Pink Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for an Ultra-Luxe Jewish Wedding with an Ombre Floral Chuppah at the Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills, California, USA

16/04/2018 by Karen Cinnamon 4 Comments

Today’s wedding is 100% pure #chuppahgoals. In fact, everything about this wedding is #GOALS! Davina and Faraz chose to marry at the ultra-elegant Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, and Butterfly Floral transformed the hotel’s ballroom into an absolute floral wonderland.

And then there’s the ombre chuppah. Starting with hot pink roses at the bottoms of the super cool curved columns (a totally awesome, unique design feature), the flowers fade gradually to light pink and then to white. An enormous ring of white roses frames the talit in the center – and, as a sweet detail, there are even little roses hanging from the top of the chuppah, under the talit. Totally jaw-dropping.

Between that chuppah, the bridal party entrances (SO good – watch the film below!), the stunning pink rose table runners (they really are beyond), Davina’s Swarovski-encrusted Louboutins and dress of dreams, and the floral fabulousness, this wedding is pure STG Luxe and we LOVE it!

Videographer David Medill produced a wedding video not to be missed – as much for the raw emotion of the ceremony and ketubah signing as for the wild dancing!

Speaking of wild dancing, music was ably handled by Liv Entertainment, one of our VIB [Very Important Bride] Vendors, offering a 10% discount to members of the VIB Club. They’re just one of many handpicked vendors offering discounts or free gifts to members of our club (who also receive around-the-clock support and advice from my team and me, plus all kinds of cool bridal extras and goodies). If you haven’t joined yet, don’t delay as we’ll be closing membership for this quarter next Thursday April 26th!

Photographer Jessica Claire did simply the most outstanding job of capturing the couple’s dreamy day, and they can’t stop raving about her fantastic energy and sweet personality. This fab photographer, who works in California and New York, also is another of our VIB Vendors, offering a $250 discount on any wedding package only to members of the VIB Club.

I’m sure you’re impatient to see some more of the couple’s fantasy florals by now, so I’ll turn you over to bride Davina, who looked like a princess in her stunning strapless lace Monique Lhuillier gown (which she bought in Paris!).

A Hollywood Wedding

Davina, the bride: Faraz and I got married at the Beverly Wilshire on Wilshire Boulevard. It has always been one of my favorite hotels because of its elegance both from outside of the hotel and inside the ballroom. Not to mention, Pretty Woman (one of my favorite movies of all time) was filmed there!

An Angelo Lambrou Bride for a Glamorous Destination Jewish Wedding at Villa Cimbrone, Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy

11/04/2018 by Karen Cinnamon 2 Comments

Today’s destination Jewish wedding is serious #venuegoals. NYC-based Nejla (@acutestyleaddict), a personal stylist, and Alex, who works in finance, married at Villa Cimbrone in Ravello, on the breathtaking Amalfi Coast in Italy. The couple visited Ravello just after getting engaged, and the minute they set foot in their venue they knew it was where they would wed.

And can you blame them? You have GOT to see the views from this place. It’s literally smack dab in the middle of the swoon-worthy Amalfi Coast, right on the water. We could not possibly come up with a dreamier setting. And that’s not even mentioning the villa itself, where the meal was held – it dates back to the 12th century (!), and the dining setup seriously looks right out of the castle from Beauty and the Beast.

With such a stunning venue, Nejla and Alex understandably wanted to let the natural beauty of their surroundings take center stage. As such, they kept their décor simple, with a focus on local, in-season flowers in pink and white.

Photographer and videographer Gianni Di Natale got the most exquisite shots of the day; his photos (not to mention the gorgeous highlights video) really make you feel like you’re there.

But don’t let all that fool you into thinking this wedding was all about the looks – far from it. The couple put serious effort into planning their ceremony, which was especially meaningful given that Nejla completed her conversion to Judaism weeks prior. They flew their rabbi out from New York, and, because the wedding began at sundown on Saturday night, they incorporated a Havdallah service into the ceremony. With the sunset over the coast on one side and a sea of loving faces on the other, it could hardly get any more perfect.

Amazingly, though, that wasn’t even the duo’s favorite part of the wedding. According to Nejla, it was surpassed by their joy at Alex’s grandmother, Edna, being present to celebrate with them. It was especially poignant, as the wedding marked Grandma Edna’s first time in Europe since she left as a young girl after the war.

Nejla being a personal stylist, it’s only natural that she went ultra chic on the day, in a custom couture gown in blush silk by Angelo Lambrou. She’ll fill you in on the rest…

How we met

Nejla, the bride: We met through friends several years ago but didn’t start dating until about 4 years ago.

A BHLDN Bride for a Rustic Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Beckendorff Farms, Katy, Texas, USA

28/03/2018 by Karen Cinnamon 2 Comments

This is SUCH a perfect country wedding. It’s got it all: a barn venue, a rustic chuppah, plenty of homespun touches, and wide open spaces as far as the eye can see – we are in Texas, after all

And it’s got oodles of sophistication too…. Jenna, the program director at a breast cancer education non-profit, and, Elan, who works in finance at an energy company, crafted a day that embodies effortless rustic elegance. They wanted their day at beautiful Beckendorff Farms in Katy, Texas, to have a comfortable, natural feel, plus a super personal ceremony, and that’s exactly what they got.

