Mira Zwillinger Wedding Dress Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Mira Zwillinger bride for a super luxe ‘ethereal black tie’ Destination Jewish Wedding in Marbella, Spain

15/03/2016 by Karen

There is so much luxe and personality in today’s delicious destination from Spain I don’t quite know where to begin, but I guess I should start with the Mira Zwillinger wedding dress because it’s quite literally a gown of dreams. A vision of delicate dazzling detail with a generous dose of modern-day princess, and there’s quite a story behind it too – read Emily’s report below to discover exactly what I’m talking about…

And what shoes might one choose to compliment such splendour? Well Swarovski encrusted Miu Miu’s of course, but an additional pair of customised Nike trainers emblazoned with the bride’s new surname are required too, right? And that’s exactly why I adore today’s Jewish wedding. It has it all. The glamour, the pretty, the chic and most definitely the unique.

There are so many things I love about this wedding weekend – from their very special ‘all-white’ Friday night dinner to their beautifully spiritual Jewish wedding ceremony full of emotion, to the wonderfully personalised welcome bags with individual notes for every guest, through to thoughtful touches like ballet slippers on the dance floor for guests to change into. Every decision is quite literally the ultimate in sophisticated elegance topped off with symbolism as well as lots of fun for good measure. See this excerpt from Emily’s report as an example!

Because we got married outdoors, we provided “fancy” portable toilets for everyone just next to the dance floor. Our mum’s surprised us and hung photos of us as babies “using the potty.” The photo of David hung outside the men’s room and mine hung outside the ladies.”

I adore this idea – so creative and fun! Enjoy all the fabulousness and get those pinning fingers ready – you’re in for such a treat with Jeremy Standley‘s breathtaking imagery and the entire event designed and planned to perfection by Caprichia. I’ve also got the wedding film full of heart and emotion for you too. As Aerosmith sang, you won’t want to miss a thing.

The Rise of Israeli Wedding Dress Designers

19/02/2016 by Smashing The Glass

This is a guest post by Anne Kleinberg

There was a time, not isao long ago, when the words Israeli Haute Couture could be considered an oxymoron. There was nothing elegant or sophisticated about evening dresses. And bridal gowns? A profusion of puffiness and petticoats!

But times changed. Dramatically. In a country known as the start-up nation, the bridal industry has captured the world’s attention and is reported to be valued at billions of shekels. The wedding gown creations of Israel’s designers are nothing less than stunning and they are being paraded out onto the world’s catwalks and red carpets – big time. The names of these houses are uttered in hushed, revered tones on both sides of the Atlantic, and beyond.

While the centre of the bridal dress district was once Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, it now expands out into trendy Jaffa, the southern coastal city of Ashdod and beyond. And although Israeli brides tend to rent their gowns (for considerably less money than buying), many designers sell in bridal salons throughout the world as well as via the Internet. The shops vary from small, personalized boutiques run by classically trained dressmakers to empires run by businesswomen and their daughters.

Berta Baliti was born in Egypt, emigrated to Israel with her family as a small child and parlayed her degree from the famed Shenkar College in Tel Aviv into a world-renown bridal dress empire. She describes her designs as “avant-garde” and they certainly exude sexiness and daring, femininity and elegance with their plunging necklines, flowing trains and delicate veils. She has boutiques in many countries and her gowns have graced magazine covers, and bodies, throughout the world.

> See real brides on Smashing The Glass wearing Berta

Galia Lahav is of Russian descent, born into a family of dressmakers. From a modest beginning creating ivory lace appliques to establishing a design house saturated in extravagance and luxury, a Galia Lahav gown is not for the faint of heart. Her collections epitomize a golden age with evocative names like Ivory Tower, La Dolce Vita, Empress, Lourdes & Les Reves Bohemians. Pearls cascading down a graceful back, mermaid tails, fringes, feathers & ruffles embellish her dresses as jewels in the crowns of royalty.

A Mira Zwillinger bride for a snowy ski-themed Jewish wedding in the mountains of Verbier, Switzerland

15/12/2015 by Karen

I’m a bit of a ski-ing nut and LOVE everything that goes with the sport – the breathtaking scenery, the high altitude vibe, and the après-ski life. So when I first clapped eyes on this wintery mountain wedding, I can hand on heart say that my breath was momentarily taken away. Then when I spotted the images of the bride and groom in ski boots having fun on the powder, I seriously couldn’t believe my eyes – my goodness… how lucky are we this morning?!

