Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog - Inspired Jewish Weddings

The Latest Jimmy Choo Bridal Collection Will Sweep You Off Your Feet

27/02/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

There are so many elements when it comes to wedding planning, but one of my favorite details that I can’t stop obsessing over are the wedding shoes! This might be the most exciting detail of your bridal look —besides the dress of course. These are the shoes you’ll take your first steps in as a newly married couple, and the shoes that will always remind you of your first dance together.

I think it’s an understatement to say that a little splurging on the right pair is most certainly allowed! I know I’m not the only one guilty about an overflowing closet of footwear, but your weddings shoes will always be the most special pair of shoes you’ll ever own, and that’s something worth investing in.

Say I Choo!

I still can’t believe how incredible this year’s Jimmy Choo collection is. I wish I could bring this year’s bridal collection back in a time machine with me when it was time to choose my own pair of wedding shoes. (I might have even bought a second pair to change into for the reception!)

Jimmy Choo is by far the most popular bridal shoe worn in Smashing The Glass’s real Jewish weddings. We have literally had 100s of Real Jewish Brides in Choo!

And now you can even give your bridal CHOOS a personal touch.

Yes – their made-to-order service can include a hidden golden inlay of your dreams. Whether it’s your special date, or even a personalized wedding hashtag, each personal touch will make your CHOOS unlike any other.

It was so hard to narrow this list down to my favorite designs. I wish I had about 10 more pairs of feet! From satin stiletto beauties, to mesh and glitter glam, here are my absolute favorites from this year’s 2020 collection. The best part is, no two CHOOS are alike so there’s always a style that will have you saying, “I Choo You!”

Register for the Judaica of Your Dreams with the Jewish Museum Shop

26/02/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

In Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club, we’re constantly fielding questions about where to register for beautiful Judaica that suits your style. Your bridal registry is a perfect opportunity to begin your new life together with unique and beautiful Judaica, and while there are so many options out there these days, it’s not always easy picking out pieces that work with your lifestyle and aesthetics – not to mention finding a one-stop shop where you can register for all the Judaica you might need to round out your collection.

Enter the Jewish Museum Shop. Located inside New York City’s Jewish Museum, on the Upper East Side’s Museum Mile, the Jewish Museum Shop specializes in Judaica and gifts that fit all tastes and lifestyles, from traditional, to contemporary; from formal for special occasions to casual and modern – and they offer international shipping, too. They also do gift cards, which are just the thing to give or get as wedding presents!

Their tastefully curated selection makes it a pleasure to pick out the pieces that are right for you – and the Jewish Museum Shop’s universal registry, which can by synced with registries from other retailers through MyRegistry.com, makes the process convenient and seamless. And best of all, every purchase supports the Jewish Museum – total win-win.

Shabbat Shalom

So what kinds of Judaica do Smashing The Glass couples love to register for? With the Jewish Museum Shop, the sky’s the limit, but items to enhance your Shabbat table are a much-loved place to start. Shabbat is a beautiful end to a busy week, and a meaningful way to bring Judaism into your home, and the Jewish Museum Shop has an incredible selection of candlesticks, kiddush cups, and challah plates, knives, and covers.

Gear Up for the Holidays

You can also make sure you’re covered for all of the holidays:

Purim’s just around the corner (it starts the evening of March 9!), and whether you’re in the market for a fun grogger, some adorable hamantaschen earrings, or artsy masks for easy costuming, there’s a super fun selection.
And before we know it, Passover will be here! Seder plates, haggadot, and matzah plates, covers, and bags are all wonderful ways to beautify your holiday.
For Rosh Hashanah, grace your table with a special honey dish – maybe even a dipper too!
Come Hanukkah time, the Jewish Museum Shop’s got menorahs aplenty – whatever style you could possibly wish for, it’s a pretty sure bet they’ve got it.

Real Jewish Brides: Jos’s Grooms’ Eye View into Wedding Planning

25/02/2020 by Smashing The Glass Leave a Comment

Jos will be marrying Daniel on 28th June 2020 at Hackney Town Hall, London, UK. Click here to read all Jos’ planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Before meeting Daniel, Jos was known for her torrid dating tales – so much so that her friends used to call her Bridget Jonestein! (2) Daniel proposed to Jos in the Greek island of Naxos! (3) Jos is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

The lead up to Daniel and I getting engaged was one of great anticipation. My mum called me one day and said ‘just tell him, the minute he proposes, I’m ready to get organising’. I too had tentatively started googling things… not wanting to tempt fate, but just to prep.. you know… just in case. Fast forward to the week after Daniel proposed, and I received of the biggest shocks of the wedding planning process so far.

