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A Lihi Hod Bride for a Jewish Wedding with an Epic Chuppah at Hotel Eden Roc Ascona, Switzerland

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We see a lot of gorgeous chuppahs here at STG HQ, but today’s really takes the (wedding) cake. Gemma, a senior associate solicitor, and Kevin, a CEO and director, chose to wed at Switzerland’s Hotel Eden Roc Ascona because of its significance in the bride’s family history. But it also happened to be the absolute perfect spot for that breathtaking outdoor chuppah overlooking Lake Maggiore in the sunshine.

The chuppah had transparent sides to ensure that all guests got a good view of the ceremony,  and the jewels hanging down from the sides of the chuppah picked up the reflections of the sun hitting the glistening lake. Add in some soft florals in Gemma and Kevin’s color scheme of pale pink, pale blue, and cream and you’ve got pure perfection.

We also love that Gemma opted to have a bespoke dress made by Israeli designer Lihi Hod in Tel Aviv – and how cool was Gemma’s custom veil, with the couple’s names and wedding logo embroidered?!

The whole day was captured exquisitely by Ash Davenport of MIKI Studios – scroll on for some serious eye candy…

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How We Met

Gemma, the bride and Kevin, the groom: We met on Hinge, Switzerland.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Lihi Hod Bride for an Enchanted Garden Jewish Wedding at Villa Orlando, Torre del Lago, Tuscany, Italy

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Today we’re thrilled to be sharing our first Jewish wedding of 2024, and is it ever a stunner! UK couple Natasha and Marc had the most exquisite lakeside Tuscan Jewish wedding, and we are OBSESSED.

To plan the day of their dreams abroad, the couple opted to work with Michelle Jacobs of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Elegante by Michelle J, and she brought their vision of an enchanted candlelit garden wedding to life – including introducing them to their fabulous venue, Villa Orlando, and sorting everything from generators to furniture and beyond to transform the outdoor spaces.

We love the couple’s on-the-day stationery from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Bigday Designs, and we can’t get enough of the elegant white and green color scheme – and that floral chuppah! Don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by James Mason and video by Whites Film.

There’s so much more to say about this very special day, but we’ll leave it to the bride – who looked ever so chic in her gown by Israeli designer Lihi Hod – to fill you in on the rest…

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A Wedding in Tuscany 

Natasha, the bride: Our venue was Villa Orlando which is in Torre del Lago in Tuscany, Italy.  I always wanted to get married overlooking a lake/water and our wedding planner took us on our venue search trip to Italy.

I knew it was the one immediately.  It’s a privately owned villa on the edge of the lake.  Our guests all stayed about 20 minutes away in Viareggio which is one of Tuscany’s coastal resorts and we held our welcome party in a beach club .

We kept the venue a secret and arranged coaches to bring all our guests to the wedding.

Our wedding venue was the Orlando family’s private home and we had access to all of the outdoor spaces; we could not have done it without a wedding planner as everything had to be brought in, including generators,  toilets,  kitchen equipment, furniture and all of the sound and lighting.

We also had a marquee on hold in case of rain, though thankfully we did not need it.

We used different areas of the property for each part of our wedding –  so the chuppah was in front of the villa, by the lake, the aperito was by the boat house and the wedding dinner was at the side of the villa. It was an unusual space and it took a lot of discussion to agree how it was going to work including where to place the stage, dance floor and the bar.  It ended up being quite an unusal layout with our top table at the side of the dance floor,  but it worked really well.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

New York Bridal Market Spring 2020 Recap {and Top Bridal Trends for 2019/20}

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Reem Acra | Photo courtesy of Reem Acra

Hello from New York! Emily here, reporting back from New York Bridal Fashion week on all the hottest Spring/Summer 2020 collections.

Grace Loves Lace | Photo courtesy of Grace Loves Lace

Bridal Market happens twice a year in NYC, in April and October (you can check out my recap of last October’s highlights here).

Yaniv Persy | Photo courtesy of Yaniv Persy

The April show is known for being a little lower-key than October’s, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t tons of fantastic new looks on display.

