Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Jewish Wedding in Pink at The Vale Resort, Pontyclun, Wales, UK

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Jess and Louis, The Vale Resort, Pontyclun, UK

We’re so excited to be publishing our first-ever Jewish wedding in Wales today! Though Jess, a primary school teacher, and Louis, a tax advisor, now live in London, Jess hails from the small but mighty Welsh Jewish community, and it was important to her to get married back home in South Wales.

They chose The Vale Resort in Pontyclun as the venue for their summery wedding weekend in pink, filled with tons of gorgeous blooms in all shades of the tone, and we can’t get enough of it. Neither could Jess – she loved planning her big day so much that she’s since launched a small business, The Wedding Desk, where she support couples who are planning their own wedding so that they can feel prepared and ready to hand over to their suppliers / on-the-day coordinator on the day!

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Claudine Hartzel captured the day so beautifully – in Jess’s words, “She was just like having a best friend and supporter with us every step of the way. From our engagement shoot, we instantly felt at ease and comfortable in front of the camera and knew we were in for an absolute treat after receiving our engagement shoot photos. On the wedding day itself, Claudine and her team were everywhere but never in the way – she made sure every second was captured and her photos really show the emotion and positive energy of our special day.”

We also love that, in addition to their general wedding registry with The Wedding Shop, Jess and Louis also set up a Judaica registry with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Contemporary Judaica – such a smart way to make sure you’ll be gifted Judaica you’ll be proud to display in your home!

Now over to Jess…

Jess and Louis, The Vale Resort, Pontyclun, UK Jess and Louis, The Vale Resort, Pontyclun, UK Jess and Louis, The Vale Resort, Pontyclun, UK Jess and Louis, The Vale Resort, Pontyclun, UK

How We Met

Jess, the bride: Jess is from Cardiff and Louis is from Manchester but we both moved to London after university. We met during Covid on Hinge but after a couple of dates, we realised that both our families share very close family friends – turns out we were both at a lot of simchas together when we were younger and there’s lots of photos of us! We were also on an Israel trip together during uni but had no idea!

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A House of Savin Bride for an English Spring Garden-Inspired Jewish Wedding with Bridgerton Vibes at One Great George Street, London, UK

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Katy and Jordan, One Great George Street, London, UK

Gorgeous chuppah alert! If you love a floral chuppah, this is one Jewish wedding you’ve got to see. Londoners Katy, an advertising creative, and Jordan, who works in politics, describe the aesthetic of their big day at One Great George Street “as if Bridgerton and an English spring garden had a baby,” and we are all about it.

Katy’s colorful gown – she went for an exquisite handpainted dress from House of Savin, featuring beautiful pastel blossoms in shades of blue, lilac, pink, green, and white – formed the basis for the couple’s color scheme for both the chuppah and the entire day. Don’t miss it in the images by Ela Tatiana Photography!

Music was a huge priority for Jordan, and so the couple went for the best of the best: a 10-piece band from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jam Hot Showband. The couple can’t stop raving about how incredible Jam Hot was to work with.

This wedding is chock full of fabulous details – there’s the irreverent Jewish wedding ceremony guide Katy and Jordan put together for their guests, and the duo’s surprise entrance to the song “Where Is My Husband” with Katy on mic and Jordan holding plastic water guns full of tequila – but we’ll let the bride herself fill you in on the rest…

Katy and Jordan, One Great George Street, London, UK Katy and Jordan, One Great George Street, London, UK Katy and Jordan, One Great George Street, London, UK Katy and Jordan, One Great George Street, London, UK

How We Met

Katy, the bride: Jordan and I met on Hinge in 2020 after the first Covid lockdown. But Katy was not the first David to meet Jordan.

Back in April 2019. A good 17 months before we matched on Hinge. Katy’s mum sends her a message…

“I met your future husband today.”

I reply with, “elaborate woman”

“Gorgeous guy…possibly working with us. We may offer him a job.”

“Name please”

“Jordan Newfield.”

Hmmmm. That name rang a bell. Ah yes. 4 months earlier we’d matched on Jswipe. Didn’t go anywhere though, because this ‘gorgeous guy’ ghosted Katy. He CLAIMS he went travelling. Huh. Yeah. Sure.

I’m sure you’re wondering, ‘Did Katy’s mum hire him?’ Well according to Jordan he never heard back. Still, Katy’s mum definitely called this one.

