Israel Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Viktor & Rolf Bride for an Enchanted Garden Jewish Wedding at Havat Ronit, Israel

18/09/2018 by Karen Cinnamon 2 Comments

A bridal cape, candy butterflies, tango music… swooooon. Today’s French-Israeli destination Jewish wedding is just SO full of fantastic, unique touches. Sarah, a lawyer (and member of our Brides Club), and Uri, who works in real estate, created the most wonderful, distinctive day – partly thanks to their “wedding bible,” (in Sarah’s own words!) Smashing The Glass!

Sarah reports that she found lots of her vendors through STG, found inspo for details, and more. Our fave quote from her awesome writeup? “It’s a miracle I didn’t find my husband on it too.” LOVE.

But back to the cape. We are OBSESSED. Our friends at fab London bridal boutique and STG Recommended Vendor Mirror Mirror deemed 2018 “the year of the cape” on the Facebook Live they did with us earlier this year, and after seeing how Sarah pulled hers off we’re inclined to agree. Photographer Camellia captured the glorious fashion – plus all the other details of the day – so exquisitely.

Sarah looked just so elegant and distinctive in that cape – obviously her hyper-glam dress (that tiered skirt!) from Viktor & Rolf didn’t hurt either – and we love how it’s an easy way to add that little something extra for the ceremony. And the story of how Sarah ended up with it is pretty cool in its own right.

We also love that Sarah chose to depart from the bridal script and walk down the aisle to… a tango! How’s that for a dramatic entrance (you know, to go with that cape)? Turning it over to the gorgeous bride, Sarah…

How we met

Sarah, the bride: I am French but grew up between Paris and Madrid and moved to New York 11 years ago. Uri grew up in Hertzlyia in Israel, and moved to New York 6 years ago.

We were set up by our only friend in common at the time, we kissed on our first date. 2 years later Uri proposed in the middle of Washington Square Park where we had wandered around on our first date. Our matchmaker was our witness at our civil wedding in New York.Continue Reading

An Intimate, Emotional Same Sex Jewish Wedding by the Sea at Beit Andromeda in Jaffa, Israel

14/09/2018 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

This beautiful Jewish wedding is ALL about the love. Okay, and maybe a little bit about that fab ocean view, too.

We adore how brides Avital and Gili kept the focus of their day on what mattered to them. They kept their wedding super intimate – for instance, their rule in deciding who to invite? Only people they really truly love. Aww!

The pair also designed an ultra-personal modern ceremony, with original vows and blessings from family, officiated by one of their best friends.

One other thing we’re all over? The custom jewelry the brides created together to wear on the day (earrings for both brides, plus a necklace for Avital). What wonderful souvenirs, and maybe even future family heirlooms!

Photographer Natalie Schor and videographer Igor from Viditeo did such a fantastic job of capturing all the emotion of the day – you can really see the love between these two in the gorgeous photos and video.

We’ll let the brides take it from here…

A Wedding by the Beach

Avital and Gili, the brides: We got married in Beit Andromeda, Jaffa. We chose it because it is next to the beach, with amazing food, great atmosphere, small and intimate vibe, and great staff.

An Ultra-Stylish Modern English Garden Party Jewish Wedding at Bayit Al Ha’Yam, Jaffa, Israel

31/08/2018 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

We love it when we come across a couple who’ve clearly got their own sense of style down pat. Super cool bride Lior and groom Toby, both of whom work in TV and film, describe their Jewish wedding aesthetic as “English garden party with a touch of modernity,” and did they ever pull it off!

Think sweet pastel florals in of-the-moment geometric plant stands (in rose gold, natch). Mama Photographers captured it all SO beautifully. (Not to mention their stunning venue, with views of the entire Tel Aviv coastline! Color us just a teensy bit jealous.)

And as if there wasn’t enough going on in the style department already, Lior’s dress—custom made by Hazan Zukerman—took the bride’s mother’s wedding gown as inspiration and added some serious boho flair to the ’80s vintage charm for an ultra-unique look that’s of the moment and classic all at once.

Oh, and make sure you check out Lior and Toby’s awesome signature cocktails. We’ll take a Petal’s Treat (named after the couple’s dog!!) on the rocks, please!

A Seaside Venue

Lior, the bride: We got married at Bayit Al Ha’Yam (House on Sea) in Jaffa, with the chuppah at dusk.

We picked the venue because it overlooks the whole coastline of Tel Aviv and the style of the venue (elegant and intimate) fit with our vision.

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 Berta Bride for an Ultra-Chic Vegan Jewish Wedding at Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem, Israel

10/08/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

This Jewish wedding is just SO wonderfully chic. It also happens to be 100% vegan. Sara and Ronen, animal lovers and ethical vegans, planned the whole affair with zero animal products in sight. Everything from the menu to the attire was plant-based through and through.

That’s no easy feat – especially when it comes to finding a fab gown with no silk. But Sara pulled it off and then some. We absolutely adore her sexy, ultra-feminine dress from Berta Bridal (the eponymous designer of which just so happens to be Israeli!). Ronen looks pretty snazzy in his wool-free suit, himself.

Despite the marked absence of meat from the festive meal, venue Mamilla Hotel’s plant-based food service got rave reviews from nearly all the guests – many told the couple afterward it was the best wedding food they’d ever had!

We love that Sara and Ronen weren’t afraid to stay true to themselves and their values on their big day – and love even more that it paid off!

The other awesome thing about this wedding? The view. The rooftop of the stunning Mamilla Hotel, where the couple held their breathtaking ceremony, just happens to overlook Jerusalem’s fabled Old City, and the skyline is just BEYOND.

It doesn’t get much better than this – and the setting was extra meaningful to the couple, since Ronen grew up in Jerusalem. You’ve GOT to check out Ori Carmi‘s dazzling photos and Idan Hershko’s outstanding video of the day.

Now over to Sara…

A Jerusalem Wedding

Sara, the bride: My husband, Ronen, and I got engaged in Tel Aviv, Israel, in May of 2017, but his original plan was to propose at the rooftop restaurant of the Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem. That plan was foiled by the US president’s visit, and we all had to leave Jerusalem. But once we were engaged, we decided to be married there.

Ronen grew up in Jerusalem and felt it was like coming full circle to be born and then married with the Old City as the backdrop. I had only been to the venue once, in the winter when the roof was enclosed. I did all the planning off of a few photos and a FaceTime walk-through with my boss, who was visiting the winter before our date.