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A Martina Liana Bride for a Sunset Jewish Wedding at the Marriott Marina del Rey, California, USA

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We’re so excited to be featuring the beautiful SoCal Jewish wedding of our beloved Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Ashleigh, an ice skating coach and photographer, to Jason, a former PRO MMA fighter and current Muay Thai master instructor and personal trainer.

All of us at Team STG so enjoyed following Ashleigh’s planning journey in Brides Club, and we’re so touched by her kind words about her experience in the group:

Karen was so involved and totally dedicated in guiding me along my bridal journey. STG Brides Club is a virtual community where friendships are built and everyone truly supports each other. I love the fact that Karen encourages Bride’s Club Meet Ups. It is easy to form friendships online but in this day and age to meet and bond offline is a rare occasion! Now that I am married, I find myself still enjoying being a part of the STG community and I encourage every bride-to-be to join.

Aw, thanks Ashleigh – who clearly put all that Brides Club guidance to good use, because this wedding is incredible! From the floral chuppah with a panoramic view of the marina, the city, AND the ocean, to sweet personal touches like the couple’s dog, Baby, walking down the aisle in a princess crown, this was one beautiful day, and we’re obsessed with the breathtaking photos by Dmitry Shumanev and video from White Rose Production produced.

Also, how stunning does Ashleigh look in her gown from Martina Liana Bridal?! We’ll let her fill you in on the rest…

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How We Met

Ashleigh, the bride: We met at the gym. Jason was teaching his kickboxing class and I thought him incredibly handsome but did not think that an MMA fighter that looked like a ninja could be Jewish. To my surprise, he was and that is when my stalking began, which lasted for 4 months until he finally asked me out.

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A Romona Keveza Bride for an Indian-Jewish Wedding at Bel Air Bay Club, Los Angeles, CA

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We love it when a couple works to combine their backgrounds into a totally unique wedding that’s 100% them, so naturally we are so excited to feature today’s beautiful Indian-Jewish wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Wendy, who works on HR software, to Nagesh, who works in healthcare data analytics.

Wendy is Jewish, Nagesh is Indian, and the pair made it top priority to ensure both cultures were represented in their celebration. They incorporated Hebrew and Hindi text wherever they could, and used symbols that reflected both cultures throughout their stationery and design. For their rehearsal dinner, they held an Indian sangeet, a musical pre-wedding party, at an Indian restaurant. The couple wore traditional Indian dress and encouraged their guests to follow suit, and they even brought in Indian dancers to help get everyone on the dance floor.

Then, the next day, the pair had the most stunning outdoor chuppah overlooking the Pacific Ocean – seriously, don’t miss the epic imagery from photographer Laurie Bailey and videographer Yours Truly Media – with so many beautiful personal touches, from their cantor, who officiated, including the couple’s own words about their hopes for married life that she’d requested they write in advance, inviting friends and family to read the seven blessings in English after their cantor read them in the original Hebrew, and using Wendy’s great-grandparents’ gold wedding bands.

And did we mention that Wendy looked absolutely stunning in her Romona Keveza gown? Because she most definitely did.

Take it away, STG Brides Club member Wendy! (and if you want to join Brides Club (STG’s members-only community that removes wedstress and indecision, and gives you what you need to plan with confidence, join here. We’re closing the doors to free entry on Thursday so now is the time!).


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How We Met

Wendy, the bride: Nagesh and I met in our MBA program at the University of Maryland in 2015. We hit it off as soon as classes started and the rest is history!

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A Berta Bride for a Spiritual Glam Jewish Wedding at the Millennium Biltmore, Los Angeles, CA, USA

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Is this #chuppahgoals, or is this #chuppahgoals? Yep, we’re totally obsessed with the luxe, glam Jewish wedding of Heather, a dermatology resident, and Alex, lawyer who specializes in litigation defense. These two made the wise decision to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Best Bride to bring their divergent tastes and traditions – the Ashkenazi bride wanted enchanted garden vibes, while the Persian groom preferred to keep everything white and sophisticated – together into one seamlessly perfect day.

