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A Pronovias Bride for a Jewish Wedding with an Unforgettable Chuppah at Ahuza Beit Hanan, Israel

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London couple Olivia, a perfumer, and Sam, a software engineer, always knew they wanted to hold their Jewish wedding in Israel. When the war broke out shortly before their original wedding date of October 24, 2023, a lot of people encouraged them to rethink their plans – but the couple stuck it out, and, with the help of their wedding planner, Victoria Rosen Events (who they found right here on STG!), were able to hold their dream wedding in their favorite place – albeit 8 months later than originally planned.

Olivia and Sam dreamed of getting married surrounded by nature, and Ahuza Beit Hanan was the perfect spot. The duo fell in love with the venue’s chuppah – covered in grapevines and big enough to fit the crowd of 27 who gathered under it! – and opted to embellish it with delicate hanging crystals with roses attached and sheets of white fabric which blew delicately in the wind.

When it came time to choose a photographer, only one person would do:

the absolutely incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ronen Boidek. Ronen not only brings his professionalism but also his warmth and joy to every occasion. He is known for his artistic shots but also for his amazing candids that make you feel like you’re really back in the moment. His style is sharp and clean but completely authentic at the same time.

Olivia and Sam couldn’t be any more glad they forged ahead with their wedding in Israel, despite all the uncertainty. In Olivia’s words, “Being in Israel and having our wedding there will always be the best decision we ever made.” We’ll let her fill you in on the rest!

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How We Met

Olivia, the bride: We met at secondary school in English class, and after a few years of close friendship we developed feelings for each other and started dating! After 8 years together, Sam surprised me on the beach in Tobago with my whole family there and proposed… definitely worth the wait! Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for an Interfaith Jewish-Catholic Wedding at Offley Place, Hitchin, UK

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When London couple Rachel, who works as a programme manager in the social impact sector, and Jason, a product manager in the technology sector, got engaged, they knew their top wedding planning priority would be to blend their two backgrounds into an authentic and meaningful interfaith wedding.

Rachel is Jewish, while Jason is Catholic, with Portuguese roots – and it was important to both that their religion and traditions were represented in the day. The pair worked with their officiant to craft a bespoke ceremony combining aspects of traditional Jewish and Catholic ceremonies, and they wrote their own ketubah text (which they then translated into both Hebrew and Portuguese!). Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush turned it into a gorgeous piece of art, adorned with the most stunning florals and metallics.

Music was another way Rachel and Jason showcased their backgrounds, and their choice of Matzoh Boys as their band could not have been more perfect. In addition to their Jewish music prowess and  fab Israeli singers (one of whom is Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jonny Mosesson), the Matzoh Boys also have Latin and Gospel singers – so in addition to a stellar Israeli dancing set, Rachel and Jason also got Portuguese tunes and a hymn for their ceremony.

The pair chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Liam Smith as their photographer, and we could not be any more in love with his ultra-moving documentary images. They loved Liam’s natural style – and can’t rave enough about what a wonderful and calming presence he was on the big day!

We can’t turn you over to Rachel without mentioning how timelessly elegant she looked in her classic Pronovias dress, which she found at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Mirror Mirror in Islington, and where she adored working with the wonderfully attentive team.

Now over to Rachel!

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How We Met

Rachel, the bride: We were set up on a blind date by Rachel’s cousin, who worked in the same company as Jason. Given that Rachel is Jewish and Jason is Catholic (both brought up in practicing households), we didn’t envisage that a blind date would turn into a serious relationship, let alone a marriage. However, we quickly realised that we wanted to be with one another, which meant a lot of pretty serious conversations about how we could blend our different backgrounds together early on. Now, seven years later, we’re married!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for an Intimate Destination Jewish Wedding at Villa Cora, Florence, Italy

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Buckle your seatbelts, we’re taking off for beautiful Florence, Italy, where Atlanta couple Ilyssa, a strategy pricing analyst for a hospitality company, and Nick, who works as a sales engineer for a HVAC distributor, held the intimate destination Jewish wedding of their dreams!

Taking their cues from their majestic venue, Villa Cora, Ilyssa and Nick kept things romantic and elegant with plenty of flowers, greenery, candles, and romantic lighting. And their outdoor chuppah was truly the stuff of fairy tales – sitting amidst a stunning backdrop of the autumnal Florentine countryside, covered in greenery and flowers, and set at the end of an aisle strewn with rose petals and lined with candles. Don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Leigh Wolfe!

We’re also obsessed with the couple’s exquisite ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Danny Azoulay Ketubahs. In Ilyssa’s words, “The verbiage on our ketubah really resonated with us and the life we want to build together through Judaism. The verbiage ended with ‘Set me as a seal on your heart.’ I had this engraved on the inside of Nick’s wedding band, so we can always remember what our ketubah represents even on the hard days.” Awwww!

