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A Monique Lhuillier Bride for a Destination Jewish Wedding with a Peony Chuppah at L’Andana, Castiglione della Pescaia, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy

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Jewish wedding L'Andana, Castiglione della Pescaia, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy_0055
We can hardly believe it ourselves, but this is our LAST real Jewish wedding of 2018!! Before Team STG heads off on our holiday break next week, we’re sending the year out with a bang (both literally and figuratively) with an amazing destination wedding in Tuscany, full of the most delicious Italian food, fireworks, and flowers for days.

We’ll be back with fresh content the first week of January, but until then be sure to check out our Instagram over the holidays for the latest and greatest Jewish wedding inspo.

So to close the year, we’ve got the fabulous Italian wedding of Meredith, who works in children’s fashion, and Sean, who’s in corporate finance. With the help of masterful planner Sara from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Infinity Weddings, the couple pulled together the wedding of their dreams all the way from New York.

We can’t get over all the wonderful details they put into the day, from a luxe peony chuppah (!) to surprise fireworks to a classic lace gown from Monique Lhuillier to a silk ribbon-strewn walkway on the way to the dinner — we’re totally obsessed with this last, ultra-creative idea, courtesy of the mother of the bride.

Not only did the colorful silk ribbons cast a magical ambience, each also had a handwritten fact about the couple, from where they met to their favorite vacation spots. Photographer David Bastianoni and videographer Marco Caputo did such a fantastic job of capturing the day in all its elegant splendor.

Oh, and did we mention that Meredith and Sean served their guests cacio e pepe out of a giant cheese wheel at dinner? Um, yes please!

There’s so much more we could say, but we’ll turn you over to the bride now…

Jewish wedding L'Andana, Castiglione della Pescaia, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy_0055 Jewish wedding L'Andana, Castiglione della Pescaia, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy_0055 Jewish wedding L'Andana, Castiglione della Pescaia, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy_0055 Jewish wedding L'Andana, Castiglione della Pescaia, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy_0055
How we met

Meredith, the bride: We met on Jdate!

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A Monique Lhuillier Bride for an Old New York Wedding at Cipriani 25 Broadway, New York City, USA

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Jewish wedding at Cipriani 25 Broadway NYC USA_0023
We are totally obsessed with today’s couple’s TREE CHUPPAH. With four carefully constructed “trees” — white roses lovingly hand-placed on each for the most beautiful blossoms  – whose canopies meet at the top, it’s unlike any we’ve seen before. You don’t want to miss Brian Marcus’s glorious photos of it.

We’re also crazy about bride Alison’s mega-glam Monique Lhuillier dress, inspired by the wedding theme of old New York — we just love the simple, architectural lines and the hint of ‘40s glam. Such a perfect match for the vintage vibes.

Plus, Alison, a doctor and Michael, who works in finance, had a beautiful ketubah, brilliantly designed by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Stephanie Caplan of The Ketubah.

Oh, and Alison said the absolute sweetest things about what it was like listening to Michael’s wedding speech — we’re totally melting just reading it – sure you will be too…

Jewish wedding at Cipriani 25 Broadway NYC USA_0023

Jewish wedding at Cipriani 25 Broadway NYC USA_0023

Jewish wedding at Cipriani 25 Broadway NYC USA_0023

Jewish wedding at Cipriani 25 Broadway NYC USA_0023

Jewish wedding at Cipriani 25 Broadway NYC USA_0023

How we met

Alison, the bride: We met on Jswipe in 2014.

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A Suspended Floral Chuppah for a Festive, Glitzy Jewish Wedding at Dock 5 in Washington, D.C., USA

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Jewish wedding Dock 5 Washington DC USA_0017 You know there’s little we love more than a distinctive chuppah design at a Jewish wedding.

At first glance, today’s version may look like a fairly standard-issue floral design… but look again. Specifically, look at the poles – or, more precisely the lack thereof.

That’s right, Jillian, a reporter at the financial news site MarketWatch, and Steven, a dental student, went for a suspended chuppah for their big day, with asymmetrical greenery and white flowers descending from each of the four corners but stopping a good few feet from the floor. How cool does it look in Sam Hurd’s glam photos?!

The non-traditional (yet still permissible according to Jewish law — the couple checked with their rabbi) chuppah is just one of the wonderful ways Jillian and Steven merged Jewish traditions with their own 21st-century sensibilities.

For example, the pair liked the tradition of a pre-wedding tisch (a ceremony for the groom and male guests) and kabbalat panim (for the bride and female guests), but weren’t crazy about the gender segregation thing. Their solution? During the cocktail hour, they held both ceremonies, but made each gender-neutral so that all of the guests could experience both — and get in some valuable time with the bride and the groom. We LOVE that.

There’s so much more to say about this fun, festive wedding, but we’ll let Jillian — who looked so glam in her custom gold lace gown designed by family friend Sharon Wilkes — take it from here…

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How we met

Jillian, the bride: We first met through mutual friends – a close friend of Steven’s from growing up was one of my roommates in college – but then began dating while working together at HuffPost in New York, shortly after graduating from college. And of course our relationship continued through job changes and Steven’s career left turn into dentistry!

