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A Galia Lahav Bride for a Relaxed Jewish Wedding All About the Party at Riverpark, New York, USA

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When they set out to plan their Jewish wedding, New Yorkers Samantha, a software engineer, and Alex, an endocrinologist, knew they wanted their big day to be all about dancing and celebrating.

They turned to their phenomenal planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Andrea Adelstein of NYLUX Events, and she went above and beyond in making the day of their dreams a reality. She helped them find the perfect NYC venue, Riverpark restaurant, and craft the perfect relaxed evening full of dancing and fun.

A few special touches we can’t get enough of: the gorgeous birch chuppah, the 11 PM espresso martinis and fries, and the fact that Samantha and Alex each smashed a glass at the end of the ceremony! Oh, and we can’t forget Samantha’s stunner of a gown from beloved Israeli designer Galia Lahav!

Take one look at Karlie Louise’s wonderful photos and you can tell what a blast the duo – and everyone around them – was having! Read on for the rest of the story.  


How We Met

Alex and Samantha met at a math competition in high school, where they were both competing. Samantha offered to put her number in Alex’s calculator and the rest is history. 14 years later, they are newlyweds. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Jewish Wedding with a Fabulous Floral Chuppah at Hummingbird Nest Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

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Justine-and-David-Hummingbird-Nest-Ranch-Simi-Valley-CA-USA

Justine, a medical resident, and David, who works in finance, got married at one of our very favorite outdoor Jewish wedding venues, Hummingbird Nest Ranch. Focusing on the natural beauty of their California setting, the duo let their venue take the lead,  choosing neutrals and earth tones to complement their surroundings.

This included an absolute stunner of a floral chuppah – don’t miss it in the dreamy photos by Joe Silva – and a gorgeous nature-inspired custom ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Meirav Finn, which Justine and David now proudly display in their home.

We also love some of the fun touches the pair incorporated into their day, like opting for had charcuterie board-style platters on each table instead of individually plated dinners, and an afterparty by the pool featuring hookahs, a cigar bar, and paninis!

Read on for the rest of the story in Justine’s own words…

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How We Met

Justine, the bride: We met in New York while I was in Medical School there. David was in town for work and a mutual friend introduced us.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Alyssa Kristin Bride for a Very NYC Jewish Wedding Inspired by Art Deco and Old Hollywood at Carnegie Hill, New York, USA

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Kara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USA

Today’s Jewish wedding is just so quintessentially NYC, and we are obsessed! Kara is the Sr. Manager of Video Programming Operations at Vogue & British Vogue, and Ian, who’s in property management, adore the city, and their choice of Carnegie Hall as their venue allowed it to play a starring role.

The couple dreamed of a chic, elegant day inspired by Art Deco and Old Hollywood – with a few musical odes to Carnegie Hall thrown in for good measure. Their amazing planner, Andrea from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nylux Events, brought the vision to life SO perfectly – Laura Huertas captured all the details exquisitely in her photos.

We’re in love with Kara and Ian’s minimalist, architectural chuppah – and we love that they chose to sign their ketubah, which they purchased from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com, in front of all their guests right before the ceremony began!

There’s so much more to say about this fab day – we’ll leave it to Kara, who could not have looked chicer in her Alyssa Kristin gown, to tell you all about it…

Kara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USA Kara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USAKara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USA Kara and Ian, Carnegie Hall, New York, USAHow We Met

Kara, the bride: We met in college, no crazy story 🙂Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Matilda Ndrecka Bride for a Persian-Ashkenazi Jewish Wedding at Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, Long Island, New York, USA

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Nicole and Jordan, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, Long Island, NY, USA

Well, here it is… our last real Jewish wedding of 2023! And we’re going out with a bang with the joyous, multicultural wedding of Nicole and Jordan at Long Island’s Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation.

Both bride and groom are very connected to their Judaism and cultural backgrounds – hers Persian and his Ashkenazi – and from the beginning they knew they wanted to incorporate elements of both traditions into their Jewish wedding. You’ve got to read on – and scroll through Amanda of Swiger Photography’s wonderful images – to see it all for yourself, but we’re especially in love with the couple’s Hana-Bandoon, or henna party, and their traditional Persian procession, which Nicole describes as “a giant family dance party,” complete with Nicole’s cousins serving as flower-men!

It was important to Nicole and Jordan to find a ketubah that honored both their backgrounds and their artistic vision, and they loved working with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Britt Yudell from Brit Colors, an incredible artist based out of Israel, on a custom piece. In Nicole’s words, “Britt is so talented, professional, artistic and dedicated to her craft. Britt worked patiently with us and listened to all of our ideas. From that, she created a stunning piece of unique art work that we will cherish forever!”