There’s so much more to say about this very special Jewish wedding – like, how great is it that instead of a wedding came Ilyssa and Nick opted for a midnight pizza bar?! – but we’ll let Ilyssa herself fill you in on the rest…

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How we Met

Ilyssa, the bride: It was your typical modern day romance… We met on Bumble in 2016. At the time, Nick was living in Atlanta while I finished my undergraduate degree in Athens at The University of Georgia. As we are both big beer fans, it was only natural that our first date was at an Atlanta brewery. After dating for 5 years Nick finally asked me to be his wife at the Cator Woolford Gardens in Atlanta, Georgia.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for a Romantic Outdoor Jewish Wedding Filled with Personal Touches at McCormick Home Ranch in Camarillo, California, USA

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We love it when a couple plans a Jewish wedding that’s totally, 100% THEM – and that’s exactly what today’s duo did. Juliet, who works in human resources at a technology company, and Michael, who runs his financial planning company, combined a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony with so many wonderful personal touches, and we are her for it!

One thing we adore is the way Juliet and Michael worked elements not part of a traditional Jewish ceremony into their day, both before and after the chuppah. During their first look pre-chuppah, the pair exchanged private vows, and then after the yichud room they did a private ring exchange.

During the chuppah itself, we love the way Juliet and Michael incorporated friends and family, by asking loved ones to do everything from covering them in Michael’s tallit to reading the signed Ketubah to saying the seven blessings, and more.

When it came time to choose a ketubah, the couple naturally wanted something that both kept to Jewish tradition while at the same time embodied their relationship. The found the perfect design on Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com, where they fell in love with “Sky Over Aquamarine Seas” by Hadass Gerson. Juliet and Michael included both Aramaic and English text and worked with Ketubah.com to get everything exactly how they envisioned. Don’t miss it in the beautiful photos by Jenny Smith and Co.!

There’s so much more to say about this fabulous wedding – we haven’t even touched on the exquisite floral chuppah, or Juliet’s ever-so-chic gown by Pronovias – but we’ll let the bride herself fill you in on the rest…


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How we Met

Juliet, the bride: We met as babies and grew up together as family friends all thanks to a lifelong friendship that our dads shared.

Our dads grew up together in Israel and after not seeing each other for years they reconnected after moving to Los Angeles, CA. It was as if no time had passed. Our families were inseparable with trips to the snow, backyard pool parties, and summer BBQs.

Our families happened to lose touch just as we were heading into our high school years. After not seeing each other for over 10 years, Michael recognized me at a local bar in Sherman Oaks, CA and the rest is history. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for a Glam Jewish Wedding on the Bosphorus at the Four Seasons, Istanbul, Turkey

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Ezgi and Benjamin, Four Seasons, Istanbul, Turkey

Today we’re so thrilled to be featuring Smashing The Glass’s first ever wedding in Turkey! And we couldn’t have asked for a better introduction than the fabulous Jewish wedding of Ezgi, an associate director of analytics, and Benjamin, a senior technical business development manager.

The couple, who live in NYC, are frequent visitors to Ezgi’s hometown of Istanbul – and for their big day, they wanted to showcase the city they love. And did they ever go all out! From their venue choice of the Four Seasons, where they were able to wed against the iconic backdrop of the Bosphorus, to  the way they incorporated elements of Turkish culture into their décor (not to mention their epic wedding welcome bags), to their exquisite custom invitations featuring Turkish motifs and a map of Istanbul, Ezgi and Benjamin left no detail unattended.

And we are totally and completely obsessed with their fabulous mirrored chuppah! Swathed in blue and white floral arrangements, reflecting the turquoise waters of the Bosphorus at sunset in the background – chuppahs don’t get much better than this! Don’t miss Puci Wedding Story’s exquisite photos.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll turn you over to Ezgi – who looked so glam in Pronovias – for the rest…

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How we Met

Ezgi, the bride: We met on campus at the University of Pennsylvania, where we both went to college. One lucky weekday night, we were both pulled into planning a midnight birthday party for one of our mutual friends. Benjamin walked into Ezgi’s dorm room with his big radiant smile and introduced himself.

As we started decorating the room for the birthday girl’s arrival and started chatting, Ezgi was really taken by his confidence, intellectual curiosity, and positive energy; she asked their mutual friends to set them up on a date. Benjamin had a good feeling about Ezgi as well; he thought she was beautiful even in the old lounge clothes she wore on the day they met, and could tell she was a kind soul only after spending a few hours with her. So he said yes. The rest is history.Continue ReadingContinue Reading