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Home > Show Me Everything

Julie & Zak | Gold and blush Parisian magnificence for a Jew-ish destination wedding at Maison des X, Paris, France

03/12/2014 by Karen

Paris-wedding
Julie and Zak’s destination wedding comes to you from one of the most romantic cities in the world, the magnificent Paris, France. This is timeless glamour at its very finest. Soft feminine gold and blush decor, scenic Parisian backdrops, and did somebody say Wang?

Yes folks. Julie wore the fluffiest, dreamiest Vera Wang dress I’ve ever clapped eyes on.

Truly Wangtastic. But wait, there’s more … there is the deep love of friends and family who celebrated with Julie and Zak for close to a week in Paris, with trips on the Seine and to the Moulin Rouge. And watch out for Julie’s peacock blue suede Louboutins. I’m just a little bit in love with those.

Oh la la.

Today I’m also delighted to be debuting one of my favourite photographers, the supremely talented Polly Alexandre, who lovingly captured all of the shimmer, the sophistication and the sexy.

Take it away Julie.

Gold and blush Parisian magnificence for a Jew-ish destination wedding at Maison des X, Paris, France
a destination wedding in central Paris at Maison des X

Julie, the Bride: Once we decided that we wanted to plan a destination wedding in Paris, we worked with Nancy from Fete in France to find a space that captured what the beauty and magic of Paris meant to us.

We booked Maison des X unseen with the understanding that it was originally a private home in the middle of the city that retained a great deal of its Parisian charm and needed only some flowers and candlelight to transform into the venue we had imagined. We loved Nancy’s description of the space as many spaces in one — formal indoor, gardens outdoors, and a club-like atmosphere in the wine caves for dancing until dawn with our closest friends and family — and ultimately decided on the venue for the complete package that it was. I told Nancy I wanted the venue to look golden and glowing, and she ran with the color scheme and theme from there. We ended up with the most beautiful candles, glowing mercury glass accents, and exquisite pale pink and white floral arrangements that didn’t look too precious. It was perfect.

Gold and blush Parisian magnificence for a Jew-ish destination wedding at Maison des X, Paris, France

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What’s the correct processional order for a Jewish wedding ceremony?

02/12/2014 by Karen

Jewish wedding question
To begin with, I want to say that “there is no such thing as a ‘generic’ Jewish wedding — no matter what the rabbi tells you, no matter what your mother tells you, and no matter what the caterer tells you”.

That’s not my quote, that’s Anita Diamant’s, from her wonderful book, The New Jewish Wedding. And I start with it, as it’s important to know that just like all other aspects of a Jewish wedding, the processional order will vary with how religious you are, and your local practices, but it will still follow this basic order:

The wedding party enters in this order:

  • Rabbi and/or chazan (cantor) on Rabbi’s right.
  • Bride’s grandparents (or they can choose to be seated beforehand)
  • Groom’s grandparents (or they can choose to be seated beforehand)
  • Ushers in pairs (shortest to tallest)
  • Best man and / or Best woman
  • The groom, escorted by his parents (father on his left, mother on his right)
  • Bridesmaids (individually or in pairs)
  • The bride, escorted by her parents (father on her left, mother on her right)

Jewish-wedding-ceremony-processional-order

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Meredith & Shoshana | True love + oodles of creativity: Lesbian Jew-ish Wedding at Notley Abbey, Oxfordshire, UK

01/12/2014 by Karen

lesbian-wedding
One of the  reasons I’m in love with my job as editor and curator of Smashing The Glass is that weddings are the ultimate fusion of creativity, traditions and of course true love – three things that I adore  – and this divine wedding has all three in buckets.

When  an email  from Danny and Julie  of Minty Slippers  popped in with a link to Meredith and Shoshana’s incredible wedding film, below, I had a massive ‘this is why I cherish  my job’ moment. It’s so very moving, and their devoted love for each other is so apparent — I literally  whooped, hollered and clapped my hands with glee in anticipation of  blogging Danny and Julie’s fabulous work, and Meredith and Shoshana’s love story.

It’s a tale of long-distance desire  with the pair  first meeting  in 2011 when Shoshana, from London, was studying at the New York Film Academy and Meredith was working at a Manhattan advertising agency.

Shoshana eventually returned to London after her studies, and being thrown suddenly into a long distance relationship, they  decided to make videos to remind them  of the fun they  shared  together.  Their videos are super creative and fun and will fill you in a little more on  their love story.

But on to the wedding itself.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen brides who smiles as much as Meredith and Shoshana  did on their big day; honestly their infectious grins are enough to make even the most miserable, rainy Mondays seem like Happy Hour in  the Caribbean.

