Jewish Destination Wedding Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Galia Lahav Bride for a Romantic Jewish Wedding Full of Natural Beauty at Bayaar, Israel

04/12/2023 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Today’s stunner of a Jewish wedding showcases so much of what makes Israel such a very special place. Erika and Zachi chose to make things official at beautiful Bayaar, one of those only-in-Israel outdoor venues just brimming with lush natural beauty.

The couple’s incredible wedding planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Craspedia Events, expertly guided them through the process every step of the way – and she did an absolutely stellar job working with them select the perfect décor to complement the exquisite surroundings

Erika looked so radiant in her romantic mermaid gown by beloved Israeli designer Galia Lahav, and the couple chose to exchange heartfelt personal vows as part of their chuppah. You can see all the love and emotion coming through bright and clear in every single photo from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tzahi Shemesh.

In summing up her biggest wedding planning advice, Erika advises other couples to “seize the chance to savor the most extraordinary day of your life as it swiftly unfolds.” Now more than ever, these are wise words we should all take heed of – not just on our wedding day, but every day.

Now over to Erika…

How We Met

Erika, the bride: I am an economist, while he is a lawyer, and we both share an entrepreneurial spirit, primarily focusing on online ventures such as trading platforms, cryptocurrencies, and online gaming. Although we had crossed paths a few times due to our shared industry, it was on Tinder that I came across his profile. I liked what I saw, and we began chatting. After three weeks of daily conversations, we decided to meet for our first date.Continue Reading

Fighting Back with Love: A Wartime Jewish Wedding at Nefesh B’Nefesh, Jerusalem, Israel

27/11/2023 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

We’ve heard so many inspiring stories of Israeli couples getting married since October 7. Today’s newlyweds, Aviva and Jeremy, are among them.

Aviva, a wedding hair stylist and makeup artist originally from London, and Jeremy, an ASO Analyst for a marketing agency who hails from Sydney, had originally planned a big Jewish wedding to take place on October 17. When the war broke out, they had to make some major changes to their plans – including a new venue, a much smaller guest list, and a revised date of October 25 to allow Jeremy’s parents time to get to Israel amidst constant flight cancellations.

Luckily, Aviva and Jeremy had been working with wedding planner Vicki Rosen from the beginning, and she was able to help the couple plan what amounted to a whole new wedding from scratch at Nefesh B’Nefesh’s campus overlooking the Jerusalem skyline – which the organization generously offered up to couples who needed somewhere to get married during the war – in just 6 days!

One constant throughout it all was the couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman. Aviva knew she wanted to book Herschel even before she got engaged, and when the wedding was postponed she and Jeremy chose their new date around his availability! And a quick scroll through Herschel’s ultra-emotional images will show you why.

During the chuppah, Aviva and Jeremy’s rabbi shared some moving words speaking to the couple’s situation:

In times of war, there are two ways of fighting back: one is to physically fight and battle and our beloved soldiers are doing so, while the other way is to love and to build families.

Such a powerful reminder that, in the end, that’s really what Jewish weddings are all about.

Now over to Aviva…

How We Met

Aviva, the bride: We met at a Shabbat meal at a friend’s house and soon after Jeremy asked me out for coffee. We connected over our mutual love of fiction books and chocolate. I knew I was falling for Jeremy when he drank an entire cup of melted chocolate on one of our early dates! Continue Reading

A Magical Garden Jewish Wedding at Habustan, Abu Gosh, Israel

26/09/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Gorgeous venue alert! Israeli couple Ariella, an account manager in digital marketing, and Ryan, a product manager at a high-tech startup, fell in love with their venue, Habustan, the minute they set eyes on it – and we’re pretty sure we’re having the same experience right now!

The couple couldn’t get enough of the magical garden vibes, and they knew they wanted to keep the focus for their big day on the venue’s natural splendor, with fairy lights, trees, and flowers galore. Their photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, captured the understated yet elegant feel of the day so perfectly – in addition to making Ariella and Ryan and their guests feel comfortable and calm as he captured the most phenomenal moments.

