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A Hayley Paige Bride for a Sparkling Winter Jewish Wedding at The Allan House, Austin, Texas, USA

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Jewish wedding The Allan House ​in Austin, Texas USA_0001
You spend so much time and energy coming up with a beautiful chuppah design for your Jewish wedding — isn’t it a shame that it only really features for the duration of the ceremony?

Lindsay, who produces TV commercials, and Ben, a project manager for Google Fiber, thought so. And when you see the photos of their fantastic rose-strewn canopy, by Gia at Cory Ryan Photography, we think you’ll see why.

Loving the symbolism of the chuppah as their“new home,” after the ceremony they set up underneath it so that guests could come talk to them. They even stayed put under the canopy for dinner — such a great way to resolve that mealtime seating dilemma, right?!

Speaking of the meal, we just cannot get over Lindsay and Ben’s Fantastic Mr. Fox-themed wedding cake, inspired by the pair’s favorite movie. The cake topper, naturally, was bride-and-groom foxes, and the bottom layer featured the sweetest quote from the film.

Now over to the bride, who looked smashing in her striped dress by Hayley Paige…

Jewish wedding The Allan House ​in Austin, Texas USA_0001  Jewish wedding The Allan House ​in Austin, Texas USA_0001 Jewish wedding The Allan House ​in Austin, Texas USA_0001Jewish wedding The Allan House ​in Austin, Texas USA_0001
How we met

Lindsay, the bride: We were introduced by a mutual friend who years later confided in us that “she didn’t think we would hit it off THIS well.” ​

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Real Blogging Brides – Harlie: Finding My Dream Wedding Dress

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Harlie will be marrying Ben on 19th August 2018 at the Landmark Hotel, London, UK. Click here to read all Harlie’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: Harlie met Ben on an ‘Aish’ trip to Israel during their university years (2) They will be bringing in lots of Spanish influences into their London wedding, for a variety of reasons, not least because that that’s where they got engaged! (3) They will be having a fairly traditional orthodox London wedding, but are including lots of modern twists.


A lone and eventful journey!

Unlike some girls, I never dreamt about my fantasy wedding when I was younger, and I certainly never thought about my dream wedding dress. Even when I got engaged, I still had no idea what sort of wedding dress I would choose as I couldn’t even imagine myself wearing one. Never did I imagine that finding my dress would be the most stressful part of wedding planning, or that it would lead me on a very long and eventful journey!

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In My Dreams by Caroline Castigliano (STG Recommended Vendor)

October 2017

The engagement party was over and the venue was booked, so I set off on my quest to find ‘the one’ (which took just 13 appointments, over 70 dresses and 4 months of searching). I started to gather some ideas on a Pinterest board with my bridesmaids, with a relatively clear idea in mind of what I thought I wanted.

My mum booked a few appointments at some bridal boutiques that she had been recommended, which seemed like a good place to start as it meant I was not limited to just one designer.

Originally, I was looking for quite a particular style: a tightly fitted fishtail shape with a low back and spaghetti straps. The first dress I tried on at The Bride was exactly this; it was a beautiful Suzanne Neville dress in a delicate lace with buttons down the back.

To try on something different, a classic princess-style Sassi Holford gown followed, then an understated, vintage-esque Jenny Packham. I really thought that the first dress was the one for me as it fitted my very fixed brief, but my mum didn’t want me to settle for the first dress I tried — I can only thank you now, mum!

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A Jenny Packham Bride for an Ultra-Romantic Destination Jewish Wedding at the Great Synagogue and Villa Aurelia, Rome, Italy

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Destination Jewish Wedding Synagogue + Villa Aurelia Rome Italy
Where do you go for an uber-romantic Jewish destination wedding when you already live in the City of Love? Paris-based couple Prescilla and Nathanael opted for Rome, with their ceremony held in the bastion of old-fashioned elegance that is the  breathtaking Great Synagogue of Rome and their reception at the magnificent Villa Aurelia. We are positively swooning over their fairy tale-perfect day.

With mega-luxe florals in a soft, classic color scheme of white and pink and hundreds of candles hanging from trees on the grounds of the villa, the visuals of this wedding could not have been dreamier — check out photographer Framelines’ epic shot of the couple under a canopy of trees, lit only by the candles (at the very end of this post). Is that just the loveliest, or what?

The couple, who are both doctors, can’t say enough in praise of their wedding planner, Elisa, from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Le Ràªve.

Elisa was recommended to Prescilla by a friend in Paris, and when the couple first met with her it was, as the bride says, “love at first sight.” Elisa connected the pair with their many fantastic vendors, and she helped them achieve the romantic look they were going for — and if you take a peek at the photos, and videographer Inesse’s beautiful capture of the day, we think you’ll agree she knocked it out of the ballpark.

Now over to Prescilla, whose vintage-esque Jenny Packham dress blended old-world elegance with modern chic ever so exquisitely…

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A Wedding in Rome

Prescilla, the bride: We got married in Rome, with a religious ceremony in the main synagogue and a great party in the magnificent Villa Aurelia.