Halfpenny London | Photo courtesy of Halfpenny London

Because there definitely were.

Phuong My | Photo courtesy of Phuong My

Spring 2020 is looking to be a season of extremes, with clean hyper-minimalist gowns vying with some of the most opulent dresses you could ask for, dainty feminist looks like puffed sleeves and bows neck and neck with androgynous pieces like pants (and even shorts!) and fitted jackets.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Lihi Hod Bride for a Destination Jewish Wedding at Borgo San Felice, Berardenga, Tuscany, Italy

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A late summer night’s dream… yep, Leah and Tyler’s stunner of a Jewish wedding combined the magic of Tuscany with one of the most beautiful times of year, that perfect patch of late summer where fall’s just beginning to creep in.

The setting — a medieval Tuscan village converted into a hotel — could not have been more magical, and the couple’s wedding planner, Sara Mazzei, fromSmashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Infinity Weddings went full-on for that fairytale sparkle with a soft muted florals, a dreamy chuppah, twinkly lights, and even a fireworks display!  Everything was captured to perfection by photographer Massimiliano Morlott and videographer Luigi De Gregorio Films.

And then there’s that dress. Leah was a total and complete knockout in Lihi Hod, and we’re kind of obsessed with her dramatic yet classic styling. We’ll let her take it from here…

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Venue

Leah, the bride: We got married under a grape pergola at Borgo San Felice in Tuscany. My husband and I had a short list of must-haves for a wedding venue: we wanted everything to take place outside and a venue where all of our family and friends could stay on-site. We researched venues quite a bit in different countries (mostly wine-regions because we are lovers of wine) when the thought of getting married in Italy occurred to us. Between the two of us we had visited wine regions in California, New Zealand, Hungary, Switzerland, South Africa, and Israel, but neither of us knew much about Italian wines.

We booked a trip to visit a few venues in Tuscany and while they were all beautiful, Borgo San Felice blew us away. It is a medieval Tuscan village converted into a hotel. On the outside old spindly vines cover stone buildings. On the inside fresh chic interior design integrates with classic Tuscan architecture. My husband and I live in an old abode in New Orleans’ French quarter, so this character-filled aesthetic was right up our alley.

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A Lihi Hod Bride for a Bohemian Chic Outdoor Jewish Wedding with a Driftwood Chuppah at Le Rocher on Corsica, France

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Just when we think we’ve seen every amazing chuppah idea out there, a new Jewish wedding comes along and knocks us off our feet. Today, we’ve got a DRIFTWOOD CHUPPAH! And it could not possibly be a better match for the rugged beauty of the awesome (literally, as in truly awe-inspiring) outdoor venue in France.

The fantastic panoramic views of the mountains and the sea are just BEYOND — guess they didn’t name this fab venue “The Rock” (giving rise to Elsa and Stephane’s adorable hashtag, #weddingontherock), for nothing. We are so, so in love with Moonriverprod’s photos — they really didn’t miss an angle.

We’re also totally obsessed with the fact that these guys choreographed and performed a surprise dance inspired by Friends, as well as by their totally mouthwatering naked cake with red fruits, prepared by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Dany’s Traiteur, tops for luxury kosher catering in the South of France (who also handled the rest of the menu, which looks UTTERLY delish too).

And for good measure, we’ve got some perfectly Parisian, mega-chic photos from the couple’s civil ceremony in their home city. We are totally swooning over them kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Now we’ll hand you over to Elsa, who looked positively ravishing in her pearl-embellished top from Israeli designer, Lihi Hod, which she paired with a simple custom skirt…

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Jewish wedding La Rocher Calvi Corsica France_0061

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Corsica

Elsa, the bride: The name of the venue is “Le Rocher” (“the rock” in French). It is on the island of Corsica (France), close to Calvi City. There is a wonderful 360 ° view overlooking the sea and the mountain.

The venue is very wild and authentic, with lot of vegetation: tamarisk trees, rocks, etc. It’s like the world’s end, with only nature and no construction.

You can have both the ceremony and the party outside (and keep going until 5am!). The weather tends to be very good in june (around 24-27 °C/75-80 °F).

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