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Keren & Asaf | ‘swimming pool & popsicles’ Israeli wedding at the Ghetto Fighters’ Kibbutz, Western Galilee, Northern Israel

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Kibbutz-Wedding
You can tell from the way that Keren and Asaf approached the planning of their big day that they’re a fun-loving laid back couple. For a start, they followed the STG mantra of making their  day personal to them by getting ready together and welcoming friends and family into their home, enjoying coffee and cigarettes, before walking down the aisle to their chuppah hand in hand. Untraditional but pretty damn cool I’m sure you’ll agree.

I really love their big day for so many reasons: the tribute to the bride’s grandmother in the chuppah design, Keren’s amazing oversize floral crown, popsicles instead of wedding cake, outdoor frolics in the swimming pool, and of course the dreamy, luminous portrait shots of the pair of them in the kibbutz where they held their wedding.

I have a feeling you’ll love it too…

All of the  gorgeousness was captured perfectly by the very lovely Gamba Photographers.

kibbutz wedding
how we met

Keren, the Bride: Asaf lives in Northern Israel, and at the time, I lived in Tel Aviv. I was up North on holiday  and a mutual friend introduced us. It  was the most fun  that either of us  had ever experienced, and nothing could  separate us for three days after that.

It took Asaf six months to convince me to move up North with him, and after a year of living here, I just regret not moving earlier.

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Ori & Shani | Urban-Chic Jewish lesbian wedding at Avigdor 22, Tel Aviv, Israel

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Jewish-lesbian-wedding
Today will brighten up your Thursday whatever mood you’re in. Such joy and happiness radiates from every single image! Ori and Shani look super hot in their four Dany Mizrachi gowns (yes both brides wore two dresses each all by the same designer – how snazzy is that?!).

There are so many pretty decor touches too — I love the cute signage, the mini potted plant wedding favours, and the framed photos of Ori and Shani dotted about their achingly cool warehouse-style venue in the heart of the city.

And of course, not one, but TWO glasses were smashed at the end of their Jewish wedding ceremony!

These two brides have such a sweet proposal story and organised their whole affair in just 5 months. It’s a wonderful day full of smiles and happiness and it’s all stunningly captured by none other than one of our talented Smashing Suppliers, Igor Lubenski.

Jewish lesbian wedding
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Intimate and Joyful Israeli Wedding Organised in Just 3 Months at Lawrence Gallery, Old Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel

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jaffa-wedding
I have a real sweet treat of a Jewish wedding for you this afternoon folks. Set amidst the boats and charm of Old Jaffa in Tel Aviv, today’s W-Day was planned in just 3 months (nope, I’m not even kidding!) and is bursting at the seams with lots of personal and thoughtful touches.

Rachel and Moshe both come from Modern Orthodox backgrounds, yet it was important for them to make their ceremony as egalitarian and personal as possible. For example, for the Sheva Brachot part of their Jewish wedding ceremony, they invited couples to come up to the chuppah together. The man said the traditional blessing, whilst the woman wrote a personal blessing. Rachel says, “hearing the personal blessings written by the closest women in our lives was so moving and special. They are words that will accompany me throughout my life.”

They also loved the concept of having a procession with klezmer musicians parading through the alleys of Jaffa, leading them to their chuppah in a park overlooking the city and the sea. To them, it felt very timeless, reconnecting to a special tradition that doesn’t happen so much anymore.

Today, not only do I have the usual dose of W-day eye candy for you, taken by the super talented Noa Magger (in particular I am loving the Jaffa harbour images, and the ‘party faces’ of the guests – you have to check them out!) but for those of you that may be stressing over every minute detail in the run up to the big day, Rachel’s words are both wise and super helpful. I particularly love what she says at the end of the post: “I think the biggest piece of advice is to find ways to incorporate friends and family in a meaningful way —  I think it makes for the best memories.”

So true… Let’s hear more from Rachel and Moshe, a smashingly creative, fun and outgoing couple.

Jaffa Wedding
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Michaela & Aviad | A Jewish wedding in the woods in Ben Shemen forest, Israel

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FOREST-WEDDING
I’m really excited about today’s wedding, not just because it’s epitomises my idea of simple beauty, but also because Liron Erel was the photographer, and I’ve been dying to get his work up again on the blog.

It also contains a few firsts: It’s the first Jewish wedding that I’ve blogged  on  Smashing The Glass to take place in a real bone fide forest, it’s  the first to feature a Jewish bride proudly (and resplendently!) showing off her tattoos, and it’s the first to feature my favourite boutique hotel in Tel Aviv, The Montefiore, which is where today’s lovely  couple got ready.

Here is what the  beautiful bride, Michaela, had to say about her Israeli wedding in the woods.

Forest Wedding
how we met

Michaela, the Bride:  We met whilst we were working together in  the same bar (in fact, our  first dance was to We found each other in the dark  because we  met in a  bar!).  Nothing happened between us for a long time until we were both invited to a friend’s wedding. Maybe it was the magic air of a Jewish wedding, but I started to see something between us…

Forest Wedding
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Ruth & Steven | An ‘English afternoon tea garden party’ daytime Jewish wedding in Israel

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 english-garden-party-wedding
I absolutely adore the sunshine and fun factor of Israeli weddings but they very rarely incorporate quintessentially British traditions like afternoon tea and scones, finger sandwiches, croquet, and (well it’s not quite an english tradition, but) a barbershop quartet!

Ruth and Steven’s phenomenally different Israeli wedding contained all of these lovely ideas and more. In fact, the barbershop singing comes courtesy of the groom who not only sang his bride down the aisle, he also proposed to her with a song he composed and arranged with his barbershop quartet. You must make time to watch it — Steven’s proposal to Ruth is one of the best I’ve seen in a LONG time!

Ruth and Steven’s entire wedding is full of fun-filled, warm, homely details which you will want to replicate. I particularly love the ’round’ chuppah – something I’ve never seen before – and the ketubah, designed and created by Steven’s mother, who picked and dried all the flowers from close to where the couple live to create the most exquisitely beautiful ketubah.

Ruth is a Smashing The Glass reader and she told me that the STG pages were a massive source of inspiration during her planning process. So now, Ruth is here to ‘pay it forward’.

Let’s join the party and enjoy not only her story, but all of the beautiful images from the very talented Dima Vazinovich, together with the heart-warming wedding film at the end of the post by the wonderful Tzachi Asher.

English afternoon tea garden party
how we met

Ruth, the Bride: Long story short, we met through friends – but when Steven came into my flat (brought by said friend) and saw my 3,000 piece puzzle and sat down and immediately found pieces to fit, I had to know more! To say love at first sight is a bit much but definitely intrigued…

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