Jewish Beach Weddings Archives - Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog (2024)

We can’t get enough of today’s gorgeous Jewish wedding on the water on the Florida coast! Jennifer, an ICU nurse, and Danny, a urologist, made things official at theSandpearl Resort in Clearwater Beach, where they found the perfect venue for their timeless and elegant three-day celebration.

Naturally, Jennifer and Danny needed the perfect classic ketubah to complement their vibe – and they found just the thing from Smashing The Glass Recommended VendorNoa Attias. Like all of Noa’s ketubahs, the gorgeous design the couple chose is truly a piece of art, and Jennifer and Danny are thrilled to be able to display it in their home. Don’t miss it in the beautiful photos fromCarrie Wildes!

We also love that when it came time for their mini-moon, Jennifer and Danny opted to spend it at Smashing The Glass Recommended VendorGrand Hyatt Baha Marin the Bahamas! Just a 1.5 hour flight from their home in Tampa, it was the absolute perfect spot for the couple to relax and decompress after all the excitement of the wedding – and they especially enjoyed eating at the hotel’s kosher Asian fusion restaurant, Cinko!

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll let Jennifer fill you in on the rest…

How We Met

Jennifer, the bride: We met in early 2020 on bumble while we were living in Washington, D.C.

There’s nothing like a beach wedding – and we love how Neysa and Tom made the most of their seaside setting on the California Coast with bright colors, beautiful tropical flowers, and a chuppah right on the cliffs above Pismo Beach!

Keeping with the vibrant color scheme, Neysa and Tom chose a beautiful ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor 1800ketubah.com. The brightly colored Tree of Life design was personally meaningful to the couple, and aesthetically it fit right in with the joyous look of the day! Don’t miss it in the photos by Stephanie Secrest ofSecrest Weddings.

Looking at this glorious day, you’d never guess Neysa and Tom pulled it off while adjusting to life as new parents – but that’s exactly what happened: they welcomed their first child just two months before the big day, and little Tyce was an adorable VIP at the wedding!

Now over to Neysa…

How We Met

Neysa and Tom met in South Bend Indiana in 2014 while Neysa was in law school and Tom was in business school. Tom likes to say he helped Neysa move into her apartment. Neysa likes to say that he put a box in an elevator for her and went on his way. Tom was wearing a cut off tank top, which is why the thought of dating Tom did not initially cross Neysa’s mind.

Over the next year, Neysa and Tom would occasionally run into each other around campus, mostly at the local bars. Neysa could easily spot Tall Tom’s head sticking out from across the bar and come up to say hi and Tom would buy her a drink. After a few of these chance encounters, Tom finally worked up the courage to ask for her number. But it wasn’t until finally hitting it off at a joint MBA-Law School tailgate at a Notre Dame game that Tom and Neysa really caught each other’s attention. Tom asked Neysa on a first date, dinner at Rocco’s (pizza obviously) and drinks at ‘That Place’ (yes, that’s the actual name), which was followed by a second date…Neysa’s first time ice skating. And that leads us to where we are today.

About 6 months after their first date, Tom and Neysa both graduated from Notre Dame but unfortunately moved to completely opposite sides of the country. Tom moved to Washington, D.C. for a Management Consulting job and Neysa to Los Angeles for 2-year fellowship working with foster youth. The long-distance was hard but Tom and Neysa did everything they could to make it work and took FULL advantage of all the travel points that Tom racked up with his consulting job. Over the next 2 years, Neysa would come to DC, Tom would travel to LA, and they would meet everywhere in between (Banff, Denver, Florida, Dallas, Chicago, etc.).

After a long 2.5 years (and a LOT of patience from Neysa), Tom finally convinced his company to transfer him to a project in Calgary, Canada that would allow him to be based in Los Angeles. Tom finally completed his move to Los Angeles in May of 2018. Either way, neither of them could have known that a short random encounter would lead to forever.

We love a good DIY Jewish wedding – and today’s couple, along with their family and friends, did SUCH a wonderful job putting their personal spin on the day.

Lindsey, a data scientist, and Dylan, the co-owner of Bywater Brew Pub, a brewery and restaurant in New Orleans, knew from the start they wanted a relaxed, community-focused wedding where their loved ones could get away from it all for a couple days of laid-back bonding. With that in mind, they opted to wed at Sailfish Point Country Club in Florida, where Lindsey’s mom and stepfather live.

