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An Inclusive Modern Orthodox Jewish Wedding at Congregation Beth Shalom, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

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Rachel and Ben’s Pittsburgh Jewish wedding was all about celebrating with loved ones – and we adore the way they centered their celebration around including family and friends.

Rachel, an intensive care nurse, and Ben, who  works in healthcare tech, chose to wed at Congregation Beth Shalom, Rachel’s family synagogue, and they were married by Ben’s family rabbi. They knew they wanted an inclusive yet traditional Modern Orthodox wedding, bringing in gender equality through touches like having a male and female guest read each of their Sheva Brachot – first in Hebrew, and then in English translation.

Rachel and Ben chose incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Portraits by Sean as their photographer, and they couldn’t be more thrilled with their choice. In the bride’s words,

We spoke to Sean several times on the phone throughout our planning process and were so impressed with his profound interest in Jewish traditions, us, our families, and in helping us have a beautiful wedding. I was particularly impressed by his commitment to help my father (who has some mobility issues) and give him back some dignity in pictures. Sean and his staff were kind, professional, respectful, and flexible when our timelines when they did not go according to plan! 

Read on for all the details of this very special day…

 

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How We Met

Rachel, the bride: We met at a Rosh Hashana dinner at Brandeis University, where we both went to college. We met in 2016 and officially started dating in 2017. We were long distance for several years in between Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, and Wisconsin.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Elegant Same-Sex Jewish Wedding at Grand Tradition Estate and Gardens, Fallbrook, California, USA

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Get ready for an absolutely breathtaking same-sex Jewish wedding! Brides Hayley and Dani had the most elegant California wedding at Grand Tradition Estate and Gardens, and we are here for it! An outdoor chuppah (using the property’s on-site gazebo), palm trees galore – what’s not to love?!

Hayley and Dani opted for a clean, elegant look for their big day, with a color scheme of white, black, and grey. The exception? Their gorgeous Midnight Lagoon ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush, which brought rich blues and metallic gold into the mix.

We also love that Hayley and Dani wanted to include LGBTQ and women-owned businesses in their special day – including their mega-talented photographer Captured by Amanda Lynn!

There’s so much more to say about this very special wedding, but we’ll leave it to the brides to take it from here…

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How We Met

Hayley and Dani, the brides: We met while we were both working at the same job.. Hayley was a therapist and Dani was the lead technician. For almost 6 months while working together we rarely spoke. Then one day, Dani sat in on Hayley’s art therapy group with a couple other staff. As the clients were working, the staff began their project and Dani and Hayley hit it off and never stopped talking. The rest is history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Laid-Back, Gluten-Free Pizza Party Jewish Wedding Full of Personal Touches at Bait B’Guy, Israel

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We’re obsessed with the fact that Jazzie and Moshe’s vision for their Israeli Jewish wedding was “a massive pizza party with our nearest and dearest!” How fun does that sound?!

In keeping with their theme, Jazzie and Moshe kept things low-key and casual, with lots of involvement from family and friends. One of the most special touches: Jazzie’s grandparents served as flower girl and boy!

We also love that Jazzie upcycled her mother’s wedding dress for her bridal look – she had the lace of the gown turned into a top and had a skirt custom made by a local seamstress, and then when it came time for dancing she switched into a pair of fun bridal shorts!

Jazzie wanted to work with as many local female businesses as possible, and one of those was beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush, who designed the couple’s stunning eucalyptus ketubah – don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Sabres!

And we can’t go without mentioning the food: you see, this wasn’t just any pizza party, but a 100% gluten-free one! In addition to artisan pizzas, the menu featured lasagna, salads, bruschetta, hummus, and ice cream, and the couple got compliments on the fab menu for weeks afterward, with most guests not even realizing it was all gluten-free!

Now over to the bride…

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How We Met

Jazzie, the bride and Moshe, the groom: It would be great if we could say we met, fell in love, and the rest is history- but the story doesn’t quite go like that. In the spring of 2021, amidst a global pandemic and a lot of uncertainty our very good mutual friends moved into the apartment next door to Jazzie. Who helped them move in? Well, Moshe of course.

Fast forward a few months and the 4 of us had become like family. We began to spend most Shabbat meals together and spent nearly every Saturday night watching movies, cooking, and playing games. Eventually, we began to also go out just the two of us (Jazzie thought they were dates, apparently Moshe did not.)

After many months of “dating not dating” Jazzie finally decided to just come out and ask Moshe what the heck was going on between them- and that is when we finally decided to stop fighting it and start dating. A year later Moshe asked Jazzie to marry him in one of her favorite places on earth and now the rest really is history.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pnina Tornai Bride for the Coziest Winter Wonderland Jewish Wedding with Magic Cabin Vibes at Foxfire Mountain House, The Catskills, New York, US

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We knew we were in for something special from the moment we read that today’s couple, Jenna, an event manager, and Joe, director of referee operations for the NBA, dreamed of a winter Jewish wedding with magical cabin vibes. And their big day did not disappoint!

The New York couple opted for an intimate wedding in the Catskills at FoxFire Mountain House, where 30 of their closest family and friends gathered for a cozy weekend retreat, where they went all in on the wintry mountain vibes. Scroll through the dreamy images by Brian David Photography and we’re pretty sure you’ll fall in love too!

Their ceremony took place indoors in front of a roaring fire – and to keep with the intimate, low-key vibes Jenna and Joe had loved ones hold a tallis above their heads rather than opting for a freestanding chuppah. And even their beautiful ketubah, designed by mega-talented Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush, features a forest-scape to match the theme!

Now over to the bride, who looked like the dreamiest snow princess in her Pnina Tornai gown…

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How We Met

Jenna, the bride: Like any modern love story- we met on Hinge!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Two Dancers’ Interfaith Jewish Wedding at Louland Falls, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

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When two competitive dancers tie the knot, you know it’s going to be something special! Tori, a musical theatre performer, and Shawn, who works in financial planning, met on the ballroom dance team at the University of Utah, and though they now live in NYC, they decided to return to the state where they met for their interfaith Jewish wedding.

Needless to say, their wedding was quite the party – including an epic first dance that the bride and groom spent three months choreographing and perfecting!

As an interfaith couple – Tori is Jewish, while Shawn isn’t – the duo knew they wanted to plan a ceremony with traditional Jewish elements that would be accessible to all of their guests. They found the perfect ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rachelle of The Delicate Brush, centered on a Tree of Life design with Hebrew on one side and English on the other. Tori and Shawn adored having their ketubah at the wedding, and they love it even more now that it’s on display in their home! Don’t miss it in the wonderful images by Courtney Blair Photography.

There’s so much else to say about this joyous wedding – how fun is it that the couple organized a photo scavenger hunt around the venue for guests, with pics of the bride and groom growing up?! – but we’ll let Tori take it from here…

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How We Met

Tori, the bride: Shawn and I met in 2013 on the ballroom dance team at the University of Utah during my freshman year of college! We never danced together on team because of our height difference, but we were drawn to each other. We started dating, got engaged in 2019, and now here we are married!Continue ReadingContinue Reading