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An Inbal Raviv Bride for a Magical Forest-Themed Jewish Wedding at Hadera Forest, Baya’ar, Israel

11/05/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s Jewish wedding has a super inspirational love story behind it: Israeli couple Noa and Shaked were in a long-distance relationship for 6 years (!) while Noa was abroad studying medicine. The two of them are just radiating joy in the gorgeous photos of their day at Hadera Forest Hall, at Baya’ar, and knowing that bit of backstory you can understand why!

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ran Bergman’s photos of the day are just so artsy and cool; some of them could easily have come out of a really chic magazine spread (especially given that Noa and Shaked are basically models!).

And he captures the couple’s enchanted forest theme so well — you’ve got to see his shots of the beautiful outdoor ceremony, under a simple white chuppah laden with greenery, amidst the trees of the forest. Pure magic.

Also magical? Noa’s boho-chic Inbal Raviv dress, with lace and tassles galore. Now over to the couple…

A Forest Wedding

We got married at the Hadera Forest Hall, at Baya’ar. The feeling of being in a forest there is just magical; we couldn’t resist the lush greenery. And the location was halfway between the bride’s family home and the groom’s, so it made sense for our guests.

Your Wedding Stationery – Everything You Need To Know

10/05/2018 by Smashing The Glass

This is a guest post by Dimitria Jordan, founder of Dimitria Jordan Luxury Stationery
Dimitria designed the stationery above as seen in Natalie and Paul’s Jewish Wedding

{If you are a member of Smashing The Glass’s VIB Club, you can watch Dimitria’s video masterclass, ‘Everything You Need To Know About Your Wedding Stationery’ here}

Your wedding stationery sets the scene for your wedding day with your save the dates and / or invitations, and filters right through until the very end with your thank you cards. Your wedding stationery reflects you both as a couple and your style, and is the first glimpse guests will have of your special day!

Below are some practical tips, useful ideas if you are unsure of the direction to go in, as well as the various printing techniques explained to guide you on your wedding stationery journey…

When should I make a start on my wedding stationery?

My advice to all brides is to not underestimate timings for your wedding stationery. Once your venue is booked and you have a wedding date, I advise you to start looking for wedding stationers, and contacting those that suit your style and you would like to work with.

The design you choose (‘ready-to-order’ collection or bespoke) and the type of printing you decide on will affect the overall process, so it beneficial to make a start as soon as possible. As a minimum guideline, it’s best to make a start at least 6-8 weeks before you would like to send your save the dates or invitations to guests.

This ensures you can enjoy the whole process with your wedding stationer, discuss options and take your time rather than having to make rush decisions and having the extra stress of needing to send them out. You may also need to handwrite each guests name & address (a printed addressed envelope will take this job away!), add the postage and seal the envelope, which all take time too and is something to bear in mind.

When should I post out my wedding stationery?

When you should post your wedding stationery will also give you an indication of when to make a start. There are varying guidelines for timelines, but listed below are general guidelines. If you decide against sending save the dates, you may wish to send out your invitation earlier than the time guidelines below… there is no right or wrong!Continue Reading

A Modeca Bride for a Multicultural Jewish-Scottish Wedding at The Principal Hotel, George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland

09/05/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s Jew-ish wedding features a wonderful blend of the couple’s Jewish and Scottish heritages, with so many heartfelt personal touches. Leigh (@Leighjshhh), a personal assistant and team secretary, and Steven (@Hunter941), an ammunition technician in the British Army, married at The Principal Hotel in Edinburgh.

Leigh, who is Jewish, and Steven, who is Scottish, crafted an ultra-personal day that combined their two cultures seamlessly. They paired their registrar-run legal ceremony with a Jewish blessing from a rabbi they worked with closely to create a very personal service.

We just love how this couple strove to run their day in a way that was true to who they are, individually and as a pair, and that would feel inclusive to all of their guests. They had an archway of flowers instead of a chuppah; they didn’t have a ketubah but did smash the glass — and to make sure everyone could follow along, Leigh made a program explaining the Jewish traditions. In a very cool nod to Steven’s Scottish heritage, the color scheme of teal and gold was taken from his family tartan.

But we think our favorite way Leigh and Steven blended their backgrounds is through music — and dance. Their DJ, Graeme Barrie Entertainment, not only played music for the Israeli dancing; he also served as ceilidh caller (instructor) for their Scottish dancing! Check out Cro+Kow Photography’s stunning shots of the couple and their guests in action.