Many friends and relatives helped make the day the colorful, vibrant celebration of Lindsey and Dylan’s dreams, but a special shout out has to go to Lindsey’s mom, Hollie, and sister, Rocky. Hollie happens to be an amazing quilter, and a few days before the wedding she surprised the couple with a wonderful chuppah cover she’d secretly been working to assemble over the past year!

Unbeknownst to Lindsey and Dylan, Hollie had emailed all the guests inviting them to send a piece of fabric to be included in the chuppah cover. She invited those who could not send a piece of fabric to send her a quote or message by email that she then went on to embroider on fabric that she chose. She was even able to include some items from departed loved ones, including some photos printed on fabric.

Lindsey and Dylan were so thrilled to be able to get married beneath such a meaningful canopy – in Lindsey’s words, “we could feel the love and energy of several generations of family and friends.” How special is that?! Don’t miss it in the wonderful photos byJosh Hailey.

We’ll let Lindsey – who looked stunning in Stella York– take it from here…

How we Met

Lindsey, the bride: We met just a couple weeks after we both graduated from college when our mutual friend introduced us to each other at F&M’s, a staple college bar in New Orleans.

Buckle your seatbelts and get ready for a trip to beautiful Crete, where Israeli couple Dyana, a private chef and entrepreneur, and Asaf, who works in tech, tied the knot with 33 of their nearest and dearest.

In addition to picking an absolute knockout of a location for their Jewish wedding, Dyana and Asaf also did the most amazing job crafting a one-of-a-kind day that was totally them. Though neither are religious, the pair wanted to incorporate Jewish customs into their civil ceremony in a way that felt authentic to who they are – and we adore how they handled the custom of the Seven Blessings.

Rather than go the traditional route, Dyana and Asaf opted to assign 7 loved ones each to create a blessing for the couple in their own words, inspired by the original. Needless to say, the honorees came up with some truly beautiful remarks, and Dyana and Asaf loved how personal these bespoke blessings made their ceremony!

Another wonderful personal touch was Dyana and Asaf’s hand painted ketubah by Rachelle of Smashing The Glass Recommended VendorThe Delicate Brush! The duo loved working with Rachelle, and can’t stop raving about how helpful she was in working with them to customize the text to be specific to their relationship – plus, obviously, the finished product is totally stunning! Don’t miss it in the photos fromAlex Dobrovolsky.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave the rest to Dyana, who looked so boho chic in her dress by Israeli designer Michal Motil…

How we Met

Dyana, the bride: Asaf and I met June 2015 on birthright. He was theIsraeli soldier and I was the young American who just graduated college looking for a summer adventure. We met and pretty much the rest is history.

Given that they met working on a cruise ship, it’s only fitting that today’s couple chose the dreamiest of destinations for their Jewish wedding. Hailing from different continents, Angelina, an influencer marketing and partnerships manager, and Dor, a digital advertising account manager, now live in Tel Aviv, and their big day brought together loved ones from Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and beyond.

The perfect spot for everyone to converge for a luxe wedding weekend? Atlantis Gardens, a dreamy seaside resort in Larnaca, Cyprus. The couple’s fabulous wedding planner, Noam of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kai Wedding Planners, guided them toward their dream venue – and so many of the other fabulous vendors they worked with on the big day!

In Angelina’s words, “If you want to tie the knot in a different, beautiful, surprisingly affordable, truly once-in-a-lifetime kind of way, Noam is your guy. He and his team go above and beyond for you to make your wedding dreams come true. There is NO ONE, absolutely no one, who does destination weddings likeKai Wedding Planners.”

Angelina and Dor worked to combine the bride’s German-Namibian-South African roots with the groom’s Israeli background, and they crafted a ceremony that was totally them – conducted by Dor’s older brother in Hebrew and English, and incorporating some beloved traditions like the 7 blessings and smashing the glass. And it all took place under the dreamiest chuppah right on the beach – don’t miss it in the luminous photos and video by Little Sparrow Stories.

There’s so much more to say about this awesome wedding – like how chic Angelina looked in her Rani Weinstein gown – but we’ll turn you over to the bride for the rest of the story…

How we Met

Angelina, the bride: We met over 10 years ago (June 2012), when we both worked on MSC Cruises. Dor worked as a security officer and I worked in the Kids Club onboard MSC Splendida. I was 18 and Dor was almost 22. Fast forward a few years of a long-distance relationship consisting of many flights, plans, holidays and love, and I finally moved to Israel in 2016. Since then we’ve both graduated from our Masters degrees, survived a pandemic and many other obstacles in between, and (finally) got engaged in July 2021.