• About
  • Find a Vendor
  • Submit
  • Advertise
  • Brides Club
  • Your Jewish Life
  • Contact

Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

  • Real Jewish Weddings
    • City Chic
    • Fashion Forward
    • Outdoor
    • Destination
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • France
      • Beach Weddings
    • Super Luxe
    • Budget
    • DIY
    • Same Sex
  • Jew-ish Weddings
    • Real Jew-ish Weddings
    • Jewish-Catholic Weddings
    • Jewish-Chinese Weddings
    • Jewish-Christian Weddings
    • Jewish-Greek Weddings
    • Jewish-Hindu Weddings
    • Jewish-Humanist Weddings
    • Jewish-Irish Weddings
    • Jewish Japanese Weddings
    • Jewish-Muslim Weddings
    • Same Sex Jew-ish Weddings
  • Inspiration + Guidance
    • Engaged? Start Here
    • Ceremony
      • Chuppah ideas
      • Jewish ceremony music
      • Jewish wedding ceremony 101
      • Jewish ceremony traditions
      • Ketubah Ideas
      • Jewish wedding legalities
      • Jew-ish ceremony ideas
    • Reception
      • Music
      • Speeches
      • Entertainment
      • Venues
    • Food & Drink
      • Kosher catering
      • Wedding cakes
      • Drinks
    • Decor
      • Decorations
      • Favours
      • Floristry
      • Guestbooks
      • Stationery
    • Style
      • Brides dresses
      • Shoes & accessories
      • Grooms
      • Bridesmaids
    • Advice
      • Converting to Judaism
      • Real blogging brides
      • Dear Karen…
    • Honeymoons
    • STG Live
    • Five Minutes With
    • Wedding Must-Haves
    • Wedding Consultancy
  • Jewish Brides Club
  • Find a Wedding Vendor
Home > Rimonim Band

An Adili Studio Bride for an Enchanting Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Habustan, Gan Iruim Bcfar, Israel

14/10/2024 by Karen Cinnamon

Ellie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-Israel

We’re in love with the magical garden wedding of Ellie and David, both Australian olim in Israel. Filled with greenery, sparkling fairy lights, and sweet rustic touches, this outdoor wedding was nothing short of enchanting.

Ellie and David opted to DIY their stationery – which they loved working on together in the leadup to their Jewish wedding – and we’re obsessed with Ellie’s super cool dress by Adi Hirsch of Adili Studio in Modiin, Israel. The couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, captured the day so beautifully – and we’re not at all surprised to hear that he was a joy to work with from start to finish.

With both the bride and groom being from Australia, lots of friends and family members couldn’t make it to Israel to celebrate in person – and we love the duo’s clever workaround, in the form of a Whatsapp group! Ellie and David sent the link around to those who were unable to attend the wedding, and then on the day they had QR codes that guests could scan to join the group – along with instructions to record, film and photograph parts of the wedding to share to the group!

There’s so much more to say about this very special day – read on for the full story in Ellie’s own words…

 

Ellie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-Israel Ellie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-Israel Ellie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-Israel Ellie-and-David-Habustan-Gan-Iruim-Bcfar-Abu-Gosh-Israel
How We Met

Ellie, the bride: David and I are currently both students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. We went to the same school in Sydney, Australia, and in high school we were part of the same friend group, we became good friends and enjoyed hanging out together on school camps and at social events. In year 12 we started dating and soon after finishing school we went on the same gap year program to Israel with Bnei Akiva.

After outlasting all the relationships on our program, we both independently decided to make aliya and join the army. David served in Tzanchanim and I served in Search and Rescue. Despite the ongoing long distance when our off weekends weren’t in sync and when David returned to Australia to work, we managed to make it work. It only took us 5 years to understand that were made for each other and on a trip together to Australia in 2023, David proposed and the rest is history. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

A Mia Pava Bride for an Ultra-emotional Jewish Wedding Celebrating Joy at Ein Hemed, Jerusalem, Israel

11/12/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Orah-and-Josh-Ein-Hemed-Jerusalem-Israel

Orah and Josh, two olim who met and fell in love in Israel, planned a Jewish wedding that’s an absolute love letter to the country where they’ve built their life together – and also happens to contain some beautiful lessons about finding joy in tough times.

Orah tragically lost her mother the year prior to the wedding. Naturally, that made the leadup to the big day extra emotional. But since Orah’s mom was “all about simcha and joy,” and known for being a happy and positive person, the couple made a conscious effort to emulate those qualities. They focused on joy and love in the face of grief, planning the kind of day they knew Orah’s mom would be smiling down on every second of the way.

The couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, captured all the emotion of the day so beautifully – and Orah and Josh report he did a stellar job making them feel comfortable and open up to the camera. They also loved that he’s a native English speaker, which meant their families could easily communicate with him.

