Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog - Inspired Jewish Weddings

An Eliza Jane Howell Bride for a Sustainable Jewish Wedding at One Marylebone, London

29/09/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

We love it when a couple crafts a Jewish wedding that stays true to their values – so naturally we’re crazy about the fab celebration of Natasha, who runs Urban Cordial, an all-natural, low-sugar cordial brand made using British surplus fruit, and Jacob, a theatre producer who grew up in Australia!

Given Natasha’s business, it’s no surprise that sustainability is important to these two – and they incorporated it into their day through touches like sourcing seasonal vegetarian British food, reusing the chuppah canopy of their friends Ashley and Adam, and donating their flowers to a hospice and a women’s shelter at the end of the night.

Possibly the coolest sustainable touch, though, is the way Natasha and Jacob created their wedding jewelry: the two worked with goldsmith Rachel Jones to create their rings from heirloom pieces. Natasha’s engagement ring was made using gold from Jacob’s grandmother’s bracelet, a diamond from his grandmother’s engagement ring, and a sapphire gifted to the couple from Jacob’s mum. Then, the couple did a workshop with Rachel where they handcrafted each other’s wedding bands – how special is that?! Photographers Lina and Tom captured everything so perfectly, as did videographers Moon and Back.

Natasha and Jacob are lucky enough to be friends with the incredible Dan of beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Function Band, so they were a natural pick when it came to entertainment for the reception – and true to form, the band went all out learning new songs, keeping guests on the dance floor all night, and even throwing in an impromptu song and dance bracket featuring some Aussie classics in honor of the groom! The Function Band also provided the epic lighting for the party – something Jacob was especially attuned to given his theater background.

Oh, and did we mention that this duo smashed not one but TWO glasses (one each)? We could go on and on, but we’ll let Natasha – who looked radiant in Eliza Jane Howell – take it from here…

How we Met

Natasha, the bride and Jacob, the groom : We met at a mutual friend’s house and Jacob helped Natasha take some photos of drinks using her cordials for social media. He still helps her with this kind of stuff.Continue Reading

An Allison Webb Bride for a Beachy Destination Jewish Wedding at Ana y José Hotel in Tulum, Mexico

25/09/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

There’s nothing like a Jewish wedding on the beach, and Julia and Nick’s minimalist celebration in swoonworthy Tulum, Mexico, ticks all our boxes and then some.

First off, we love that these two knew they’d stumbled onto something special with their venue – I mean, can you believe that beach?! – and decided to keep a low profile with their décor so as to let the surroundings speak for themselves. They stuck with mostly natural materials and native flowers, greenery, and pampas grass (with the exception of some prominently placed protea flowers in a nod to the couple’s shared South African roots).

And we’re totally obsessed with Julia and Nick’s simple but stunning chuppah, consisting of nothing more than natural driftwood-esque branches and the couple’s grandfathers’ talitot. Against the backdrop of the ocean, does it ever make an impact! Don’t miss the incredible photos from Someplace Wild Photography.

We’ll let the bride, who looked so beautiful in her lace gown from Allison Webb, fill you in on the rest…

How We Met

Julie, the bride: Nick and I have known each other forever, and I know a lot of people say that, but really, we have! Both coming from South African Jewish families, our lives have been intertwined for as long as I can remember, so it only seemed natural then when I got to high school (two years after Nick) that he was a kind, familiar face in a see of thousands of new ones, as I was coming from a small private school to a large public high school. Our story begins in high school, dating off and on as teenagers and A LOT of sneaking out of my parents house! When it was time for college, we parted ways, Nick two years older and off to New York City for his own adventure.

Fast forward a bit, and we are both at NYU, both living in New York City. It was an incredible and very intense way to reconnect. Somehow, even when we were “broken up” we kept finding our way back to each other. Once we both had matured a bit, we finally decided it was time to really be together. After a few years in New York, we decided to make our way back to our home base, Atlanta, where both our families and extended family lives.

Although a rollercoaster, we really have watched each other grow up and taken time to do that separately. To be with someone who has witnessed a lot of your life is pretty crazy and we are constantly grateful to continue to have the front row seat to each other’s life.

Get Screened for Jewish Genetic Disorders in the UK with Jnetics

24/09/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Here at Team STG, we’re passionate about Jewish genetic carrier screening. I know it’s probably not at the top of anyone’s wedding planning to-do list – but if you and your partner think children might be in your future, it should be! A simple saliva test can go so far toward ensuring the two of you start the healthy family of your dreams – and while the process of getting screened can seem daunting and even scary, I promise it really isn’t!