They  were married at Notley Abbey in Oxfordshire, a beautiful venue that was once the home of Sir Laurence Olivier. There is a Stephanie Allin  AND a J.Crew  gown, both as beautiful as each other. There is a singing harpist, an  immense  naked cake, outdoor games and stunning florals  . There are  hand-painted favours by Shoshana (who is an illustrator by trade) of each guest’s name painted and presented on miniature easels. There  are some fantastic ideas for a really meaningful wedding ceremony.

But most of all? Most of all there is L.O.V.E

The beautiful moments on  film below were captured by Minty Slippers, whilst  the immense photography is courtesy of  Mark Cachia.


The venue

Meredith and Shoshana, the Brides: We chose  Notley Abbey in Oxfordshire, for its tree-lined entrance, the castle like turrets, the beautiful gardens and the stunning contemporary mix with 13th century architecture — need we say more, it was perfect!

Lesbian Jew-ish Wedding at Notley Abbey, Oxfordshire, UK
‘Global travel meets art’

Our wedding theme would be best described as  ‘global travel meets art’   – that’s what we arrived at in the end! We didn’t have a colour scheme but we definitely thought about colour throughout the process. We didn’t use a wedding planner, we had too much fun planning it ourselves!

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Deborah & Larry | Barefoot Vera Wang bride for a beach-chic destination Jewish wedding at the Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, Mexico

28/11/2014 by Karen

 Cancun-beach-chic-wedding
This morning we’re whizzing away to warmer climes — to Mexico no less — to revel in the Jewish destination wedding of Deborah to  Larry.

Their wedding is the ultimate  ‘beach chic’  with a colour palette ranging from metallics to pastels, and the breathtaking  setting of the Mexican coast  as  backdrop. Countless  gorgeous details come together to create a wedding that is clean and modern, yet also incorporates many sweet and personal touches. Take  Deborah writing and singing a surprise song for Larry for example, and the mini hangover kits attached to bottles of water handed out to guests at the end of the night. So thoughtful!

I adore  the juxtaposition of Deborah and  Larry’s formal attire (her Vera Wang dress, his  Hugo Boss suit) with going bare feet for the ceremony. Our gorgeous  bride tells me, “I walked barefoot down the aisle with the sand between my toes, – it was a very grounding and magical experience for me.”

And my goodness, am I loving  every single image by the à¼ber-talented international photographer Brian La Brada,  especially those portrait shots  — just wait until you see Deborah’s beautiful brown bambi eyes and that glowing  smile.

Oh to be beside the seaside this morning. Is it ok to be dreaming of summer already?

Travel themed beach-chic destination Jewish wedding at the Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, Mexico_0038  Travel themed beach-chic destination Jewish wedding at the Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, Mexico_0036

How we met

Deborah, the Bride:  Larry and I actually  met whilst each other was in a prior long term relationship. Years later, we found ourselves together at a party after both of those relationships ended. At the party we danced, shared jello shots and did some meditative breathing together. The rest is history.

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Susie & Andrew | Gold themed city-chic Jewish Wedding at South Branch, Chicago, with the bride in a sequin-covered wedding dress!

24/11/2014 by Karen

gold-blush-themed-city-chic-wedding
I adore this morning’s wedding. The colour palette of blush pink and golden hues is beautiful, and bride Susie’s blush tulle BHLDN gown (a super flattering hue for fair-skinned blondes by the way) glimmers from head to toe in full-on floor length gold and silver sequins. I LOVE it.

Susie found her dress a year in advance and it became the inspiration for the rest of her wedding decor and her chosen theme of gold and blush (one of my favourite colour combos).

This is city chic done delicately and beautifully – it’s so elegant, pretty, and relaxed. Just wait until you see the simple but oh so dreamy chuppah, the divine florals and the vivid and contemporary ketubah design.

The images are courtesy of Thomas Slack from Slack Photography, who has captured Susie and Andrew’s day exquisitely. With every image, the tone is just right. Anticipation, fun, laughter, love and joy all come through.

Personally, I think this is a fabulous way to start the week…and I really hope you’ll agree.

Gold and blush Jewish Wedding at South Branch restaurant, Chicago, Illinois, USA
A restaurant venue

Susie, the Bride: We are not “ballroom” people, and we wanted something different and less formal, so we decided to go with a restaurant. South Branch is located right on the river in downtown Chicago and the outdoor ceremony space and bar seemed perfect for our ceremony and party. We were also very busy while planning the wedding (I was finishing up my MBA) and South Branch made it so easy for us.  The restaurant is beautiful and needed very little in terms of decor, which was perfect for us!

Gold and blush Jewish Wedding at South Branch restaurant, Chicago, Illinois, USAGold and blush Jewish Wedding at South Branch restaurant, Chicago, Illinois, USA

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