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A Jane Hill Bride for a Jewish Wedding at Mount Duneed Estate Winery in Geelong, Australia

04/02/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

A laid-back outdoor winery wedding with gorgeous scenery, epic party vibes, and some of the coolest wedding lawn games we’ve ever seen? Yes please!

Lauren and Marc, a doctor and a speech therapist, opted for giant chess, connect four, AND human snakes and ladders during their canapes — how fun is that?! And what a great way to keep kids (and, let’s be honest, adults too) entertained.

We’re also obsessed with the couple’s beautiful, colorful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor BRITcolors. We are huge fans of Britt’s work, and we’re totally not surprised that Lauren reports she was lovely to work with.

Oh, and did we mention that the couple’s parents — who just happen to be friends with each other — built their chuppah for them? So sweet.

Photographer Chris Kapa and videographer Anthony Spiteri of Videoboutique did an amazing job capturing all the fun and emotion of this fab day — don’t miss the wedding trailer!

We’ll let Lauren, who hit the perfect balance between laid-back and glam in her dress from Jane Hill Bridal, take it from here.

How we met

Lauren, the bride: We were introduced by mutual friends.

A Limor Rosen Bride for an Ashkenazi-Yemenite American-Israeli Jewish Wedding at Bayit Al Hayam in Jaffa, Israel

09/11/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

We are totally and completely obsessed with Stacey and Elkana’s GORGEOUS wedding at Bayit Al Hayam. The views of the Mediterranean are just BEYOND, and the Tel Aviv skyscape isn’t too shabby either. That perfect seaside chuppah is totally the stuff our wedding dreams are made of.

But don’t be fooled – even though the aesthetics of this fab day are totally contemporary, this couple packed a ton of tradition into their wedding too. Blending Stacey’s American Ashkenazi background with Elkana’s Israeli Mizrachi heritage was key during planning, and we’re in love with the results: the hora AND traditional Yemenite dances; music from both traditions (in addition to contemporary American and Israeli hits); a traditional (and super moving — don’t miss Roman Balashov’s exquisite photos) Mizrachi badeken in the aisle.

And lest you think good old America traditions were neglected, we love that these two planned a pre-wedding “Cake and Cocktails” night just for the Americans in attendance, featuring American-style wedding speeches, a heartfelt exchange of personal vows by the couple, and, of course, wedding cake! What a great way to incorporate some of these fun traditions that didn’t quite fit into the Israeli style of the wedding itself.

If you’re looking for some tips on how to plan a wedding that reflects you and your spouse-to-be, as well as this wedding reflects Stacey and Elkana, make sure you sign up to our FREE online event: ‘The secrets to an unforgettable Jewish wedding’ with our founder and editor, Karen, happening on Monday November 12. It’s going to be totally unmissable, with some really fantastic a-ha moments!

Okay, now we’ll hand you over to the bride, who could not possibly have looked any cooler in her boho-chic gown by Limor Rosen…

How we met

Stacey, the bride: From our wedding site:

“Elkana will tell you that the moment he met Stacey he knew he was going to marry her. For Stacey it was a love story that fell into place as she was planning to go back to Chicago. But something about Elkana was different, and she fell hard.

Fast forward to countless Euro trips, America adventures, swims in the Mediterranean, walks with Mack, cartons of Ben and Jerry’s, and Elkana got down on one knee to ask Stacey to spend the rest of her life with him.

The answer was easy, of course… this was the fairytale she only dreamed of. Our story is truly one from the books. It’s unique, it’s different, it’s two completely different worlds joining as one! Our wedding is not only a celebration of our commitment to spend the rest of our lives together, it is a time to bring together the most important people to us, in the most incredible city in the world, and share our lives with you and the love we share!”

A Rebecca Schoneveld Bride for a Super Stealth Surprise Jew-ish Wedding at Salvage One in Chicago, Illinois, USA

26/10/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

We’re totally obsessed with this super cool SURPRISE Jew-ish wedding. Ariel and George told guests they were throwing an engagement party, but it turns out the sneaky duo had actually planned a stealth wedding, just three months after getting engaged!

