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A Jewish Outdoor Wedding with a Hand-Embroidered Chuppah at Stellenbosch Winelands, Cape Town, South Africa

06/09/2017 by Karen

As far as romantic and dreamy destination weddings go, a dusty, beautiful vineyard in South Africa is definitely up there! And that’s where we’ll be whisking you off to today to celebrate Jenna and Blake’s moving Jewish wedding.

Jenna and Blake are living proof that long-distance relationships can definitely have their happily ever after. Being apart for nine years, Jenna and Blake demonstrated how good things certainly come to those who wait.

Family was at the heart of this gorgeous big day – with a chuppah hand embroidered by Blake’s mother, which now serves as a quilt in the couple’s home, and Jenna’s moving tributes to her own mother, who had sadly passed away.

Gorgeous bride Jenna looked like a vision in her La Sposa gown – unsurprising, given that she owns a small clothing boutique and really knows her stuff. We particularly loved her advice on finding the perfect wedding dress.

All of the details and whimsical couple shots were captured by Organictales Photography, and the cool and cinematic trailer below was created by Latsky Multimedia.

Jenna’s wonderful writeup is full of pearls of wisdom, so take a moment out of your day and dig into this stunning South African wedding!

How we met

Jenna, the bride: Blake and I met straight out of high school in 2002 while he was visiting from Johannesburg for summer vacation. We started dating the following year, and had a long-distance relationship for nearly nine years until he moved to Cape Town. He proposed in October 2015 and the rest, as they say, is history.

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for a Rooftop Jewish Wedding at Ramscale Studios, Manhattan, New York City, USA

21/07/2017 by Karen

This is the final call for the STG flight to NYC, for another divine destination wedding with an outrageously beautiful view of the New York skyline in fall.

Aliza and Nate’s chic city wedding took place on the rooftop of Ramscale Studio in NYC’s West Village, overlooking Manhattan, the Hudson River, and the most incredible sunset.

The sweet couple opted for a classically elegant theme, with a highly personalized ceremony, incorporating a wonderful, steal-able idea for the Seven Blessings (which perfectly illustrates what we’re always saying on STG about updating Jewish traditions), and dà©cor that centered entirely around them and their stories.

We love, love, LOVE Aliza’s classically beautiful Monique Lhuillier gown, and her entire look, put together with such poise and finesse, perfectly matching the stunning backdrop.

All of the details were captured with expert ease by Rebecca Hales of Hales Studio. With such in-depth coverage, and Aliza’s brilliant write up, you almost feel like you were there. And, on that note, we’ll pass you over to Aliza to fill you in on her and Nate’s big-day story.

A venue with a view

Aliza, the bride: We chose Ramscale Studio in NYC’s West Village. We wanted to get married in our neighborhood, and this venue overlooks a pier we often walk to.

We loved the option of getting married on the large terrace, and it led to a magnificent sunset just after the ceremony. It has incredible views from the inside as well with large windows.

A Jewish Outdoor Destination Wedding With a Groom in Suit Shorts at Suikerbossie, Cape Town, South Africa

10/07/2017 by Karen

Strap in, folks, because we’re about to jet off to Cape Town for an all-inclusive trip to Barbora and Adam’s divine destination wedding.

Chosen for its stunning outdoor offering, the pair tied the knot in a boho-casual Jewish ceremony at gorgeous Suikerbossie, Hout Bay, Cape Town. The laid-back style was set by groom, Adam, who fulfilled his dream of wearing suit shorts – we do love a groom in suit shorts!

Adam and Barbora proved that nothing is a disaster. From a bridal dress swap, just a fortnight before the wedding, to bridesmaids’ dress dramas, nothing kept these two from their dream day.

A wedding photo booth is always an amazing thing to have, but we’re particularly enamoured with the cute caravan exterior – what an utterly steal-able idea.

The day was full of fun, heart and personality – by the end of the party, even grandma was out of her wheelchair and swearing enthusiastically into the microphone, singing along to old-school music. What a sight that must have been to behold!

Massive props to Paul Toeman Photographers, for capturing such a big, beautiful production so beautifully and sensitively, and stay tuned for groom Adam’s brilliant and entertaining writeup of his big day with his beloved Babs. Over to Adam!

An outdoor experience

Adam, the groom: We got married at Suikerbossie, which is a wedding venue in Hout Bay, Cape Town. We loved this venue, mainly because of the location, and our plan was to try and create an outdoor experience, so this place was perfect.

The garden also had a really cool swing that Babs fell in love with from the moment she saw it! On top of that, the venue offer a Kosher menu, and also played a big role in the on-site management of all suppliers.