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

Nicole and Jordan, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, Long Island, NY, USANicole and Jordan, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, Long Island, NY, USANicole and Jordan, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, Long Island, NY, USA Nicole and Jordan, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, Long Island, NY, USA 
How We Met

Nicole, the bride: Like so many couples of the 21st century, we met online. We met during the pandemic. At the time, Jordan, who was a data analyst, was working from home and had barely left his apartment in months while Nicole – who was an intern physician in New York- felt like she hadn’t left the hospital since the start of the pandemic. Each felt like the other was a breath of fresh air.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Same-Sex Wedding Featuring Pastel Suits, Gluten-Free Eats, and Unforgettable Vows at Temple Israel, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA

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Robbie-Jeff-Temple-Israel-Portsmouth-New-Hampshire-USA

In this dark time we’re living through, we could all use an extra infusion of Jewish joy. And there’s something about Jewish weddings – the unbridled love and emotion, the continuity and hope for the Jewish future – that comes through better than just about anything else we can think of. 

That’s certainly true of the beautiful, heartfelt Jewish wedding of New Hampshire couple Robbie and Jeff. The two grooms centered their big day around their own unique love story, and starting with their choice of venue, Temple Israel in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where Robbie completed his conversion to Judaism, everything about their wedding was ultra-personal. This came through most clearly of all when it came to the duo’s vows, which told their story in an ultra-moving way.

Naturally, the couple wanted to make sure their ketubah was something special, and they found just the thing in their hand-painted tree of life ketubah by the wonderful Nava Shoham from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor 1800ketubah.com. Don’t miss it in the wonderful images from Jeffrey Rivkin Photography!

There’s lots more to say about this joyful Jewish wedding, but we’ll let the grooms take it from here…

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How We Met

Robbie and Jeff, the grooms: We met in late 2017 through a mutual friend at a Halloween party were we live in Dover, New Hampshire. Jeff was in a relationship at the time, and initially we were just acquaintances at social gatherings, and became gym buddies. When Jeff became single a few months later, Robbie quickly jumped at the opportunity to get closer with the buff new guy with beautiful blue eyes, and the ability to carry an intelligent conversation.

“Jeff was fairly new to the area and didn’t know many people, so Robbie would invite him over to his place after the gym and cook him up some chicken, steak and veggies on the grill while we’d drink wine and get to know each other.”

Being that we were both in our 30s, we both approached the relationship with vulnerability and honesty. Neither of us was wasting any time. We shared our trials and tribulations over those initial dinners, and that’s when we really started connecting. Robbie has a thing for guys who have faced adversity and overcome it, so he was attracted to Jeff from the moment they started getting to know each other.

At around the three week point in our relationship, Robbie blurted out “I love you” after a few glasses of wine and a deep conversation. Jeff played his cards a little closer to his chest, and replied “thank you,” but the reality was that he was instantly drawn to Robbie’s boyish smile, his overflowing empathy, and effortless swagger.

The plot twist to the whole story was that Robbie had just been laid off from his job and was about to move away, eventually planning to land on the West Coast. On a romantic walk along the Marginal Way in Ogunquit Beach, Maine, Jeff tried to end things on a high note, not wanting to get more attached knowing Robbie was leaving. Robbie wasn’t so willing to let go. “I felt crushed as soon as the words came out of Jeff’s mouth. I knew I was going to be living in New England for at least another year before leaving to the West Coast, so I pleaded with Jeff to keeping seeing me and let things play out on their own.”

Thankfully, Jeff agreed, and we ended up maintaining a long distance relationship for about 13 months, roughly 145 miles or 2.5 hours apart. During that time, Robbie found a new job that allowed him to work remotely, and in August of 2019, he moved back to Dover, New Hampshire to live with Jeff full-time.

In January of 2021, we were out walking our cavapoo, Coal, and laughing hysterically as we watched him gliding on the ice on our long driveway. Then, Jeff told Robbie to look up at the stars. Jeff always “stops to smell the roses,” so Robbie looked up too, only to see a completely overcast sky. Confused, he looked back down and saw Jeff getting down on one knee, with a huge smile on his face, and an open ring box. He asked Robbie to marry him, and Robbie asked, “are you being serious?” Jeff replied, “I’m on my knees in the snow with a ring in my hand. Does this look like a joke?” Then Robbie said, “Yes. Yes. Oh, my God, of course.”

Having already been planning to propose to Jeff himself, Robbie went ahead and did a second proposal to Jeff that July at the top of their favorite mountain, Mt. Chocorua, in New Hampshire’s White Mountain region. He got down on one knee near the edge of the mountain at the top while Jeff was looking around, and said, “what do you think about the view over here?” Jeff turned around and Robbie popped the questions. Of course it was already a done deal at that point. Jeff said yes, too!

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