An hour into their “engagement” do, the pair slipped away and changed into their bridal attire while guests were ushered into a previously gated off area that just happened to contain the ceremony setup — chuppah and all!

Ariel, a renewable energy business developer, and George, a software developer, wanted to stay true to their own style in planning their big day — totally our kind of couple — and they knew a long engagement wasn’t for them.

They wanted a fantastic party to celebrate their love with their nearest and dearest, and that’s exactly what they got — once guests got over the shock, everyone seems to have had a pretty epic time, if the photos from Bill Shayaka of Eivan Photography are anything to go by.

Another way this cool couple made their big day totally them? Paperless invitations from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Greenvelope. Ariel and George loved that Greenvelope’s evites helped them keep their big day ecofriendly, not only by avoiding paper but also because Greenvelope donates to help preserve forests. What a great way to incorporate their dedication to the environment into the wedding!

Now over to Ariel, who looked so elegant in her classically bridal gown from Rebecca Schoneveld…

How We Met

Ariel, the bride: We met at a startup incubator that both our companies were out of. The incubator hosted happy hours regularly so the companies could network with each other. George saw Ariel from across the room and made it his goal to speak to her by the end of the night, and he accomplished that goal and so much more. We have both since moved out of that incubator, but that place will always be dear to both of us.Continue Reading

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for an Old New York Wedding at Cipriani 25 Broadway, New York City, USA

15/10/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

We are totally obsessed with today’s couple’s TREE CHUPPAH. With four carefully constructed “trees” — white roses lovingly hand-placed on each for the most beautiful blossoms – whose canopies meet at the top, it’s unlike any we’ve seen before. You don’t want to miss Brian Marcus’s glorious photos of it.

We’re also crazy about bride Alison’s mega-glam Monique Lhuillier dress, inspired by the wedding theme of old New York — we just love the simple, architectural lines and the hint of ‘40s glam. Such a perfect match for the vintage vibes.

Plus, Alison, a doctor and Michael, who works in finance, had a beautiful ketubah, brilliantly designed by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Stephanie Caplan of The Ketubah.

Oh, and Alison said the absolute sweetest things about what it was like listening to Michael’s wedding speech — we’re totally melting just reading it – sure you will be too…

How we met

Alison, the bride: We met on Jswipe in 2014.

A Nicole Bakti Bride for a Garden Glam Jewish Wedding with an Asymmetrical Chuppah at Sheraton Universal, Los Angeles, California, USA

17/09/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Gorgeous chuppah alert! We are completely obsessed with Tami and Phil’s asymmetrical chuppah, with sheer fabric draped over bamboo posts, and gorgeous garden flowers for extra wow factor. This chuppah is just so effortlessly elegant, and totally perfect for the couple’s Garden Glam-themed Jewish wedding.

It’s such a fantastic modern minimalist (but not too minimalist!) look. If you want a touch of florals but an ornate chuppah design isn’t your style, this is a beautiful inspiration.

It’s no wonder this day is full of fantastic touches like that: bride Tami is a co-owner of event planning and interior design business Side by Side Design (along with her twin sister!), so she knows a thing or two about planning a wedding. You won’t want to miss The Argus Image’s images of this one, from the dancing to the desserts.

We are also super touched that Tami reports she chose to submit her wedding to Smashing The Glass over other wedding blogs because she loves how we let couples tell their own wedding stories, and what a personal touch it gives. We’re totally blushing over here!

Before we turn things over to Tami, we want to mention that today is her and Phil’s first anniversary! Happy one year, guys!

How we met

Tami, the bride: He sent me a very “cheesy” pick up line on the Hinge app, and we met up for drinks and appetizers at Black Market a few days later. Some might say we should have met long before as we both grew up in the San Fernando Valley, both went to school in Arizona (rival schools), and know lots of people in common.

I knew he was a keeper when we were walking out of the bar on our first date to get our cars from the valet. There was a bit of debris (rocks and such) outside the front door as they were doing construction on the outside patio and my shoes (which I loved and did not want to get rid) had lost all traction. I slipped, and Phil caught me… the rest is history!