Ran Bergman Photography Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Smashing the Glass

A Lee Petra Grebenau Bride for a Super Luxe Jewish Wedding with a Performance by THE Gipsy Kings at David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem, Israel

26/02/2018 by Karen

Today’s super luxe Jewish wedding contained plenty of surprises, from the astounding floral arrangements throughout the reception to the insanely gorgeous chuppah, the violinists during cocktail hour to Moshe Peretz and the ACTUAL Gipsy Kings playing the reception!

The couple chose to have a religious ceremony, conducted by none other than the Chief Rabbi of Israel, in Jerusalem, originally home to bride Natalie. Careful nods to their faith were included throughout the celebration, honoring the history and atmosphere of the incredible surroundings.

Beautiful bride Natalie looked a million bucks in her TWO(!) divine, sexy and gorgeous Lee Petra Grebenau gowns, with a see-through leg and gorgeous illusion embellishments. We. Are. In. Love!

Wedding planner and florist, Kby Design, created an incredible aesthetic, as you can see from the beautiful spread of images below from none other than our fabulous Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, the one and only Ran Bergman.

This is the kind of divine big day that can only really be described through the medium of pictures, so we’ll now pass you over to Ran and to Natalie for the full story.

How we met

Natalie, the bride: We met on Rosh Hashana three years ago at a mutual friend’s house.

A Pnina Tornai Bride for a Family-Oriented Jewish Wedding with a Stunning Chuppah at Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

26/01/2018 by Karen

Brothers Alexander and Jason chose to have their weddings back to back in Israel, so it was only fitting that we should feature their weddings back to back on Smashing The Glass! Jason and Nicole’s big day went live on Wednesday – and Melissa and Alexander’s is featured right now – today!

The decision was made to have the two Jewish weddings in quick succession as the brothers shared many guests and wanted to ensure that they didn’t have to fly to Israel twice. We love that the two brothers shared in each other’s joy in that way – for Jason and Alexander, it really as all about family.

As well as sharing guests, the pair shared an incredible photographer and DJ, but we’ll get to that….

We love the whole aesthetic of this stunning Israeli big day. From the couple’s fashion-forward and elegant outfit choices (that Pnina Tornai dress, though – serious wedding dress envy) to the magnificent floral chuppah, put together by the genius KBY Designs.

We also think the children’s choir is such a moving, and seriously adorable idea – so original and cute!

Melissa and Alexander’s impeccable taste extended, of course, to their choice of photographer Ran Bergman, who we absolutely adore, for reasons which will become obvious as you scroll through his divine set of pictures. We love this wedding!

An Israeli destination venue

Melissa and Alexander were married at Al Hayam in Caesarea.

A Magical and Romantic Destination Jewish Wedding at Bait Al Hayam, Tel Aviv, Israel

24/01/2018 by Karen

What would you do if, at the last minute, your ceremony venue fell through? That’s the scenario that Nicole and Jason found themselves facing. But instead of giving up, the resilient pair recreated their original choice, bringing the amphitheatre they had originally wanted to them. This resourcefulness in the face of a challenge truly shows how ready they are for anything life might throw at them.

It also shows that they had an absolute genius of a planner to bring the whole production together – KBY Designs. Honestly, we are in awe.

New York couple, Nicole and Jason chose to have their Jewish wedding day in Israel, just days away from the groom’s brother’s wedding (Melissa and Alexander’s amazing wedding will be published here on Friday!). Having the two weddings back to back meant that overlapping guests could extend their stay and save on time and money travelling back and forward. What a wonderful idea and such happy time for the family!

The two couples even shared a DJ and a photographer – and given that their photographer was none other than incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, the one and only Ran Bergman. His incredible spread of images really captures the magic of the day.

There’s so much to love about this extraordinarily moving wedding – we especially adore the way that Nicole describes the ceremony. It sounded absolutely spine-chilling, and everything you would want a ceremony to be.

Bride Nicole chose a stunning Amsale gown, with features reminiscent of Kate Middleton’s iconic gown. She is also a freelance writer in her spare time, which is evident in her fabulous writeup below, so without further ado, please welcome Nicole to fill you in on her and Jason’s wedding planning story.

