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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

A Calla Blanche Bride for a Beachy Jewish Micro Wedding at Ocean Place Resort & Spa, Long Branch, New Jersey, USA

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Sarah and Josh, Oceanplace Resort, New Jersey

There’s nothing like a beach wedding – and the Jewish wedding of Sarah, who works in advertising sales, and Josh, a VP at an investment bank, at Ocean Place Resort & Spa is pure perfection.

So much so that you’d never guess it was their plan B, after they had to rethink their original plans for a 200+ person wedding when COVID hit – scroll through the incredible images captured by Andrew Graham Todes and we bet you’ll agree. Despite a few challenges – for instance, it was so windy during the ceremony that the bride’s veil blew off! –  Sarah and Josh pulled off the ultimate pandemic-safe minimony, featuring custom welcome bags packed with monogrammed hand sanitizer, masks, and fans with ceremony details and safety tips, as well as plentiful signs instructing people about COVID precautions.

We’re in love with the couple’s ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com, whose trademark exemplary customer service was on display when they provided Sarah and Josh with a free reprint after their initial COVID wedding location fell through at the last minute.

If you’re looking for direction on how you can plan a micro wedding just as beautiful as Sarah and Josh’s, or trying to decide whether to go forward with an intimate affair vs. postponing, or struggling with absolutely any kind of COVID-related planning drama, sign up for our Bye Bye Coronacoaster, Hello Action Plan workshop on February 21 – full details here. 

Sarah and Josh, Oceanplace Resort, New JerseySarah and Josh, Oceanplace Resort, New JerseySarah and Josh, Oceanplace Resort, New JerseySarah and Josh, Oceanplace Resort, New Jersey
How we met

Sarah, the bride and Josh, the groom: On a brisk winter night in early February 2017, Josh was getting ready to start his next chapter in NYC after moving back home from Boston. Josh’s friends invited him to the NJ Devils game and his first night out in Hoboken. After bouncing around, they ended up at 10th & Willow Bar. On the same evening, Sarah was having a girls night which included dancing in a bar when no one else seemed to be. Sarah caught Josh’s eye and after building up some courage, Josh decided to approach her once she finally sat down. Much to his surprise, Sarah immediately rejected him (after all, it was girls night).

Sarah claimed that Josh was too young for her, convinced that he was in college. Feeling confused, Josh went back to the bar to buy some drinks for his group. However, most of his buddies were going separate ways so he was left with 6 Bud Lights to himself. Feeling a second wind of confidence, Josh decided to try and approach Sarah again, hoping to break down her defenses with an offering of Bud Light and an ID inspection. After realizing Josh was actually the same age, Sarah became more interested and even impressed by his persistence.

They talked over the beers until the lights came on. To end the night, Josh ordered 8 (yes, 8) Jimmy John’s sandwiches for the two of them, 6 of which were donated to Sarah’s fridge. Sarah was undoubtedly intrigued by Josh. They exchanged numbers, had their first date 1 week later and the rest is history.

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An ASOS Bride for a Garden of Eden Jewish Micro Wedding at White Meadow Lake, Rockaway, New Jersey, USA

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How gorgeous is the ultra-intimate micro Jewish wedding of Jori, who works in customer success for a social enterprise tech startup, and Corey, a copywriter at an ad agency?!

These two had originally planned a big wedding, but when COVID hit they had to rethink things. They ended up opting for a ceremony with just immediate family, to be followed by a big reception post-pandemic, date TBD. Jori and Corey worked with Rabbi Samantha Frank of Modern Ritual to create an intimate ceremony that made the most of the bare essentials.

The pared-down outdoor celebration was very different than the one they’d originally planned, but they managed to fit in some stunning floral touches; bright, beautiful dresses; a stunning floral ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rachelle Tchiprout of The Delicate Brush – and speeches by every single one of their guests (admittedly, there were just six – the couple’s parents, plus the groom’s brother and his girlfriend)! There’s something so special about having such a tight-knit group, and the luminous photos from One Night Cereus capture that so well.

Now over to the bride, who looked oh-so-chic in a dress from, believe it or not, ASOS!

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How we met

Jori, the bride and Corey, the groom: We met on the first day of college at The New School, when we both ended up at the same party that neither one wanted to be at. As I was leaving, Corey gave me his phone number and asked me to text him if I ever wanted to hang out. I ended up texting him twenty minutes later. He hadn’t even left the party himself.

We met up right away and spent our whole first night in the city walking around Greenwich Village, talking and making each other laugh. It would take a few months before our friendship would blossom into something more, but we were inseparable from that point on.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Sareh Nouri Bride for an Elegant Urban Jewish Micro Wedding at Gramercy Park Hotel, New York, New York, USA

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  Amy-and-Adam-Gramercy-Park-Hotel-New-York

How NYC chic is the gorgeous Jewish micro wedding of Amy, who works in marketing for a real estate developer, and Adam, who works in finance for a media company?!

These two had a big NYE wedding planned, but the pandemic forced them to reimagine their big day. With the help of the fabulous Joanna Greenfield of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ruby J Events, Amy and Adam opted for an ultra-intimate celebration – the guest list was limited to immediate family and one friend each for the bride and groom – at the elegant Gramercy Park Hotel.

Amy went into planning without much of a vision for her micro wedding, but Joanna honed in on what she was looking for and put together the day of her dreams. Amy worked with Joanna independently to plan the day, and the details ended up being a surprise to all – even her mother! Needless to say, the results were nothing short of breathtaking – don’t miss the joyous images from Steven Young from Stak Photography. Due to Amy and Adam’s tight schedule once they set their new date, they needed a ketubah fast – and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com’s selection of beautiful “quick ship” options came to the rescue, as it so often does for couples facing a time crunch.

Now over to the bride, who looked luminous in Sareh Nouri…

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How we Met

Amy, the bride: We met in 2008 at Penn State University. Adam knew then that I was going to be his person; I had no idea; thought I just had a new friend. We remained friends until 2016 when we started dating.

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