Washington Jewish Wedding Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Vintage Bride for an Eco-Friendly DIY Jewish Wedding on a Budget, San Juan Island Grange Hall, Washington, USA

10/01/2022 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

We couldn’t be more delighted to feature the gorgeous DIY Jewish wedding of our Brides Club member Emily to Jason! The couple, who live on a sailboat and run a sailing business, planned a laid-back eco-wedding totally in keeping with their values and lifestyle – and in line with their tight budget.

How’d they do it? With a little help from their friends. Emily and Jason asked guests to pitch in on wedding prep in lieu of gifts, and it made for such a special day – from the food cooked by guests to a chuppah constructed from local driftwood by the Boy Scout troop Jason leads! Don’t miss it in the gorgeous images by Nyama Photography.

We loved following Emily’s wedding planning journey during her time in Brides Club, and we’re so touched by her kind words about the community:

“I loved being a member of Brides Club, joining after I got engaged was a no brainer for me because I’d already been in Karen Cinnamon’s Smashing Life and love the community she has created there. I found our ketubah, yarmulkes and invitation/wedding website through Bride’s Club. I received so much support and love in this group.”

Another thing we’re obsessed with? Emily’s gorgeous vintage dress, ordered from Etsy! The classic ‘50s styling is SO chic, and going vintage is such a great eco-friendly option.

Now over to the bride…

How we Met

Emily, the bride: We started dating after Emily moved to Bellingham, WA from New York City. Jason quickly told her that he would never live on land again. Emily started taking to life on sailboat having admired sailboats from a far for much of her life. Emily bought a ballet school on San Juan Island and moved to Friday Harbor.

After a brief time living on land and loving hosting large dinners (which Jason especially loved), Emily and Jason decided to move back full-time to the sailboat, where they are very happy and looking forward to extended cruising. We are loving life on our boat and started a sailing business, Essential Sailing Industries. Jason with an emphasis on battery and solar systems, electrical work and generally meeting and helping people work with their boats and solving their boat problems. Emily is putting her years of sewing to work making canvas for boats.Continue Reading

A Sarah Seven Bride for a Rooftop Jewish Wedding at Fremont Foundry, Seattle, Washington, USA

02/09/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

There’s nothing like a rooftop chuppah. The great views, the chill outdoor vibes – they’re just the best. And we’re in love with the setup Rachel, a business integration project manager at Nordstrom, and Elliot, a commercial associate at Bank of America, came up with for their beautiful Seattle Jewish wedding.

Their venue, Fremont Foundry, has the most wonderful rooftop space, and the couple wisely opted for a simple wood chuppah adorned with plenty of greenery and accented by ivory roses – the perfect complement to the view. We can’t get enough of Katie Parra’s gorgeous photos capturing it all.

We also love that rather than going for a traditional guestbook, Rachel and Elliot had a selfie book! They provided a blank book, an InstaMax camera, colorful tape, and markers, and asked that their guests take a selfie, tape it in the book, and write a note to the couple. What a fun idea!

Now over to Rachel, who looked stunning in Sarah Seven…

How we met

Rachel, the bride: We were introduced in high school by our close mutual friend. Our friendship quickly blossomed into a relationship and, eleven years later, we tied the knot!

An uber creative Jewish wedding, with a Needle & Thread bride, at Pearson Air Museum, Vancouver, Washington, USA

13/03/2017 by Karen

We absolutely love creative Jewish weddings on Smashing The Glass, and creativity OOZES from these two incredible souls.

This astounding power couple met while working at an ad agency. Between them, they have a desktop calendar sold around the world, a New York Times bestselling book and a portable talk show to their names, so it goes without saying that Brooke and Boaz’s big day was always going to be breathtaking. They absolutely did not disappoint. The pair brought all of their skills and inventiveness to their big day, peppering it with adorable, handmade details.

The dà©cor scheme was abundant with illustrated animals, drawn by talented Brooke, including little raccoon pins as favours — we want one! And we’re obsessed with their choice of quirky venue, Pearson Air Museum, just across the border from the couple’s native Portland, Oregon.

“You’re never alone in a dress full of flies,” said beautiful bride, Brooke, of her stunning Needle & Thread dress, purchased at BHLDN. It turned out that even the flies can’t resist swarming to a dress that beautiful — and Brooke’s fantastic sense of humour turned a potential problem into a standout wedding moment.

Groom Boaz also looked every bit the part of the leading man in his fantastic green suit. We adore his wedding style.

Everything was captured with aplomb by phenomenal photographers Stark Photography, and before we hand over to Brooke and Boaz to tell us all about their big day, can we just take a moment to appreciate Brooke’s adorable kitty shoes? We can’t take our eyes off of them!

How we met

Brooke, the bride: We’re both advertising copywriters and we met at an ad agency in Portland. When we’re not at work we make the “It’s Different Every Day” calendar, a daily desk calendar with a new theme every day. We’ve been making a new edition together every year since 2015 and this is the first year it’s published by Workman Press and in stores around the world.

I also illustrate and run an Instagram account called @sadanimalfacts, where I illustrate sad facts about adorable animals, it’s pretty much just what it sounds like. Sad Animal Facts is now a New York Times bestselling book that is available in three languages.

Boaz is also the host of the Pedal Powered Talk Show, a portable talk show built into a cargo bike, that travels and interviews around Portland, the Pacific Northwest, and the rest of the world.

Jessica & Pete | Vineyard Jewish Wedding on a full moon night, Naches, Washington, USA

11/03/2014 by Karen

I adore this wedding and not just because it’s set in a winery, there’s a full moon, a cute dog, and there’s an intimate outdoor ceremony, but because there is so much effort from family and friends.

Jessica, the Bride, says, “We didn’t have a particular theme – our wedding was really all about celebrating our relationship and commitment to one another with our friends and family, all of whom were an integral part of making the day come together: Our whole bridal party was made up of our brothers and sisters; friends and family came together to do all the floral arrangements, place settings and venue dà©cor; the groom built the chuppah; my father officiated; a dear friend did my hair; I wore my grandmother’s jewelry — from top to bottom our wedding was a reflection of the people who mean so much to us and have made us who we are.”