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5 of our Favorite Same-Sex Jewish Weddings

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Adam and Curtis‘s DIY Gay Jewish Wedding | Photo by Libby Christensen 

Welcome back to “5 of Our Favorites,” our series where we highlight five breathtaking Jewish weddings, all centered around a unique theme. This week, we’re celebrating love with 5 of our favorite same-sex Jewish weddings.

Same-sex couples have long awaited the opportunity to celebrate their love in a way that honors both their commitment to each other and their Jewish traditions, and these weddings are a true testament to that beautiful fusion.

From intimate ceremonies to grand celebrations, each of these weddings is filled with meaningful rituals, love, and joy, showcasing how LGBTQ+ couples are weaving their own unique stories into the fabric of Jewish tradition. We’re so excited to share these incredible celebrations with you and highlight the power of love, inclusivity, and community.

Max & Zach, Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, New York, USA

Max and Zach‘s Pioneering Modern Orthodox Same-Sex Wedding | Photo by David Perlman 

Max and Zach’s Pioneering Modern Orthodox Same Sex Wedding at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, New York, USA

Same-sex Orthodox weddings are still in their early years, and we love that Max and Zach – along with their officiant, Rabbi Avram Mlotek – are at the forefront. The pair worked with their rabbi to craft a ceremony that aligned with their values as Modern Orthodox Jews AND as members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Max & Zach, Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, New York, USA

Max and Zach‘s Pioneering Modern Orthodox Same-Sex Wedding | Photo by David Perlman 

While much of the ceremony looked like any traditional Jewish wedding, one difference is that instead of a traditional ketubah, Max and Zach opted to use a Shtar Shutafut, a Halachic Partnership Contract, to formalize their marriage. The couple worked with Rabbi Mlotek on the text. They also exchanged rings under the chuppah, and each smashed a glass before guests danced the night away to music by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Azamra DJ.

Max & Zach, Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, New York, USA

Max and Zach‘s Pioneering Modern Orthodox Same-Sex Wedding | Photo by David Perlman 

It’s so heartwarming to see how Max and Zach were able to craft the wedding of their dreams, without having to compromise on any aspect of their identities.

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Charlotte and Ellie‘s Same-Sex Jew-ish Wedding | Photo by Dale Weeks 

Charlotte and Ellie’s Same-Sex Jew-ish Industrial Vintage Wedding at St Pancras Renaissance, London

Charlotte and Ellie wanted a dramatic and industrial meets romantic, dark florals-vibe for their big day, and they found the perfect venue in the iconic St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London. 

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Charlotte and Ellie‘s Same-Sex Jew-ish Wedding | Photo by Dale Weeks 

We simply adore the moody aesthetic and jewel-toned theme; Charlotte and Ellie’s vintage-industrial look made their whole day so quirky and unique, but still so chic and stunning.

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Charlotte and Ellie‘s Same-Sex Jew-ish Wedding | Photo by Dale Weeks 

The attention to detail from artistic bride Ellie was simply phenomenal. Each item was carefully and lovingly picked with the theme in mind: the home-designed invitations, the rust-coloured chairs, the Victoriana table decorations and whole flower stems strewn down the aisle. The style extended to the brides’ outfits, which were simply beautiful and perfectly in keeping with the tone and theme of the wedding.

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Ethereal Garden Vibes for an Afternoon Tea Same Sex Jewish Wedding at Fowler House Mansion in Lafayette, Indiana, USA

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This gorgeous Jewish wedding is a very special landmark for us: it’s the very first we’ve published featuring not one but two members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

Both Eliza, a graduate student in Purdue University’s Rhetoric and Composition program, and Jean, a data analyst at an e-commerce marketing tech start-up, were beloved members of the Brides Club community, and we’re so glad to hear their kind words about how helpful and supportive they found the group as they planned their afternoon tea wedding.

We’re in love with the sweet vintage vibes of their day – don’t miss the wonderful photos by Jasmine Norris Photography – featuring lovely touches from a five-course French-style tea, a chuppah built by Jean’s dad, fun loose-leaf tea favors for guests to take home, and a colorful folk art-inspired ketubah by Celia Lemonik, purchased through Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com. Eliza and Jean especially loved ketubah.com’s wonderful options for personalizing the text and making it egalitarian and gender-neutral.

There’s so much more to say about this very special Jewish wedding – but we’ll turn you over to the brides to hear the rest…

How we Met

Eliza: We met at a bar in Indianapolis (while Jean was on a date with someone else!).Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Two Beautiful Brides for an Ecofriendly Same-Sex Jewish Wedding in the Redwoods, Old Mill Park, California, USA

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Margeaux and Zoe, Old Mill Park, California, USA

How can you not love a wedding featuring California redwoods, two brides in matching Teva sandals, and a bouncy house? Just one of those things would be enough to set our hearts aflutter  – and the fabulous Jewish wedding of Margeaux and Zoe included all three, and so much more!

It’s hard not to fall for a wedding with as stunning an outdoor setting as this one – and we love that Margeaux and Zoe worked with Rachelle of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush to design a custom nature-themed ketubah reflecting their big day. Featuring some favorite flowers, plus greenery in honor of the venue, it’s an absolute stunner – and how cool is it that these two wrote their own ketubah text in English and Hebrew?! Don’t miss it in the exquisite photos by photographer Hellena Cedeno!

We’re also pretty smitten with the brides’ attire – not just their dresses from BHLDN (Zoe) and Jenny Yoo (Margeaux), but their comfy footwear too. Yep, the couple really opted to wear matching Teva sandals the whole day! Such a fun personal touch – and how great must they have felt to dance in?!

There’s so much more to say about this very special Jewish wedding, but we’ll leave it to Margeaux and Zoe to fill you in on the rest…

Margeaux and Zoe, Old Mill Park, California, USA Margeaux and Zoe, Old Mill Park, California, USA Margeaux and Zoe, Old Mill Park, California, USA Margeaux and Zoe, Old Mill Park, California, USA
How we Met

We are both rabbinical students at Hebrew Union College. We met at List College, the undergraduate program between the Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia University.

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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 Beachy Same-Sex Jewish Wedding at Harbour House Oceanfront Venue, Indian Harbour Shores, Florida, USA

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What’s better than one beautiful bride? TWO beautiful brides, of course! Tessa and Ashley had the most incredibly heartfelt beach front Jewish wedding, and we are here for it!

This wedding was so full of wonderful personal touches – we love the fact that Ashley’s brother served as the officiant (and, naturally, delivered an incredibly moving speech), and we’re also obsessed with the couple’s gorgeous colorful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nava Shoham, which Tessa and Ashley now proudly display in their home!

And how special is it that, unbeknownst to each other, Tessa and Ashley both ended up selecting stunning fitted lace gowns from local boutique  Calla Blanche! Now that’s a first look to remember!

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

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How we Met

Ashley: They say when you meet the right person, you know. Ironically, we actually grew up about 45 minutes from each other. Our high schools played soccer against each other and our lives overlapped in a few moves across the county in our college years. We found out we had the same groups of friends circles but we didn’t meet in person until three years ago living in Florida through a mutual friend who planned for us to go as a friend group to the Katy Perry concert. 

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