To keep the focus on their splendid outdoor surroundings, the couple opted to keep their chuppah simple. But its fresh, rustic looks bely its status as a bona fide family heirloom: the poles were built in Israel by a family member of Elan’s and had been used in multiple family weddings, and the tallit used as the canopy – also used in many family weddings – belongs to Elan’s father. And the tallit that Jenna and Elan were wrapped in during the ceremony belonged to Elan’s late great-grandfather.

As if this pair didn’t bring enough family into their ceremony with that remarkable chuppah, their rabbi was none other than the bride’s brother-in-law (her sister’s husband!). He conducted their very personal ceremony, featuring the couple’s original vows and a ketubah combining the traditional text with their own promises to each other written in English.

Jenna opted for a soft and dreamy gown from BHLDN, but the coolest thing by far about her wedding look was her shoes: custom blush suede 3-inch heels with a peep-toe and cross ankle straps, courtesy of her brother, who co-owns shoe company Huma Blanco. His design was super chic while still comfortable enough to wear all through the dancing.

And there was some hardcore dancing. The couple’s super energetic hora included not just the standard lifting of the couple on chairs; they were also lifted on tablecloths and thrown in the air!

The day was captured so beautifully by Elisheva Golani, who, along with her team, tackled both photography and videography. Now over to Jenna…

How we met

Jenna, the bride: My first job out of college, I worked with Elan’s sister and brother-in-law at the same summer camp/year-round retreat center that Elan grew up attending. We first met one weekend at a retreat. A month later, Elan’s sister had a baby, and we reconnected at his bris! Thanks to that nephew, Elan and I have been together ever since.

A Martina Liana Bride for a Romantic Jewish Destination Wedding at La Catilina, Lake Iseo, Lombardia, Italy

05/03/2018 by Karen

Destination Jewish Wedding La Catilina, Lombardia, Italy_0050

There’s something about Italian weddings that just makes us want to hop on the next flight to Milan. That sunlight! Those lakes! And the olive groves! Manchester-based couple Lauren and Avi took full advantage of all of the above (and more!) after opting to marry abroad.

In search of a location with guaranteed good weather and no more than a few hours’ flight from the UK, they found their dream spot overlooking Lake Iseo in Lombardia, in northern Italy.

Their venue, La Catilina, has the most breathtaking views, and, ever the considerate hosts, the couple were also drawn to its shaded areas and air-conditioned reception rooms to keep their guests cool in that bright Italian sunlight.

Lauren and Avi’s wedding aesthetic was minimal and romantic; the pair wanted to complement the fantastic views rather than distract from them. They went for a soft color scheme focused on whites and pinks, reflected in the white and pink O’Hara roses adorning the tabletops and their lovely, simple chuppah (made from locally sourced timber!).

Bride Lauren looked positively radiant in her lace Martina Liana gown with a statement train, and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Hebrewear supplied kippot and benchers for the guests.

Since Lauren and Avi both work for photography and videography studio Flix’n’Pix—in fact, Avi co-founded it with his brother!—so there was never any question as to who was going to capture their day. Take a look at the photos, and I think you’ll agree they did a fantastic job. Now over to Lauren, who’s shared a delightful writeup of her day.

A Stunning Lakeside Venue

Lauren, the bride: We knew we wanted to get married abroad with guaranteed weather and no more than a few hours on a plane for our guests to travel. We chose to look at venues in Italy and found our perfect venue overlooking Lake Iseo. Apart from the breathtaking views at La Catilina, it also had multiple shaded areas and air-conditioned reception rooms for our guests to gather to enjoy drinks and nibbles while we had our wedding photographs.

A Garden-Themed Jewish Wedding with an Allure Bridals Gown at Duntreath Castle, Blanefield, Scotland, UK

02/03/2018 by Karen

Today’s Scottish stunner of a Jewish wedding is right out of a fairy tale. Nicole and Jonny’s day at Duntreath Castle in Scotland was chock full of dreamy florals, with the elegant grounds and gardens serving as a stunning backdrop to the festivities.

These two made the most of their Scottish setting, with a piper greeting guests as they arrived at the castle, creative Scottish-themed canapés (mini glasses of Irn-Bru, anyone?!), and a whisky bar featuring bottles of malt from each of Scotland’s whiskey regions. Love it!

The couple planned their wedding all the way from Sydney. Luckily, Nicole’s parents in Glasgow had just retired at the time of the couple’s engagement, and they were able to devote themselves to wedding planning fulltime!

From meeting with vendors in the couple’s place to building the chuppah—Nicole’s dad made it from scratch, and her mum turned her own wedding dress into the canopy! This wedding was truly a family affair…

Photographer Ashley Coombes documentary-style work captured the day perfectly. Now over to Nicole to fill us in on all the details.