One special touch we love: when it came time for the sheva brachot, Ariella and Ryan picked seven VIPs to give one bracha each, and they gave their MC a small script to introduce each person, thanking them for the way they touched the couple’s lives.

We’ll let Ariella fill you in on the rest…

How We Met

Ariella, the bride: . We met through a mutual connection, who knew Ryan well and got my name and info from a friend of his who found out that I had recently made Aliyah. We went on our first date only three weeks after I landed in Israel and the rest is history!Continue Reading

A Laid-Back, Gluten-Free Pizza Party Jewish Wedding Full of Personal Touches at Bait B’Guy, Israel

08/09/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

We’re obsessed with the fact that Jazzie and Moshe’s vision for their Israeli Jewish wedding was “a massive pizza party with our nearest and dearest!” How fun does that sound?!

In keeping with their theme, Jazzie and Moshe kept things low-key and casual, with lots of involvement from family and friends. One of the most special touches: Jazzie’s grandparents served as flower girl and boy!

We also love that Jazzie upcycled her mother’s wedding dress for her bridal look – she had the lace of the gown turned into a top and had a skirt custom made by a local seamstress, and then when it came time for dancing she switched into a pair of fun bridal shorts!

Jazzie wanted to work with as many local female businesses as possible, and one of those was beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush, who designed the couple’s stunning eucalyptus ketubah – don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Sabres!

And we can’t go without mentioning the food: you see, this wasn’t just any pizza party, but a 100% gluten-free one! In addition to artisan pizzas, the menu featured lasagna, salads, bruschetta, hummus, and ice cream, and the couple got compliments on the fab menu for weeks afterward, with most guests not even realizing it was all gluten-free!

Now over to the bride…

How We Met

Jazzie, the bride and Moshe, the groom: It would be great if we could say we met, fell in love, and the rest is history- but the story doesn’t quite go like that. In the spring of 2021, amidst a global pandemic and a lot of uncertainty our very good mutual friends moved into the apartment next door to Jazzie. Who helped them move in? Well, Moshe of course.

Fast forward a few months and the 4 of us had become like family. We began to spend most Shabbat meals together and spent nearly every Saturday night watching movies, cooking, and playing games. Eventually, we began to also go out just the two of us (Jazzie thought they were dates, apparently Moshe did not.)

After many months of “dating not dating” Jazzie finally decided to just come out and ask Moshe what the heck was going on between them- and that is when we finally decided to stop fighting it and start dating. A year later Moshe asked Jazzie to marry him in one of her favorite places on earth and now the rest really is history.Continue Reading

A Dana Harel Bride for an Enchanted Boho Beach Jewish Wedding at Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

18/08/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

You’ll never believe the wild story behind this absolute stunner of a Jewish wedding! Amy, a social media manager (and the daughter of beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Toastmaster Jango!), and Dan, a freelance marketing consultant, had the most gorgeous Israeli Jewish wedding at Caesarea’s Al Hayam – but until two days prior, they were actually planning on marrying at a totally different venue in the south of Israel!

A security situation in the south meant they had to change things around at the very last minute – but luckily they had an amazing planner, Yana from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Craspedia Events, on hand to save the day. In the span of 48 hours, Yana secured Al Hayam for the couple – and they ended up loving it even more than their original choice. Have a scroll through the exquisite photos by Your Story Wedd and you’ll see why!

Understandably, the couple can’t stop raving about Yana. In Amy’s words, “She really understood my vision, she is so knowledgeable about the industry and is just the best person ever! She is so calming and really is there to help and guide you through the process. I can’t recommend her enough!”

Now over to Amy, who looked simply sublime in her gown by Israeli designer Dana Harel Design…

How We Met

Amy, the bride: We met at a mutual friend’s birthday in London. Dan was already living in Israel at the time and I was actually planning on moving to Tel Aviv later that year. We kept in touch and then I moved nine months later and the rest is history!

How We Met

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How We Met

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How We Met

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