Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Home > Maggie Sottero

A Maggie Sottero Bride for a Colorful Jewish Wedding with Lots of DIY Touches at Arlington Estate, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

by

Aly and Benji, Arlington Estate, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

Calling all DIY-loving brides and grooms! If you’re planning on crafting some elements of your Jewish wedding yourself, the beautiful wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Aly to Benji is a must-read.

From the get-go, Aly and Benji knew they wanted their big day to feel fun and whimsical to reflect their personalities – in Aly’s words, she wanted “the opposite of a white wedding!” And with tons of pastel colors (plus a few pops of something brighter) and tons of DIY, that’s exactly what they got.

Soon after getting engaged, Aly bought a cricut machine, and in the leadup to the big day she DIY’ed the couple’s large welcome mirror, customized their ring box with their initials, made the MOB and MOG personalized hoodies to get ready in, customized the card box, and DIY’ed a vase with the signature drink menu on it. Aly also designed all of the digital and print elements – including the invitations – using elements from Canva for the table numbers in gorgeous frames, menu cards, cocktail hour signs, and digital signage around the venue – she’s truly the queen of DIY! Don’t miss all the special details in the wonderful photos by Nadav at Manning Avenue.

There’s so much more to say about this exuberant Jewish wedding, but we’ll turn you over to Aly for the rest…

Aly and Benji, Arlington Estate, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada Aly and Benji, Arlington Estate, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada Aly and Benji, Arlington Estate, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada Aly and Benji, Arlington Estate, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

How We Met

Aly, the bride: On Benji’s birthday in 2019, we matched on Hinge! Benji might have been not-so-sober celebrating in Greece, but luckily, his location was still set to home for me to find.

A few weeks later, Benji suggested we “meet in the middle” at the Yonge and Sheppard Jack Astors (RIP) which was 10 minutes from his house and 20 minutes from Aly’s… but the date went well enough for us to keep our Snapchat streak going while Aly went to Disneyworld for two weeks and Benji waited patiently for her to come home (streak is still going strong at 2,200+ days!).

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Same-Sex Summer Camp Jewish Wedding at Forest Lake Camp, Chestertown, New York, USA

by

Eliana and Baylee, Forest Lake Camp, Chestertown NY, USA

How fun is it that today’s couple, Baylee, the founder and CEO of an AI company, and Eliana, who works in HR strategy in the financial industry, opted to hold their Jewish wedding at a summer camp?!

The couple wanted more than just a few hours to spend with their guests, so they invited their loved ones to the spend the weekend with them at Forest Lake Camp! Instead of a formal rehearsal dinner, Baylee and Eliana held a welcome barbecue for all of their guests – and pre-wedding, everyone loved the range of activities available onsite, from swimming to hiking to tennis. 

We also love that the duo opted to write their own ketubah text, and read it aloud to each other as their vows during the ceremony – plus the fact that on their way down from the chuppah, guests lined the path and threw flowers at Baylee and Eliana for a colorful recessional! Don’t miss the wonderful photos by Kristen Tomkowid of Little But Fierce Photography.

Read on for all the details in the brides’ own words…

Eliana and Baylee, Forest Lake Camp, Chestertown NY, USAEliana and Baylee, Forest Lake Camp, Chestertown NY, USAEliana and Baylee, Forest Lake Camp, Chestertown NY, USAEliana and Baylee, Forest Lake Camp, Chestertown NY, USA

How We Met

Eliana & Baylee, the brides: We met in 2017 at a University of Pennsylvania LGBTQ+ alumni event.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Maggie Sottero Bride for an Autumnal Rustic Jewish Wedding with a Joint Speech at The Brewery, London, UK

by

Rebecca-Ben-The-Brewery-London-UK

We love an autumnal Jewish wedding – and Londoners Rebz and Ben had one of the very best! Rebz, a senior product designer, and Ben, a freelance video editor, love their home city and didn’t want to wed anywhere else. And they found the absolute perfect venue in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Brewery, right in the heart of the City.

The Brewery ticked all the couple’s boxes – it accommodated their 200-person guest list, was easy for everyone to get to, and fit Rebz and Ben’s brief for a cool industrial aesthetic. And the property’s history was perfectly suited to Ben’s love of beer, as a bonus!

