The Lawrence wedding venue Archives - Smashing the Glass

An Alexandra Grecco Bride for a Super Chic Design-Conscious Jewish Wedding at The Lawrence, Jaffa, Israel

14/04/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

Sometimes we encounter a wedding so jawdroppingly stylish it just blow us away. And that’s exactly what happened when we first set our eyes on the fabulous Jewish wedding of Tel Aviv couple Olivia, is director of partnerships at an AI startup, and Ohad, who runs a global e-commerce company.

Their wedding was full on Israeli chic in the best way possible, with every element – from the artful, unposed photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ben Kelmer (who the couple found right here on STG) to the epic design spearheaded by Yahav Green and beyond.

Olivia’s an American who made aliyah a few years back, and since many of the couple’s guests were visiting Israel for their first time, the pair wanted to pull out all the stops to showcase the magic of their home city of Tel Aviv. And between welcome drinks at a rooftop bar in the heart of Shuk HaCarmel, a food tour of the market, and a rehearsal Shabbat dinner catered by Israeli chef Eyal Shani, we’re pretty sure all attendees came away 100% smitten. Even the couple’s venue, The Lawrence in Jaffa, was picked in part for its uniquely Middle Eastern vibes.

As a design aficionado, it’s no surprise Olivia looked exquisitely chic in her simple, classic gown by Alexandra Grecco… read on to hear of the story from her!

How we Met

Olivia, the bride: We are actually a pandemic love story! Olivia made Aliyah to Israel 4 years ago and during the first Covid wave in spring 2020, she befriended a few other Americans in her Tel Aviv apartment building. One of her neighbours, Josh, invited a few people over one night and even though Olivia was a bit hesitant because everyone was just coming out of lockdown, she stopped out (after all, the apartment was one floor below hers).

Ohad was there but truthfully, Olivia doesn’t remember meeting him (or anyone else). A few weeks later, Josh called Olivia and asked if he could set her up with his “very Israeli friend with a huge heart.” Olivia didn’t even ask for a photo (very unlike her) and she met Ohad a few days later. Olivia was immediately charmed by his warmth, wit, and generosity (and it was their first time being inside a restaurant in months, thanks to COVID). Turns out, Ohad had been nagging Josh for Olivia’s number ever since they met at Josh’s house.

Our relationship was on fast forward thanks to a series of intense lockdowns in Israel that we spent together (and even one camped out at Ohad’s parents house in the south of Israel). Olivia is 35 and Ohad is 38 so we knew we wanted to lock it up fast – and we did! We got engaged 10 months after we met, on the eve of Pesach 2021.Continue Reading

A Laid-Back Destination Jewish Wedding with a Rugelach Tower at The Lawrence in Old Jaffa, Israel

25/11/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Is there anything better than a Jewish wedding in picturesque Old Jaffa? Between the historic architecture and the ocean views and the chill Israeli vibes, we’re pretty sure the answer is a resounding no! If you don’t believe us, just look at the incredible photos of STG Brides Club member Dianne, who is completing a surgical residency, and lawyer groom Shaya’s big day captured by mega-talented Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ronen Boidek – according to the couple, booking him was one of the very best decisions they made during wedding planning. And we couldn’t agree more!

And while you’re at it, check out the awesome trailer from videographer Vladimir Tkach.

With such a stunning setting, Dianne and Shaya knew they wanted to keep their décor simple, favoring greenery and white florals that complemented the historic space – and they found the absolute perfect person for the job in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Yana from Craspedia Events. We’re totally obsessed with the bouquets, centerpieces, and decorations she created.

And we’re positively drooling over the delicious menu from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Maasia Catering, who put together a delectable modern Mediterranean menu, complete with fun interactive food stations.

Oh, and we can’t turn you over to Dianne before we tell you about one more awesome touch: instead of a traditional cake, Dianne and Shaya opted for a rugelach tower. Yes, you heard that right – in honor of the groom’s favorite sweets from Jerusalem’s famed Marzipan Bakery, these two celebrated with three tiers of chocolate and cinnamon rugelach goodness – with a small cake on top, for tradition’s sake.

Ok, now over to the bride!

How we met

Dianne, the bride: While I am from Vancouver and Shaya is from Montreal, we met in Toronto while I was doing an elective as a medical student and Shaya was there for work. We did not think we were going to see each other again after I flew home, but here we are!

A Mira Zwillinger Bride for a Casually Elegant Destination Jewish Wedding at The Lawrence, Old Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel

20/05/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Planning a wedding from 7,000 miles away isn’t easy. But you’d never know it looking at this gorgeous Jewish wedding, which LA-based Rachel and Yonatan planned all the way on the other side of the world in Tel Aviv.

Their secret? Amazing wedding planners. Specifically, Naama and Yael of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Naama Raicher Event Workshop. These two not only set the couple up with some of the best vendors Tel Aviv’s got to offer, they enabled the pair to actualize their vision of a wedding that felt less like a formal event and more like a casually elegant dinner party.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor LUZ, who managed both photo and video, did an awesome job capturing the vibe. Rachel and Yonatan say booking LUZ was one of the best wedding planning decisions they made, and we love Rachel’s description of LUZ’s stylish work as “something you would see across the room and think, ‘Wow, that’s a beautiful shot,’ and then as you approach closer ‘wait a minute, is that your wedding?’”

We’re obsessed with the pair’s Rothko-inspired ketubah by Stephanie Caplan of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Ketubah, and we love Rachel and Yonatan’s tip for making a destination wedding as painless as possible for your guests: over the months leading up to the big day, they sent a series of custom travel guides covering everything guests needed to know at that point in time, from favorite movies about Israel, to hotels and flight recommendations, to what to expect upon arrival at Israeli immigration, and go-to bars, restaurants and walks about town. Such a great idea!

There’s so much more to say about this stunner of a wedding – from the enchanting venue to the sunset ceremony held on the fly in a public park – but we’ll leave it to Rachel, who looked smashing in her Mira Zwillinger gown (followed by a fun, non-traditional floral party dress from Zimmerman) to tell you about all that…

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How we met

Rachel, the bride: I am in brand development and global marketing for the beauty industry and Yonatan is in finance and real estate. Although we had offices on the same hallway at the original WeWork location in Soho, it took us a few years to finally meet. We would often say “Hi, there” as we would pass each other but we both were so absorbed in our budding start-ups that there wasn’t much more than that.

Sometime later, I moved to a larger office on the other side of the floor and Yonatan finally felt compelled to knock on my door, introduce himself, and congratulate me on growing my team. Again a few months passed and nothing came of it. Then one day he popped up on my Tinder account. I swiped right and we’ve been together ever since. I came to find out later that I was also the first swipe to come up when he first opened his Bumble account. I guess we are just a match made in the social media stars 😉