A bohemian Jewish wedding bringing the outdoors inside at Lourensford Wine Estate, Cape Town, South Africa

27/03/2017 by Karen

Today’s stunner of a real wedding comes all the way from Cape Town, South Africa, and is, unbelievably, only our second STG South African real wedding. Needless to say, if this is the level of wedding pretty coming from that part of the world, then we’d definitely like to see a lot more, please!

When presented with a chuppah this breathtaking, it seems ludicrous not to talk about it first, and, frankly, this divine design deserves all the positive adjectives. Decadently draped in fresh flowers, it’s so astounding that you’d be forgiven for almost failing to notice the awe-inspiring mountainous backdrop of Gavin and Kelly’s Jewish ceremony.

Beautiful bride, Kelly, looked a million bucks in her sublime custom-made, boho-inspired dress, flanked by no fewer than 12 bridesmaids.

With a natural ethos in mind, Kelly’s brief for wedding planner, Veronica, from Petals Group, was to bring the outdoors inside, which Veronica managed with aplomb.

The day was immortalised in images by much-sought-after photographer, Shanna Jones who did such a phenomenal job that she earned one of the most passionate reviews of a supplier we’ve published on these pages. We can certainly see what all the fuss is about — just look at this spread, a picture of perfection.

We’ll pass you over to Kelly’s capable hands to tell you more about her and Gavin’s ethereal and whimsical wedding day.

An idyllic Cape Town venue

Kelly, the bride: We got married at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West, Cape Town. Gavin is originally from Cape Town, which really is one of the most beautiful places in the world, so we decided to look at venues there. We loved the relaxed and informal, homey feel of Lourensford and we knew we wanted to get married there from the second we viewed it.

Bringing the outdoors inside

We knew what we wanted from the beginning. We wanted a very earthy, natural boho look and feel. We wanted it to be understated and nothing over the top. We knew we wanted flowers, but, more so, we wanted greenery. If we could have done the whole wedding outside we would have, but with Cape Town weather being temperamental it wasn’t worth the risk, so we wanted to try bring outside inside. We used, Veronica, from Petals Group. She was outstanding and we could not have done a thing without her. She really guided us throughout the process.

Overall, what we really wanted was our wedding not to be a big show. We wanted it to be small, intimate and authentic and really just to celebrate our love. Every part of my day felt sincere and genuine and all the love and care for me and Gavin was so present. I think people felt that sincerity, and enjoyed the evening because of it. That’s what made it special to me.Continue Reading

Yukie & Jason’s Moroccan-themed destination wedding, with three designer dresses, at Caesar Yam, Caesarea, Israel

28/11/2016 by Karen

Yukie and Jason’s Moroccan market-themed Israeli destination wedding was an epic, four-part production, thanks to super helpful mother-in-law, Victoria and their incredibly talented planner, Adena at A to Z Events.

Bright colours abound with lavish gold accents, maximalist patterns and oh my goodness, check out that cake! At Smashing the Glass HQ, we’re also loving the drama of those fantastically opulent thrones for the bride and groom (move over Posh and Becks), and these brilliant stylistic choices are matched only by the loveliness of the couple’s story.

For anyone out there who is living the sometimes taxing reality of the old adage, absence makes the heart grow fonder, take heart – this loved-up pair have proved that long-distance relationships can have a truly happy ending. With a groom from New York, a bride from Tokyo, the groom’s parents from Moscow but living in Israel and most of the guests taking their first trip to the Holy Land for the couple’s wedding, this is a love that brought together cultures from all over the world for a truly beautiful celebration.

The ceremony was custom built for Yukie and Jason. While it was important to them to have a ceremony that was “official” according to the religion, with Yukie having recently joined the tribe, they also wanted it to reflect their own feelings and personal connection to Judaism. Some of the personalised details included a reciprocal ketubah, and when the groom smashed the glass, the bride simultaneously smashed a plate. The rabbi composed his speech by asking the bride and groom for three important memories and three reasons they were each other’s one and only — from this, he created an incredibly moving tribute to their relationship.

Oh, and if you’re not already sick with jealousy over Yukie’s amazing Oscar de la Renta gown, she also had two more gorgeous dresses for the evening parties! Feast your eyes on it below, all perfectly captured by photographer Shabi Kedem and Levi Dovid.

How we met

Yukie, the bride: I am Japanese and spent my entire life in Japan before I met Jason. We met nine years ago in Tokyo while he was on vacation with his brother.

Although at first I thought he wasn’t my type, once we started talking we got along so well that we had a date every day for the week he was in Tokyo. We kept in touch after he left – he called me every day for the next two years.

We visited each other any time we could — he even came to live in Japan for a year. We kept our long-distance love going for for years between Tokyo and New York.

Then, four years ago, I finally decided to move to New York and we started living together.

How we met

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A venue with a view

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An outdoor experience

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An idyllic Cape Town venue

Bringing the outdoors inside

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How we met

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