Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Home > Mia Pava

A Mia Pava Bride for a Naturally Elegant Jewish Wedding at Gavriel, Nes Tziona, Israel

by Leave a Comment

Yael and Avichai, Gavriel, Nes Tziona, Israel

There’s nothing like an Israeli chuppah, and we are so delighted to be sharing the beautiful Jewish wedding of Yael and Avichai, whose big day at Gavriel in Nes Tziona was the perfect blend of natural elegance, thoughtful design, and heartfelt meaning.

From the very beginning, Yael and Avichai knew they wanted a wedding that felt intentional without being overdone – elegant, warm, and entirely unforced. Gavriel proved to be the ideal setting, with an outdoor chuppah set on the water and framed by fruit trees and soft greenery.

What makes this wedding especially moving is the context in which it took place. Just one week before, war with Iran broke out, and there was real uncertainty about what the day would look like. That only deepened the significance of the moment, transforming the chuppah into not just a union, but an expression of gratitude, resilience, and joy.

To capture the day, the couple chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, whose natural, emotive style was exactly what they were looking for. Yael and Avichai can’t stop raving about the calm, supportive presence Herschel and his team brought to the day, and we love that after the wedding the celebration continued with a magical night photoshoot in Jerusalem, giving Yael and Avichai even more unforgettable memories to treasure.

Read on for all the wonderful details of this very special day in Yael’s own words…

Yael and Avichai, Gavriel, Nes Tziona, Israel Yael and Avichai, Gavriel, Nes Tziona, Israel Yael and Avichai, Gavriel, Nes Tziona, Israel Yael and Avichai, Gavriel, Nes Tziona, Israel

How We Met

Yael, the bride: Some love stories unfold by chance. Others begin with quiet certainty.

For Yael and Avichai, the spark was neither accidental nor immediate—it was orchestrated by someone who understood, long before they did, that their worlds were meant to meet.

Yael, an art therapist, and Avichai, newly returned from army service and immersed in his family’s business, had lived parallel lives for years. The bridge between them came in the form of family—specifically, Yael’s brother-in-law, Nadav Zilberstein. Through a mutual musical community, he came to appreciate Avichai in a way that was both personal and profound.

With unwavering confidence, he made the introduction—placing identical calls to each of them, insisting simply: “You have to meet.”

They both said yes.

Their first date was a picnic, set against the relaxed backdrop of Herzliya overlooking the port, was understated yet quietly transformative. There was no grand moment—just an immediate sense of ease, as though something long in motion had finally settled into place.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Mia Pava Bride for a Joyous Jewish Wedding at Olmaya, Jerusalem, Israel

by

Jerusalem is such a special place to get married – Tamar and Noam’s big day at Olmaya, featuring a stunning outdoor chuppah with majestic views of the Old City, is really something else.

This was such an iconically only-in-Israel wedding, and we are all about it. Tamar and Noam chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tzahi Shemesh to photograph their day, and they couldn’t have been any more thrilled with the results – take a scroll through his incredible, heartfelt images and you’ll see why. Plus, the couple can’t stop raving about how much they loved working with him, and how comfortable and fun he made their wedding day photos!

Tamar chose the most gorgeous gown by Israeli designer Mia Pava, and we can’t get enough of her beautiful, whimsical bridal style.

Read on for all the details in the bride’s own words…


How We Met

Tamar, the bride: We met in eighth grade when Noam moved to Philadelphia!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Mia Pava Bride for an Ultra-moving Wartime Jewish Wedding Full of Joy and Strength at The Agam at the Botanical Gardens in Jerusalem, Israel

by

Dani-Zev-The-Agam-at-the-Botanical-Gardens-Jerusalem

Daniela, a physiotherapist, and Zev, the COO of tour company Israel Maven Tours, thought long and hard about getting married in wartime – and when they decided to go for it, they wanted to make sure they threw a celebration that would bring joy and strength to all in attendance – and did they ever.

Nearly all of the couple’s guests have been directly affected by the war, and it was important to them that their Jewish wedding acknowledge all those whose ongoing sacrifices made the special day – and life in Israel generally – possible. And with prayers for the IDF, the state of Israel, and the hostages, a heartfelt shofar blast under the chuppah, and Israeli flags all around – in addition to some beautiful symbolic flowers, like olive branches for peace – they did exactly that.

One extra meaningful touch: Daniela and Zev gave their guests with loved ones serving in Gaza or on the border with Lebanon a gift box of cocktails along with a handwritten note with instructions to drink a l’chaim with their loved ones when they return safely home from the battlefield! In the bride’s words, “We didn’t realise how moving this would be for people and to this day we are still receiving pictures and videos of happy families reunited drinking the delicious cocktails.”

Daniela and Zev chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman as their photographer, and they were thrilled with both the beautiful images he captured and his warmth and kindness throughout the planning process and on the day itself.

Read on for more about this incredibly moving day in the bride’s own words…

Dani-Zev-The-Agam-at-the-Botanical-Gardens-JerusalemDani-Zev-The-Agam-at-the-Botanical-Gardens-Jerusalem Dani-Zev-The-Agam-at-the-Botanical-Gardens-JerusalemDani-Zev-The-Agam-at-the-Botanical-Gardens-Jerusalem
How We Met

Daniela, the bride: As Zev says, “We were destined for one another, we just had to wait for someone to make the introduction. Luckily for us a mutual friend made the suggestion.”Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Mia Pava Bride for an Ultra-emotional Jewish Wedding Celebrating Joy at Ein Hemed, Jerusalem, Israel

by

Orah-and-Josh-Ein-Hemed-Jerusalem-Israel

Orah and Josh, two olim who met and fell in love in Israel, planned a Jewish wedding that’s an absolute love letter to the country where they’ve built their life together – and also happens to contain some beautiful lessons about finding joy in tough times.

