You’ve probably noticed that we talk a lot about Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club, our members-only community for planning your perfect Jewish (or Jew-ish) wedding. That’s because Karen and I are genuinely really excited about it – from the stage-by-stage planning breakdown for every step of the way, to the extensive library of must-have Jewish wedding planning resources to the amazing array of discounts we’ve secured with some of our very favorite vendors, to the incredible stories we hear from our members about how it’s transformed their wedding planning.
Above all, the thing that really makes Brides Club tick is the sense of community among our members – it’s so touching to see the connections made each and every day through our private Brides Club Facebook group.
But online communication only gets you so far, and we want to bring this wonderful community to the next level. So we’ve started live, in-person meetups, currently in London and NYC (with LA coming up in July!). Karen hosted a wonderful drinks meetup for the London brides in May, but what I’m here to talk about is our NYC meetup earlier this month.
Now, this was not just any old meetup. It was a challah bake! That’s right, Brides Club member Jenna, generously offered to host the meetup – and share her challah expertise with us. She’s been baking ever since she was a kid, when she learned from her grandfather, and she’s now a total pro.
Jenna talked us through some challah basics – did you know that the word “challah” technically refers not to the familiar braided loaf, but to the small portion of dough that, according to Jewish law, should be separated and burned?
Jenna also guided us through braiding six-strand challah (and made it look super simple!), and assembled a fantastic toppings/fillings bar – we’re talking zaatar, everything bagel mix, cinnamon sugar, even chocolate chips and candied ginger!
We also took the opportunity to celebrate Smashing The Glass’s 6th birthday – who says you can’t put birthday candles in a challah?
It was so great to meet so many wonderful NYC brides (including our blogging bride Juliette) and hear about their wedding plans, where they are in the process, and their triumphs and struggles.
Lots of sharing goes down in the Brides Club Facebook group, to be sure, but meeting in person just brought everything to a whole new level.
It’s so wonderful seeing the connections made at the meetup – for instance, after a discussion about synagogues in NYC, one bride and her fiancé tried out another bride’s home congregation this weekend!
A London Brides Club challah bake hosted by Karen is in the works (so is a Brides Club picnic on Primrose Hill!), and we’ve got some great future Brides Club meetup ideas we’re working on for NYC. We’ve also got a member-initiated meetup going in LA, and hopefully more in other locations soon.
Want to join in the fun? We’d love to have you be part of Brides Club and participate in this warm, wonderful community – if you’re in the midst of planning your Jewish or Jew-ish wedding, come join us and see what all the fuss is about!
Love the bread making!