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A Paolo Sebastian Bride for a Whimsical Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Farmington, Pennsylvania, USA

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Jewish wedding Kentuck Knob, Farmington, Pennsylvania, USA_0029
We do love a whimsical, woodland Jewish wedding – there’s nothing quite like an outdoor ceremony set against a striking, natural backdrop — and we ADORE the origin story of today’s beautifully embroidered chuppah. We won’t ruin it for you, but make sure you check it out, because it’s absolutely wonderful!

Lena and Jacob met when she was hired to design the typography for a book that architect Jacob’s work was featured in. Realizing they attended the same college, she reached out to him on Facebook and the rest, as they say, is history. How romantic is that?

Lena also looked SO luxe and lovely in her stuff-of-dreams Paolo Sebastian gown, which fit her like a glove! Seriously, even if you’re already married, it’s a dress worthy of planning a whole second wedding around!

The gorgeous photography was provided by Steven Dray Images, please do feel free to feast your eyes on the spread of images, as well as Lena’s fabulous writeup. Enjoy! 

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How we met

Lena, the bride: We met when I was hired to design the typography for a book called “Encoding Architecture” that his work was being published in.

When I was putting his work into the book, I realized that we went to the same college and I reached out to him through Facebook. I said something to him like, “You don’t know me, but I am the designer for that book your work is going to be in.” We met up, and the rest was history.
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A Ralph Lauren AND Gucci Bride for a Surprise Jewish Wedding at Alto, Melbourne, Australia

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Alto Hotel on Bourke, Melbourne, Australia
Imagine being at what you thought was an engagement party, when suddenly a dramatic reveal changes everything!

That’s exactly what happened to the 200 guests at Susannah and Jeremy’s cocktail evening, when, a little way into the evening, the lights fell, save for a single spotlight on three female electric violinists playing a rock melody in front of a gold kabuki curtain, which dropped revealing the chuppah, Rabbi and groom. A surprise Jewish wedding!

Property developer Jeremy and jewelry designer and CEO of global jewelry brand, Fairley (check it out – seriously gorgeous stuff), had their super luxe, contemporary and elegant cocktail party surprise wedding overlooking the twinkling Melbourne skyline at gorgeous rooftop venue, Alto.

Bride Susannah’s ‘night to night’ look saw her change from a sophisticated Ralph Lauren little black dress to a stunning Gucci wedding dress. We don’t know about you guys, but we’re having serious wardrobe envy. 

Groom Jeremy had one more surprise up his sleeve – a heartfelt serenade for his beautiful bride. Someone pass the tissues, we think we have something in our eye!

Of course, a celebration this elaborate requires a truly expert hand when it comes to capturing the magic. Our sensational Recommended Vendor, photographer Jeremy Blode, is responsible for the breathtaking images below. 

We’ll hand you over to Jeremy, the groom, for his writeup of how the day unfolded. We hope you love gushing over this wedding feast for the eyes as much as we did!

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A dreamy rooftop venue

Jeremy, the groom: We chose to get married at Alto in the Melbourne CBD. The venue has an amazing rooftop deck, which showcases Melbourne in lights at night. The configuration of the room perfectly allowed for both the Chuppah ceremony and party afterwards. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A destination Jewish wedding full of creativity, symbolism, and meaning at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, Arizona, USA

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I have a delicious destination wedding to share with you today, written by Smashing The Glass reader, Mike (yes, I’m proud to say that a plethora of grooms read and love STG too!). He’s written a beautifully detailed account of his marriage to Michal, and his report is LONG, there’s no denying it but it’s well worth a read.

Mike and Michal were invested in the meaning, the spirit, and the energy of the wedding weekend as opposed to the decor (although there are plenty of cool creative details too) so there are many ‘planning nuggets’ and some really great advice throughout.

Their wedding theme was simply ‘us’, and it’s clear to see that they threw themselves into every facet of their wedding (and by their own admission, Mike was more your “typical bride” than your “typical guy”!). Whether it was their late-night welcome bag Photoshop design session, the 10-page ceremony program explaining each aspect and its personal meaning (LOVE this), or the endless communication with their talented Ketubah artist in Israel, everything was their unique creation. Even Michal’s engagement ring was meticulously designed by Mike using family heirlooms, with every detail of the ring telling a story.

At the end of their wedding weekend, as guests headed home, they left Michal and Mike with two of the greatest compliments they could have asked for – “that was the most meaningful wedding I’ve ever attended”, and “I’m only going to Jewish weddings from here on out…”

Now d’you see why this Jewish wedding is a must-read? With thanks to Trevor Dayley Photography for capturing all the memories so beautifully… Enjoy!

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Choosing to get married in Arizona

Mike, the Groom: Being two Canadians living in San Francisco, with family and friends dispersed around the globe, we quickly learned there was no “local” option for our wedding. Whether we wed in Michal’s hometown of Toronto, or in the place we now called home, San Francisco, 80% of our guests would be flying in.

Once the reality set in that our wedding was going to be a destination wedding no matter what, we embraced it and broadened our search, keeping in mind somewhere that would be easy to fly to and that was family friendly. We had both always dreamed of getting married outdoors, and the 299 days of sunshine in Arizona seemed a good bet.

We had visited Fairmont Scottsdale Princess together a year before, and Michal had visited many times prior – once with her parents, once with her best friend, and once for a surprise proposal for another close friend; the place held a special place in her heart, and once our search wasn’t limited to Toronto and San Francisco any longer, I think she secretly knew – or at least hoped – this is where we would get married.

There is something magical about Fairmont Scottsdale Princess – the grounds are set up in such a way that really make it the perfect place for a wedding weekend, where friends and family can come together as a community for a simcha, and really enjoy each other’s company. Michal always wanted a wedding “weekend” where we could together celebrate the lead up to our wedding day and have quality time with all of our guests, and the idea of everyone being fully present and focused on the simcha – everyone essentially on vacation together – was the best arrangement to set the tone of togetherness.

