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A BHLDN Bride for a Desert Jewish Wedding at La Quinta Resort, California, USA

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Here at Team STG, we love a good desert Jewish wedding… and even better when it’s a full-on wedding weekend full of sun, palm trees, and mountain views for days. So naturally we’re pretty obsessed with our Brides Club member Darah Wagner Boaz’s wedding to groom Jonathan (aka Yoni).

Darah, a television producer and certified coach, and Yoni, director of alliance partnerships for Shure Inc, opted to make things official right where they spent their very first weekend away as a couple – lucky they picked somewhere as gorgeous as La Quinta, right?!

The pair planned a wedding weekend so their guests could retreat into vacation mode and take in the surroundings, just like Darah and Yoni had on that first magical weekend. And honestly, who wouldn’t be thrilled to spend a couple of days in such stunning environs, captured perfectly by our photographer Michael Segal?

You can tell we’re pretty taken with the scenery, but that’s far from the only noteworthy aspect of this wedding! The day was full of special personal touches – for instance, the couple wrote a personal thank you note to every guest that they could pick up along with their escort card! – and we also love the Israeli-style aisle badeken, where Yoni came to meet Darah halfway down the aisle.

Oh, and did we mention how absolutely ravishing Darah looked in her gown from BHLDN?!

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A Desert Getaway

Darah, the bride: We absolutely love the desert and La Quinta was our first weekend away together when we first started dating in the summer of 2019. We stayed overnight at La Quinta Resort and over brunch the next morning we looked at each other and both said “ I could get married here” and we weren’t even engaged yet! So when we got engaged, we both knew where exactly we were meant to have our special day. 

We invited all of our guests to stay with us at La Quinta Resort and Spa and had our Welcome Party at the La Quinta Brewery Taproom and our wedding at La Quinta Country Club, just across the street. We kept it very La Quinta local! We wanted a weekend event where our guests felt like they were on vacation and could enjoy themselves and get to know each other poolside, playing golf, tennis all while sipping a Margarita. 

We loved the La Quinta Country Club for our wedding day  and what won us over was their mountain view and the gorgeous pavilion. Getting married under the mountains of the desert at sunset was our vision. Not to mention their incredible hospitality, the delicious  food and the gorgeous space. Our guests enjoyed our ceremony at sunset, cocktail hour under the stars continuing by dancing the night away with us. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Maggie Sottero Bride for a Colorful Modern Glam Jewish Wedding at Hotel Washington, Washington DC, USA

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Lauren and Ben, The Hotel Washington, DC, USA

We could not be any more thrilled to feature the gorgeous Jewish wedding of our beloved Brides Club member Lauren! Lauren, an associate producer at a media organization, and Ben, the director of annual campaigns for a Jewish organization, had a fabulous, colorful Washington, DC, wedding, and we’re obsessed with their modern vibe and jewel-tone color palate.

Speaking of jewel tomes… how stunning is the couple’s blue watercolor ketubah with gold leaf by Israeli-English artist Rachelle Tchiprout of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush?! As always, Rachelle did a beautiful job, and Lauren and Ben are so delighted to hang such a meaningful work of art in their home.

Lauren and Ben were also drawn to Adam Mason Photography for his bright, vibrant style, creativity, and eye for in-the-moment candid shots – and we’re totally obsessed with the results!

We’re super touched by Lauren’s words about her time in Brides Club, too: “From seeking advice, to indulging in the occasional (but necessary) vent session, to celebrating wedding planning milestones, it meant so much to join a community of women who were going through many of the same things that I was. Brides Club gave me a space to talk about all the minutiae that would have bored my fiance and friends to tears. I also found our ketubah and kippah vendors through the Brides Club.”

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll turn you over to Lauren now…

Lauren and Ben, The Hotel Washington, DC, USA Lauren and Ben, The Hotel Washington, DC, USA Lauren and Ben, The Hotel Washington, DC, USA Lauren and Ben, The Hotel Washington, DC, USA
How we Met

Lauren, the bride: We connected through a dating app called The League, and after a few weeks of messaging, agreed to meet. We first locked eyes at Crimson, a subterranean whiskey bar in Washington, D.C., where we met for a night cap that turned into several. We drank bourbon and talked until closing time. Within a month, we were in love. Two weeks later, Ben turned down a job in Denver—his beloved hometown—to stay in D.C. It was a crazy decision, but the right one. One year later, on a frozen lake in Whistler, he proposed.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Vintage Bride for an Eco-Friendly DIY Jewish Wedding on a Budget, San Juan Island Grange Hall, Washington, USA

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Emily & Jason, San Juan Island Grange Hall, Washington State, USA

We couldn’t be more delighted to feature the gorgeous DIY Jewish wedding of our Brides Club member Emily to Jason! The couple, who live on a sailboat and run a sailing business, planned a laid-back eco-wedding totally in keeping with their values and lifestyle – and in line with their tight budget.

How’d they do it? With a little help from their friends. Emily and Jason asked guests to pitch in on wedding prep in lieu of gifts, and it made for such a special day – from the food cooked by guests to a chuppah constructed from local driftwood by the Boy Scout troop Jason leads! Don’t miss it in the gorgeous images by Nyama Photography.

