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A Monique Lhuillier Bride for a Neon Jungle Jewish Wedding at the Mandarin Oriental, New York, New York, USA

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We are totally obsessed with the neon jungle theme Jessica and Brant chose for their Jewish wedding – it was just the most perfect way to bring the vibe of the tropical destination wedding the couple initially hoped for to their hometown of New York City, where they ended up marrying to keep the big day accessible to their friends and family.

Bride Jessica says she knew from the moment she got engaged she wanted her wedding to be unique, and did she ever pull it off! With bright colors galore, plenty of palms, a tequila bar, neon signs, and so many more Instagramable touches than we even have room to list here, it’s safe to say she achieved her goal of making her guests feel as if they were transported to the chicest jungle. Don’t miss the photos from The Day by Nathan Smith.

Obviously their stunning chuppah was the pinnacle of jungle chic, and we love that, wanting to get the maximum enjoyment out of it, Jessica and Brant opted to repurpose it for the party, displaying their gorgeous cake and a cool neon sign under it.

But don’t let the fab aesthetics make you think these two skimped on the ceremony – far from it. They made it a priority to honor their late grandparents – they used Brant’s grandfather’s tallit under the chuppah, and Jessica’s wedding band originally belonged to her great-great-grandmother (and has been used by all of the women in her family ever since!) – and even got their dog involved with a walk down the aisle. They made it a priority to find a beautiful ketubah that could serve as a cherished piece of art in their home, and opted for a totally stunning paper cut design from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Danny Azoulay.

We’ll let Jessica – who looked stunning in Monique Lhuillier – fill you in on the rest…


A New York Wedding

Jessica, the bride: We got married at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City. Brant and I always thought about having a warm climate destination wedding, and we looked almost everywhere. However, after a few months of looking, and keeping friends and family in mind, we thought Manhattan (our hometown) would be the best and easiest. Me being born and bred in Manhattan, and Brant growing up on Long Island, the city was our perfect destination. When we walked into the Mandarin ballroom for the first time and looked out those huge windows to see Central Park and the city skyline, it took our breath away.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for a Glam Jewish Wedding at The Pierre Hotel, NYC, USA

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We love it when a couple lets the location of their Jewish wedding inspire their choices for the big day. And today’s wonderful couple, Jessica and Jonathan, did just that. First off, they chose NYC’s iconic The Pierre Hotel as their venue, and let the city chic vibes set the stage for their aesthetic.

Then there’s the swoon-worthy portrait session in Central Park with Nate from The Day capturing the glorious scenery (not to mention the glam couple!) photographically and Reuben Hernandez from The Day on video.

Jessica and Jonathan even made “best of NYC” welcome picnic baskets for their out-of-town guests, filled with favorites like Le Colombe coffee, rosé wine, Murray’s cheese snacks, and black and white cookies.

And while this has nothing to do with NYC, we love how they had their orchestra arrange customized music for each person walking down the aisle, to evoke their meaning to the couple, or a special memory. So special!

We’ll let Jessica, who looked stunning in her soft, romantic Monique Lhullier gown, fill you in on

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The Pierre

Jessica, the bride: We got married at The Pierre Hotel in New York City. We are both originally east coasters with the majority of our family living in New York and Connecticut so figured NYC was not only logistically easiest but we also loved the idea of getting married in the city we call home.

We chose The Pierre as the venue because Jessica’s grandfather always said it’s the best and papa knows best! Also, we love the French flair of the hotel and even though it is an iconic New York City hotel, it very much felt like a private, intimate venue.

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An Isabelle Armstrong Bride for a Jewish Wedding with Killer Manhattan Views and an Orchid Chuppah at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, New York, New York, USA

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There are no words for how obsessed we are with epic orchid chuppah. With lucite columns draped in strands of gorgeous flowers, it’s just SO dreamy. And don’t even get us started on the backdrop of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.

