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A Joss Couture Bride for a Romantic Jewish Wedding Weekend at Monate Lodge, South Africa

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How incredibly gorgeous is the Jewish wedding of South African couple Jess, an entrepreneur, and Dan, a financial director for a property company?! These two knew from the beginning they wanted to make their big day into a weekend away where they could kick back and enjoy the time with their family and friends, and they opted for a stunning game lodge highlighting South Africa’s stunning nature.

Jess and Dan kicked things off with a game drive and dinner in a candlelit cave in advance of their Sunday wedding, which took place outdoors right in the midst of the South African bush. To make the most of the scenery, the whole wedding, from chuppah to reception, took place outside (luckily, there was no rain!). We’re obsessed with the fact that the couple wed under a gorgeous 400-year-old (!) rock fig tree, and how special is it that Jess’s dad built the chuppah from scratch? And how beautiful are the luminous images from Agape Wedding Photography?

In the leadup to her wedding, Jess joined Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club, and we’re so touched by her wonderful words about the members club:

I have loved every minute of being part of STG Brides Club, the sense of community from total strangers, turned friends is just incredible. There is no better place to ask questions, share ideas, as well as wedding woes and wins than Brides Club! Dare I say the spin off from Brides Club, Smashing Life, is even better! None of us could bear the thought of leaving the community once we got married and it has become a place I often turn to for inspiration or advice.

Now we’ll turn you over to Jess…

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How we Met

Jess, the bride: We met on Tinder which was an absolute fluke because I was in another city at the time at my best friend’s wedding and Dan did not usually look outside a certain radius.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Real Jewish Brides: Maggie on Her Wedding Next Month!

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Maggie will be marrying Danny on 6th June 2021 at Stone House of St. Charles in St. Charles, Missouri. Click here to read all Maggie’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Danny proposed to Maggie on his birthday! (2) Maggie is in the process of converting to Judaism (3) Maggie is a member of STG Brides Club!


Well this may be my last blog post as a single woman, our wedding is just a month away! As the wedding gets closer, the more excited I have become. Now is this a common problem when looking at your upcoming wedding; deciding if you are more excited to marry the love of your life or to see all your friends and family in one place. I think especially after the pandemic this last year we are more excited than ever to see some of our vaccinated friends and family that we were not able to see for the last year.

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A Valentini Spose Bride for a Candlelit Winter Jewish Micro Wedding at the Kimpton Fitzroy London, London, UK

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We are so in love with the gorgeous Jewish micro wedding of Danielle and Rob at one of our very favorite London wedding venues: Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kimpton Fitzroy London in Russell Square!

Won over by not only the venue itself but also the fantastic team, Danielle and Rob had initially planned a 180-person wedding in the Kimpton’s stunning ballroom followed by a reception in the Mediterranean-esque Palm Court, scheduled for August 2020. Thanks to the pandemic, though, they ended up shifting their date to December and their guest count down to 30 and then just 15. But in spite of all the roadblocks COVID put in the couple’s way, they still ended up with the wedding of their dreams. In Danielle’s words, “Everything about our wedding wasn’t what we originally imagined, but we wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Danielle and Rob’s photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Mike Garrard are nothing short of magical. And in addition to taking some seriously great pictures, Mike also teamed up with the couple’s friends to pull off a fantastic surprise.

Since the 15-person limit meant the pair had to limit their guest list to family only, some of their friends got in touch with Mike and made a plan to surprise Danielle and Rob on the steps of the Kimpton, just after their ceremony. The couple thought they were stepping out for some couple shots, but instead they were blown away to see their friends standing outside to cheer them on! What an incredibly special moment.

There’s so much more we could say, but we’ll turn you over to Danielle, who looked exquisite in Valentini Spose…

PS Have we told you how much we love Kimpton Fitzroy London? OBSESSED!

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How we Met

Danielle, the bride: When I moved to London for work, I was looking for a flat share with a bedroom that wasn’t the size of a shoe box … Rob was renting his second bedroom out in his flat on a Jewish flat share website. I went to see the flat and Rob was so relaxed and easy to get on with it felt like a no brainer. We were friends & flat mates for years before one rainy evening we went for dinner after work and the rest, as they say, is history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Everything You Need to Know about Planning an Interfaith Jewish Wedding {with 18Doors}

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Here at Smashing The Glass, we get so many questions from couples looking for guidance on planning their interfaith Jewish weddings. Wedding planning can be a daunting process for anyone, but interfaith couples can face all kinds of extra challenges, from navigating tricky family situations to simply not having a clear roadmap for what your ceremony might look like.
 
That’s why I’m so excited to tell you that this Wednesday, May 19, at 9:00 am PDT / 12:00 pm EDT / 5:00 pm GST, I’ll be chatting on Facebook with Rabbi Robyn Frisch and Nicole Wasilus of 18 Doors, a wonderful organization dedicated to empowering interfaith couples and families to engage in Jewish life, all about how to plan your perfect interfaith Jewish wedding.  

Some of the topics we’ll cover include:

  • Starting the conversation about what’s important to each of you in planning out your ceremony
  • Choosing an officiant
  • Special considerations for interfaith couples planning a wedding (for example, ketubot)
  • Examples of creative touches interfaith couples have used to incorporate background of partner or put a spin on Jewish tradition
  • Advice for navigating family conflict 
  • Discussion of the traditional elements of a Jewish ceremony and what considerations interfaith couples may want to make when deciding whether or not to include each one
  • Understanding elements of the Jewish ceremony in an interfaith way 

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A Helena Kolan Bride for a Tarrytown-Meets-Tel Aviv Jewish Wedding at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, New York, USA

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Tel Aviv-based couple Maya, who works in marketing, and David, who works in tech as a front end developer, opted to get married in Tarrytown, close to both of their hometowns. But naturally they wanted to bring the epic vibes that come with a good Israeli wedding all the way to New York – and did they ever pull it off!

First off, how elegant is Maya’s dress from Israeli designer Helena Kolan, purchased at her atelier in Tel Aviv?! And we love that Maya and David flew in an Israeli singer to perform their favorite Israeli pop hits and help cultivate that unmistakable Israeli wedding atmosphere. The pair even incorporated some Middle Eastern style foods into their menus for the cocktail hour and dinner!

We’re so in love with Maya and David’s incredible trailer from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kiss the Bride Films and photos by Amy Sims. We’re obsessed with the way, as Maya says, both teams captured the special “in-between” moments of the day, with so much emotion and love.

Now over to Maya…

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How we Met

Maya, the bride: We met in college through a very close mutual friend, thanks Taco! We were friends for a few months before we started dating.Continue ReadingContinue Reading