When it came to their ketubah, bride and groom had competing visions: Orah wanted flowers, while Josh wanted to highlight his favorite color, blue. In the end, the pair decided to mix both ideas by going for both blue rings – which not only met Josh’s criteria but also symbolized Israel – and flowers. They knew Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor BritColors was just the person to make their dreams a reality – and the couple loved working together with the Tel Aviv-based artist to create a unique piece of artwork.

There’s so much more to say about this gorgeous Israeli wedding – but we’ll leave it to Orah, who looked radiant in her gown by Israeli designer Mia Pava, to take it from here…

Orah-and-Josh-Ein-Hemed-Jerusalem-Israel   Orah-and-Josh-Ein-Hemed-Jerusalem-Israel Orah-and-Josh-Ein-Hemed-Jerusalem-Israel
How We Met

Orah, the bride: Josh, who had just made Aliyah, was brought to a kiddush through a mutual friend of the host. Which luckily enough turned out to be a best friend of Orah׳s. He saw her from the other side of the room with a smile that lit up the room but was too nervous to walk up and speak to her.

Two days later, after Orah had taken a COVID test at the health fund and was waiting for the bus, Josh just happened to be there too and still couldn’t work up the courage to speak to her, and she was whisked away worried that awkward guy would find her again. Seemingly you’d think losing out but as it turned out she did have Corona!

Fast forward a few months after recovering from COVID, Orah was at a Shabbat lunch with her Ulpan friends. Josh had just finished a call shift at the hospital and was bored so he crashed the meal. In his total lack of sleep he worked up the courage to speak to Orah, and after falling asleep next to her on that couch he couldn’t imagine falling asleep next to anyone else.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

A Mika Bridal Bride for a Joyful Jewish Wedding in Blue at Citrus, Even Yehuda, Israel

17/07/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Keren and Raanan, Citrus Even Yehuda, Israel

Jewish weddings are all about the joy… and in today’s gorgeous feature, each and every image positively exudes emotion. Keren and Raanan, both currently studying Nutritional Science at Ariel University in Israel, kept their focus firmly on love and good vibes – and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman Photography captured it all so perfectly!

In Keren’s words, “After seeing Herschel’s work, we absolutely loved how he captures a couple, and how every detail in every picture is noticed. He has a very calming persona and is exactly who we wanted and needed around on this crazy day.” Doesn’t get much better than that!

There’s so much more to say about this wonderful wedding – like how Keren and Raanan kept the rain on their big day from getting to them, all the involvement from talented friends and family, and fun nods to the bride’s South African heritage – but we’ll turn you over to Keren for the rest…

Keren and Raanan, Citrus Even Yehuda, Israel Keren and Raanan, Citrus Even Yehuda, Israel
How We Met

Keren, the bride: We are both currently studying Nutritional Science at Ariel University. We started studying during Corona, so all our classes were on zoom. At the end of the first semester, a mutual friend who is also studying with us organised a small hangout of the English speakers in our degree and this is where we met. This hang out also happened to take place at my house. So whenever anybody asks where we met, the answer is “at my house.” Shortly after that we started hanging out and talking a lot more, until we started dating about 2 months later. 

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

A Dorit Izbizki Bride for a Pandemic Jewish Wedding at Xanadu, Petach Tikva, Israel

23/05/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

Eliana-Pinny-Xanadu-Petach-Tikva-Israel

When they first started planning their wedding, Eliana and Pinny, both Americans who made aliyah on their own, put a premium on choosing a date that would allow their parents and siblings to fly in for the simcha.

However, the Omicron variant had other plans, and the week before the wedding, Israel shut its borders – even to first-degree relatives. As devastating as it was for the couple to accept that so many important family members wouldn’t be able to make it, they decided to forge on – and despite the sadness that comes with being far away from loved ones (though Eliana and Pinny did find some clever ways for their long-distance siblings to participate via Zoom!), the pair pulled off a truly amazing day. And that was largely thanks to the incredible network they’ve grown in their time in Israel – so much so that, even with international guests out of the picture, they still had a 300-person wedding!

Lucky for Eliana and Pinny, one key VIP who was able to make it was their photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman Photography. From the moment they got engaged, these two knew Herschel was the only photographer for them – so much so that, in Eliana’s words, “I wouldn’t have considered a date that we couldn’t have had Herschel Gutman as our photographer!” And Herschel and his team didn’t disappoint – in addition to being a total delight to work with on the day, they also did an incredible job capturing all the emotion and energy of this very special day.

