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A Kelly Faetanini Bride for a Rustic Romantic Oceanview Jewish Wedding at Seacoast Science Center, New Hampshire, USA

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Tara & Avi, Seacoast Science Center, New Hampshire

Like most 2020 couples, Tara, a registered nurse, and Avi, a government contractor in counterterrorism, went through several changes of plan before they finally got to throw the Jewish wedding of their dreams. The DC-based couple, who both grew up in the Boston area, had initially planned a Memorial Day wedding on the North Shore of Massachusetts – until COVID hit. Next, they postponed to Thanksgiving – but just seven weeks before the date that became their wedding day, they decided to bump things up to Labor Day.   

And we’re so glad they did, because the end-of-summer date was the perfect time of year to get married outdoors at Seacoast Science Center on the gorgeous New Hampshire coast. When you’ve got the ocean as a backdrop, you don’t need much in the way of décor – but nonetheless, we’re obsessed with Tara and Avi’s gorgeous birch chuppah, which fit into the natural landscape so seamlessly. Don’t miss the breathtaking images by Alex Gordias Photography and Bob Accettulo’s moving trailer.

The couple had a traditional Modern Orthodox ceremony – with a few added touches to reflect their contemporary values. We love that, in addition to calling seven men up to the chuppah to recite the sheva brachot per Jewish tradition, they opted to also invite seven women up to read Torah verses selected by the couple. We’re also in love with Tara and Avi’s exquisite ketubah by mega-talented Israeli artist Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Attias.

We’ll let Tara fill you in on the rest…

Tara & Avi, Seacoast Science Center, New HampshireTara & Avi, Seacoast Science Center, New Hampshire Tara & Avi, Seacoast Science Center, New HampshireTara & Avi, Seacoast Science Center, New Hampshire
How we Met

Tara, the bride: We met when we were 12 years old and went to the same sleep-away camp and middle and high school. We dated when we were in 9th grade for a short period of time and then rekindled our relationship when we were both camp counselors at Camp Yavneh  in 2015 and have been together ever since!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for a Picture Perfect Jewish COVID Wedding at Larz Anderson House, Washington DC, USA

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Merav and Dmitri’s Jewish wedding was SO incredibly dreamy, if not for the personalized masks and “vaccine” shooters we’d never have guessed it took place during the pandemic.

We’re obsessed with their gorgeous venue, Larz Anderson House in downtown Washington, DC – a spot the couple had looked at and loved when they first started planning, but eventually rejected because it couldn’t accommodate their pre-COVID guest list.

Once the pandemic hit and they had to scale things down, though, the Anderson House became a viable option. We’re not sure which we love more, the lush garden where Merav and Dmitri held their outdoor chuppah or the beautiful ballroom they used for their reception. Don’t miss a single detail in Adam Mason’s luminous photos or Wise Films’ wonderful trailer.

We’re also in love with Merav and Dimitri’s fabulous ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink with Intent. The couple searched long and hard for a ketubah that felt truly them, and when they stumbled onto one of Ink with Intent’s past ketubot featuring text printed over a picture of the couple, they knew that was the direction for them. Needless to say, the pair adore their ketubah, and it now graces a wall in their home as a special piece of art.

We’ll let the bride, who looked so elegant in Pronovias, take it from here…

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How we met

Merav, the bride: Dmitri and I originally met in 2008 through a mutual friend, but we didn’t know each other well and only saw each other sparingly over the years. When he moved down to Washington, DC to start a data analytics company, we reconnected over coffee and we started working together to make the dream a reality.

Together, we worked at WeWork Chinatown (where we did our pre-wedding photo shoot!), 7 days a week, through holidays and snowstorms to build our company. Today, we have 40 employees and a growing business.

As our respect and trust for each other grew, so did our relationship. A year and a half after working together, we started dating. After 4 years of growing our company together, moving in, and adopting two cats, Dmitri proposed at a private dinner on a beautiful beach in Mexico.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Rebecca Schoneveld Bride for a Magical Backyard Jewish Minimony in New York, USA

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We’ve seen our fair share of backyard micro Jewish weddings, and each and every one has been beautiful, but the nuptials of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Lilia, who works in arts philanthropy as a grants manager, and Alex, a digital solutions manager for an international publishing company, take it to a whole new level.

These two postponed their plans for a big wedding due to COVID but still wanted to make things official, and so they went forward with a micro celebration in Lilia’s parents’ backyard that was nothing short of magical. It doesn’t hurt that Lilia’s mom’s garden is totally stunning, and we love the way the couple ran with the vibe in planning their décor – for instance, how awesome is their chuppah?! Don’t miss Rachel Rodgers’ luminous photos of it, and all the other details of this ultra-memorable day.

