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An Essense of Australia Bride for a Minimal Chic Jewish Wedding at The Park Savoy, Florham Park, New Jersey, USA

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We love it when a couple hones in on togetherness and love as their top Jewish wedding planning priorities – which is exactly what Hannah and Greg did. Shying away from extras when crafting their special day at The Park Savoy in New Jersey, the couple created an effortlessly elegant celebration ALL about the emotion.

That’s not to say the wedding wasn’t absolutely gorgeous – just take a peek at the stunning photos by Jen Brister from Story and Gold Weddings and video by Jonathan from 4k Weddings to see just how beautiful the big day truly was.

And then there’s the couple’s exquisite ketubah designed by the incredibly talented Britt Yudell from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor BritColors. We’re not only obsessed with the minimal chic design of the ketubah itself, but also with the way Hannah and Greg structured their ketubah signing: their rabbi had all those present for the signing form a Blessing Circle, where the couple’s closest family and friends came together to share their best wishes and memories – how special is that?

There’s so much more to say about this very special Jewish wedding – but we’ll turn you over to Hannah, who looked radiant in Essense of Australia, for the rest…


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How We Met

Hannah, the bride: An unlikely pairing….I work in Digital Marketing and Greg is a Software Developer. A likely meeting….we met on Hinge back in 2017!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Martina Liana Bride for an Elegant France-Meets-New Jersey Jewish Wedding at Park Chateau, East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

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A local venue that feels just like being whisked away to a chateau in the Loire? Yes, please! That’s exactly what today’s couple, Ester and Alex, found in East Brunswick, New Jersey’s Park Chateau – a venue so gorgeous Ester knew she wanted to marry there before she even met her now-husband!

Naturally, this was an uber-elegant wedding, with a color scheme of white and green with hints of gold, the perfect princess gown by Martina Liana, and a stunning modern ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush.

All the wonderful details and emotion of the day were captured exquisitely by photographer Maria Kalitina – who not only shot some fab images but kept everyone calm on the big day – and husband-and-wife videographer duo Greg and Dierdra from Lorenzo Media Productions.

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

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How We Met

Ester, the bride: We met in a funny way. We matched on JSwipe October of 2018 but didn’t meet in person until Christmas Eve 2018 at this event called Matzah Ball.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Morilee Bride for a Jewish Wedding Where Tradition Meets Modernity at Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael, Springfield, New Jersey, USA

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Mindy & Neil, Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael, Springfield, New Jersey, USA

We are beyond thrilled to be featuring the New Jersey Jewish wedding of our wonderful Brides Club member Mindy today!

Mindy, a fourth grade teacher, and Neil, a digital marketing specialist, crafted the most exquisite celebration combining tradition and modernity – and we love the way they managed to honor family heritage and stay true to Jewish customs while crafting a day that was totally them! They combined a hora with a choreographed first dance, mixed Hebrew and English music, and used two kiddush cups under the chuppah: one from Mindy’s grandfather and another new cup, symbolizing the beginning of her life together with Neil and the start of their own family. You can see it for yourself in the stunning images from Yael Pachino Photography.

One other touch that made Mindy and Neil’s wedding extra special was the fact that they had live wedding painter and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jordana Sklover on hand to craft a beautiful painting of the day in real time! The pair decided that a painting of their wedding would be a wonderful gift to each other, and getting to see the finished painting at the end of the night was a wonderful way to cap off the celebration – plus, guests enjoyed watching Jordana’s creation come to life in front of their eyes throughout the wedding. Jordana Sklover also painted the couple’s custom ketubah, featuring an illustration of the Jerusalem skyline, honoring the important role Israel plays in their lives.

There’s so much more to say about this wonderful wedding, but we’ll let Mindy – who looked SO elegant in her fit and flare gown by Morilee take it from here…

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HOW WE MET

Mindy, the bride: We met on JSwipe and quickly realized that we both love Israeli and Mediterranean food. After dating for six months, we created a shared foodie Instagram, @shakshakingitup, devoted to reviewing hummus, falafel shakshuka, and avocado toast. We spent the early days of the pandemic watching all 30 seasons of the Amazing Race in order to prepare for our lifetime of adventures together.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Casablanca Bride for a Pandemic Jewish Wedding at Indian Trail Club, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA

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Rachel & Ben, Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA

Like so many couples over the past few years, Rachel and Ben’s plans for their Jewish wedding were upended by the pandemic. Rachel, who works in the Senate, and Ben, who runs a tech startup, ended up with a celebration – or rather, two celebrations – that looked a lot different than what they’d initially planned.

But both their March 2021 family-only micro ceremony and their October 2021 reception for a larger crowd were SO full of love and joy, we can’t imagine anything better. We’re in love with the photos by Berit Bizjak (March) and Phillip Van Nostrand (October). And how amazing is it that all eight grandparents were present to witness Rachel and Ben’s marriage?!

And of course we’re totally obsessed with the pair’s beautiful hand papercut ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Attias! Rachel and Ben are thrilled to have such a gorgeous and meaningful piece of art to commemorate their bond, and they loved working with Noa, who was super flexible with their constantly changing wedding date! The duo have become such fans of Noa that they’ve purchased more of her fabulous art since their big day.

Now over to the bride…

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How we Met

Rachel, the bride: We met as undergraduate students in NYC when Rachel was set up with Ben to accompany him to a dance in the spring of 2013, and we started dating that fall. The rest is history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for an Outdoor Jewish Wedding with TWO Ketubahs at Bear Brook Valley, Fredon, New Jersey, USA

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Lots of couples find that choosing a beautiful ketubah is one of the most meaningful and fun parts of planning their Jewish wedding. Well, Melanie and Keith enjoyed it so much they did it twice!

Let’s back up a little. Like with so many couples, COVID got in the way of the pair’s initial plans to wed in September 2020. Nevertheless, they decided to make it official on their original date with just immediate family present – and a gorgeous colorful ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nava Shoham – 1800ketubah. Melanie and Keith adored their design so much that when the time came to plan their big celebration in June 2021, they decided to get a second lovely ketubah from Nava to mark the occasion! Don’t miss ketubah #2 in Anthony Ziccardi Studios’ wonderful photos!

And while that’s got to be our favorite story about this awesome Jewish wedding, it’s not the only unique touch. We love that Melanie and Keith wrote and read their own personal vows – heartfelt, but with a touch of humor – and we’re also crazy about their doughnut board exit station! Instead of traditional favors, guests could choose a donut from the wall on their way out, placed in personalized bags as a sweet treat for the trip home. How fun is that?

There’s so much more we could say, but we’ll leave the rest to Melanie, who looked so elegant in Pronovias…

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How we Met

Melanie, the bride: We met on a dating app, Coffee Meets Bagel, in September of 2016. At the time, we were both in graduate school in New York City. We now live in Central New York, in the Syracuse area, where we moved for a great opportunity for Keith. Keith is a Podiatric Surgeon and he works in a group practice and I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and I work at a middle school. Continue ReadingContinue Reading