Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Home > Herschel Gutman Photography > Page 2

An Adili Studio Bride for an Enchanting Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Habustan, Gan Iruim Bcfar, Israel

by

Ellie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-Israel

We’re in love with the magical garden wedding of Ellie and David, both Australian olim in Israel. Filled with greenery, sparkling fairy lights, and sweet rustic touches, this outdoor wedding was nothing short of enchanting.

Ellie and David opted to DIY their stationery – which they loved working on together in the leadup to their Jewish wedding – and we’re obsessed with Ellie’s super cool dress by Adi Hirsch of Adili Studio in Modiin, Israel. The couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, captured the day so beautifully – and we’re not at all surprised to hear that he was a joy to work with from start to finish.

With both the bride and groom being from Australia, lots of friends and family members couldn’t make it to Israel to celebrate in person – and we love the duo’s clever workaround, in the form of a Whatsapp group! Ellie and David sent the link around to those who were unable to attend the wedding, and then on the day they had QR codes that guests could scan to join the group – along with instructions to record, film and photograph parts of the wedding to share to the group!

There’s so much more to say about this very special day – read on for the full story in Ellie’s own words…

 

Ellie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-IsraelEllie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-Israel Ellie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-Israel Ellie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-Israel
How We Met

Ellie, the bride: David and I are currently both students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. We went to the same school in Sydney, Australia, and in high school we were part of the same friend group, we became good friends and enjoyed hanging out together on school camps and at social events. In year 12 we started dating and soon after finishing school we went on the same gap year program to Israel with Bnei Akiva.

After outlasting all the relationships on our program, we both independently decided to make aliya and join the army. David served in Tzanchanim and I served in Search and Rescue. Despite the ongoing long distance when our off weekends weren’t in sync and when David returned to Australia to work, we managed to make it work. It only took us 5 years to understand that were made for each other and on a trip together to Australia in 2023, David proposed and the rest is history. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Miri Couture Bride for an Ultra-Moving Jewish Wedding Bringing Light to Dark Times at Gioia Mia, Kibbutz Nachshonim, Israel

by

Dalya-Zach-Gioia-Mia-Kibbutz-Nachshonim-Israel

Amidst the sorrow, anger, and heartbreak, we will never stop celebrating Jewish continuity because that is exactly what we are fighting for. Today’s real wedding is all about bringing Jewish joy into a dark time – something we could all use more than ever this week. 

Israeli couple Dalya, a data analyst, and Zach, a student and sales advisor, were originally scheduled to make things official on October 22, 2023. After October 7, they knew they had to postpone – but when their new Jewish wedding date rolled around in January, they were more focused than ever on bringing the light.

Dalya and Zach’s wedding was an emotional reunion with loved ones from abroad and friends serving in the army who got the night off to join their celebration. A highlight of the chuppah was a special prayer for the protection of the state of Israel and IDF soldiers – including Zach’s beloved brother.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman photographed the day and captured every moment of joy so perfectly. In Dalya’s words, “Herschel delivered on all fronts, capturing candid, dramatic, fun, and natural shots. He was also fantastic at improvising. On the day of our wedding, it was pouring rain, and he creatively used umbrellas to give us some of our favorite shots. He made sure the photos looked stunning despite the weather, capturing the moment and the beauty of the hall perfectly.”

This was such an incredibly special and meaningful day – in the bride’s own words,  “Being able to have a wedding during some dark times in Israel was the greatest way to show our enemies that we will always win and overcome anything they want to challenge us with.” Now over to Dalya…

Dalya-Zach-Gioia-Mia-Kibbutz-Nachshonim-Israel Dalya-Zach-Gioia-Mia-Kibbutz-Nachshonim-IsraelDalya-Zach-Gioia-Mia-Kibbutz-Nachshonim-IsraelDalya-Zach-Gioia-Mia-Kibbutz-Nachshonim-Israel
How We Met

Dalya, the bride: I moved to Herzliya, Israel on October 22, 2022. During my first weeks in Herzliya, Zach would come up and make small talk. When Chanukah arrived, Zach and his roommates hosted a community event. My roommate messaged me, asking if I was coming. I decided to join my friends at the event. There, Zach approached me, we started talking, and the rest is history. About a week into dating, Zach told me he would marry me, and little did I know that a month into our relationship, we would already be meeting each other’s parents.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Laid-Back, Rustic Same-Sex Jewish Wedding at Allenby Farms, Nezer Sereni, Israel

by

Nina-and-Tali-Allenby-Farms-Israel

There’s nothing like an Israeli wedding, and we’re absolutely in love with the same-sex nuptials of Nina, a customer success manager at a medical education company, and Tali, who is protocol manager at the British Embassy.

The couple wanted something simple and rustic, with the focus kept squarely on celebrating their love surrounded by their nearest and dearest.

We love that Nina and Tali hung up photos of themselves throughout their relationship at their venue, Allenby Farms, so that guests could get a glimpse of their life together.

When it came time for their wedding photos, the pair chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman. In Nina’s words, Herschel 

was absolutely amazing. He really listened to our needs and didn’t overwhelm us. He was super professional, was a great communicator and was just overall lovely to work with.