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Elmley Nature Reserve: The Perfect English Countryside Venue for a Jewish Wedding Weekend Near London

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Picture yourself standing under a gorgeous outdoor chuppah framed by sweeping marshland, celebrating your newlywed status in a magnificent Victorian barn, and spending some quality time surrounded by your favourite people in one of England’s most extraordinary natural settings. And the best part? It’s all taking place just over an hour from London. 

Image by Lisa Jane Photography

If this sounds like your dream wedding, allow us to introduce you to Elmley Nature Reserve. Set within 3,300 acres of protected wilderness on the North Kent coast, this exclusive-hire venue offers all the magic of a destination wedding while still being easily accessible from London. 

Whether you’re planning an intimate celebration or a full wedding weekend, here’s why Elmley Nature Reserve deserves a place on your venue shortlist.

Image by Tash Busta Photography 

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A Multicultural Persian-Jewish Wedding Celebrating Unity, Love, and Connection at JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA

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Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA

Victoria and Jake incorporated meaningful symbolism throughout the entire celebration, from pomegranates on their invitations, representing abundance in both cultures, to custom-designed kippahs. Every tradition was intentionally chosen to reflect not only where the couple came from, but also the life they are creating as husband and wife.

They began with a traditional Sofreh Aghd, the Persian wedding table filled with symbolic elements representing love, prosperity, health, and a joyful marriage, which they followed with a Jewish ceremony beneath the chuppah, symbolizing the home they would build together.

Not that Victoria and Jake stinted on style – this was one seriously elegant wedding, centered around a monochromatic palette of soft pinks with the most stunning florals. We also love that the duo “wanted the celebration to feel less like a formal reception and more like guests had stepped into a vibrant Middle Eastern beach club—where everyone was welcomed, every culture was celebrated, and no one wanted to leave the dance floor.” Don’t miss the incredible energy in the exquisite photos by Vadim Pastuh.

One of the most meaningful moments happened during the reception, when Victoria and Jake danced with the American, Israeli, and Persian flags, in a beautiful celebration of surrounded by love, joy, and unity. In Victoria’s words, “Our wedding was a reminder that love transcends labels, borders, and traditions.”

Read on for the full story in the bride’s own words…

Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA Victoria and Jake, JW Marriott Grande Lakes, Florida, USA

Venue

Victoria, the bride: Jake and I chose the JW Marriott Grande Lakes because it offered everything we were looking for in a wedding venue. The staff was exceptional—attentive, professional, and dedicated to making every detail seamless. The expansive resort also allowed our guests to enjoy both privacy and the full resort experience throughout the weekend. It was especially important to us to select a venue close to a major airport, making travel convenient for our family and friends flying in from across the country.

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An Ultra-Personal Hindu-Jewish Wedding at Bell Works, New Jersey, USA

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Anisha and Chad, Bell Works, New Jersey, USA

We love a multicultural Jewish wedding, and Anisha and Chad’s Hindu-Jewish celebration at Bell Works in New Jersey is truly something special.

The couple opted to hold a single Hindu-Jewish ceremony, co-officiated by a Hindu priest and a rabbi, which they followed up with a non-denominational ceremony led by Anisha’s uncle and godfather.

In crafting their interfaith ceremony, Anisha and Chad found so many parallels between the two cultures, from circling rituals to the significance of the number seven (including seven blessings) in both traditions to the “manduppah” – the combined mandap and chuppah under which the ceremony took place. Don’t miss all the details in the images and trailer by Visionary Artists, who captured all the love and energy of the day on photo and video,

Now over to Anisha…

 

Anisha and Chad, Bell Works, New Jersey, USA Anisha and Chad, Bell Works, New Jersey, USA Anisha and Chad, Bell Works, New Jersey, USA Anisha and Chad, Bell Works, New Jersey, USA

How We Met

Anisha, the bride: We technically crossed paths long before we ever met. During the 2007–2008 school year, Chad was in 8th grade and I was in 6th grade at the same middle school, though we didn’t know each other at the time. As the junior yearbook editor, I happened to come across Chad’s yearbook photo and thought he was cute, never imagining our paths would cross again years later.

Fast forward seven years to May 2015, when we connected on Tinder. At the time, we were both living at home while attending college. On our first date at the end of June 2015, I brought Chad back to my house and showed him the yearbook, proving that I had remembered him all those years later from his 8th-grade photo.

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