The pair let their wedding date dictate the décor, with autumnal burnt oranges, leafy greens, dark reds, and natural hessians for an urban rustic vibe. David Pullum Photography captured all the detail and emotion of the day exquisitely, and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Michael Pearl Films crafted the duo’s ultra-moving wedding video.

One thing we love is that Rebz and Ben opted to do a joint speech! In Rebz’s words,  “Ben was not keen on doing a speech on his own, he hates public speaking and I’ve never understood why it’s always just the men that get to share stories. I absolutely loved doing a speech together and without blowing my own trumpet, I’ve had lots of people mention to me how much they loved it too.” What a fab idea!

We’ll let the bride take it from here…

Rebecca-Ben-The-Brewery-London-UKRebecca-Ben-The-Brewery-London-UK Rebecca-Ben-The-Brewery-London-UK Rebecca-Ben-The-Brewery-London-UK
How We Met

Rebecca, the bride: We met on JSwipeContinue ReadingContinue Reading

A Maggie Sottero Bride for a Nature-Inspired Jewish Wedding at Weylin, Brooklyn, New York, USA

by

Katharine-Marc-Weylin-Brooklyn-New-York-USA

We love a good New York Jewish wedding, and this one is really something special! Kat, an obstetrician-gynecologist, and Marc, an emergency physician, got married at Weylin in Brooklyn, and we can’t get enough of all the gorgeous details this historic building has to offer (including a breathtaking frescoed dome!).

Kat and Marc wanted their day to be a solid mix of the traditional and the unconventional, opting for a classic ceremony followed by an offbeat reception. Throughout, they drew inspiration from nature, from their wonderful chuppah adorned with greenery and florals to Kat’s Maggie Sottero dress to the couple’s exquisite tree ketubah by Shell Rummel, found at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com.

Take one look at the beautiful photos by Megan and Kenneth and you’ll see that this was one joyful day – read on for all the details!

Katharine-Marc-Weylin-Brooklyn-New-York-USA Katharine-Marc-Weylin-Brooklyn-New-York-USAKatharine-Marc-Weylin-Brooklyn-New-York-USAKatharine-Marc-Weylin-Brooklyn-New-York-USA
How We Met

Katharine, the bride and Marc, the groom: We met on the very first day of medical school! Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Maggie Sottero Bride for a Colorful Modern Glam Jewish Wedding at Hotel Washington, Washington DC, USA

by

Lauren and Ben, The Hotel Washington, DC, USA

We could not be any more thrilled to feature the gorgeous Jewish wedding of our beloved Brides Club member Lauren! Lauren, an associate producer at a media organization, and Ben, the director of annual campaigns for a Jewish organization, had a fabulous, colorful Washington, DC, wedding, and we’re obsessed with their modern vibe and jewel-tone color palate.

Speaking of jewel tomes… how stunning is the couple’s blue watercolor ketubah with gold leaf by Israeli-English artist Rachelle Tchiprout of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush?! As always, Rachelle did a beautiful job, and Lauren and Ben are so delighted to hang such a meaningful work of art in their home.

Lauren and Ben were also drawn to Adam Mason Photography for his bright, vibrant style, creativity, and eye for in-the-moment candid shots – and we’re totally obsessed with the results!

We’re super touched by Lauren’s words about her time in Brides Club, too: “From seeking advice, to indulging in the occasional (but necessary) vent session, to celebrating wedding planning milestones, it meant so much to join a community of women who were going through many of the same things that I was. Brides Club gave me a space to talk about all the minutiae that would have bored my fiance and friends to tears. I also found our ketubah and kippah vendors through the Brides Club.”

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll turn you over to Lauren now…

Lauren and Ben, The Hotel Washington, DC, USALauren and Ben, The Hotel Washington, DC, USALauren and Ben, The Hotel Washington, DC, USALauren and Ben, The Hotel Washington, DC, USA
How we Met

Lauren, the bride: We connected through a dating app called The League, and after a few weeks of messaging, agreed to meet. We first locked eyes at Crimson, a subterranean whiskey bar in Washington, D.C., where we met for a night cap that turned into several. We drank bourbon and talked until closing time. Within a month, we were in love. Two weeks later, Ben turned down a job in Denver—his beloved hometown—to stay in D.C. It was a crazy decision, but the right one. One year later, on a frozen lake in Whistler, he proposed.Continue ReadingContinue Reading