Orah tragically lost her mother the year prior to the wedding. Naturally, that made the leadup to the big day extra emotional. But since Orah’s mom was “all about simcha and joy,” and known for being a happy and positive person, the couple made a conscious effort to emulate those qualities. They focused on joy and love in the face of grief, planning the kind of day they knew Orah’s mom would be smiling down on every second of the way.

The couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, captured all the emotion of the day so beautifully – and Orah and Josh report he did a stellar job making them feel comfortable and open up to the camera. They also loved that he’s a native English speaker, which meant their families could easily communicate with him.

When it came to their ketubah, bride and groom had competing visions: Orah wanted flowers, while Josh wanted to highlight his favorite color, blue. In the end, the pair decided to mix both ideas by going for both blue rings – which not only met Josh’s criteria but also symbolized Israel – and flowers. They knew Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor BritColors was just the person to make their dreams a reality – and the couple loved working together with the Tel Aviv-based artist to create a unique piece of artwork.

There’s so much more to say about this gorgeous Israeli wedding – but we’ll leave it to Orah, who looked radiant in her gown by Israeli designer Mia Pava, to take it from here…

Orah-and-Josh-Ein-Hemed-Jerusalem-Israel Orah-and-Josh-Ein-Hemed-Jerusalem-Israel Orah-and-Josh-Ein-Hemed-Jerusalem-Israel
How We Met

Orah, the bride: Josh, who had just made Aliyah, was brought to a kiddush through a mutual friend of the host. Which luckily enough turned out to be a best friend of Orah׳s. He saw her from the other side of the room with a smile that lit up the room but was too nervous to walk up and speak to her.

Two days later, after Orah had taken a COVID test at the health fund and was waiting for the bus, Josh just happened to be there too and still couldn’t work up the courage to speak to her, and she was whisked away worried that awkward guy would find her again. Seemingly you’d think losing out but as it turned out she did have Corona!

Fast forward a few months after recovering from COVID, Orah was at a Shabbat lunch with her Ulpan friends. Josh had just finished a call shift at the hospital and was bored so he crashed the meal. In his total lack of sleep he worked up the courage to speak to Orah, and after falling asleep next to her on that couch he couldn’t imagine falling asleep next to anyone else.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Mia Pava Bride for an Ultra-Personal Family-Focused Jewish Wedding at Tur Sinai, Jerusalem, Israel

by

Laura-Ray-Tur-Sinai-Jerusalem

We love it when a couple has their Jewish wedding, their way… and that’s exactly what today’s couple did! Laura, a photographer, and Ray, a public health consultant, made it their top priority to craft a wedding that was “so incredibly us,” and they put their own stamp on everything from the color scheme to the vibe, the music to the souvenirs.

Laura and Ray even designed the invitation themselves, along with matching programs and seating cards! And when it came to the ketubah, they opted for a gorgeous design by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush.

Laura is a mother of six mostly grown kids, and it was important to her that they all had major roles in the wedding ceremony. Two of the kids were the emcees, Laura’s oldest daughter was her attendant, two kids sang Laura down the aisle, and her youngest daughter was her maid of honor – so special!

Given that Laura herself is a professional photographer, she naturally wanted only the best when it came to photographing her wedding – and so she opted for none other than Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman! His images of the day are so full of emotion and love, we can’t stop scrolling through them.

Read on for more fabulous details of the day in the couple’s own words…

 

Laura-Ray-Tur-Sinai-JerusalemLaura-Ray-Tur-Sinai-JerusalemLaura-Ray-Tur-Sinai-Jerusalem
How We Met

Once upon a time there was Ray, a public health professional living in the US with no plans to move anywhere. And there was Laura, a divorcee, mom of 6, living in a settlement in Israel. Their mutual friend, Shoshanna, came up with the crazy idea that these two people should date each other. She told them. They were unimpressed… And did nothing about it at the time.

When Covid took Laura’s dad summer of 2020, just a few months after it took Ray’s dad, Ray reached out to Laura via Facebook messenger with a really kind message and even followed up a few weeks later to see how she was. Laura was impressed. With the ice broken they began speaking occasionally via Facebook messenger. Laura was charmed by Ray’s unique sense of humor and skill at SongPop. Ray was astounded by Laura’s seemingly endless cocktail concoctions and her ability to stay up later than God…

Their conversations grew more frequent and deeper and by October they were messaging daily, and starting to add phone calls and FaceTime as well. And yet, they had never met in real life. Because of covid, they could not even entertain the idea of travel for months. Finally, in April 2021, Laura flew to the US and they met for the first time at the airport when Ray came to pick her up. That first date lasted 11 hours and started two weeks of what they dubbed ‘concentrated craziness’.

Since then Ray and Laura have been back and forth to Israel and the US numerous times, documenting it all with a steady stream of photos. They even managed to meet in ‘neutral territory’ with a trip to Switzerland. Finally, on July 8, 2022, on a bluff overlooking the Sea of Galilee, and over a glass of cabernet, Ray proposed to Laura and the rest is history 🙂 (Meanwhile, there’s no doubt that their dads have met up in heaven and are kvelling together over this beautiful turn of events…)Continue ReadingContinue Reading