That’s why we’re so excited to be sharing the following post from our friends at Jnetics, a UK-based charity that provides accessible carrier screening for some of the genetic diseases most common among Jewish populations. They’ve demystified the screening process from start to finish, so you can take the first step toward taking control of your future family’s health.

If you’re in the UK and planning to start a family within the next few years, read on to learn more about who they are, what they do, how you and your partner can get tested – and, most importantly, why you should.

“We recently got engaged and it was really important for us to have the screening test. Due to COVID-19, the test was conducted through Zoom and the test components were sent to our home address. The whole process was really easy, and we would recommend taking the test through Jnetics.” -Natalia and Daniel, recently engaged

What is Jnetics?

Jnetics is a UK-based charity that tests for life-threatening Jewish genetic disorders (JGDs). We are the only organisation dedicated to improving the management and prevention of these disorders in the UK. We focus on recessive genetic conditions that, although not exclusively Jewish, have a significant impact on the lives and well-being of Jewish people.

Our mission is to eliminate new cases of these devastating disorders from the Jewish community by providing accessible carrier screening to all young Jewish adults. Our hope is that genetic screening becomes standard practice, thereby erasing these conditions and saving a countless number of lives.

It is important that anyone who is planning on having children, either now or in the future, get screened in order to make informed health decisions that can prevent them from passing on a devastating genetic illness to their child.

“We were always aware of the importance of getting screened being both from an Ashkenazi heritage, and Jnetics made it easy, even in Covid-19 times! The team was really communicative and very quick at responding to emails, explaining the process, setting up zoom calls and organizing getting tested.” -Jodie and Yehudah, recently engaged

A Pronovias Bride for a Travel-Themed Summer Garden Jewish Wedding at The Park Savoy Estate, Florham Park, New Jersey, USA

21/09/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Who’s missing traveling right about now? Yep, thought so. Until we can get back to it, here’s the next best thing: the fabulous travel-themed Jewish wedding of Melissa, a regulatory specialist, and Adam, an account manager.

These two may have chosen to wed close to home in New Jersey, but they highlighted their love of travel with adorable touches like luggage tag escort cards, luggage used as baskets, and even a globe guest book – which Melissa and Adam now proudly display in their living room. How cool is that?! Photographer Gabelli Studio captured everything so beautifully, and we’re in love with Studio 94 Video’s moving trailer.

There are so many more wonderful details – from Melissa’s gorgeous Pronovias gown to the couple’s adorably named signature drink, The Frozen Rosen, but we’ll leave it to the bride to tell you about all of that…

How we Met

Melissa, the bride: In the spring of 2017 we both swiped right on JSwipe and had our first date at End of Elm in Morristown. On September 2nd, 2018 Adam surprised me and proposed on the top of High Point National Park in Sussex, New Jersey.

A Martina Liana Bride for a Jewish Wedding with a Fabulous Paper Flower Chuppah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan

18/09/2020 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

We are totally and completely OBSESSED with the incredible paper flower chuppah featuring in today’s beautiful Jewish wedding. Taylor, a manager of implementation at a software company, and Ross, a manager for sales operations and business development at a finance technology company, wanted to make their big day fun, classy, and a little bit out of the ordinary – and did they ever succeed!

After spotting some chuppahs incorporating giant paper flowers on social media, Taylor knew it was just the thing for her own wedding, and she found the perfect creative partner to pull it off in The Crafty Sagittarius, who brought her vision to life. With giant pink, gold, and taupe paper flowers covering a lucite structure, this chuppah couldn’t possibly be any more delightful. Photographer and videographer Visi Productions captured the chuppah – not to mention the entire day – in all its glory.

We’re also in love with Taylor and Ross’s gorgeous laser cut ketubah, adorned with gold foil and some subtle rhinestones designed by artist Enya Keshet. Like so many STG couples, these two found the ketubah of their dreams via beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com.

There’s much more to say, but we’ll leave it to Taylor – who looked so elegant in Martina Liana– to share all the details…

How we Met

Taylor, the bride: Ross and I met at a Jewish event here in Atlanta, Havinagala. Both of us are originally from up north (Ross from Akron and I’m from Detroit). Ross had moved to Atlanta for work right after college and ended up moving back to Ohio for a few years to work for a new company. They let him move back to Atlanta and we met the same month he moved back!