Now over to Leigh, who looked beautiful in her strapless ivory Modeca gown…

How we met

Leigh, the bride: We met at a mutual friend’s wedding. We both knew the groom, and after both of us enquiring about the other we started chatting and knew almost instantly that this would be a conversation that would never end!

Nearly four and a half years later, after an entire long-distance relationship, we got married ourselves and now start our new journey together as husband and wife – and finally living together!

2018/19 Real Blogging Brides: Introducing Jennifer + Charlie: How They Met To The Present Day…

08/05/2018 by Smashing The Glass

Today on the blog we’re introducing our 2nd gorgeous bride from our crop of 2018 and 2019 Real Jewish Brides! Please give a warm welcome to Jennifer who will be marrying Charlie on 5th August 2018 at Dartmouth House in Mayfair, London, UK

THREE FACTS: (1) Jennifer and Charlie first met when they were just 17 years old! (2) They are planning an intimate elegant black tie trad(ish)ional Jewish wedding incorporating plenty of personal touches, their sense of humour, and love of all things rose gold (3) Jennifer is a wedding photographer herself so is planning her wedding as an industry insider!

How We Met

Charlie and I met when we were 17 years old. We shared our first kiss on the tennis courts in Hampstead Garden Suburb. Six months later, I was cruelly dumped in the window seat of a coffee shop in full view of every school girl and boy in Highgate Village.

Ten years later, having successfully avoided each other – despite living in the same postcode – our paths crossed once again in the Steeles pub on Haverstock Hill. All it took was one misinterpreted pat on the knee for Charlie to think I was interested (again) and before I knew it we were on our second ‘first’ date.

One month later we went away on holiday together, where I essentially forced Charlie to be my boyfriend. Our history allowed us to skip those first few awkward months of dating. There were no doubts about where our relationship was going. We share such similar values and goals; it was as if we were meant to grow up apart to meet again at the right time in our lives.

A Colorful Multicultural Destination Jew-ish Wedding at Casa de la Cuesta and Casa de la Noche in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

07/05/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Oh my goodness, we’re positively blown away by Pierce Weddings’ photos of today’s vibrant Mexican-Jewish wedding. The colors, the light, the artistic composition, the emotion — it’s all here.

Multicultural couple Karina, a law student and health care advocate, and Garrett, who is working toward a PhD in environment and resources, always knew they wanted their day to reflect their backgrounds, hers Mexican and his Jewish.

They decided to marry in the beyond-picturesque town of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, which just happens to be Karina’s grandmother’s hometown. Their color scheme was an homage to the town’s colorful streets — and once you take a look at the photos, you’ll see why.

They had not one but two super unique venues: for the ceremony, Casa de la Cuesta, a gorgeous B&B well-known for its traditional Mexican mask museum; for the reception, Casa de la Noche, an old bordello turned into a B&B.

As Karina and Garrett themselves say, their life together has always been honoring each other’s traditions in an authentic, personal way, and their wedding was no exception. The couple wrote their own trilingual (!) ketubah, in Hebrew, English, and Spanish; their stunning chuppah was an homage to Oaxacan embroidery and Frida Kahlo paintings; and they combined the Jewish seven blessings with some super cool Mexican wedding traditions.

Possibly the coolest of these was the couple’s callejoneada, a procession through the streets including giant papier mache puppets in the pair’s likeness, Mariachis, and even tequila-carrying donkey (yes, you read that right!). Read on for the details.

A Wedding in Mexico

Karina, the bride: We were married in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, a gorgeous town just an hour north of where Karina’s grandmother grew up. We wanted a hometown, Mexican wedding, so we brought the wedding to Karina’s grandma’s hometown.

Our ceremony was at Casa de la Cuesta, a gorgeous B&B well-known for its traditional Mexican mask museum. Our reception was at Casa de la Noche, an old bordello turned into a B&B.

A Forest Wedding

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This is a guest post by Dimitria Jordan, founder of Dimitria Jordan Luxury Stationery Dimitria designed the stationery above as seen in Natalie and Paul’s Jewish Wedding

When should I make a start on my wedding stationery?

When should I post out my wedding stationery?

Share this post:

How we met

Share this post:

How We Met

Share this post:

A Wedding in Mexico

Share this post:

This is a guest post by Dimitria Jordan, founder of Dimitria Jordan Luxury Stationery
Dimitria designed the stationery above as seen in Natalie and Paul’s Jewish Wedding