It doesn’t get much more quintessentially NYC than the Jewish wedding of Vlada, who works in corporate banking, and Joshua, a corporate and bankruptcy litigation attorney (#2beepst). Between their venue — high atop the landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel — their magnificent New York skyline cake by none other than Ron Ben Israel, and the bride’s Isabelle Armstrong dress purchased from Kleinfeld.The couple even had a wedding announcement in the New York Times!

It wouldn’t be the ultimate NYC wedding without a touch of celebrity, and Kevin Osborne Band from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Hank Lane provided that and then some — Kevin is a backup singer for Billy Joel, in addition to being an awesome band leader in his own right.

Felix from Fred Marcus captured all the glam details and jawdropping views with aplomb, and Frank Ahn from Frank Ahn Films recorded the emotion of the day so well.

Okay, now over to the bride…

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How We Met

Vlada, the bride: We were introduced by a mutual family rabbi named Joseph Potasnik.

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’Smashing Summit’ Full Replay Featuring Mindy Weiss, Monique Lhuillier, Ron Ben-Israel, Galia Lahav’s Chief Designer and many more!

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Seriously, how AMAZING was January’s Smashing Summit?

Four hours worth of wedding industry superstars (we’re talking Mindy Weiss, Monique Lhuillier, Ron Ben-Israel, Galia Lahav‘s Chief Designer, Duke Photography, Bruce Russell, Blake Ezra, Food Story, and host of other icons expertly  answering ALL your Jewish (and Jew-ish) wedding questions.

The Summit celebrated our brand new (and already very in demand!) Members Club where brides save time, save money (hello 10% vendor discount!), get matched with their perfect wedding vendors, receive the coolest Smash Glass Pouch ever, AND get advised directly by me and a community of sophisticated fellow brides

 

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Talking with Bruce Russell about ‘How to create a wedding that reflects who you are and what is important to you’ at the Smashing Summit Smashing Summit Smashing The Glass
Showing off the Smash Glass Pouch at the Smashing Summit! Smashing The Glass Smashing Summit Real Bride and Groom, Caroline and Robbie (and Bruce Russell in the background!) enjoying the music of Jonny Mosesson at the Summit

We’ve got the full Summit, in one 4 hour block, ready and waiting for you in the video at the top of the post, (and fully itemised at the foot of the post if you want to skip to your favorite bit!).Continue ReadingContinue Reading

5 Minutes with… Ron Ben Israel – One Of The Best Wedding Cake Designers in the World

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Ron Ben Israel Wedding Cakes
Today is beyond exciting for the team here at Smashing The Glass, as not only are we kicking off our exciting new “Five Minutes with…” series where the Jewish wedding industry’s top movers and shakers answer quick-fire questions, but we’re starting the series with a BANG (which is the understatement of the year!).

First up in our STG hot seat is none other than the Ron Ben Israel, arguably the finest wedding and special occasion cake designer in the world.

Not only is he the chief-owner of Ron Ben-Israel Cakes in New York City, but from 2011 – 2013, he also hosted the cooking competition TV show Sweet Genius, and he is currently a judge on Food Network’s Cake Wars.

Ron was born in Israel, before making the Big Apple his home. Having changed paths after a fifteen-year professional modern dance career (uh… is there anything he can’t do?), he was led to the Big Apple, where, in 1996, his cakes were discovered while on display in the windows of Mikimoto on Fifth Avenue and commissions quickly followed from Villeroy & Boch, Baccarat, DeBeers, Bloomingdales and Bergdorf Goodman.


In addition to his cakes gracing many of New York City’s most fabulous hotels and venues, they have also have been featured in The New York Times, In Style, Vogue Magazine and Martha Stewart Weddings, with which Ron has collaborated extensively for over 20 years.

Oh, and his epic successes have been chronicled on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Top Chef, Just Desserts, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Martha Stewart Show.

We could talk all day about Ron’s incredible career, but we’re quite sure at this point that you’d rather hear from him! All we’ll say is we are extremely fortunate and honored to host Ron on the STG pages, we’re in LOVE with his epic, sugar-paste flower adorned designs (get your fingers on that Pinning button, guys) and we’re very sure you’ll all enjoy reading his quick-fire interview as much as we did!

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