Fairmont Scottsdale Princess made our wedding the best weekend with all of our loved ones, and it was extra meaningful as it was somewhere we knew could come back for years in the future, to celebrate anniversaries, and someday bring our kids to show them to place we got married.

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A Hayley Paige bride for a ‘seashore & sequins’ Jewish wedding on the beach at Sandpearl Resort, Clearwater Beach, Florida, USA

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Think coastal, think sparkly, think utterly gorgeous.

That’s Amanda and David’s day. These two wanted a casual beach look and a formal black-tie feel so they mixed the two together, and you know what? It just works! When you’re contemplating a theme for your wedding you should never feel restricted by the ‘should’s or what’s perceived to be the done thing. Anything goes as long as it’s 100% you…

Amanda grew up in a small beach town and had always dreamed of a wedding on the seafront, but once she’d set her sights upon a statement wedding gown (and when I say ‘statement’ I mean a vision of sophisticated sparkle with a generous dose of modern frou frou) she took that dream, added in sequins and a ball gown, and turned a casual beach wedding into a super chic formal beach affair.

It’s all just so fabulous and full of shimmery, sparkly fun — there are golden flamingoes, a chuppah at sunset, sparkly Kate Spade KEDS, glittery tablecloths and a gourmet popcorn bar!

And if you’re looking for sparkly bridesmaid’s dress inspiration then Amanda’s choice of gown for her girls will definitely give you a touch of the green eyed monster…

On a different note, I must also mention that Amanda carried the most beautiful memory locket in her bouquet to honour her father who tragically passed away in 2013. This is the most touching and creative idea for carrying the memory of a loved one down the aisle — you must take a look.

Finally, don’t miss Amanda’s ‘How We Met’ story below. Her and David met online on JDate and she describes it all so wonderfully. Amanda and David are one of several JDate couples I’ve had the pleasure of featuring on the blog (I love hearing the myriad of different ways of how couples meet so I always ask them!)

Stay tuned to view all the fabulous images by Donna Von Bruening and the oh so romantic video by Rad Red Creative. You’re going to go crazy for it all.

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How we met

David’s dad had first created his JDate account in hope that he would meet a nice Jewish girl. After comical dates on other dating sites, he gave JDate a shot and sent me a brief message. My mum was very convincing of the fact that I should try online dating, and even bought me a few books about the subject that she had pre-read, highlighted and sticky tabbed. I created a profile on JDate (while living in Alabama) since I was in the process of moving back to Florida and knew quite a few sorority sisters that met their husbands on the site.

Little did I know that I would be living less than a mile away from my future husband, and we didn’t even know it. On October 3, 2014 we met in person and had our first real date. A date that started as a quick lunch while my car was in the shop, turned into an all day adventure on the lake and lasting until dinner.  After our lunch at Panera discussing our education and work history, we went out on a nearby lake on David’s jet-ski. When David was pulling the ski back on the trailer, I caught a glance of him in the rear-view mirror, at that moment I knew that I could see myself marrying David. I also believe in signs and how the universe communicates its message to you. When we were in David’s car I glanced at the Jeep dashboard and it said “Since 1941,” this struck me as such a coincidence- my dad was born in 1941 and had an antique car with the license plate “It’s a 41.” My dad had passed away in 2013 from a quick diagnosis of cancer. I knew this was his way of telling me, he’s something special. We instantly clicked and knew that this was the real deal. I called my mum early the next morning and told her “he’s perfect, I know I’m going to marry him.” Little did I know, David had called his parents and told them the same thing.

Our connection grew quickly and easily turning into love. JDate connected two people that were meant to be together when they otherwise never would have crossed paths. On February 15, 2015 David planned a brunch to gather our families together. After brunch on a clear blue sky day, David proposed with a gorgeous ring inside a box of chocolates. He even made sure my nails were painted that day, an important detail that he took note of.

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Ava & Josh | Super-glam Art Deco inspired Jewish wedding at 501 Union, Brooklyn, New York City, USA

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Sometimes New Yorkers just reach a level of perfection mere mortals can only imagine. This is one of those instances. Ava and Josh married in the 501 Union space in Brooklyn and theirs is an Art Deco-inspired day, serving the associated glamour, luxury and exuberance in spades. It’s stylish and polished beyond belief, yet family and their own union remains as the focal point throughout.

As an event producer, it was no surprise that the Ava, the bride, decided to orchestrate the entire day herself. In her own words, Ava ‘liked the idea of balancing organic, lush greenery and florals with fancy champagne towers and glamour golds’ — Let’s face it, this is not a run of the mill bride here — this lady knows her stuff.

And of course Ava was spot on – the organic and the glitz do work spectacularly together — diametrically opposed but so complementary. Have a look at the family style dinner amidst glamorous palms and champagne towers. The simple chuppah (incorporating her father’s tallit) and the beautiful hanging florals in the ceremony room and then, in the evening, guests partied under a gold ticker tape/snow globe effect on the dance floor.

In fact, I’m going to have to track down one of those industrial gold confetti machines, I’m not sure I can celebrate my next birthday without it. How did I not know they existed?!

While I’m at it, I might have to pinch Ava and Josh’s leaving gift ideas too — bagged coffee, late night snacks and Berocca. How super cool is that!

Ava and Josh found their photographer by browsing various wedding blogs — that’s why I love STG — I get a chance to showcase the works of the most amazing photographers and you have the opportunity to reach out and snap them up for yourselves!

Check out Kelly Kollar Photography’s photos below – and remember Ava and Josh are a very discerning couple! gold confetti weddinggold confetti wedding
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