Daniel, had an opinion.

And I really don’t blame myself for the surprise I felt. We’re conditioned to believe that the wedding is the biggest day of a girl’s life. That the bride is the centre of attention. And if you think about popular culture, that’s really not surprising.

Take movies as an example. A cursory google brought up 99 films with ‘Bride’ in the title. These of course don’t include films that focus on a bride, but don’t specifically call it out in the title (i.e. almost every Disney cartoon). It does include the ‘Bride of Chucky’, which is not exactly within the romantic genre, but this isn’t an exact science.

Guess how many films I found with the word groom in the title? Five. Four of those films were made in the 1930’s, and one, confusingly, was called ‘The Well-Groomed Bride’, so, it doesn’t count. TV is another example.

The only TV show I can think of that really features a groom is called… ‘Don’t tell the Bride’. So, I think I can be excused for the surprise when it dawned on me that this wasn’t the movies, it was real life and in real life, the Groom has a say.

So, in true British style, I’ve decided to dedicate this post to the underdog. The most underrepresented demographic in the wedding world. The Groom.

From left to right: Jen, Jos, Charlotte and Jocy, all Brides Club Members and actual/former Real Blogging Brides. Their partners have been interviewed by Jos.

A Multicultural Israeli-Indian-British Jewish Wedding Weekend at Pichonka, Israel

24/02/2020 by Karen Cinnamon 1 Comment

There’s not much we love more than seeing a couple combined their diverse backgrounds into one unforgettable day. So naturally we’re all about the beautiful Israeli-British-Indian wedding of Hannah, who runs a dog-training and dog-assisted therapy business, and Amir, who works in security.

Using flowers, décor, music, a blue and gold color scheme – see the bride’s stunning Indian-style wedding dress, which she chose as a reflection of the new culture she’d be adopting with her marriage – and even a pre-wedding Jewish-Indian henna ceremony, these two crafted a truly one-of-a-kind day bringing together all the most beautiful elements of their cultures.

And they couldn’t have done it without their amazing wedding planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Victoria Rosen. In the bride’s own words:

Employing a wedding planner helped enormously to relieve the stress. Vicki proved us with suppliers and recommendations that I almost certainly would not have been able to find myself. I made sure that all details were in place before the big day itself so that I could just enjoy every moment without worrying about a thing!

Hannah and Amir’s venue, Pichonka, really highlighted the natural beauty of the couple’s current home country, Israel, with their outdoor chuppah held on a balcony that jutted out over the breathtaking Judean Hills. Check out Rehovot Studios’s beautiful photos and video.

We also love that Hannah and Amir went all out to ensure their wedding was accessible and enjoyable for all of their guests – both the many English-speakers who flew in from abroad, as well as the Israelis. They made sure they found a fully bilingual rabbi to conduct their ceremony so that all of the guests were able to follow along, and providing a wedding program explaining the various Jewish traditions for those unfamiliar.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave the rest to the bride…

How we met

Hannah, the bride: We met online via a dating website.

A Lee Petra Grebenau Bride for an Intimate Destination Jewish Beach Wedding Weekend at Aruba Marriot Resort and Stellaris Casino, Aruba

21/02/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

There’s nothing like a destination wedding weekend – just you and your beloved and your very nearest and dearest friends and family, away from it all, coming together and getting to know each other and celebrating your love. That’s exactly what Jessica, a speech language pathologist, and Max, a manager for a pipe supply company (#masefourthwithbejess), did, jetting off to the Aruba Marriot and Stellaris Casino with an intimate crowd of 40 to party all weekend long.

These two threw a laid-back, informal centered around a huge dance party – and followed up with another party the next day on a private pirate boat! The couple flew in their photographer, Nela from Christian Oth Studio, and she was, in the bride’s words, a total Rockstar, snapping beautiful, artful photos from start ot finish.

And of course we’re obsessed with the bride’s incredible custom gown from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Lee Petra Grebenau. Lee is one of our very favorite Israeli designers, and Jessica was lucky enough to be able to work with her in person in NYC to create the dress of her dreams – something feminine yet edgy, appropriate for the beach yet not a beach dress – and above all, something with a big bow. Lee came through and then some – we could not be any more in love with the design she came up with for this beautiful bride.

And speaking of the beautiful bride, we’ll leave it to her to fill you in on the rest…

How we met

Jessica, the bride: We met at a bar in the Hamptons. My sister was dating Max’s best friend. After months of messaging my sister to set us up, I agreed to go on a date with him. We have been together ever since.