Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog - Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Hayley Paige Bride for a Garden Jewish Wedding with a Eucalyptus Chuppah at El Molino Del Duque, Marbella, Spain

20/03/2019 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

We’ve got something really special to share with you today: the gorgeous Jewish wedding of Dan to Ruthie, who is the marketing manager at Smashing The Glass Recommended Venue Kimpton Fitzroy London (where we’re currently running an amazing competition to win a luxe romantic stay for two – do check it out if you haven’t yet entered!).

Ruthie’s Australian, Dan’s Scottish, they live in London, met in Tel Aviv, and got married in sunny Spain (the closest they could come to matching that glorious Aussie sunshine without making their guests fly to the other side of the world) – how’s that for an international wedding?!

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Optimum Weddings helped the couple plan the joyous, laid-back, and, above, all, totally breathtakingly gorgeous celebration of their dreams, and we love how much attention went into the details…

…From the eucalyptus chuppah (in honor of Ruthie’s Australian background!) to the stunning invitations from STG Recommended Vendor Bigday Designs, with intricately adorned with flowers of the exact same types and shades as the ones in the gardens at the venue!

And we love that the couple placed top priority not only on music for their reception, but also for the ceremony –and it doesn’t get any more special than soulful Jewish tunes from STG Recommended Vendor Jonny Mosesson, who added that extra bit of wow factor to an already incredibly special ceremony (Pssst… Brides Club members – Jonny is doing a Jewish Wedding Music live singing + Q&A inside the private Brides Club Facebook group later today… not to be missed!)

Photographer Mireia Cordomi and videographer Antonio De Perez captured all the emotion and fun of the day so wonderfully – not to mention the lush setting, exquisite details, and that coveted Spanish sunlight.

Now over to Ruthie, who looked so glam in her beaded Hayley Paige…

How We Met

Ruthie, the bride: Daniel and I met when I was living in Tel Aviv and he was there on holiday. We were introduced by two mutual friends who both quite literally sat on me until I agreed to go and meet him. We had our second date in Paris and then our third date in London. The rest is history!

A Diary of the First Year Of Marriage

19/03/2019 by Smashing The Glass Leave a Comment

This is a guest post by Mel Islin, STG Blogging Bride. and a member of STG’s Brides Club.
Her 1 year wedding anniversary was yesterday, 18 March!

Our first year of marriage – by Mel Islin

Our first year of marriage. Even just writing it is mad. It feels like just yesterday I was writing my very first blog as a Smashing the Glass blogging bride, introducing myself and Mitch to all you lovely lot. That was nearly 2 years ago (May 2017)! People say you should enjoy your engagement because the wedding comes around quick, they say you should enjoy your planning because the wedding day is over in a flash… but no one tells you how fast time goes after the wedding.

Images above by Chiko Photography
Continue Reading

An Elizabeth Dye Bride for a Camp-Themed Jewish Wedding in the Forest at Camp Angelos, Corbett, Oregon, USA

18/03/2019 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

How much do we love this magical chuppah in the middle of the forest? SO MUCH. The epic setting of Carly and Daniel’s summer camp-themed Jewish wedding is nothing short of magical.

Portland-based Carly, a couples and family therapist, and Daniel, an analytics engineer (#foreverrubinyoung),wanted to spend a weekend showing off the splendor of the Pacific Northwest to their family and friends from out of town, and did they ever pick a perfect setting for it!

Photographer Chelsea Terry captured both the incredible scenery and the fun and emotion of this cool, laid-back day SO well.

We’re also kind of obsessed with Carly and Daniel’s adorable favors: camping-style mugs with the couple’s caricatures on them, and tiny bottles of hot sauce to honor their shared Arizona background – with custom labels reading “C & D’s heart melting hot sauce.” Awwwww!

Carly looked simply smashing in her gown by local Portland designer Elizabeth Dye, and we love that she rocked Bryr Clogs as her wedding shoes – it doesn’t get much more PNW than that! She’ll fill you in on the rest of the story…

How we met

Carly, the bride: We both grew up in Arizona but moved to Portland in 2006. We met in Portland in 2011 through mutual Arizona friends and struck up a friendship of our own, a lot of which was centered around the rock climbing gym.

