day all about love, and that comes through so clearly in the wonderful, natural photos from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman.

With a tightknit guest list of just 50 people and a commitment to spending sensibly, Nicki and Andrew made sure to involve their families in the big day – their four children participated in the ceremony, and other relatives read the Sheva Brachot.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave the rest to Nicki, who looked stunning in her off-the-shelf (and affordable!) Heidi Hudson gown (chosen with the help of her 16-year-old daughter/bridal stylist!)…

How we met

Nicki, the bride: We met on JDATE!

A Made With Love Bride for a Luminous Jewish Wedding on the Beach at Kochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

19/12/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

What is it about beach weddings? Whether they’re in Israel, Florida, or somewhere further afield, we just cannot get enough of them. That blue water, the sound of the waves… throw in a palm tree (or several) and we’re sold.

And oceanside venues don’t get much dreamier than Kochav Hayam, where Milen who works in HR, and Arad, an accountant who also owns a judo club, held their stunner of a Jewish wedding.

From the exquisite sunset ceremony to the magical twinkly lights in the indoor reception hall to the lovely floral chuppah decked out in white flowers and greenery, it’s a seriously beautiful day — captured so exquisitely by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, who worked his photographic magic to capture the most luminous, elegant images.

Videographer Roey Harazy was no slouch either — he surprised the couple with a drone (!) on the day, which he used to capture some absolutely breathtaking footage of the Caesarea coastline.

Milen was the epitome of a radiant bride in her two dresses — one for the ceremony that she custom designed from a simple gown with the help of a seamstress, and the other (for the reception) from Made With Love — and we’re delighted to put you in her capable hands for the rest of the story…

How we met

Milen, the bride: We both graduated from IDC – we met in the cafeteria!

A Limor Rosen Bride for a Gorgeous Garden Jewish Wedding at the Groom’s Parents’ Home in the North of Israel

26/09/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s Jewish wedding is giving us SERIOUS garden envy.

Lauri, a veterinary nurse and student, and Gal, who is a poet and teacher in addition to managing the Eduard Bar in Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market, always knew they wanted to get married at Gal’s parents’ home in the north of Israel — and if you take a quick scroll through their fantastic, ultra-stylish photos from ultra-talented Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, you’ll see why.

This picture-perfect outdoor space was basically an intimate wedding venue waiting to happen. With plenty of stone (so Israeli!), a veritable backyard forest of trees, and even a pond, it’s just the absolute loveliest.

Also pretty lovely? Lauri’s super cool Limor Rosen dress. With stunning beadwork, lace, and a contemporary slim fit and halter neck, it looked just SO perfect on this stunning bride.

We’ll let Lauri take it from here…

Bringing it All Home

Lauri, the bride: We got married at Gal’s parents house in the north of Israel. A small moshav called Mistpe Abirim. We loved the idea of getting married in Gal’s family home. Lauri’s parents got married in her mother’s parents garden and we loved the idea of doing the same. They have a very beautiful garden and it is home to us.
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A Milla Nova Bride for a Multicultural Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Hatzer Netzer in Netser Sereni, Israel

17/08/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

One of the things we love most here at Smashing the Glass is seeing the ways couples combine their cultures and traditions into their big days. It’s not always easy, whether you’re planning a Jewish wedding or a Jew-ish one, but we see couple after couple pulling it off in their own imitable style.

And today’s pair is no exception. Bronwyn, an occupational therapist and Tal, who is in sales, had two very different sets of traditions to combine: the bride is Ashkenazi and South African, while the groom is Sephardi and Israeli, with roots in India.

It was important to the bride and groom that both the ceremony and the party reflect their respective backgrounds, and we love the clever ways they made sure to give each other’s traditions equal billing on the big day.

During the ceremony, Bronwyn and Tal mixed and matched their favorite elements, holding a Sephardi chuppah with some key Ashkenazi elements: Bronwyn circled Tal seven times, and the duo took some time for themselves in a yichud room after the ceremony. At the reception, the DJ mixed South African beats with Indian tunes — plus some Israeli pop for good measure!

The other thing we adore about this wedding is Bronwyn’s dress: her long-sleeved lace gown by Milla Nova proves you don’t have to show a lot of skin to look dreamy as you walk down the aisle. We can’t get enough of this soft, romantic bridal style, and we love the way Smashing the Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman captured it — and everything else about this gorgeous day, from the emotion under the chuppah to the wild dancing at the reception (and he’s an amazing guy to boot!)

Bronwyn will fill you in on the rest…

How we met

Bronwyn, the bride: We met via Jswipe. Love at first swipe!

A Colorful Jewish Destination Wedding with an Ellis Bridal Gown at ‘the Q’, Kibbutz Galil Yam, Herzliya, Israel

14/07/2017 by Karen

Roxy and Adam faced a wonderful dilemma about where to tie the knot. Both with such international backgrounds, they ultimately decided it made sense to bring their loved ones to beautiful Israel for a divine destination wedding, filled with color, love and happiness.

First of all, before we get to anything else, we have to stop and take in that magnificent creation of a chuppah – what an abundantly floral beauty it was! WOW!

We were also blown away by the sheer amount of heart – how well Roxy and Adam got to know their Rabbi before the big day, and Roxy’s beautiful way of remembering her father, who had sadly passed away.

The wedding was shot by internationally renowned photographer, and one of our beloved STG Recommended Vendors, Herschel Gutman, who did a sublime job of bringing the wedding to life. Roxy and Adam also took some time with him the following day to fit in an additional couples’ shoot.

We’ll hand you over to Roxy now for her wonderful write up – we hope you love her and Adam’s gorgeous wedding as much as we do!

A magical outdoor venue

Roxy, the bride: We got married at The Q, Kibbutz Glil Yam in Herzliya Israel. We knew we wanted to have a destination wedding, with both families coming from different places (mine originally South African and then Australia and my husband’s mostly from England and many overseas guests). Israel was the most logical choice for us.

Being originally from South Africa, I really wanted to get married in a natural setting rather than in a hotel or indoor space. When we saw the Q, we just loved the look and feel of it. Particularly being outside and in the open air, it just ticked all the boxes. It was truly a magical venue.