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A Pronovias Bride for an Intimate Last-Minute Jewish-Australian-Danish Wedding at Spring Restaurant, Somerset House, London, UK

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Jewish Wedding Spring Restaurant, Somerset House, London UK_0087
We dare you to take one look at today’s stunner of a Jew-ish wedding and guess how long the couple spent planning it. Two years? One year? Six months? No, no, and no! Lauren, a travel writer (of Princess with a Backpack fame!) and Christopher, a tax lawyer, planned their wedding in a mere eight weeks! SAY WHAAAAT?!

That’s not a typo – this fab day really did come together in a mere two months, without even a planner to expedite the process. And not only that, the couple planned their ultra-chic London day just shortly after relocating to the city from NYC!

The globetrotting duo (Lauren is Australian, while Christopher hails from Denmark) found a perfect venue in Spring Restaurant.

The elegant space had tons of built-in dà©cor, from hanging foliage to fairy lights; all the couple needed to do was throw in some stylish modern florals in white and green from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Hayford & Rhodes to make their venue was 100% wedding-ready.

You might expect that a Jewish-Australian-Danish wedding would yield some cool cultural fusions — and Lauren and Christopher didn’t disappoint. It just takes one look at Ivan Franchet’s stunning photos to see the energy and the love that went into the day.

The touching ceremony embraced Lauren’s Jewish heritage with touches like a gorgeous pared-down chuppah from The Chuppah Design Co (the creation of our own former blogging bride Lauren Beadle!) as well as Danish tradition, in the form of a beautiful Danish love prayer.

And the couple incorporated some fun Danish traditions into their reception (hint: one involves kissing under the table!). Read on for all the details from lovely Lauren, who looked absolutely model-perfect in her elegant lace Pronovias gown…

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A London Wedding

Lauren, the bride: We got married at Spring Restaurant, Somerset House, London. We had just recently moved from New York to London a few months before and because our friends and families are based all over the world (my family is based in Australia and my husband’s friends and family are in Denmark), we thought London would be the perfect neutral ground to celebrate our wedding in our new city.

When I was looking for venues in London, I walked into Spring and immediately fell in love with the space. It was perfect: blue pastels on the walls, matched perfectly with the soft pink velvet lounges, tan leather dining chairs, blonde wood floorboards and crisp white tables. 

As it was the end of March, spring had officially begun, and what better place to celebrate than Spring in London. Spring also happens to be run by celebrity chef Skye Gyngell who is originally Australian; her signature style is seasonal and elegant, providing dishes that are unique with a farm-to-table approach. 

Our hotel (Langham London) was perfect for getting ready and staying the night of the wedding. Clearly, they have had many brides stay there before, so nothing was too much to ask, and the service was incredible. We also had a fantastic large suite, which gave 3 of us (mum and sister included) plenty of space to get ready for the big day.

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A Paloma Blanca Bride for a Beachside Destination Jewish-Scottish Wedding at Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

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Destination Jewish wedding Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel
Today’s destination Jewish wedding is serious #chuppahgoals. UK couple Natasha, who is a head of sales, and Adam, an investment banker, opted for a destination wedding at gorgeous Al Hayam in Caesarea, Israel.

The pair wanted a statement chuppah, but at the same time didn’t want anything to overshadow the jaw-dropping ocean view from their venue — take a look through their photos by STG Fave Ronen Boidek and you’ll see why!

What they ended up with hits just the right balance between luxe and simple: four narrow poles covered in greenery and white and cream flowers, all under a canopy of delicate lace. It’s just so elegant, yet exquisitely delicate at the same time.

Bride Natasha said she wanted flowers on her chuppah (not only because, well, why would you not?) but also because of all the beautiful things they represent: “life, a new start, and all things alive and living” — all the right notes to hit at the start of your marriage.

Though Natasha and Adam went for an elegant classic style, they did bring some quirky touches to their day. Our favorite: a Scottish whisky bar, in honor of the groom’s Scottish origins, with different types of whisky for guests to sample. Oh yeah, and there was also a bagpiper in attendance too!

Speaking of music, these two picked our latest and greatest STG Recommended Vendor, Teta Band to set their wedding atmosphere on fire! Teta played live all night, from jazz to pop to Israeli to even French, Portuguese, and Motown live music all night, and in Natasha’s words, “phenomenal doesn’t even describe it… Teta had the guests all up on their feet all night long!”

Beautiful Natasha, looking absolutely radiant in her ivory lace gown from Paloma Blanca, will fill you in on all the rest of the juicy details… Happy Fri-yay!

Destination Jewish wedding Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel_0071 Destination Jewish wedding Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel_0071Destination Jewish wedding Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel_0071

Destination Jewish wedding Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

Destination Jewish wedding Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

Destination Jewish wedding Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel_0071
A Venue with an Ocean View

Natasha, the bride: We got married at Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel. We picked this venue due to the open nature of the venue, yet somehow it felt like there was a sense of intimacy. The gorgeous view overlooking the ocean was the winner for us!

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