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A Stella York Bride for a Winter Wonderland Jewish Wedding at Warren Weir, Luton Hoo, UK

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Don’t mind us, we’re busy picking our jaws up off the floor after seeing today’s stunning Jewish wedding portraits in the snow. Almost enough to make you rethink that summer wedding, are we right?!

When Mel, a project manager, and Mitch, who works in IT, first chose Chiko Photography, they were drawn to a photo of his with a couple under an umbrella in the snow. Who would’ve thought they’d get to recreate it themselves?!

This is also a special wedding for us because bride Mel was one of our blogging brides but not only that, Mel was also a founding member of our Club for Jewish Brides, and as such, she and Mitch were the very first couple to ever use our own-brand (and super gorgeous!) smash glass pouch for breaking the glass under their chuppah!

We loved following Mel’s wedding planning journey, and we’re so glad to hear that the feeling was mutual. Mel found several of her amazing wedding vendors through Smashing the Glass, from their incredible videographer, STG Recommended Vendor Denee Motion,to another much loved STG Recommended Vendor XS Showband, best known as pioneers of the wedding flash mob!

XS Showband provided entertainment throughout the day, but we can’t take our eyes off Denee Motion’s fantastic video of Mel and Mitch’s very own musical wedding flash mob, just before their ceremony started. They wanted a special surprise for their guests, something to make sure their day really stood out, and we think this more than did the trick. You’ve got to check it out for yourself!

Do also take a moment to read through Mel’s fabulous account of her planning and prep, there are some really useful tips and a generous helping of super advice at the end. Over to Mel now (and by the way we think she looks SO elegant in her lace fishtail gown by Stella York. . . 

Jewish wedding at Warren Weir at Luton Hoo UK_0045

Jewish wedding at Warren Weir at Luton Hoo UK_0068

  Jewish wedding at Warren Weir at Luton Hoo UK_0062
How we met

Mel, the bride: We met on JDate in 2013. After chatting for a while we met for a drink. Our second date was an eight-hour lunch! I thought if someone can keep me engrossed in constant conversation for that long without getting bored then I am on to a winner.

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A Pronovias Bride for an Intimate Last-Minute Jewish-Australian-Danish Wedding at Spring Restaurant, Somerset House, London, UK

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Jewish Wedding Spring Restaurant, Somerset House, London UK_0087
We dare you to take one look at today’s stunner of a Jew-ish wedding and guess how long the couple spent planning it. Two years? One year? Six months? No, no, and no! Lauren, a travel writer (of Princess with a Backpack fame!) and Christopher, a tax lawyer, planned their wedding in a mere eight weeks! SAY WHAAAAT?!

That’s not a typo – this fab day really did come together in a mere two months, without even a planner to expedite the process. And not only that, the couple planned their ultra-chic London day just shortly after relocating to the city from NYC!

The globetrotting duo (Lauren is Australian, while Christopher hails from Denmark) found a perfect venue in Spring Restaurant.

The elegant space had tons of built-in dà©cor, from hanging foliage to fairy lights; all the couple needed to do was throw in some stylish modern florals in white and green from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Hayford & Rhodes to make their venue was 100% wedding-ready.

You might expect that a Jewish-Australian-Danish wedding would yield some cool cultural fusions — and Lauren and Christopher didn’t disappoint. It just takes one look at Ivan Franchet’s stunning photos to see the energy and the love that went into the day.

The touching ceremony embraced Lauren’s Jewish heritage with touches like a gorgeous pared-down chuppah from The Chuppah Design Co (the creation of our own former blogging bride Lauren Beadle!) as well as Danish tradition, in the form of a beautiful Danish love prayer.

And the couple incorporated some fun Danish traditions into their reception (hint: one involves kissing under the table!). Read on for all the details from lovely Lauren, who looked absolutely model-perfect in her elegant lace Pronovias gown…

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A London Wedding

Lauren, the bride: We got married at Spring Restaurant, Somerset House, London. We had just recently moved from New York to London a few months before and because our friends and families are based all over the world (my family is based in Australia and my husband’s friends and family are in Denmark), we thought London would be the perfect neutral ground to celebrate our wedding in our new city.

When I was looking for venues in London, I walked into Spring and immediately fell in love with the space. It was perfect: blue pastels on the walls, matched perfectly with the soft pink velvet lounges, tan leather dining chairs, blonde wood floorboards and crisp white tables. 

As it was the end of March, spring had officially begun, and what better place to celebrate than Spring in London. Spring also happens to be run by celebrity chef Skye Gyngell who is originally Australian; her signature style is seasonal and elegant, providing dishes that are unique with a farm-to-table approach. 

Our hotel (Langham London) was perfect for getting ready and staying the night of the wedding. Clearly, they have had many brides stay there before, so nothing was too much to ask, and the service was incredible. We also had a fantastic large suite, which gave 3 of us (mum and sister included) plenty of space to get ready for the big day.

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