This incredible chuppah – featuring abundant white flowers and lush greenery – was the stunning compromise Leora, founder of Best Bride, helped the pair settle on. Don’t miss the gorgeous photos from Katie Beverley! And Leora’s also a master when it comes to combining different backgrounds, so needless to say the cross-cultural elements of the wedding went without a hitch.

We also love that these two put as much thought into the spiritual side of their wedding as they did to the aesthetics. Heather was especially moved by the idea of a Jewish bride serving as a source of blessing on her wedding day, and decided she wanted to pray for as many people as she could on the day – so she shared a Google doc on Facebook and let her friends submit prayer requests for anything, anonymously. Such a smart idea! We’re equally obsessed with Heather and Alex’s gorgeous papercut ketubah by Enya Keshet, which they purchased through Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com.

Now over to the bride, who looked simply ravishing in beloved Israeli designer Berta gown…

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How we met

Heather, the bride : I moved from the East coast to Los Angeles in the summer after my third year of medical school to pursue a dermatology research year at USC. I thought that making a Hinge dating ap profile could be a good way to meet people in general. Alex was my first date in Los Angeles! The rest is history.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Willowby by Watters Bride for a Double Feature Interfaith Jewish Wedding Anassa Hotel in Latchi, Cyprus and Westlake Village Inn Los Angeles, CA, USA

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Some couples get to have one wedding in a totally, jawdroppingly breathtaking setting. Stephanie and Raphael got to have TWO! Combining an intimate ceremony in Cyprus (at the same hotel where the pair’s love story began to unfold) with a bigger party for family and friends near their home in LA, they these two maintained continuity between the two events by putting Mediterranean style at the center of both events – and by booking beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor LUZ Photography for both the Cyprus and LA festivities, who not only provided totally stunning pics from each event but also brought photographic continuity between the ceremony and reception.

We also love how this interfaith couple worked to craft a personal ceremony that was meaningful to both of them. This meant a contemporary take on mikveh with a dip in the Mediterranean Sea the evening before the ceremony, a ketubah, circling (each circled the other three times, and then the two did one last circle together in unison), exchanging personal vows, choosing a close friend to officiate, and, of course, smashing the glass!

There’s so much more we could say, but we’ll hand you over to Stephanie – who looked gorgeous in Willowby by Watters – for the rest…

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Two Weddings

Stephanie, the bride: On July 3rd, 2019 we were married in a small, intimate ceremony with only a few friends at the Anassa Hotel in Latchi, Cyprus. The location plays a significant role in our love story. The two of us were friends for many years until we travelled together in Tel Aviv and then Cyprus. It was there, at the Anassa hotel, that we realized we both had strong feelings for one another, beyond just friends.

On September 1, 2019, we celebrated our marriage with our family and friends at the Westlake Village Inn near Los Angeles, CA. Both of us have roots in Los Angeles, and the Westlake Village Inn provide us with a convenient, beautiful reception location that captured the Mediterranean vibes of our wedding.

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A BHLDN Bride for an Intimate Brunch Wedding at Madera Kitchen Los Angeles, CA, USA

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And now for something totally different… a brunch wedding! In honor of their favorite meal, Lindsey, a registered dietitian, and Justin, a CPA, held their Jewish wedding in the early afternoon, welcoming guests with frozen mimosas and Bloody Marys during a pre-ceremony cocktail hour – where the bride and groom mingled with their guests, followed by the ceremony and then a family-style lunch.

The laid-back couple wanted their day to feel “like we were all just getting together and it happened to be a wedding,” and weren’t afraid to do things a little differently to make it happen. They also kept their planning low key by wisely choosing to delegate things that weren’t so important to them. Lindsey’s mom took charge of invitation design, and the couple left the chuppah design to their florist.

Photographer Kelsey Albright captured all the details of this fun-filled day – for instance, dietitian Lindsey opted to include vegetables in her bouquet, and the couple sourced their gorgeous ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com – so wonderfully. Now over to the bride, who looked luminous in her bridal separates from BHLDN…

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How we met

Lindsey, the bride: We met through mutual friends (Evan and Erica). Evan was Justin’s frat brother at UC Davis and Erica was my friend from elementary school. Evan and Erica were dating (and are now married). Evan was starting law school at the time and had a party at his place, so Erica invited me. Justin had approached me and we hit it off back in 2010!

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