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A Dreamy Oceanside Jewish Wedding at Al Hayam in Caesarea, Israel

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May & Benjamin, Al Hayam, Ceaserea, Israel

How gorgeous is the fabulous Israeli Jewish wedding of May, a pilot, lawyer, and CEO of two organizations (talk about a busy bride!) and Benjy, the cofounder and CEO of a recruitment software company?!

These two chose to make it official at one of Israel’s most stunning seaside venues, Al Hayam in Caesarea. Al Hayam is totally swoonworthy in its own right, with its fabulous outdoor spaces and serene ocean views, but for this couple it also had tons of sentimental value since May grew up nearby – and the couple even visited the first time they came up to Caesarea to visit May’s family together!

And of course we’re absolutely obsessed with May and Benjy’s incredible photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jossef Si. His photos look like they came straight from the pages of the chicest glossy magazine – each image is a true work of art. Not only that, but the couple also report that Jossef and his team were an absolute delight to work with and made them feel super comfortable on the day.

May & Benjamin, Al Hayam, Ceaserea, IsraelMay & Benjamin, Al Hayam, Ceaserea, IsraelMay & Benjamin, Al Hayam, Ceaserea, Israel
A Seaside Venue 

We got married at Al Hayam in Caesarea, Israel. This venue is outdoors, and over looks the Mediterranean sea. May grew up in Caesarea and spend most her childhood in the sea. It was also the first place May took Benjy to when he came to visit her family for Shabbat. It has great significance to both of us.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Ran Zuriel Bride for an International Indoor/Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Gioia Mia, Kibbutz Nahshonim, Israel

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Michelle & Darren, Gioia Mia, Israel

There’s nothing like an international Jewish wedding – so naturally we’re obsessed with today’s! Bride Michelle, who works in HR, hails from Argentina, and Darren, who works at a private security and intelligence firm, is from the UK. They met after both had moved to Israel, and now live in Tel Aviv.

And in planning their day, they strove to mix all three cultures in everything they did, from the speeches (each was delivered in English, Spanish, and Hebrew!) to the food to the music. When it came to the latter, the duo found the perfect partner in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor DJ Naor, who read the crowd perfectly and kept the dance floor full with his mix of Israeli tracks, traditional Jewish music, British classics, Latino, Funk and House, and bangers!

We’ve also got to mention what an absolutely stunning venue Michelle and Darren picked. They loved Gioia Mia, in central Israel, for its space, energy, and indoor/outdoor mix – not to mention the gorgeous outdoor chuppah area. Don’t miss the fabulous pics from photographer Boris of Flea Studio.

There’s so much more to say – like how the couple’s wedding date fell not even a week after Israel opened up to international travelers in November 2021 – but we’ll leave all that to the couple…

Michelle & Darren, Gioia Mia, IsraelMichelle & Darren, Gioia Mia, Israel
How we Met

We met on a dating app called OkCupid – Darren looked for a woman in the Kfar Saba area who speaks Hebrew, Spanish, and English and Michelle appeared like mannah from heaven!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Fresh, Beachy Jewish Pandemic Wedding at Caesar Yam, Caesarea, Israel

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Planning a wedding during COVID isn’t easy. You’ve got to be prepared to roll with the punches, make last-minute changes, and generally have a wedding that might look pretty different than the one you’d had your heart set on.

But even with all that, some of the Jewish weddings we’ve seen that have been most affected by the pandemic have also been among the most stunning – ever. Take the fabulous Israeli nuptials of Tash, who works for an online glasses company doing customer service, and Nick, who does marketing and events for a healthcare software provider. These two made aliyah in 2021, and while they wanted to celebrate in their new home, travel restrictions made it uncertain as to whether overseas loved ones would be able to make it.

And even though plenty of things didn’t quite go to plan – the couple went through several changes of venue before settling on the fabulous Caesar Yam; their guest list went from 200 to 65, and some friends and family joined in via livestream rather than in person – this day was nothing short of magnificent.