With a bride called Summer, this winter wedding is everything. I’m talking killer photography by Ronen Boidek, a Swiss mountain backdrop complete with sunshine, snow, alphorns, mulled wine, cheese fondue, St Bernard dogs, lanterns, candles, and a Mira Zwillinger gown so pretty it could move you to tears. But even more than that, it’s the sheer joy captured in every last image. Summer, take it away…

Our wedding in a nutshell

Summer, the Bride: I think the mountain setting helped make the wedding unusual! The alphorns, mulled wine, cheese fondue, cow bells, lanterns, candles and mountain tent all helped create a special day. We made a whole weekend of it with a mountain lunch and dinners and I hope that our guests had a really different and fun wedding weekend!

Carmel & Edo | Forest theme rustic Jewish wedding at Baya’ar Hadera, Israel

02/09/2014 by Karen

Carmel and Edo certainly know how to throw a party. And throw a party they did – more specifically a big day that embraced their American and Israeli backgrounds, with lots of Jewish traditions modernised by the couple in a fun, original way.

Personally I have a lot of love for this wedding. Carmel’s exquisite Mira Zwillinger wedding gown? I adore it. The incredible song that Carmel walked down the aisle to? I love it and cannot actually stop listening to it… Personalised ‘CARMELychee Martinis’ and ‘MojEDO’ cocktails? Yes, absolutely need those in my life!

And let’s not forget the epic dancing at the end – this hot couple and their guests had ALL the moves!

AN AMAZING VENUE SURROUNDED BY NATURE
Carmel, the Bride: The venue we decided to have our wedding at was Baya’ar, which translates to “In the Forest”. It was actually the very first and last venue we went to – we both completely fell in love with the place the second we arrived and booked it immediately.

I wanted to be surrounded by nature during my wedding, which is exactly what this beautiful place offers. The grounds are filled with every colour of green imaginable; it really feels like you’re in a forest. This feeling is just the same inside, which is filled from floor to ceiling with glass windows with a view to the same beautiful greenery. The best part about the place is its lighting! It has the most incredible lighting system, which creates an amazing ambiance both during the dinner and especially on the dance floor! On top of everything, the owners of the venue took such great care of us and were there from early in the morning during set up and literally ordered us a cab to go home at 3:00am!

Michelle & Richard | Jewish/Celtic Winter Wedding at Babington House, Somerset, UK

16/10/2013 by Karen

I have no words for Michelle and Richard’s wedding. Truly. I will run out of adjectives trying to describe how magnificent everything is. The details are quite astonishing, the setting is magical, and I love the embracing of both the Scottish and Jewish cultures. The mix of traditions meld surprisingly beautifully (think the Hora followed by the Ceilidh; haggis bites served alongside potato latkes.. you get the picture – and it works!).

Scroll down and you will see bagpipers playing in the snow, exquisite floral designs, a stunning balletic Mira Zwillinger wedding dress, the most awesome and thoughtful wedding favours, and an incredible video by Gorgeous Films that may very well have you shedding a tear or three with its sheer beauty and sensitivity.

Now on top of that I admit that I whooped, hollered and clapped my hands with glee when I found out that with this wedding I’d be showcasing Especially Amy‘s sensational photography. She captures all the details of the day so emotively and she is a well-deserved Smashing Supplier.

So the lovely Michelle and Richard married back in January of this year (apparently the snowiest January on record) at one of my favourite places in the world, Babington House (part of the Soho House group) in Somerset. They chose this breathtaking venue, not only for its beauty, but because they could also take over the whole place and share the experience with friends and family over a couple of days.

A JEWISH / CELTIC THEME + A BEAUTIFUL VENUE

Michelle, The Bride: The theme of our wedding was to bring both of our cultures together, so essentially to have a Jewish/Celtic mix. Rich is Jewish, and I am half Irish, half Scottish, so it was important that all cultures were represented. So for instance we had a Ceilidh followed by the Hora; we had haggis and Irish soda bread, but equally we had Chanukah doughnuts; we had a rabbi, and we had our friend singing Ave Maria… etc etc. In terms of a colour scheme, we based it loosely around Weathered Kennedy Tartan (which made my Dad very happy!)

Our chosen venue was Babington House because it’s so very beautiful and because we could take over the whole venue and have our friends and family stay with us overnight and continue the celebrations the following morning.