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A Lilian West Bride for an Autumnal City Jewish Wedding at the Pan Pacific London, London, UK

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Freya & David, Pan Pacific London, London, UK

Happy 2023! We’re starting off the new year with a bang in the form of a truly FABULOUS London Jewish wedding – prepare to be wowed by the super-stylish nuptials of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Freya and David!

For their chic, urban, autumnal nuptials, these two chose one of our very favorite venues, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Pan Pacific London (which they found right here on STG!). Freya and David can’t stop raving about the stylish space and exquisite service – and once you have a look at the magazine-worthy photos by Dominika Miechowska, you’ll see why.

In Freya’s words, “Between their devoted venue floor able to be split in two for both the ceremony and reception in one place, and their incredible Singaporean menu, it was the perfect place for us. I cannot stress enough how fabulous the wedding team were – small things I had not even thought about, they had a plan for on the day. Nothing was too big of an ask and they made the day go off without a hitch.”

We loved following Freya’s wedding planning journey during her time in Brides Club, and we’re so thrilled that the group helped her find so many of her wonderful vendors, from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Dimitria Jordan, who designed the pair’s on-the-day stationery and signs, to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Happy Chuppah People, who supplied their lovely chuppah, to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink With Intent, the artist behind Freya and David’s egalitarian ketubah illustrated with autumnal flowers.

This really is one very special wedding – read on for the rest of the story in Freya’s own words…

Freya & David, Pan Pacific London, London, UK Freya & David, Pan Pacific London, London, UK Freya & David, Pan Pacific London, London, UK Freya & David, Pan Pacific London, London, UK
How we Met

Freya, the bride: We met on Tinder! Dave was about to move to London for his masters degree and I was already here, working in legal research. We met up three days after he arrived from the US and simply did not want our first date to end; a casual coffee in Marylebone turned in to dinner and drinks in Shoreditch, which turned in to seeing each other at least five times a week.

After graduation, he had to go back to the US for work – so I followed and started my PhD in St. Louis in international law. Four years, a pandemic, another across the world move, and a ginger cat later, I feel so lucky to have spent nearly every single day since with my best friend.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Top 12 Ketubah Designs

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One thing I love about modern Jewish weddings is the way the ketubah – the ancient Jewish marriage contract – has become a way for every couple to put their personal aesthetic stamp on their day. There are so many mega-talented artists creating gorgeous ketubot in all different styles (and with options for all different texts – traditional, interfaith, same sex, egalitarian, or even your own custom version).

And of course the other bonus of a beautiful ketubah is that it’s one of the few wedding elements that comes home with you once the day is over. These days so many couples proudly display their ketubah in their home as a work of art – and with options this stunning, is it any wonder?

With everything out there, it’s so hard to narrow my picks down – but that said, here are 12 of my favorites for 2022…

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Two Bevin Dillon Brides for a Laid-Back Jewish Wedding on the Beach at Las Terrazas Resort, Belize

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There’s so much to love about the chilled-out beachside Jewish wedding of beautiful brides Ashley, a beloved member of our Smashing Life Jewish community, and Amanda! Obviously the setting was second to none, and we love that the couple’s top priority in planning the day was making sure their 90 guests had a blast.

We’re obsessed with their gorgeous ceremony in the round (held right on the beach, naturally), which lent the proceedings an intimate feel and meant as many guests as possible got a front-row view. Ashley and Amanda walked down separate aisles, meeting in the center under the chuppah – love it!

Ashley and Amanda both work in the fashion industry, so naturally choosing their gowns was serious business. Ultimately, the opted to work with New York-based designer Bevin Dillon to have their dresses custom made – both choosing the same beaded champagne fabric to have two totally different, and totally gorgeous, designs made. Don’t miss them in the wonderful photos by Leonardo Melendez!

We also love the pair’s approach to our favorite Jewish wedding tradition, smashing the glass! Both Ashley and Amanda were apprehensive about trying to break a glass with their heels on the sand, so instead they opted to do the smashing with hammers, festively wrapped in blue ribbon! Other things we can’t get enough of: the couple’s modern marble geometric ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink with Intent, and the fact that the duo opted to highlight Ashley’s late mother’s favorite flowers – bougainvillea and orchids. How beautiful?!

Now over to Ashley…


How we Met

Ashley, the bride: Amanda and I are both in the fashion industry in Los Angeles. At the time we were both sales managers for different fashion brands and they were represented by the same showroom in Atlanta. We were at a fashion trade show in Atlanta and Amanda hit on me with an awkward pickup line that I rebuffed because I was in a relationship, but I was secretly intrigued.

We chatted a bit that night before she had to catch a flight back to LA and then we followed each other on social media. We ran into each other a couple years later at another fashion trade show in Dallas and could no longer ignore the obvious spark that was there. We’ve been inseparable since. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for a Picture Perfect Jewish COVID Wedding at Larz Anderson House, Washington DC, USA

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Merav-Dmitri-Larz-Anderson-House-DC

Merav and Dmitri’s Jewish wedding was SO incredibly dreamy, if not for the personalized masks and “vaccine” shooters we’d never have guessed it took place during the pandemic.

