USA Archives - Page 54 of 78 - Smashing the Glass

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for a Texan Jewish Wedding with a Beer Bar at the Driskill Hotel, Austin, Texas, USA

23/05/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Happy Wednesday, y’all! Today we’re headed to super cool Austin, where Meredith and Phillip held a Texas-themed wedding for the records. Marrying at the iconic, historic Driskill Hotel in the city center, the couple had one objective: to make their day “as Texas as possible.”

They incorporated their fab theme in so many ways, but our favorite has got to be the beer bar! They had 6 local Texas beers on tap for guests to sample — no generic alcohol for this pair! And as a surprise, Meredith’s parents had customized glasses made as wedding favors for the guests, with the couple’s names and wedding date as well as following text: “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something brewed” How clever?!

Neither Meredith nor Phillip being huge cake fans, they decided to buck tradition and serve pie for their dessert instead — so on-theme, too! They had four luscious-sounding flavors: blueberry, strawberry rhubarb, chocolate, and pecan. We’d like a slice of each, please! And they still did a traditional cutting picture — just with pie.

Cory Ryan Photography captured all the details of the day beautifully. Now we’ll turn you over to Meredith, who looked gorgeous in her classic lace Monique Lhuillier gown…

How we met

Meredith, the bride: We met in college at the University of Richmond, at a Hillel event. We were together for nine years and three cities before tying the knot.

A Vine-themed Gay Jewish Wedding with a Grapevine Chuppah at Chalk Hill Estate, Healdsburg, California, USA

18/05/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s wedding makes us want to book a one-way ticket to California, stat. Would you just look at that light? Those rolling hills? And the grapevine chuppah?!

Yes, Adam, a real estate developer, and Lowell, who owns and operates a group dental practice, had a grapevine chuppah. The dapper duo married at Chalk Hill Estate, a winery in Sonoma County – just north of their San Francisco home – and their forest floor-themed wedding was basically an ode to the stunning venue.

The couple mixed traditional wedding flowers in favor of vines, branches, and forest foliage, and nowhere did they put this policy into better use than in choosing to have their chuppah constructed from vines and grapes from Chalk Hill’s vineyards. I just can’t get over how cool it looks — you’ve got to check out the close-ups. And if you were too nervous to eat pre-ceremony and found yourself feeling a little peckish, chuppah grapes to the rescue! Bonus?!

Photographer Belathà©e and videographer Dareen Baca of Reel Eyes Media captured everything about this day so beautifully, from that wonderful golden autumnal sunlight to the love between the couple.

On a poignant note, the devastating 2017 Northern California wildfires started on the night of Adam and Lowell’s wedding, and several towns surrounding their beautiful venue were destroyed in the course of the disaster. As the couple put it, “Like smashing the glass, this was a reminder that even at our happiest moments, there is struggle and hardship all around us.”

With that, we’ll turn you over to Adam and Lowell…

A Winery Venue

Adam and Lowell, the grooms: We were married at Chalk Hill Estate, a winery in Sonoma County. We’d always envisioned a fall wedding in Napa or Sonoma for a number of reasons – the food, the colors, the serenity, and because, for us, it’s a local “destination.” We toured many venues in Napa and Sonoma and were drawn to Chalk Hill because its vast landscapes had a rugged elegance that felt right for us.

An Inbal Dror Bride for a Fashion-Forward Jewish Wedding at the Edition Hotel, Miami, Florida, USA

14/05/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

There’s so much to love about Katy (@katyilana) and Max’s Jewish wedding at the stunning Art Deco Edition Hotel in Miami — from the Cuban food to the afterparty at a club/bowling alley to the welcome bags designed by the bride (she’s an artist!) — but what we really want to talk about is the fashion.

