Real Jewish Brides: Alexandra on New Hobbies - Smashing the Glass

Alexandra will be marrying Ian in May 2021 at La Corte Dei Messapi in Ostuni, Puglia, Italy. Click here to read all Alexandra’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: THREE FACTS: (1) Alexandra and Ian are planning an intimate black-tie destination wedding for 60 of their nearest and dearest in Puglia, Italy. (2) Alexandra is Jewish, and Ian is in the process of converting to Judaism. (3) Alexandra is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

I am a person who was constantly on the move when things were open. There is nothing I love more than running from a movie to a museum to dinner. Just spending the day sitting in my apartment made me nervous to think about, let alone do. I did not like ever being tied down to a space, and when the quarantine began, I was honestly terrified. How was I going to spend all of my time indoors!?

So I did what I usually do — I began to research. But instead of looking for something to do out in the city, I was looking for what to do in my home. During this period, I also had to come to grips with the lack of control I now felt with the pandemic and moving the wedding. I needed to take control of the things I could.

I kept seeing articles online about how to relax. At first, I was not too hot on them. Those type of articles are usually filled with things like meditate, drink tea, and read a book. I do these things, but they never helped me to calm down much even in less stressful times. Then I started to see people mentioning cross stitching in these articles. That had always seemed cool and calming to me, but I assumed because I was not very dexterous I couldn’t do it. I decided I would watch some Youtube videos to learn more, and I was shocked that this seemed like something my clumsy fingers could do.

I managed to track down cross stitch kits for beginners, with drawings of what you were sewing already traced on them. When the kit came I opened it surreptitiously in my room. I didn’t want anyone knowing about this until I knew I could do it, and I didn’t want to hear my mom complain about me wasting money. I started slowly on my tiger with a butterfly piece. After a few days, I had made some significant progress, so I brought it out to the great living room world. I realized that this was not something I needed to be perfect at. I began with my tiger as I watched “Tiger King”.

It was honestly too perfect of a pairing. I was enjoying the process. It has also been nice to have something I can physically look at and see my progress. I’ve also loved being able to connect with my fellow Brides Club members in the stitch and bitch virtual meet ups. I have only been able to attend a few but it has been great to share my new hobby with women in the same predicament as me.

During this time Ian and I have also taken to cooking elaborate meals because food is one of the few exciting things around at this point. I have never been a big cook despite the fact that both of my parents are amateur gourmet chefs. My food just never seemed to turn out right even when I followed the recipes to the note. Cooking was something I had to do, and it mostly was just an added stressor. I have always enjoyed well-made food; I just didn’t know how to create it. When the bookstores began to reopen I saw Leah Koenig’s “The Jewish Cookbook”, it’s honestly a very attractive book look wise.

I was inspired. The recipes looked easy to follow and there were plenty of vegetarian and gluten free foods in it, which is a must in my food allergy-filled household. I decided I needed to buy this cookbook and give its recipes a try.

It turns out I can actually cook. I realized that, similar to cross stitching, I had been letting my perfectionism and self-criticism get in the way of learning, practicing, and enjoying new interests. I love flipping through this book and exploring my Jewish heritage through food. I was really impressed with the gourmet meals I was making so I started taking pictures.

And since I had all of these pictures, I decided to start an Instagram food blog, The Non Kosher Kitchen. This project has allowed me to find joy in cooking. The one positive thing this virus has given me is the time to revaluate how I want to live my life and I’m excited to carry these skills into the next chapter of my life.

Click here to read all Alexandra’s planning posts to date.

Alexandra and Ian’s Wedding Vendors booked so far:

Venue – La Corte Dei Messapi

If you’re a Jewish or Jew-ish bride-to-be, join Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club for step-by-step guides, handpicked wedding vendor discounts, Jewish wedding action plans, a free smash glass pouch, Jewish wedding checklists and templates, and SO much more!

Guided by the world’s number 1 Jewish wedding expert, Karen Cinnamon, Brides Club is the private community for brides that minimizes wedstress and overwhelm and maximises your budget. Join our Brides Club here.

Share this post: