Paperless Post Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Made With Love Bride for a Destination Jewish Wedding in Tropical Paradise with an Orchid Chuppah at the Conrad Hotel Koh Samui, Thailand

22/03/2019 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

We’ve got just the thing to get you in the mood for Spring… a stunner of a Jewish wedding right on the beach in gorgeous Koh Samui, Thailand!

Kamina, a marketing specialist and yoga teacher, and Warren, a management consultant, planned the perfect laid-back boho day, and they went all out on the tropical paradise vibes — we’re talking an orchid chuppah, bright tropical flowers everywhere (even in the bride’s hair, natch!), and an all-day outdoor celebration right on the beach. Transport yourself via Julian Abram Wainwright’s exquisitely styled photography and Shoot Me Now Films’ wonderful video.

These two also had some of the coolest wedding desserts we’ve seen, ever. For starters, they rented out a traditional Thai banana pancake cart — um, yes please! And Kamina’s 9-year-old cousin, who happens to be a little baking prodigy, made the couple a gorgeous coconut wedding cake (with just a bit of help from the grown-ups) — wow!

Now over to Kamina, who looked so cool (in all senses of the word!) even in the Thai heat in her Made With Love dress…

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A Meaningful Venue

Kamina, the bride: We decided to get married in Koh Samui, Thailand at the Conrad Hotel. Samui is a special island for us – it was my late father’s favourite place. My parents own a villa resort on the island, which is where they renewed their vows on their 25th wedding anniversary, and also where we held an intimate funeral ceremony for him. The Conrad Hotel is part of the Hilton group, which is where my father worked most of his life, so that was really special as well to keep the venue in the Hilton family – that would have meant a lot to him.

A Jane Hill Bride for a Jewish Wedding at Mount Duneed Estate Winery in Geelong, Australia

04/02/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

A laid-back outdoor winery wedding with gorgeous scenery, epic party vibes, and some of the coolest wedding lawn games we’ve ever seen? Yes please!

Lauren and Marc, a doctor and a speech therapist, opted for giant chess, connect four, AND human snakes and ladders during their canapes — how fun is that?! And what a great way to keep kids (and, let’s be honest, adults too) entertained.

We’re also obsessed with the couple’s beautiful, colorful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor BRITcolors. We are huge fans of Britt’s work, and we’re totally not surprised that Lauren reports she was lovely to work with.

Oh, and did we mention that the couple’s parents — who just happen to be friends with each other — built their chuppah for them? So sweet.

Photographer Chris Kapa and videographer Anthony Spiteri of Videoboutique did an amazing job capturing all the fun and emotion of this fab day — don’t miss the wedding trailer!

We’ll let Lauren, who hit the perfect balance between laid-back and glam in her dress from Jane Hill Bridal, take it from here.

How we met

Lauren, the bride: We were introduced by mutual friends.

A Watters Bride for an Egalitarian Jewish Wedding with Fairy Lights and Sunflowers at The Oakley Court, Windsor, UK

21/01/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Is this the perfect English country Jewish wedding, or what? We are totally obsessed with Miri and Jon’s sweet sunflower chuppah — not to mention the bride’s epic flower crown (which she opted for instead of a bouquet) and the charming table centers in repurposed whiskey bottles strewn with fairy lights. It was all the work of florist Gabriella Shem-Tov, who crafted the perfect colorful arrangements to complement the festival vibes and idyllic outdoor setting.

We also love that Miri, a project manager at the British Library, and Jon, community development director for Masorti Judaism in the UK, crafted an ultra-personal egalitarian ceremony totally in step with their values, where they circled each other, exchanged rings, and both smashed a glass.

Don’t miss Miri’s beautiful writeup, or Marianne Chua’s luminous documentary-style photography… and whilst you’re at it, you won’t want to miss our amazing FREE online event for Jewish and Jew-ish Brides happening later today called, ‘The Secrets to an Unforgettable Jewish Wedding”. Sign up here if you haven’t already – I can’t wait to see you there!

How we met

Miri, the bride: We had been friends for a few years but then accidentally went on a date, and were engaged a year later!

A Crystal Design Bride for a Romantic Destination Jewish Wedding with Moody Florals and Fireworks at Villa Montefiano, Fiesole, Florence, Tuscany, Italy

12/12/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s Jewish wedding is 100% pure dreamy-misty-eyed romance. The fact that it took place at a totally stunning venue in Florence doesn’t hurt, obviously. But the couple’s excellent (and elegant!) taste, along with the amazing team assembled by their stellar wedding planner, Rossana from The Knot in Italy, is what really made the day.

We’re totally in love with the moody glam look Andrea, an executive assistant/office manager, and Seymone, an attorney, cultivated. Between the lush florals (peonies and eucalyptus!), twinkly lights, and liberal use of candles — not to mention that subtly dramatic chuppah — every single detail is totally on point. Silvia Galora Photography and videographer Waterfall Visuals both captured the romance and visual splendor of the day absolutely exquisitely.

Oh, and did we mention that there were fireworks? And not just the metaphorical kind.

We’ll let Andrea, who looked stunning in her dreamy princess gown from Crystal Design, fill you in on the details…

How we met

Andrea, the bride: I met Seymone 5 years ago in the basement cafe of our then-office building. This is our story as told on our wedding website:

Andrea captured Seymone’s attention in the basement cafe at their old (now demolished) office building in Century City, CA. Seymone’s first words, “How’s the soup?” led him to finding out Andrea worked at the real estate firm on the 2nd floor.

The next day, Andrea would receive an edible arrangement and a card that read, “It was lovely meeting you in the cafe yesterday, hope the next time I see you is over dinner and drinks – SJ.”

After many adventures and years of getting to know each other Seymone popped the question on February 16, 2017.

A Milla Nova Bride for a Multicultural Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Hatzer Netzer in Netser Sereni, Israel

17/08/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

One of the things we love most here at Smashing the Glass is seeing the ways couples combine their cultures and traditions into their big days. It’s not always easy, whether you’re planning a Jewish wedding or a Jew-ish one, but we see couple after couple pulling it off in their own imitable style.

And today’s pair is no exception. Bronwyn, an occupational therapist and Tal, who is in sales, had two very different sets of traditions to combine: the bride is Ashkenazi and South African, while the groom is Sephardi and Israeli, with roots in India.

It was important to the bride and groom that both the ceremony and the party reflect their respective backgrounds, and we love the clever ways they made sure to give each other’s traditions equal billing on the big day.

During the ceremony, Bronwyn and Tal mixed and matched their favorite elements, holding a Sephardi chuppah with some key Ashkenazi elements: Bronwyn circled Tal seven times, and the duo took some time for themselves in a yichud room after the ceremony. At the reception, the DJ mixed South African beats with Indian tunes — plus some Israeli pop for good measure!

The other thing we adore about this wedding is Bronwyn’s dress: her long-sleeved lace gown by Milla Nova proves you don’t have to show a lot of skin to look dreamy as you walk down the aisle. We can’t get enough of this soft, romantic bridal style, and we love the way Smashing the Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman captured it — and everything else about this gorgeous day, from the emotion under the chuppah to the wild dancing at the reception (and he’s an amazing guy to boot!)

Bronwyn will fill you in on the rest…