How we met

Nicole, the bride: We met through a mutual friend (the groom’s stepbrother) in Miami, but a lot of people, specifically the stepfather, like to argue on who gets credit for the match.

Both born and bred in New York, Jason is from Manhattan and I grew up in Great Neck, Long Island. After Jason’s internship ended in Shanghai, he moved to Miami to continue his hospitality career while I went to pursue my Master’s degree at the University of Miami for Print Journalism.

We officially met in 2011 and started out as friends (and…co-workers, scandalous!). After a wild night in South Beach (June 25, 2012), we admitted our chemistry was undeniable. I paid a toll by sealing the night with a kiss — an inside joke for us and now, the family – the rest was history.

After a long, romantic night filled with teasing and guessing, Jason popped the question in our Miami Beach home on December 18, 2015. A week after, we celebrated our engagement on holiday in San Francisco.

After five years together, we got married in Tel Aviv on June 29, 2017 (just four days away from our dating anniversary).

Continue Reading

An Epic Alice in Wonderland-themed Jewish Forest Wedding in Israel

05/07/2017 by Karen Cinnamon

What happens when two event planners get married? Only the most epic Alice in Wonderland-themed wedding of all time. No, seriously, not to go all Kanye on you, but of all time.

Bride Lihi has always loved Alice in Wonderland, with the story following her throughout key points of her life. So, naturally, when it came to marrying fellow event designer Ido, the pair began planning out how to bring the book to life with immaculate attention to detail.

From the stunning forest venue to the astounding floral china centrepieces, the abundance of colorful flowers (assembled by a team of ten florists!) and props to the actors who, in full costume, interacted with the guests, the wedding was just like stepping into the classic novel.

Let’s take a second to talk about Lihi’s show-stopping Zahavit Tshuba dress, with its lace top and tulle skirt – the absolute definition of Israeli chic, with all of the boldness and personality that we adore in Israeli brides.

The day, with its quirky and original paper flower chuppah, was beautifully shot by our dear friend and much-loved STG Recommended Vendor, Ran Bergman. Thank goodness, as this was truly worth preserving!

We’ll leave you now with the amazing images and Lihi’s account of her and Ido’s magical wedding day. Take it away, Lihi…

How we met

Lihi, the bride: We met through mutual friends, who decided to matchmake us.

A breathtaking beachside Jewish wedding with a Victor Vivi Balaish bride and a performance by Rami Kleinstein at Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

31/03/2017 by Karen

At STG, we’re always up for an epic Israeli wedding, and today’s stunning celebration genuinely looks like it has been stolen straight from Pinterest and magically transformed into reality.

There are a few familiar suppliers. The idyllic venue, Al Hayam, has graced the STG pages twice before, and the photographer is one of our much-loved Smashing Suppliers, Ran Bergman, who we absolutely and unequivocally adore. No wonder the photography is simply outstanding!

The couple, Lior and Re’em, also happened to be closely related to Israeli megastar singer and producer, Rami Kleinstein (yes, the Rami Kleinstein), and he not only led the kabbalat shabbat ceremony (as the wedding fell on a Friday the two ceremonies were combined), but even did a few numbers from his own repertoire. Now, don’t you wish you’d been there?

Not only was the wedding picture perfect (a Chuppah overlooking the beach followed by a party in Gan Gili – what more could anyone want from an Israeli wedding?) but what a beautiful couple! Let’s just say the cumulative effect of the destination, the gobsmackingly gorgeous bride and groom and the obviously electric atmosphere is extremely easy on the eyes.

Oh, and the wedding had a bar in a pool. We’re not jealous, you’re jealous.

I’ll hand over to beautiful bride, Lior, to tell you all about her and Re’em’s perfect day.

A wedding with two styles

Elki Jacobs designed the wedding in two completely different styles. Lunch and a chuppah in a Mediterranean style in blue and white. For the afterparty they created a cool chic club ambience.. all overlooking the Mediterranean sea.