Once Upon A Paper Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Smashing the Glass

A Claire Pettibone Bride for a Jewish Wedding Centered on Family at Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa, Milton, New York

05/01/2026 by Karen Cinnamon

We love that Jennifer, a clinical social worker, and Michael, who owns an engineering and construction Firm, made their Jewish wedding at Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa all about family.

The couple’s kids – Jennifer and Michael have six boys between them – were with them under the chuppah, and the cantor who officiated is one of the duo’s best friends and crafted an ultra-personal ceremony – including a moment for a family hug! Jennifer’s four boys walked her down the aisle, and all six of the couple’s sons gave speeches – which were followed by a family dance! Don’t miss the ultra-emotional photos by Heidi Green.

Shortly after Jennifer and Michael met, they hired an Israeli tattoo artist named Gabriel Wolff to design an infinity sign with their names in Hebrew. They never ended up getting the tattoos, but they did use the design as the basis for their beautiful bespoke ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Once Upon A Paper, who brought their vison to life.

Read on for the full story in Jennifer’s own words…

How We Met

Jennifer, the bride: We met on Match.com. We were both divorced and I was dating a lot. Michael says he knew when he saw my photo on the site. I hadn’t even dated anyone from Match and was seeing two other Michaels when we met. I didn’t really pay him much attention.

I’m a big sports fan and he wanted to take me to see the Rangers, the Yankees and was offering great seats. I kept saying no. But he was persistent! I finally said ok to just meet for a drink. Well we met at a restaurant near me. I was sitting at the bar and he walked in the door and walked up the length of the bar and I thought. Oh shit. I’m done. We had a drink that turned into dinner and we never went a single day since then without each other.

An Interfaith Vietnamese-Jewish Wedding with Tons of Chemistry at the Hall of State in Fair Park, Dallas, Texas, USA

17/12/2025 by Karen Cinnamon

We’re pretty obsessed with Adam and Thien’s fabulous Vietnamese-Jewish wedding in Dallas. This day has truly got it all: a heartfelt and meaningful fusion of two cultures, a fun theme (chemistry, in honor of the couple’s shared major that first brought them together in college), and absolutely loads of personality.

Adam and Thien crafted an interfaith ceremony blending elements from Jewish and Vietnamese culture – including a tea ceremony, a bamboo chuppah, and, of course, smashing the glass. Adam’s childhood rabbi officiated, and the couple wore Vietnamese áo dài’s for the ceremony before changing into complementary suits for the reception. The duo’s beautiful ketubah, designed by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Elena Berlo of Once Upon A Paper, featured a trilingual interfaith text reflecting Adam and Thien’s values and commitment to each other – in English, Hebrew, and Vietnamese. Don’t miss it in Julia Sharapova’s wonderful photos.

The chemistry-themed reception looks like a total blast, between color changing cocktails in beakers and flasks, passed hors d’oeuvres served in test tubes and pipettes, a Periodic Table seating chart with each table assigned a chemical element, and even a chemistry themed cake!

How We Met

We were both Chemistry majors in college, and we discovered that we had chemistry together from Day One! Little did we know that our first movie date would be watching the ever-so-romantic “Lab Safety Orientation” as we prepared to work in research labs on campus. Two years later, we officially started dating, and our bond only grew stronger as we explored Boston on the weekends and took summer trips around New England. We got engaged in 2021 and had our wedding on November 11, 2023.

An Essense of Australia Bride for a Jewish Wedding at Independence Grove, Chicago, USA

08/12/2025 by Karen Cinnamon

We love an outdoor chuppah – and Julia and Richard’s was really something special. Chicago couple Julia, who works with hospitals to improve maternal health outcomes, and Richard, a construction litigation lawyer, dreamed of an outdoor wedding that felt natural, warm, and close to home, and Independence Grove — a forest preserve and event space just outside the city — was the perfect match.

Keeping things simple to honor the natural beauty of their surroundings, the couple went for a birch chuppah covered with the most incredibly special handmade canopy needlepointed by Richard’s mom. Don’t miss it in the beautiful photos by Henington Studios.

Equally special was the duo’s ketubah, which Julia calls “a complete dream.” She and Richard worked with Elena Berlo of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Once Upon a Paper to create a bespoke design that felt uniquely them, blending Julia’s love of nature with Richard’s love of music. Elena surprised the couple by adding singing birds to the willow tree on the ketubah, and the final result is absolutely gorgeous.

Now over to Julia, who looked radiant in her elegant gown by Essense of Australia…

How We Met

Julia, the bride: Our story began long before we ever met. I first met Richard’s sister back in 2008, when we were both part of a year-long volunteer program in Israel. Despite that connection — and the fact that we grew up near each other, studied the same subject at neighboring New England colleges, and somehow shared overlapping social circles — our paths never crossed.

Fast forward to 2019, when we finally met at a Shabbat dinner in Chicago hosted by Richard’s sister. During the pandemic, we’d occasionally see each other at outdoor gatherings and became friendly, but it wasn’t until the summer of 2021 that we realized there was a spark. A few dates in, we both knew this was something special. Two years to the day after our first date, we were under the chuppah.

A Miphai Bride for an Intimate Multicultural Jewish Wedding at Home, Ventura, California, USA

19/08/2024 by Karen Cinnamon

Talk about a multicultural wedding: today’s bride Lesley’s from southern California, while groom Rony hails from Santiago, Chile. The pair met while living in Tel Aviv, and shortly after getting engaged they moved to Paris for work!

Lesley and Rony knew they wanted to keep things simple and intimate while bringing all these strands of their lives into the celebration, and so they opted for a 40-guest wedding at Lesley’s parents’ home in southern California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Despite some unexpected complications – the morning of the wedding was so windy that the chuppah had to be moved twice! – the whole day was so perfectly joyful, and the couple’s photographer, Phil Tripoli, captured it exquisitely.

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

How We Met

Lesley, the bride and Rony, the groom: We were both working in high tech in Tel Aviv. Rony is a software developper and Lesley is a product marketer. We met during Covid in 2020 and because of the tight restrictions in Israel, we had to be creative about our dates being in open spaces (like the beach or the dog park with Lesley’s two dogs) and we didn’t even go to a restaurant or a bar together until 4 months into dating.

Lesley is originally from southern California and Rony is from Santiago, Chile, although they both grew up with emotional ties to Israel (Rony’s parents lived on a kibbutz for a decade in the 1970s, and Lesley’s father had spent time on a kibbutz in the north in the 1960s). Continue Reading

A Multicultural Vietnamese-Jewish Wedding at Temple Akiba and Playa Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA

21/10/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

We love it when a couple merges their two backgrounds into a one-of-a-kind LA Jewish wedding – and that’s exactly what today’s duo did! Michelle, an executive search recruiter, and David, a public school teacher and screenwriter, set out to plan a wedding that celebrated both the pair’s shared Jewish faith and Michelle’s Vietnamese heritage.

Right before their chuppah – which was held at the couple’s synagogue – Michelle and David hosted a traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony. They donned áo dais (traditional Vietnamese gowns) and served tea to their elders and relatives.

We also love that Michelle rocked three different fabulous bridal looks throughout her day! First the áo dài, then a classic ballgown from Rita Vinieris for the chuppah, and finally a fusion look for the reception, pairing a clean, minimalist gown from Jill Stuart with a matching, white khăn đóng (Vietnamese headdress).

Read on for more about this wonderful wedding, plus exquisite documentary photography by Rebecca y las otras…