There’s so much more we could say about this wonderful Jewish wedding, but we’ll leave it to the bride – who looked radiant in Dorit Izbizki – to fill you in on the details…

Eliana-Pinny-Xanadu-Petach-Tikva-Israel Eliana-Pinny-Xanadu-Petach-Tikva-Israel Eliana-Pinny-Xanadu-Petach-Tikva-Israel Eliana-Pinny-Xanadu-Petach-Tikva-Israel
How we Met

Eliana, the bride: Mine and Pinny’s older sisters, Shosh and Yael, have been friends for years now. Ever since I moved to Israel, 2 years after Pinny did, my sister has been saying “You have got to go out with Shosh’s little brother!” For years though the timing was never right. He’s in his fourth year of the army, and I just began law school. Finally, last May, my sister brought up his name again and we both said yes.

The day after his first text to me we went out on our first date… and we just clicked right away. Six months later, on my 21st birthday, he proposed!

After our engagement, with both of our parents and most of our siblings living in America, it was important to choose a date that everyone would be able to fly in and share in the simcha! (We had no idea of the impending omicron variant…at the time, it really seemed like we arrived at the light at the end of the tunnel with the third vaccine open for everyone in both Israel and America.) We then chose a date in December that would be the last time all of our siblings can fly in for a while, with that said, we had a pretty short engagement.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

A Rustic Israeli Jewish Wedding at Ein Yael, Jerusalem, Israel

25/10/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

Dana & Chaim, Ein Yael, Jerusalem

There’s nothing like a good outdoor Jewish wedding. And we’re especially in love with the one Dana, a graduate student in linguistics at Hebrew University, and Chaim, a lawyer, pulled off – no matter that their initial decision to opt for an open air affair was driven by COVID restrictions.

Luckily, Israel is chock full of stunning outdoor venues – and we’re obsessed with Dana and Chaim’s choice of Ein Yael, a breathtaking archaeological park right next to a forest and packed with Jerusalem stone, history and lots of nature. The rustic, outdoorsy vibe was perfect for their day – aside from a few carefully placed flowers, the pair opted to let the natural beauty speak for itself rather than laying on the décor.

And, as always, we’re totally and completely in love with the couple’s exquisite photos from the amazing Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman. Herschel is such a popular photographer among STG couples getting married in Israel – and between his incredible talent and calming presence on the day, it’s easy to see why! Don’t miss the couple’s post-wedding Old City photoshoot, either – Herschel got some positively magical shots of the newlyweds wandering around Yemin Moshe at 2 AM!

Now over to the couple…

Dana & Chaim, Ein Yael, Jerusalem Dana & Chaim, Ein Yael, Jerusalem Dana & Chaim, Ein Yael, Jerusalem Dana & Chaim, Ein Yael, Jerusalem
How we met

Dana, the bride: Her version: A mutual friend

His version: I had just gotten back from a 6+ month trip to South America and wasn’t yet looking for a serious relationship. Finding a new job and getting settled again were priorities for me. But then again, man plans and God laughs…

A friend messaged me with a “random question”, which translates to “are you seeing anyone?” when you’re a single religious guy in Jerusalem between the ages of 23 and still alive.

I told my friend that I wasn’t really looking at the moment, but was happy to hear about her friend and maybe grab drinks. She told me about Dana and I was obviously immediately interested. After a few more messages my friend came back with “I know you’re taking it slow, but don’t drag this out… like she knows you have her number”. Great.

So I called her.

“Ken?! MAH?!” (yeah?! WHAT?!)

“Uh, hi…it’s Chaim. Ariella gave me your number….?”

“Oh, uh, hi!”

Apparently I was tenth in line after nine straight spam calls. Not exactly the smooth start I was looking for, but we then spoke for a good few minutes, had some laughs and I asked her out to drinks. That was almost three years ago, and it was the best intro call I’ve ever made.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Jewish Weddings by Country

Vendors We Love

Weddings by Colour


Awesome Jewish Gifts

Vendors We Love

Get posts directly into your inbox

Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

Monica Vinader
Liberty London
Kate Spade UK Limited
Mr And Mrs Smith Honeymoons

Today’s Top Posts

  • A Sareh Nouri Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, NYC, New York, USA
    A Sareh Nouri Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, NYC, New York, USA
  • A guide to the Jewish Wedding Ceremony and Order of Service under the chuppah
    A guide to the Jewish Wedding Ceremony and Order of Service under the chuppah
  • Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained - Breaking The Glass
    Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained - Breaking The Glass
  • Dates in 2025, 2026 and 2027 to avoid for a Jewish wedding plus a 12 Month Wedding Planning Monthly Checklist
    Dates in 2025, 2026 and 2027 to avoid for a Jewish wedding plus a 12 Month Wedding Planning Monthly Checklist
  • The Tisch – Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained #3
    The Tisch – Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained #3

Subscribe by Email

Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

closeJoin our members-only community for Jewish brides!

All content © Smashing The Glass 2025