Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Home > USA > Page 22

A Casablanca Bride for a Pandemic Jewish Wedding at Indian Trail Club, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA

by

Rachel & Ben, Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA

Like so many couples over the past few years, Rachel and Ben’s plans for their Jewish wedding were upended by the pandemic. Rachel, who works in the Senate, and Ben, who runs a tech startup, ended up with a celebration – or rather, two celebrations – that looked a lot different than what they’d initially planned.

But both their March 2021 family-only micro ceremony and their October 2021 reception for a larger crowd were SO full of love and joy, we can’t imagine anything better. We’re in love with the photos by Berit Bizjak (March) and Phillip Van Nostrand (October). And how amazing is it that all eight grandparents were present to witness Rachel and Ben’s marriage?!

And of course we’re totally obsessed with the pair’s beautiful hand papercut ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Attias! Rachel and Ben are thrilled to have such a gorgeous and meaningful piece of art to commemorate their bond, and they loved working with Noa, who was super flexible with their constantly changing wedding date! The duo have become such fans of Noa that they’ve purchased more of her fabulous art since their big day.

Now over to the bride…

Rachel & Ben, Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes, NJ, USARachel & Ben, Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes, NJ, USARachel & Ben, Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes, NJ, USARachel & Ben, Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA
How we Met

Rachel, the bride: We met as undergraduate students in NYC when Rachel was set up with Ben to accompany him to a dance in the spring of 2013, and we started dating that fall. The rest is history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Autumn in the Adirondacks Jewel-Tone Jewish Wedding in Lake Placid, New York, USA

by

Kelilah-Bobby-Whiteface-Club-Resort-Lake-Placid-New-York-USA

Get ready for a seriously swoonworthy landscape! Today’s couple, Kelilah, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Bobby, a localization and mapping engineer, opted to make things official in New York’s beautiful Adirondacks, near where the bride grew up.

Even better, they held it during the most wonderful time of the year in the Adirondacks: autumn! With an outdoor ceremony on the shores of Lake Placid, Whiteface Mountain in the background, and a fabulous jewel-tone color scheme, there’s so much to love about this fabulous day – don’t miss the wonderful photos by Britt Parr of Parr Photo Co..

We’re also totally obsessed with the couple’s gorgeous ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tallulah Ketubahs. Kelilah and Bobby knew they wanted a design that reflected their wedding venue and theme, and they found the absolute perfect fit in their

laser-cut design with a watercolor wash background of two love birds in the forest. Needless to say, the couple found artist Rachel of Tallulah Ketubahs an absolute joy to work with – and, despite the couple putting off their ketubah choice until the last minute, Rachel still made sure the finished product arrived ahead of schedule.

And how cool is it that after the ceremony, Kelilah and Bobby opted to spend their yichud on a romantic boat ride on Lake Placid?! Love it!

Now over to Kelilah…

Kelilah-Bobby-Whiteface-Club-Resort-Lake-Placid-New-York-USAKelilah-Bobby-Whiteface-Club-Resort-Lake-Placid-New-York-USAKelilah-Bobby-Whiteface-Club-Resort-Lake-Placid-New-York-USAKelilah-Bobby-Whiteface-Club-Resort-Lake-Placid-New-York-USA
How we Met

Kelilah, the bride: We met while we were in grad school at Penn State in 2014; we are both Mechanical Engineers. We first met, unexpectantly, at a bus stop in October 2012. Apparently, Bobby wanted to meet me but had not had the opportunity previously, so he just began a conversation at the bus stop. After that brief chance meeting, our paths did not cross again until I joined the research lab he was working in, in January 2014. We are both relatively shy, so it took us a few months to really start talking about more than just research.

We are both involved with robotics and controls; his research is focused on autonomous vehicles, mine is focused on assistive and rehabilitative robotics, including designing a robotic wheelchair. Eventually, I asked him to join me for a trivia night I went to every Wednesday with a group of my friends. After that evening, we started spending more time together. By the end of July, we had our first “official” date. That December he told me he loved me at Penn State’s Arboretum; four years later he proposed to me in the same spot.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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

by

Darah-Yoni-La-Quinta-Country-Club-California-USA

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?!

Darah-Yoni-La-Quinta-Country-Club-California-USADarah-Yoni-La-Quinta-Country-Club-California-USADarah-Yoni-La-Quinta-Country-Club-California-USADarah-Yoni-La-Quinta-Country-Club-California-USA
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

by

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, USALauren and Ben, The Hotel Washington, DC, USALauren and Ben, The Hotel Washington, DC, USALauren 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 Reem Acra Bride for a Sophisticated Garden Interfaith Jewish Wedding at Annadel Estate Winery, California, USA

by

Alexandra & Alec, Annadel Estate Winery, California, USA

Okay, HOW amazing is today’s chuppah?! Is it dreamy, or is it dreamy? For that matter, today’s entire floral scheme is pretty much #goals. Bay Area couple Alexandra, a manager of product operations, and Alec, a data scientist and product manager, have got seriously impeccable taste when it comes to flowers.

The pair’s whole vision for their day was “sophisticated dreamy garden,” and did they ever execute it to perfection! Even Alexandra’s stunning Reem Acra gown featured 3D floral embroidery. The incredible photos of the day from The De Jaureguis are truly unmissable – and how cool is it that Alexandra and Alec repurposed their chuppah after the ceremony by moving it to the dessert lounge and adding seating underneath?

As a counterpoint to all this floral splendor, we love that the duo chose an elegantly simple ketubah from the amazing Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Ketubah – with artist Stephanie’s exquisite hand calligraphy, you don’t need much else.

There’s so much more we could say about this incredible wedding, but we’ll leave it to Alexandra to fill you in on the rest…

Alexandra & Alec, Annadel Estate Winery, California, USAAlexandra & Alec, Annadel Estate Winery, California, USAAlexandra & Alec, Annadel Estate Winery, California, USAAlexandra & Alec, Annadel Estate Winery, California, USA
How we Met

Alexandra, the bride: We met on the dating app Hinge in 2017 in San Francisco. Our initial messages were standard, then I was struck at how communicative we continued to be even before meeting for our first date. We went to dinner and continued the night at a cocktail bar across the street, all the while talking and discovering more about one another. Most importantly, we realized we wanted to spend more and more time together, to share our families and celebrations, and to build a future together.Continue ReadingContinue Reading