Read on for the rest of the story in Nina’s own words…

Nina-and-Tali-Allenby-Farms-IsraelNina-and-Tali-Allenby-Farms-IsraelNina-and-Tali-Allenby-Farms-Israel
How We Met

Nina, the bride: We both swiped right on Tinder AND OKCupid.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Mia Pava Bride for an Ultra-moving Wartime Jewish Wedding Full of Joy and Strength at The Agam at the Botanical Gardens in Jerusalem, Israel

by

Dani-Zev-The-Agam-at-the-Botanical-Gardens-Jerusalem

Daniela, a physiotherapist, and Zev, the COO of tour company Israel Maven Tours, thought long and hard about getting married in wartime – and when they decided to go for it, they wanted to make sure they threw a celebration that would bring joy and strength to all in attendance – and did they ever.

Nearly all of the couple’s guests have been directly affected by the war, and it was important to them that their Jewish wedding acknowledge all those whose ongoing sacrifices made the special day – and life in Israel generally – possible. And with prayers for the IDF, the state of Israel, and the hostages, a heartfelt shofar blast under the chuppah, and Israeli flags all around – in addition to some beautiful symbolic flowers, like olive branches for peace – they did exactly that.

One extra meaningful touch: Daniela and Zev gave their guests with loved ones serving in Gaza or on the border with Lebanon a gift box of cocktails along with a handwritten note with instructions to drink a l’chaim with their loved ones when they return safely home from the battlefield! In the bride’s words, “We didn’t realise how moving this would be for people and to this day we are still receiving pictures and videos of happy families reunited drinking the delicious cocktails.”

Daniela and Zev chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman as their photographer, and they were thrilled with both the beautiful images he captured and his warmth and kindness throughout the planning process and on the day itself.

Read on for more about this incredibly moving day in the bride’s own words…

Dani-Zev-The-Agam-at-the-Botanical-Gardens-JerusalemDani-Zev-The-Agam-at-the-Botanical-Gardens-Jerusalem Dani-Zev-The-Agam-at-the-Botanical-Gardens-JerusalemDani-Zev-The-Agam-at-the-Botanical-Gardens-Jerusalem
How We Met

Daniela, the bride: As Zev says, “We were destined for one another, we just had to wait for someone to make the introduction. Luckily for us a mutual friend made the suggestion.”Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Mia Pava Bride for an Ultra-emotional Jewish Wedding Celebrating Joy at Ein Hemed, Jerusalem, Israel

by

Orah-and-Josh-Ein-Hemed-Jerusalem-Israel

Orah and Josh, two olim who met and fell in love in Israel, planned a Jewish wedding that’s an absolute love letter to the country where they’ve built their life together – and also happens to contain some beautiful lessons about finding joy in tough times.

Orah tragically lost her mother the year prior to the wedding. Naturally, that made the leadup to the big day extra emotional. But since Orah’s mom was “all about simcha and joy,” and known for being a happy and positive person, the couple made a conscious effort to emulate those qualities. They focused on joy and love in the face of grief, planning the kind of day they knew Orah’s mom would be smiling down on every second of the way.

The couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, captured all the emotion of the day so beautifully – and Orah and Josh report he did a stellar job making them feel comfortable and open up to the camera. They also loved that he’s a native English speaker, which meant their families could easily communicate with him.

When it came to their ketubah, bride and groom had competing visions: Orah wanted flowers, while Josh wanted to highlight his favorite color, blue. In the end, the pair decided to mix both ideas by going for both blue rings – which not only met Josh’s criteria but also symbolized Israel – and flowers. They knew Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor BritColors was just the person to make their dreams a reality – and the couple loved working together with the Tel Aviv-based artist to create a unique piece of artwork.

There’s so much more to say about this gorgeous Israeli wedding – but we’ll leave it to Orah, who looked radiant in her gown by Israeli designer Mia Pava, to take it from here…

Orah-and-Josh-Ein-Hemed-Jerusalem-Israel Orah-and-Josh-Ein-Hemed-Jerusalem-Israel Orah-and-Josh-Ein-Hemed-Jerusalem-Israel
How We Met

Orah, the bride: Josh, who had just made Aliyah, was brought to a kiddush through a mutual friend of the host. Which luckily enough turned out to be a best friend of Orah׳s. He saw her from the other side of the room with a smile that lit up the room but was too nervous to walk up and speak to her.

Two days later, after Orah had taken a COVID test at the health fund and was waiting for the bus, Josh just happened to be there too and still couldn’t work up the courage to speak to her, and she was whisked away worried that awkward guy would find her again. Seemingly you’d think losing out but as it turned out she did have Corona!

Fast forward a few months after recovering from COVID, Orah was at a Shabbat lunch with her Ulpan friends. Josh had just finished a call shift at the hospital and was bored so he crashed the meal. In his total lack of sleep he worked up the courage to speak to Orah, and after falling asleep next to her on that couch he couldn’t imagine falling asleep next to anyone else.Continue ReadingContinue Reading