Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

St Andrews University couple make history with Scotland’s first legal Jewish same-sex wedding

Jennifer Andreacchi (left) and her partner Han Smith getting married in St Andrews. Image: Fern Photography
Jennifer Andreacchi (left) and her partner Han Smith getting married in St Andrews. Image: Fern Photography

An American couple who studied together at the University of St Andrews have made history by getting married in Scotland’s first legal Jewish same-sex wedding.

The wedding of Jennifer Andreacchi and her partner Han Smith, both originally from New Jersey, took place at Lower College Hall in St Andrews.

It was officiated by leading Liberal Jewish rabbi Mark Solomon.

Jennifer Andreacchi and her partner Han Smith on their wedding day in St Andrews.
Jennifer Andreacchi (left) and her partner Han Smith on their wedding day in St Andrews. Image: Fern Photography

Falling in love

Jennifer, 25, who is publicity and marketing officer at Edinburgh-based independent publisher Birlinn Ltd, and Han, 26, who is a doctoral student in counselling and psychotherapy at the University of Edinburgh, met aged 18 while studying at the College of William & Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia.

It was when they studied abroad together at the University of St Andrews in 2018, however, that they fell in love with Scotland and dreamed of calling it home permanently one day.

“Something so special about our relationship is how we grew up together,” explained Jennifer, who completed an English literature postgraduate MLitt in Women, Writing and Gender at the University of St Andrews in September 2021.

Han Smith and Jennifer Andreacchi on the coastline of St Andrews during wedding day.
Jennifer Andreacchi (right) and her partner Han Smith fell in love during their time studying in St Andrews. Image: Fern Photography

“We faced the challenges of new adulthood as well as specific issues as an LGBT+ couple in the world, and through it all, we always chose each other.

“We even studied abroad together at the University of St Andrews in 2018, and that was when we fell in love with Scotland and dreamed of calling it home permanently one day.

“That’s one of the reasons why having the first LGBT+ Jewish wedding in Scotland is so incredible.

“I feel like being a part of Scotland’s history is a way to give back to this amazing place we now call home.

Jewish ceremony of Jennifer Andreacchi and Han Smith.
Jennifer Andreacchi (left) and her partner Han Smith getting married in St Andrews. Image: Fern Photography

“Our wedding felt like the culmination of so many dreams coming true, and I feel so lucky that it all worked out the way it did.

“At 18, I don’t think Han or I could’ve fully imagined the beautiful Jewish wedding and life we built together here in Scotland.”

Romantic location

Han, who immigrated to Scotland with Jennifer in August 2020, reiterated what Jennifer said.

“The first four years of our relationship were largely spent in Williamsburg, Virginia,” they said.

Han Smith and Jennifer Andreacchi smash glass during Jewish ceremony in St Andrews.
Jennifer Andreacchi (right) and her partner Han Smith getting married in St Andrews. Image: Fern Photography

“However, the semester we spent in St Andrews changed the course of our relationship and lives.

“We discovered what it feels like to fall in love with not just a person but also a place.

“St Andrews has been this contemplative, expansive, romantic location for us in which we were able to explore our hopes and dreams as people and a couple.

“As a patrilineal Jew – a person with Jewish ancestry through my father – and the child of a mother with Scottish ancestry, it was powerful and significant to me that I could be part of the first queer, Jewish wedding in Scotland.

Jennifer Andreacchi and her partner Han Smith walk back up the aisle after getting married in St Andrews.
Jennifer Andreacchi and her partner Han Smith getting married in St Andrews. Image: Fern Photography

“Sharing this experience with my now-wife, best friend and favourite person, Jen, has been an adventure for which I’m incredibly grateful.”

Jennifer and Han belong to the Edinburgh Liberal Jewish community of Sukkat Shalom.

Conversation