Beyond the exquisite aesthetics, we love how much thought Lilia and Alex put in to making their minimony special in a way that wouldn’t leave them feeling like the bigger wedding they have planned for the future won’t feel “like just a performance.” To that end, they opted to leave some traditions, like circling and their ketubah, for Wedding 2.0. In place of a ketubah, the couple decided to write their own take on tenaim (a traditional Jewish engagement document that stipulates the conditions of the marriage that both families need to maintain prior to the chuppah), featuring promises to each other – kind of like vows!

Before we turn you over to Lilia, we want to leave you with her beautiful words about her experience as a member of our Bride’s Club:

I have found the group to be SO warm and welcoming, and a joy to be a part of. Karen has been such a great help – she even helped brainstorm ideas for when we were reimagining a wedding with no dancing (which is my favorite part of weddings!). It has been so wonderful to have so many knowledgeable brides and brides-to-be at my fingertips, and I’m so grateful to be part of the community.

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How we met

Lilia, the bride: We met on OKCupid in 2017.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Two Gorgeous Brides for a Same-Sex Backyard DIY Jewish Micro Wedding in Cambria, California, USA

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We are absolutely obsessed with the joyous, intimate, family-focused micro Jewish wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Sidnie, a diagnostic medical sonographer, and Monique, a cafe manager. Due to COVID, these two shifted their plans from a 115-guest wedding at a winery to a micro affair in Mo’s parents’ backyard.

While this obviously wasn’t their first choice, we love how the pair embraced the opportunities their minimony opened up for them – from being able to include all their friends and family from all over the world via livestream to special touches like a rehearsal dinner flower arrangement party, where everyone teamed up to assemble bouquets, corsages, and boutonnières for everyone at the wedding!

We love how Sidnie and Mo involved their family in everything from building their chuppah to cooking the reception meal to setting up and taking down all the décor – even their photographer, Adrian Throckmorton, is a cousin, and of course we’re SO incredibly touched by Sidnie’s beautiful words about her experience as a member of our Brides Club:

As a newly converted Jewish woman, it was incredibly powerful to feel such a sense of community with Jewish brides all over the world. From advice on a wedding dilemma to celebrating WPWs, these women made me feel like I had hundreds of the most dedicated bridesmaids supporting me! There were times I didn’t want to pester the people in my life with what was happening with the wedding and in those moments, Brides Club was there for me.

And we’re all over the couple’s stellar bridal fashion sense – Sidnie’s Essense of Australia gown, featuring  elegant off the shoulder straps, buttons all the way down the back, and pockets, and Mo’s custom suit she created with LGBTQ+ and size inclusive company Sharpe Suiting, where, with the help of her consultant, she was able to tie in everything from the wedding colors and flowers to embroider “Ani Ledodi V’Dodi Le” inside her jacket!

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How we met

Sidnie: We met working at a movie theater in Los Angeles 7 years ago!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Magic Secret Garden Backyard Jewish Micro Wedding in Chappaqua, New York, USA

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Okay, HOW amazing is Samantha and Brandon’s uber-dramatic chuppah for their Jewish wedding?! These two built a raised platform above a hot tub in the groom’s parents’ backyard, where they wed, to form a dramatic perch from which they got to look out at all their guests while making it official. Samantha says they went “a little over the top,” but we think they got it just right. Don’t miss it in Mindy Briar’s epic shots!

The custom chuppah platform is also the kind of thing that would probably be hard to pull off in a traditional venue. The couple, who had originally planned a big black-tie wedding, pivoted to something much more intimate so that they could marry on their original date ofOctober 3, 2020, and we love that they took advantage of all the options afforded them by their Plan B. Gathering with just local family, and including loved ones from outside the New York area via Zoom, Samantha and Brandon shifted gears to pull off the magic secret garden-themed wedding of their dreams – and it was all inspired by their amazing custom ketubah!

These two had a clear vision of what they wanted, and they worked with beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tallulah Ketubahs to bring their dream ketubah to fruition – and then some! Founder Rachel was ultra-attentive to the couple’s wishes, and, in addition to the gorgeous, colorful hand-painted florals framing the text, she incorporated ultra-personal touches, like the pair’s cats, and passports to represent their love of travel. The level of detail is just phenomenal – we bet you’ll be just as blown away as we are!

Now over to Samantha, who’ll fill you in on all the other special details of the day…


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How We Met

Samantha, the bride: Brandon and I grew up about five minutes down the street from each other and attended the same middle school and high school, but had never crossed paths. I knew who he was because he was the cute, albeit slightly obnoxious, boy in my freshman math class. When he showed up on my Tinder 15 years later I couldn’t resist swiping right. Once we started talking we just never stopped!

Brandon is a Finance and Business Operations Manager for WeWork and I am the President and Creative Director at Auburn Jewelry, a custom jewelry company based in New York. We spend our free time together cooking, baking, dancing, gardening, hanging out with our two rescue kitties and enjoying each other’s company.Continue ReadingContinue Reading