We loved following Emily’s wedding planning journey during her time in Brides Club, and we’re so touched by her kind words about the community:

“I loved being a member of Brides Club, joining after I got engaged was a no brainer for me because I’d already been in Karen Cinnamon’s Smashing Life and love the community she has created there. I found our ketubah, yarmulkes and invitation/wedding website through Bride’s Club. I received so much support and love in this group.”

Another thing we’re obsessed with? Emily’s gorgeous vintage dress, ordered from Etsy! The classic ‘50s styling is SO chic, and going vintage is such a great eco-friendly option.

Now over to the bride…

Emily & Jason, San Juan Island Grange Hall, Washington State, USA Emily & Jason, San Juan Island Grange Hall, Washington State, USA Emily & Jason, San Juan Island Grange Hall, Washington State, USA Emily & Jason, San Juan Island Grange Hall, Washington State, USA
How we Met

Emily, the bride: We started dating after Emily moved to Bellingham, WA from New York City. Jason quickly told her that he would never live on land again. Emily started taking to life on sailboat having admired sailboats from a far for much of her life. Emily bought a ballet school on San Juan Island and moved to Friday Harbor.

After a brief time living on land and loving hosting large dinners (which Jason especially loved), Emily and Jason decided to move back full-time to the sailboat, where they are very happy and looking forward to extended cruising. We are loving life on our boat and started a sailing business, Essential Sailing Industries. Jason with an emphasis on battery and solar systems, electrical work and generally meeting and helping people work with their boats and solving their boat problems. Emily is putting her years of sewing to work making canvas for boats.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Gozde Karadana Bride for a Tel Aviv-Meets-London Jewish Wedding at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London, UK

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Alex & Fyodor, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London, UK

Happy 2022! We wanted to start off the year with a bang… and how better to do that than with the ultra-chic Jewish wedding of Alex, who works in PR, and Fyodor, who’s in digital marketing – which you’d never guess was planned in just 2.5 weeks!

Due to COVID, the couple – who’d originally planned to wed in Tel Aviv – ended up having to change their plans three times, and by the time they settled on London’s St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, their third venue, they didn’t have much time to pull things together.

But thanks to a fantastic team of vendors – many of whom came recommended through Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club, of which Alex was a member – they pulled it off and then some.

Even after changing countries from Israel to the UK Alex and Fyodor still wanted to include some touches of Tel Aviv – and their florist, Liz Inigo Jones from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Blue Sky Flowers, helped them pull it off, combining palm leaves with bold autumnal colors complementing the Gothic Revival style of the venue.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Liam Smith Photography is behind the couple’s gorgeous pics, and we couldn’t be any more obsessed with his non-posed, documentary style shots. And another wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, Matt from York Place Studios, handled videography in a similarly fresh, candid style.

Last but certainly not least, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jam Hot Showband managed the music for the entire wedding – and not only was their performance “phenomenal,” they were a joy to work with from start to finish.

There’s so much more we could say, but we’ll leave the rest to Alex, who looked uber-glam in her Gozde Karadana gown…

Alex & Fyodor, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London, UK Alex & Fyodor, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London, UK Alex & Fyodor, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London, UK Alex & Fyodor, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London, UK
How we Met

Alex, the bride: We met in Poland at a Jewish trip called March of the Living.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Caroline Castigliano Bride for a Whimsical English Countryside Jewish Wedding at Langley Park, Cotswolds, UK

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We couldn’t think of a better way to close out the year than with the fabulous English countryside Jewish wedding of STG Brides Club member Alice, who works in advertising, and Micael, founder and CEO of a licensed medical cannabis producer!

The pandemic forced these two to postpone four times, and to make a pretty drastic pivot in locale from Israel to the UK – but you’d never know it from how absolutely picture-perfect their big day turned out! While COVID meant a long-haul destination wedding wasn’t in the cards, Alice and Micael opted to keep that destination feel by booking Langley Park in the Cotswolds for an all-weekend bash.

Alice was a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club during her wedding planning, and we’re so touched by her kind words about the group:

The biggest thing in Brides Club was the support network. During the pandemic, it felt as though we would never have a wedding. It was very reassuring to be amongst people going through the same thing and there were lots of resources to help navigate through it the best way possible! We also got a discount with the brilliant Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Big Day Designs, who printed our invitations. It was the first Jewish wedding for the majority of our vendors and Smashing the Glass was great for giving them all the information they needed.

We’re absolutely obsessed with the glam photos by Elena Popa and second shooter Emily Rose Hamilton – can you believe it was their first time photographing a Jewish wedding?!

There’s so much else to say about this beautiful day – from the surprise South African touches Alice added for Micael, who had lots of guests from home who sadly weren’t able to attend in person due to the pandemic; to the incredible private badeken the pair shared after not seeing each other for a full week; to the sweet custom illustrations Alice and Micael commissioned from The Millustrator. But we’ll leave it to Alice to fill you in on all that…

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How we Met

Alice, the bride: We usually just say long story! But we met in 2009 at a party in London. He is South African and was visiting his cousins who live in London. He never actually spoke to me on the night but later messaged me on Facebook. We dated long distance for several years whilst he was at university in Israel. He finally moved to London and we had a few make ups and break ups before getting engaged in 2019.Continue ReadingContinue Reading