New York Jewish Wedding Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Vera Wang Bride for a Brooklyn Meets Tropical Paradise Jewish Wedding at 501 Union, Brooklyn, New York, USA

23/11/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

There’s nothing like a little hometown pride – and what better to serve as inspiration for your Jewish wedding? Today’s bride and groom, Rebecca and Brandon, are both passionate Brooklynites – and they used their love of their home borough as inspiration for their big day.

Their venue, 501 Union, in Brooklyn neighborhood Gowanus, is SO industrial chic, and the couple complemented it with fun touches like a personalized map of Brooklyn on the back of their invitations (with key spots in the couple’s lives marked), mini Junior’s cheesecakes as favors, a Brooklyn-fabulous cocktail hour menu including lox on everything bagel chips, pastrami bites, and Coney Island hot dogs, and even a Coolhaus ice cream sandwich truck!

We’re also digging the urban jungle vibes Rebecca and Brandon went with for their florals – how fun is their chuppah?! Don’t miss it in Billye Donya Photography’s wonderful pics.

We’ll leave it to the bride, who looked utterly urban chic in Vera Wang…

How we met

Rebecca, the bride: We swiped right on Tinder, so obviously didn’t know much about each other before we met. For our first date, he suggested we meet after work near the Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park, since it was right in between our apartments, and grab a drink from there.

I had certain hesitations about meeting a random internet man at the park at dusk so I told a good handful of friends about the date, so they’d know what to tell the authorities if I never came back… Anyway, once I saw Brandon in his Canadian tuxedo (denim on denim, baby!), I knew I had nothing to worry about (;

A Sottero & Midgley Bride for a Family-Focused Black Tie Jewish Wedding at The Swan Club in Roslyn, New York, USA

09/11/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

We love it when a couple makes their Jewish wedding all about family – which is exactly what Sara, a record label manager, and Greg, who owns a chain of women’s clothing stores, did in planning their autumnal black-tie affair near the bride’s hometown on Long Island.

It started during the planning phase, when Sara’s mom took the lead in bringing the day to life. Then, on the day, Sara and Greg were married by the bride’s uncle, a rabbi for the United States Navy – all while wrapped in Greg’s late grandpa’s tallit. Then, post-ceremony, the couple’s living grandfathers came out on the dance floor to help the newlyweds bless and cut the challah. You can just feel the love seeping out of each and every one of Hilary Katzen’s exquisite photos.

We’re also obsessed with Sara’s bridal style, from her crystal-beaded gown bySottero & Midgley to her white glitter Keds by Kate Spade (yep, this bride wore sneakers all throughout the big day!) to her gorgeous veil – which, fittingly enough, was handmade by her mother. Sara’s luscious locks looked perfect, too – which was all the more meaningful since she spent the three years preceding the wedding growing her hair back after losing it to cancer.

And how gorgeous is the couple’s exuberant ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor 1-800-ketubah.com – Nava Shoham?! Selected by the groom, who was after something colorful, the couple now give their ketubah place of pride in their home.

Read on for the full details of this epic day – which was truly a family affair…

How We Met

Sara, the bride: We met at a bar mitzvah when we were seniors in high school in 2010.Continue Reading

Two Broadway Performers’ Jewish Backyard Micro Wedding in Plainview, New York, USA

02/11/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

Like so many couples in 2020, Elyssa and Adam had to drastically rethink their wedding plans after the pandemic broke out. These two also have the additional challenge of working on Broadway, which has been especially hard hit, with theaters set to be closed for no less than a year: Elyssa is an actor and playwrightcurrently producing a digital benefit concert through her Jewish theatre company, Ahava Theatre, and Adam is a Broadway musician currently teaching virtual piano lessons during the pandemic.

But the couple made the most of a tough situation by putting together a gorgeous micro wedding in Elyssa’s mom’s backyard, complete with a heartwarming ceremony, a chuppah handmade by the groom, the bride in a repurposed white prom dress, and the most stunning ketubahby Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nava Shoham.

Even though it was very different from the day they’d originally planned – and Elyssa and Adam do still plan to have a big celebration next summer on the one-year anniversary of their micro wedding – they say opting to get married now was “the best decision we ever made.” And it’s easy to believe after scrolling through the Erica Marie Photos’ joyous, emotion-filled images.

Now over to the couple…

How we met

Elyssa, the bride and Adam, the groom: Adam’s stepdad and Elyssa’s uncle were childhood friends in Brooklyn in the 60s! In 2015, Adam met Elyssa’s aunt and uncle and coincidentally they were both in Cambridge, MA for the summer doing theatre. Elyssa’s aunt Amy and Adam’s mom Debi thought it would be a great idea for them to meet because of their shared interest in music and theatre!Continue Reading

A Svetlana Bridal Bride for a Modern Winter Jewish Wedding at Glen Island Harbor Club, New Rochelle, New York, USA

19/10/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

Okay, HOW gorgeous is this purple floral chuppah?! And to think that Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Samantha, a lawyer, and Eugene, an investment banker, only ended up with it as their plan B after the bride’s grandmother objected to their first choice of a lucite canopy! Sometimes grandma really does know best…

Not to say that we don’t love us some lucite! And we’ve got that in common with this modern design-loving couple, who took cues from their apartment décor to combine their contemporary vibes with bright colors they knew would bring cheer to their winter wedding. Don’t miss the joyous pics from Jovon Photography.

We’re obsessed with their beautiful gold-trimmed ketubah by Stephanie Caplan of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Ketubah, who Samantha and Eugene found right here on STG, and we love all the special touches these two added to make their day unforgettable, from hashtag stirrers in their signature drinks to a glitter canon on the dance floor to a caviar station. There were even banana pudding cups as favors at the end of the night, in honor of Samantha’s trademark dessert.

We’ll let the bride – who looked stunning in her custom gown from Svetlana Bridal – fill you in on the rest…

Keeping It Close to Home

Samantha, the bride: Our venue was Glen Island Harbor Club, New Rochelle NY. I grew up 10 minutes down the road, my Bat Mitzvah was right next door (at the New York Athletic Club) so it seemed like a good spot. My husband jokes that we live in “Westchester South” a/k/a the Upper East Side of NYC so we played off of this.

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

31/08/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

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.