After a couple of dates (that Carly didn’t realize were dates) it just clicked that there was something deeper than a friendship. The rest is history! We celebrated 7 years together in December!

An Alan Hannah Bride for a Destination Jewish Interfaith Wedding at Borgo di Celle, Città di Castello, Perugia, Umbria, Italy

15/03/2019 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

It seems like we see more and more gorgeous Italian destination weddings every day… and it’s not hard to see why. When spots as beautiful as Borgo di Celle are just a quick flight from home, why not?!

Getting married in the Umbrian countryside was extra meaningful for today’s London-based couple, Jenny, a teacher, and Neil, an accountant, because the bride grew up in Rome and her parents own a country home close to the venue – and we love how these two combined their traditions and cultures, English and Italian, Jewish and secular, to make one very special wedding day.

To honor both Neil’s Jewish heritage and Jenny’s non-Jewish background, the couple crafted an ultra-personal ceremony including a civil ceremony by the mayor of Città di Castello, a Jewish blessing by a family friend of the groom’s, and the perfect simple chuppah made of a tallit resting on bamboo poles, held up by friends of the couple – don’t miss Paola De Paola’s gorgeous photos.

And of course we love how these two incorporated Italian traditions into the day with fun touches like millefoglie cake and customary Italian wedding favors of Sulmona confetti – the same candies used in Meaghan and Harry’s wedding! In keeping with Italian tradition, each guest got a box of 5 confetti – symbolizing the indivisible bond of marriage, since you can’t split an odd number – awwww!

Now we’ll hand you over to the bride, who found the perfect effortless gown to stay cool in that hot Italian weather in Alan Hannah…

How we met

Jenny, the bride: I left Italy to come to the UK and teach in London. When I arrived, I started teaching, but I met him too… we met three years ago, it’s incredible because it seems like we met yesterday!

Planning a Wedding The Second Time Around

14/03/2019 by Amy Schreibman Walter Leave a Comment

The first time around: a big, white wedding

The first time around, there was a big simcha, most of which I planned over a six-month period when I happened to be on a sabbatical from my job. I threw myself into the process of planning, and even now I remember all the things – so many things – the color scheme (from the flowers right down to the napkins), the personalized cake-topper, the wedding favors we left on the tables for our guests. There were a lot of details. It was, I remember, event planning at its most involved. I remember the price tag for the wedding, too.

My first wedding was, in fact, a most beautiful wedding, one in which our guests walked away having been entertained, very well fed and having danced for hours to live music. The wedding sated the bridal fantasies I’d had since I was old enough to know what a wedding was.

The thing about fantasy is that it is the opposite of reality. The complexity of two individuals in any relationship with each other is a reality; unexpected curveballs are sometimes thrown when we least expect it. So it is that my first marriage was not to last.

Reflections after the first wedding

Now that I am in a different stage in my life, I feel that the challenges I encountered when I stared divorce in the face have made me stronger. My experience has given me a great deal of appreciation for what I have now with my fiancé; I take nothing for granted.

The most important thing – the key element when planning a wedding – is that the man you are marrying is the right man for you. Everything else is just scenery, background, backdrop.

I’m now in the throes of planning my second wedding, one in which there is no retinue, no color scheme, no sit-down meal. The most crucial detail, the one I think about daily, is that I’m marrying a man who makes me incredibly happy.

Our wedding date will be just three months from the date we got engaged. I’m learning that it is totally possible to plan a wedding in three months, and whilst working full time, too.

The process has been fun – my fiancé and I set a small-ish budget which we are firmly sticking to; it’s been so satisfying to find real bargains and to prioritize only what’s most important: for us it was: an atmospheric venue, great live music and an excellent photographer. It took us about three weeks to find these three things.

It was not all that long ago that I planned my first wedding, so I have the benefit of experience, contacts in the wedding industry in my city, and lessons learned from having done this before.

Yet I have never done this before – marry a man so good, so kind, so well suited for me. I am counting the days until I can call this mensch of a man my husband.Continue Reading