We’re in love with the beachy, nautical décor – and how gorgeous is that stunning white floral chuppah? – and for all the challenges leading up to the day, there was clearly so much joy and love. Don’t miss the incredible photos from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, who the couple report was a delight to work with, as always.

Now over to Tash…

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How we Met

Tash, the bride: We met on an app called J Crush in November 2014. Nick was on a year abroad in Paris as part of his degree with Aston University in Birmingham, and I was in my second year at University of Leeds. We spent the first year of our relationship meeting in either Paris, Leeds, Scotland (Nick’s hometown) and London (my hometown) so it was an adventure from the start.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Tal Kedem Bride for a Jewish Wedding at Science World Rooftop Garden, Vancouver, Canada

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Becca-Danny-Science-World-Rooftop-Garden-Vancouver-Canada

Like so many couples over the past two years, Becca and Danny ended up with a wedding that looked a lot different than the one they’d originally planned – though no less fabulous!

The pair, who live in Israel, had hoped to wed in their adopted home, but once it became apparent that the country’s borders wouldn’t open in time for beloved family and friends to attend from abroad, Becca and Danny made the tough decision to move the wedding to Vancouver, Canada, where the bride grew up, and re-plan everything from scratch. And the wedding, at Science World Rooftop Gardenswith a stunning view of Vancouver’s celebrated ocean, mountains, and greenery – was nothing short of fabulous. We’re obsessed with the photos from Lumina Weddings.

Becca and Danny still wanted to celebrate with their friends back home in Israel, though, so instead of fully cancelling their plans for their Tel Aviv wedding, they opted to keep the date and shift to a smaller, less formal party at their original venue. From the beginning, they’d been working with beloved Israeli wedding planner and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Craspedia Events, who was there for the couple through the entire rollercoaster of selecting the initial vendors, cancelling them, and then pivoting to replan what started as a formal wedding into a chill rooftop party.

Read on for the full story in Becca’s own words…

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How we Met

Becca, the bride: After meeting Danny’s good friend at the UN in Geneva and receiving an invitation, I attended my first “Jerusalem Cooking Club” event on May 1, 2019. I knocked on the door where the cooking club was taking place and Danny was the one to open it. Upon opening the door, I asked whether or not I was in the right place, to which Danny responded “No.” To be funny. Ha. Ha. (This was literally my nervous reaction).

Following cooking club, Danny sneakily found me on Facebook via the Club’s group and started to message me about whether or not I enjoyed the event. Obviously I did, and the two of us got to talking and eventually exchanged numbers and set up a “date.”

Our first date took place in Shuk Machene Yehuda Market where we got smoothies and then bought all the necessary ingredients for ceviche. We then went to my apartment, which was above the Shuk, and made ceviche and talked for hours. The rest is history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Dorit Izbizki Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding at Psagot Winery, Israel

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Eliana-and-Naftali-Psagot-Winery-Shomron-Israel

There’s nothing like an Israeli wedding… and the nuptials of Eliana, a student, and Naftali, who just finished his army service and is currently in yeshiva, just tick all our boxes!

These two got married at the stunning Psagot Winery in the Shomron. In addition to the gorgeous natural scenery, the couple – who got engaged during COVID – loved the fact that Psagot was flexible and worked wonderfully for both smaller and larger weddings.

Like so many couples getting married in Israel, Eliana and Naftali knew from the get-go that they wanted to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman as their photographer – so much so that they chose their wedding date around his availability! As always, Herschel and his team were fantastic to work with – and naturally, the couple is over the moon about their beautiful photos (just scroll through this post and we’re pretty sure you’ll see why).

And how special is it that the couple got married under Naftali’s family chuppah?! What a wonderful tradition to have a family chuppah that can be brought out for all the weddings!

Now over to the bride, who looked so elegant in her dress by Dorit Izbizki…

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How we Met

Eliana, the bride: We both grew up in Beit Shemesh but only knew of each other. We officially met at a mutual friend’s wedding when Naftali sat with Eliana’s brother. We first spoke there and the rest was history….Continue ReadingContinue Reading