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Modest Wedding Dresses for Modern Brides

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Image: Poetica 2014 collection  from Divine Atelier via Bridal Musings

Further to requests from readers for  more  wedding dress ideas on the blog, and from some in particular who were struggling to find modest (or tznius) wedding dresses that were also fashion forward  and bang on—trend, I called upon the  expertise of Karen Whybro, owner of the legendary  Rock The Frock bridal boutique.

Rock The Frock  specialises in British—designed and made wedding dresses for brides who  want to wear something that truly reflects their  personality, so  not surprisingly, Karen really knows her stuff. She’s picked out some styles that you’re going to love, alongside some great  tips for what to think about when embracing  ‘modest’ for  your wedding day.

Oh, and by the way, the  real Jewish wedding featured earlier this week with beautiful  bride, Magda,  is a sensational  example of how to nail the  ‘modest’ look.

Nothing evokes the regal beauty of Grace Kelly like a modest wedding dress…

High necklines, full length sleeves, feminine lace and rows of ivory buttons conjure images of elegance, style and romance for the ultimate in wedding day attire. And, thanks to Kate Middleton reviving the modest wedding dress with her spectacular Sarah Burton gown, the choice among bridal designs is as broad and breathtaking as ever. Whether you love the traditional vintage style or prefer something more modern, this round-up of beautiful dresses showcases the best in modest masterpieces!

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Kate Middleton on her wedding day in her Alexander McQueen ‘modest’ wedding gown. Image: FBStop


Here are my top tips for choosing modest for your wedding day:

Consider fabrics

There’s no doubt that lace is feminine, elegant and graceful but all-over lace isn’t everyone’s preference. If you’re longing for something less fussy and more simplistic, consider a silk or satin skirt with lace detailing to the bodice and sleeve.

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Dress: Ersa Atelier Elizabeth
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Magda + Eric | Rustic, vintage-chic, relaxed outdoor Jewish wedding with Parisian influences at Bianca, Moshav Ginaton, Israel

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I have a sneaking suspicion that you’re going to fall in love with this afternoon’s wedding which is a tale of love crossing continents, culminating in a wedding that combines the al fresco spirit of Israel with some serious Parisian designer chic.

There’s lots to love about this W-day, first off Magda’s bridal style is OFF THE WALL. I adore her wedding dress (actually it’s a two piece skirt and top by French designer, Delphine Manivet) that harks back to a bygone era with its high neckline, 3/4 length sleeves and lashings of feminine lace.

I also love the fact that Magda was inspired by the wedding scene from ‘Fiddler on the roof’. It’s one of my all-time favourite films which I guess doesn’t come as any surprise! Magda and Eric chose the famous Sunrise, Sunset track to be played during their wedding ceremony, as well as choosing their own personal ‘relationship song’ to be played when Magda circled Eric seven times (read more about this Jewish wedding tradition here).

Another moving, but very fitting ceremony detail, was the placing of a picture of Eric’s mother on a table under the chuppah during the ceremony. She sadly passed away a few months before the big day, and it was her dream that Magda and Eric would get married in Israel.

The details are so beautiful in this wedding — I particularly love the delicate flowers and decor by wedding designer (and STG regular), Kim Bulow. So very lovely.

Here is Magda & Eric’s story. Words by Magda, photography by Supanit Riansrivilai and a beautiful wedding film by Alexander Perel at the end. Enjoy!

Rustic, vintage-chic, relaxed outdoor wedding with Parisian influences at Bianca, Moshav Ginaton, Israel
How we met

Magda, the Bride: Eric and I met in Paris where he was living, and  I was on holiday visiting a friend. At the time I was living and studying in New York City (I’m originally from Warsaw, Poland) and we met up for every one of the 10 days that I was holidaying in Paris!

We kept in touch once I returned to New York and after a couple of months, I decided to close the door on my past and move back to Europe, to settle down in Paris.

We started dating, then we moved in together, then we got a pug named Eliot(!), and after 3 and a half years, in July 2014, we tied the knot.

Rustic, vintage-chic, relaxed outdoor wedding with Parisian influences at Bianca, Moshav Ginaton, Israel

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Top 10 Chuppah Entrance Songs

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Image by Elisabeth Millay taken from Tory & Brooks’ beachside Jewish wedding

The original Top 10 Chuppah Entrance Songs that was written in 2013 is one of Smashing The Glass‘s most popular posts, but having been published over a year ago, I asked Maya Bechor from Zebra Music who complied the original piece, to write a ‘part 2’ with 10 hot new songs including some recent releases from 2014.

What I love about Zebra Music is that they’re great at encouraging couples to step out of their comfort zone of ‘ordinary wedding music’. They know exactly how to get the crowd pumped and the party started! So here are the Top 10 cool, new , unexpected chuppah songs for 2015 weddings and beyond!

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Jewish Wedding Dancing (The Hora) – Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained #9

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All imagery by Blake Ezra Photography. This is part 9 of the 9-part Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained series.

So far in this Jewish Weddings Explained series, we’ve gone through the entire day from morning to evening, now the real fun begins. Let’s be honest, Jewish weddings are known for their dancing. If there’s one thing that most non-Jewish guests know about a Jewish wedding, it’s that someone is going to be lifted on a chair and there’s going to be some crazy dancing.

In fact, we recently photographed a stunning and intimate non-Jewish wedding in the rolling hills of Devon. A couple of months before that day, the Groom’s brother had married a Jewish girl in New York. The Groom enjoyed the dancing at his brother’s wedding so much that he insisted his guests hoist him and his new wife onto chairs, which they did, as other guests around them clapped and made vaguely Jewish-sounding noises like ‘oy, oy, oy’. Even at non-Jewish weddings, lifting the couple on chairs will always be awesome!

Firstly, what do we call it? Most people nowadays refer to this part of the wedding as the ‘Israeli Dancing’. For me, it’s not as though everybody in Israel dances down the street in a circular fashion on their way to the local shops, and when you go into a club in Tel Aviv, you don’t see everyone being lifted up on chairs… so I call it ‘Jewish dancing’.

Images from Jewish dancing at Weddings.Images from Jewish dancing at Weddings.Images from Jewish dancing at Weddings.
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Ruth & David | Pretty Outdoor Jewish wedding at Northbrook Park, Farnham, Surrey UK

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Photographers, Pen and Cam, from  McKinley-Rodgers  do classic elegant romance effortlessly, even the way they capture flowers perched in a mason jar  is like something out of a modern fairytale.

Of course it helps when you are presented with an affair such as Ruth and David’s, a beautiful country garden estate, an abundance of sunshine and a bride and groom that positively exude the whole happy-ever-after.

Ruth’s  floaty dress is to die for, and I am expecting plenty of Pinterest  action for the coral colour scheme  and fresh floral numbers.

And talking of florals….the blooms in general are deliciously dreamy…

Gorgeous + Pretty Outdoor Jewish wedding at Northbrook Park, Farnham, Surrey UK
HOW WE MET
Ruth, the Bride: David and I met at Manchester University – at a JSoc (Jewish Society) “Friday Night Fever”! We went out for a few months, broke up for 3 years, and then started going out again just as I was about to graduate. I moved to London, he stayed in Manchester for his PhD and, 5 years later, we got married!

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