First off, there’s Katy’s jawdroppingly gorgeous Inbal Dror dress. Katy said she wanted something a bit sexy that would still keep her grandparents happy, and the ivory lace boho stunner she chose definitely fits the bill. With long sleeves to balance out the open back and plunging neckline, it’s just the right combination of edgy and classic. And as a bonus, it was extra meaningful for Katy to buy a dress handmade in Israel, her father’s home country and a place she has lived herself.

Katy’s not the only one making bold fashion choices at this wedding, though. This laidback bride instructed her bridesmaids only to dress in light colors; beyond that, she left them to their own devices when it came to choosing their wedding attire. Risky? Perhaps, but I think you’ll agree with Katy that this was a gamble that paid off: her perfectly mismatched ’maids look so effortlessly cool, and not a single dress looks out of place. As a bonus, Katy reports that this method was way less stressful for all involved.

Photographer Ricky Stern captured the ultra-glam day in all its glory. Now over to Katy to fill you in on the details…

Old Miami

Katy, the bride: We picked the Edition because it was gorgeous. It was also the old Seville Hotel, an old Miami staple. My dad stayed there when he was younger and even has a photo by the same dividing board that is still there today.

An Adrianna Papell Bride for a Colorful, Intimate Jewish Wedding with a View at Greens Restaurant and Fairmont Heritage Place, San Francisco, USA

04/05/2018 by Emily Sacharin

Happy Fri-yay! Emily here, and as a former Bay Area kid, today’s glorious Jewish wedding tugged at every last one of my heartstrings. From the ceremony at Fairmont Heritage Place at Ghirardelli Square, held on a balcony gazebo overlooking the bay, to the reception at iconic Greens Restaurant, which features yet more beautiful views of the bay — and also happens to be my absolute favorite special occasion restaurant from my California days — Judy and David’s wedding is so quintessentially San Francisco it hurts.

So I might be just a little biased. But even if you’re not a nostalgic ex-San Franciscan, there’s so much to love about this wedding, from the orange and yellow floral color scheme to the whimsical tree-themed ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink With Intent to the ultra-intimate ceremony, where the couple had their guests stand around them rather than facing them.

Keeping things intimate was key for Judy, an elementary school principal, and David, a software engineer. The pair always knew they wanted a small wedding, with lots of participation from their closest family and friends: Judy’s friends assembled and decorated the chuppah (which the couple found on Craigslist!), family members recited the seven blessings during the ceremony, and they were married by David’s sister, who is rabbi.

Now over to Judy, who looked absolutely radiant in her Adrianna Pappell dress…

How we met

Judy, the bride: We met on Coffee Meets Bagel.

A Vera Wang Bride for an Urban Chic NYC Foodie Jewish Wedding with a Tequila Bar at Weylin, Brooklyn, NYC, USA

25/04/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

This has got to be the ultimate NYC foodie dream Jewish wedding! Rachel and Dan got married at Weylin, an iconic 19th-century former bank space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As New Yorkers, it was important to the couple to wed in their home city — and to showcase some of its finest food offerings.

For starters, there was the cake: supercool bakery Momofuku’s rainbow layered birthday cake. Then, for the afterparty, a late-night snack from NYC pizza joint Lil Frankies. And guests even got a little taste of the city to take home with them at the end of the night, in the form of cookie favors from beloved bakery Levain, a neighborhood favorite for the Upper West Side couple. These are truly some of the most delicious cookies NYC has to offer — good going, guys!

But that’s not even the coolest thing about this wedding. What is? The tequila tasting room (!). Rachel and Dan are both tequila fans, and they figured their wedding was the perfect time to share their passion for the drink with their family and friends. They report that it was a massive hit, and I believe it! What a fun way to personalize your wedding, if you and your beloved happen to be connoisseurs of a particular drink — it’s like signature cocktails on steroids!

Photographer Maya Myers took the most elegant shots of the couple’s chic day, and Rachel looked classically elegant in sublime Vera Wang. Take it away Rachel!

How we met

Rachel, the bride: Dan and I met through jSwipe.

How we met

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A Winery Venue

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Old Miami

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How we met

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How we met

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