New York Jewish Wedding Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Backyard Jewish Micro Wedding-Turned Pool Party, With Some Very Special Virtual Guests

31/08/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

The beautiful Jewish wedding of our Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Victoria, a medical student, to Matt a real estate investor and artist, is an absolute masterclass in how to rock your micro wedding. Like so many couples, these two had a big bash planned for this summer. While they postponed their large celebration to 2021 due to the pandemic, Victoria and Matt still wanted to tie the knot on their original date – and did they ever do it in style! We’re in love with the joyous photos from Megan Mills (who was also the photographer for the groom’s sister Julie’s COVID wedding, also featured on STG!).

The small religious ceremony these two put together in Matt’s parents’ backyard – with assistance from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Pink House Productions – included just close family in attendance in person, with more relatives and friends watching on Youtube Live (which the couple picked as a simpler alternative to Zoom, to make things as easy as possible for some older and less tech savvy virtual attendees).

Victoria’s father, who lives in Israel, was unable to safely travel to New York to attend the wedding, but with a little help from STG Brides Club, she was able to fully incorporate him into the day as he attended virtually, on his own special Skype feed so he could not just watch but participate too. In fact, the bride’s favorite part of the day was when her father sang a blessing during the ceremony – how special is that?!

We’re also in love with the couple’s stunning paper cut ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Attias (who Victoria found right here on STG!). Noa is so incredibly talented, not to mention a joy to work with! And how fun is it that post-ceremony, the couple and all their guests changed into bathing suits and jumped in the pool? Perks of a backyard wedding…

Before we turn you over to Victoria, we want to leave you with a quote from her, one that sums it all up so nicely:

At the end of the day, while we all want to celebrate with family and friends, when you are up there looking into each other’s eyes it does not matter whether it is the wedding you planned to have or not. You are just head over heels to be there holding your loved one’s hand, to look into his/her eyes and feel this overwhelming joy and love.

How we Met

Victoria, the bride: We met 7 years ago on Jdate (back when Jswipe wasn’t around yet! Hahah)

A Liancarlo Bride for a Multicultural Hindu-Jewish Wedding at Tarrytown House Estate and Tappan Hill Mansion, Hudson Valley, NY, USA

24/07/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

We love it when a couple combines their backgrounds into one truly memorable day – and that’s exactly what Laura, a registered dietitian, and Raj, who owns two urgent care facilities in New Jersey, did in planning their interfaith Hindu-Jewish wedding.

With two ceremonies in one day – Hindu during the day, followed by Jewish in the evening – the couple approached planning with the overarching goal of crafting a cohesive day illustrating the true merging of their families, lives, and cultures. Take one look at Dave Robbins Photography’s gorgeous captures of the day and you’ll see just how successfully they pulled it off.

Laura and Raj took advantage of the fact that Hindu and Jewish weddings both take place under a canopy – symbolizing the home the couple will build together – and decided to use the same structure for their mandap and chuppah to symbolize the fact that they are building one home that embraces both of their cultures and religions.

And we totally and completely adore the couple’s custom floral ketubah by Rachel Marks of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tallulah Ketubahs. Laura and Raj wanted their text written in English, Hebrew, and Hindi, and Rachel made it happen – plus she incorporated some of the colors and flowers the pair used in their wedding! And, unsurprisingly, Laura reports that Rachel was an absolute dream to work with.

There’s so much more we could say about this awesome wedding, but we’ll leave the rest to the bride, who looked stunning in both her traditional Indian outfit and red and gold as well as her white wedding dress by Azul by Liancarlo…

How We Met

Laura, the bride: Raj and I met our sophomore year at Franklin and Marshall College. We were in the same friend circle for many years, but did not start dating until 2014. We were nervous we would break apart our group of friends if things didn’t end up working out. In the end, it was definitely worth taking the risk!

A Galia Lahav Bride for an Industrial Rustic Jewish Wedding at Knockdown Center, Queens, New York, USA

26/06/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

This is SUCH a New York wedding, and we are all over it. Jenny, who works as an associate media director at an ad agency, and Zach, who works in real estate development at a private equity firm, brought the city vibes to their Jewish wedding with everything from their choice of venue – the super cool Knockdown Center in Queens, which manages to combine industrial chic while being able to bring in greenery and rustic sophistication seamlessly – to their decision to bring in iconic NYC eats like Robertas Pizza andthe Shake Shack food truck.

And how incredible is the couple’s floating chuppah?! With all four sides open – so all 375 guests seated in the round could see the couple clearly – it brings some serious enchanted forest vibes to an otherwise urban setting. Photographer Tory Williams captured everything so perfectly.

Now over to Jenny, who looked stunning in Galia Lahav – one of our fave Israeli designers!

Industrial Rustic

Jenny, the bride: We got married at the Knockdown Center in Maspeth Queens. We were looking for a venue that was “us” and not typical. We wanted a place we could create what we wanted but that had natural beauty. Zach works in real estate and loves finding raw spaces and making them beautiful. This space had the perfect contrast of industrial chic while being able to bring in greenery and rustic yet sophisticated beauty.

An Estee Couture Bride for an Interfaith Jewish-Nigerian Wedding at Heritage Club at Bethpage, Farmingdale, New York, USA

17/05/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

We’re so excited to be featuring STG’s very first Jewish-Nigerian wedding – and it’s totally gorgeous! Bride Julia, an OB/-GYN and groom ChiChi, who is training to be a cardiologist, combined their backgrounds – hers Jewish, his Nigerian – into such a beautiful, memorable day.

Incorporating so many wonderful traditions from both cultures – an exquisite ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com and a lovely floral chuppah meet traditional Nigerian outfits and festive touches like the customary money dance – these two managed to craft a one-of-a-kind celebration of their love.

We adore Janelle Brooke Photography’s spontaneous and natural action shots – she captures the energy and fun of the big day so well!

Now over to the bride, who looked stunning in Estee Couture…

PS Can we have a slice of that Sprinkles Wedding Cake?!

How we met

Julia, the bride: We met in medical school, and were friends for a year before we started dating.

A Martina Liana Bride for an Autumnal Interfaith Jew-ish Wedding at West Hills Country Club in Middletown, New York, USA

11/03/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Attention all interfaith couples! We know it’s not easy finding resources on how to craft a big day combining two different religions and backgrounds, and we’re always on the lookout for wise words from couples who’ve been there.

Today, we totally hit the jackpot. Crystal and Evan had a joint Jewish-Catholic ceremony, with a priest and a rabbi, and we love how involved they were in creating a personal ceremony that embraced both of their backgrounds.

This also happens to be a totally gorgeous wedding — Crystal and Evan took full advantage of their late September wedding date with seasonal blooms and a color scheme heavy on moody autumnal hues. Jessie Casey’s photos and Fantasy Flash’s video captured all the gorgeous details.

We’re crazy about their wild floral ketubah, which took full advantage of the venue’s permanent gazebo to craft a totally unique look. And how cool is the outdoor ballroom tent they held their reception in?!

Now over to the bride, who was pure perfection in Martina Liana…

Outdoor Ballroom

Crystal, the bride: Evan and I got married at West Hills Country Club in Middletown, NY. We chose it because we absolutely fell in love with the atmosphere, the service and most importantly the beautiful outdoor ballroom tent.