New York Jewish Wedding Archives - Smashing the Glass

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 Leave a Comment

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.

An Isabelle Armstrong Bride for a Jewish Wedding with Killer Manhattan Views and an Orchid Chuppah at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, New York, New York, USA

14/11/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

There are no words for how obsessed we are with epic orchid chuppah. With lucite columns draped in strands of gorgeous flowers, it’s just SO dreamy. And don’t even get us started on the backdrop of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.

It doesn’t get much more quintessentially NYC than the Jewish wedding of Vlada, who works in corporate banking, and Joshua, a corporate and bankruptcy litigation attorney (#2beepst). Between their venue – high atop the landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel – their magnificent New York skyline cake by none other than Ron Ben Israel, and the bride’s Isabelle Armstrong dress purchased from Kleinfeld.The couple even had a wedding announcement in the New York Times!

It wouldn’t be the ultimate NYC wedding without a touch of celebrity, and Kevin Osborne Band from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Hank Lane provided that and then some – Kevin is a backup singer for Billy Joel, in addition to being an awesome band leader in his own right.

Felix from Fred Marcus captured all the glam details and jawdropping views with aplomb, and Frank Ahn from Frank Ahn Films recorded the emotion of the day so well.

Okay, now over to the bride…

How We Met

Vlada, the bride: We were introduced by a mutual family rabbi named Joseph Potasnik.

A Maria Farbinni Bride for an Ultra Glam Jewish Wedding with a Mirrored Peony Chuppah at the Metropolitan Club, New York City, USA

01/10/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Um, WOW. Excuse us as we pick our jaws up off the floor. We are just floored by the magnificent mirrored (!) peony (!!) chuppah in today’s Jewish wedding.

It is just BEYOND, and those hanging peonies suspended from the canopy? Serious, serious #chuppahgoals. Bride Marina says standing under it felt like being in a midsummer night’s dream garden!

Actually, just about everything about this wedding is hardcore #goals. And it’s no wonder, with superstar wedding planner and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Amy Katz running the show.

Marina, who works in product development, and Gary, an MBA student at UPenn’s Wharton School, can’t stop singing her praises, but her work bringing this epic day together really speaks for itself.

This duo had absolutely the quintessential NYC wedding, just bursting with old-school elegance (but with some very cool, very contemporary touches thrown in to keep things from getting stodgy – you won’t want to miss their tequila-infused Mar-Garita cake pops!.

And we could not be more in love with their exquisite Central Park photo shoot spearheaded by the couple’s fantastic photographer, Lilian Haidar.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave it to Marina, who looked stunning in her strikingly elegant princess gown by Maria Farbinni…

How We Met

Marina, the bride: We met at a 4th of July party in Amagansett, NY. Marina invited Gary’s friend to a party her friend was hosting. The friend brought Gary along and the rest is history.

A Carol Hannah Bride for an International Jewish Wedding at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, New York, New York, USA

06/06/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

You don’t get much more cosmopolitan than today’s couple. Hayley, from New York, and Emmanuel, from Paris, met while living in London, and chose to hold their Jewish wedding (well, one of them…) in the bride’s super-cool hometown, whilst including so many gorgeous creative details!

Their wedding at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers celebrated their international backgrounds through details like bilingual French-English invitations and a custom designed map displaying all of the places both Hayley and Emmanuel have lived, and that have been important in their relationship.

We love this idea for an ultra-personal touch, and Smartup Visuals came up with the most fun design – you’ve got to see Corey Torpie’s photos of it!

You know how we said in the intro that one of the duo’s weddings took place in NYC? Well, that’s because these two had already gotten legally married in a civil wedding in France, the groom’s home country, which let them let loose and enjoy the celebration and religious ceremony at wedding part 2.

With guests from all over the world, making sure everyone felt included was paramount. One lovely way Hayley and Emmanuel made all of their guests feel part of the day was by having a group reading of the Seven Blessings. They found some modern interpretations of the Seven Blessings they liked, printed out copies for all the guests, and asked everyone to join in during the ceremony – isn’t that beautiful?

Hayley, who looked stunning in her modern, almost sculptural Carol Hannah gown, will fill you in on the rest…

How we met

Hayley, the bride: Emmanuel and I met a few years ago when we were both living in London. Ironically, I had lived in Paris – where Emmanuel is from – for a few years before moving to London, and Emmanuel had lived in New York (my hometown) before moving to London. We had lived in the exact same places but at different times, so we connected right away.

An Ultra-Personal DIY Gay Jewish Wedding in the Hamptons, Amagansett, New York, USA

04/06/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

We love a good DIY Jewish wedding here at Smashing The Glass, and Adam and Curtis’s intimate day in the Hamptons ticks ALL of our boxes. NYC couple Adam, a senior news producer for CBS News’ 24/7 live streaming network CBSN, and Curtis, an actor and teaching artist currently performing in Angels In America on Broadway, in search of an affordable place to host a wedding weekend, found a gem of a house (with 17 bedrooms!) in Amagansett, in the Hamptons, via VRBO.

Looking at Libby Christensen’s artistic, emotion-filled photos of the day, you’d never guess this wedding was pulled off on a tight budget. But thanks to plenty of help from family and friends, Adam and Curtis were able to pull off an ultra-chic day without spending a fortune.

One of the biggest labors of love was food. Rather than going for a traditional caterer, the pair ordered food from Fresh Direct. The food was delivered to their NYC apartment the day before the wedding, and friends helped them drive all 70 (!) boxes out to the Hamptons so it would be ready on the day.

The couple’s super-devoted wedding party came through to save the day when some inevitable wedding mishaps occurred, too – you’ve got to see what one of the groomswomen did when the cake topper Adam and Curtis had ordered didn’t arrive on time…

The couple calls their wedding a group effort, and the day was really all about honoring their community. At their super-intimate ceremony Adam and Curtis asked their guests to stand around the chuppah, circling them in support and love.

Now over to the grooms, who looked incredibly handsome in their suits from ASOS, Adam ina tweed and Curt in maroon…