We’re obsessed with their gorgeous venue, Larz Anderson House in downtown Washington, DC – a spot the couple had looked at and loved when they first started planning, but eventually rejected because it couldn’t accommodate their pre-COVID guest list.

Once the pandemic hit and they had to scale things down, though, the Anderson House became a viable option. We’re not sure which we love more, the lush garden where Merav and Dmitri held their outdoor chuppah or the beautiful ballroom they used for their reception. Don’t miss a single detail in Adam Mason’s luminous photos or Wise Films’ wonderful trailer.

We’re also in love with Merav and Dimitri’s fabulous ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink with Intent. The couple searched long and hard for a ketubah that felt truly them, and when they stumbled onto one of Ink with Intent’s past ketubot featuring text printed over a picture of the couple, they knew that was the direction for them. Needless to say, the pair adore their ketubah, and it now graces a wall in their home as a special piece of art.

We’ll let the bride, who looked so elegant in Pronovias, take it from here…

Merav-Dmitri-Larz-Anderson-House-DC Merav-Dmitri-Larz-Anderson-House-DC Merav-Dmitri-Larz-Anderson-House-DC Merav-Dmitri-Larz-Anderson-House-DC
How we met

Merav, the bride: Dmitri and I originally met in 2008 through a mutual friend, but we didn’t know each other well and only saw each other sparingly over the years. When he moved down to Washington, DC to start a data analytics company, we reconnected over coffee and we started working together to make the dream a reality.

Together, we worked at WeWork Chinatown (where we did our pre-wedding photo shoot!), 7 days a week, through holidays and snowstorms to build our company. Today, we have 40 employees and a growing business.

As our respect and trust for each other grew, so did our relationship. A year and a half after working together, we started dating. After 4 years of growing our company together, moving in, and adopting two cats, Dmitri proposed at a private dinner on a beautiful beach in Mexico.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Magical Rustic Jewish Micro Wedding in the Forest at San Moritz Lodge, Crestline, California, USA

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Ashley & Jeff, San Moritz Lodge, California

We are beyond thrilled to be featuring the incredibly gorgeous wedding of our beloved Brides Club member Ashley to Jeff! These two nature loving attorneys dreamed of making it official in the middle of a forest – and they found the perfect spot in San Moritz Lodge, two hours east of their home in Los Angeles. 

Then came the pandemic. Ashley and Jeff knew they wanted to get married on their original date, whatever it took, and while the wedding they had looked very different from the one they’d planned initially – they had to cut their indoor reception and catering, in addition to a vastly reduced guest list – it was totally and completely exquisite nonetheless. Karissa Breann Photography’s dreamy images absolutely blow us away.

We’re so touched to hear that that this wedding’s success was in part due to the incredible support and inspiration Ashley received as a member of Smashing the Glass’s Brides Club, which she joined just a month before her big day hoping for help dealing with the stress of planning a wedding during the pandemic. And, in her words,

Once I experienced the overwhelming support of the community and took advantage of the resources, I wondered why I had not joined sooner. Using the plethora of helpful guides and checklists and seeing how other brides were navigating this time made such a difference for me. The brides in Brides Club found so many creative ways to make their weddings safe, unique, and absolutely gorgeous during the pandemic. 

One fab idea Ashley picked up from the group was writing each guest a personalized thank you card for making the effort to attend the wedding in the middle of a pandemic – as suggested by none other than Karen Cinnamon gave during one of Brides Club’s monthly Wedding Planning Solved Zoom chats.

Ashley and Jeff worked with wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink with Intent to create the custom ketubah of their dreams, incorporating an image of a couple painted by Chagall, an artist who holds special meaning for the pair. We’re totally in love with how Adriana of Ink with Intent put it all together!

We also love how these two adapted the pre-ceremony tradition of kabbalat panim (“welcoming of the faces”), where the bride sits, surrounded by her mother and soon-to-be mother-in-law, as guests line up to approach her for an individual chat and a wedding day blessing, for the COVID era. Traditionally, only female guests participate, but Ashley and Jeff opened their kabbalat panim up to everyone – and since every household came up to speak with Ashley individually, it was the perfect pandemic-safe way to socialize.

There’s so much more we could say about this wonderful wedding, but we’ll leave it to Ashley to fill you in on the rest…

Ashley & Jeff, San Moritz Lodge, California Ashley-Jeff-San-Moritz-Lodge-California Ashley-Jeff-San-Moritz-Lodge-California Ashley-Jeff-San-Moritz-Lodge-California
How we met

Ashley, the bride: We met on JSwipe the very same night my stepdad suggested I expand my geographical search radius for matches.  My mom and stepdad were interested in learning how JSwipe worked, so I walked them through the process as we all looked at the screen together.

I previously had my search radius at 15 miles, but my stepdad suggested I increase it to 50 miles.  (When he and my mom were dating, the two lived 100 miles apart, and he drove to see her every weekend!)  Right after I changed my filter from 15 miles to 50 miles, a picture of a curly-haired cutie feeding a chipmunk popped up.  He lived 22 miles away.  We seemed to have similar interests, so I swiped yes on him. Continue ReadingContinue Reading