Cool Jewish Wedding Music Archives - Smashing the Glass

Dancing the Hora: Everything You Need To Know

15/03/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Image: Blake Ezra Photography (Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor)

What is, hands down, the most fun and exciting part of any Jewish wedding? In the immortal words of Anthony from Sex and the City, the answer is: “the hora! THE HORA!”

The hora (sometimes called Jewish Dancing or Israeli Dancing) is a highly energetic Israeli circle dance, and guests are supposed to put as much vigor and enthusiasm into it as they would on their own wedding day. Danced to klezmer music, it’s usually the part of the wedding where you’ll see the happy couple lifted on chairs (equal parts exhilarating and terrifying), or being thrown about on a sheet!

At religious, Orthodox Jewish weddings, men and women dance the hora separately, with a dividing wall, while Reform, Liberal and Jew-ish weddings tend to keep the party in one place.

It’s an amazing challenge for any photographer, to capture the mayhem, and frankly, at this point, brides can forget about their hair and makeup, because things are going to get sweaty!

So, given how integral the hora is to a real Jewish knees up, how do you make it happen? Here are some tips to getting everybody at your wedding involved in this boisterous and brilliant tradition.

Image: David Pullum Photography (Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor)

Kick off with klezmer music

If your budget can stretch to it we highly recommend a live band. Whether it’s a live band who can play some klezmer classics, or a traditional klezmer band, it’s all in the music. If live entertainment is a little out of budget, we advise putting together a klezmer playlist or asking your DJ to dedicate a special portion of the evening to it.

There are many traditional melodies to choose from. If you’re not sure where to start, YouTube is a great source of inspiration for hora songs. This video alone is a medley of some of the most popular songs to dance the hora to, to get your playlist going.

Image: York Place Studios ( Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor)

Learn some basic hora steps

Chances are, if you’re having a Jewish or Jew-ish wedding, that you’re probably already a somewhat accomplished hora dancer. However, if you’re a little unsure of what happens when you dance the hora, why not brush up before the big day?

Whether you find a local Israeli dance class or teacher to help you out, or you use one of the many YouTube tutorials available, make sure you’re confident enough to whip up enthusiasm among your guests. They will, after all, be following your lead.

Image: David Pullum Photography (Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor)

Facebook Live Catch Up: Jewish Wedding music with Ariel Shapiro and Bryan Edery – live from The Wedding Gallery

07/12/2017 by Karen

Last Tuesday we live streamed from the heart of Central London – from the incredible The Wedding Gallery – for a Jewish Wedding Music Facebook Live with wonderful chazan Ariel Shapiro, and super talented Bryan Edery on piano.

The live audience, from all corners of the world, expressed their love for the show with loads of hearts, likes and comments and we had the BEST time! Thank you for being such a great audience – we love the live interaction!

There were so many great songs played including Boi Kallah (sung to ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen) (5 mins 50 secs in), Eshet Chayil (10 mins in) Meheirah (16 mins 54 secs in), Im Eshkachech (24 mins in) Vezakeini (31 mins 27 secs in), and Boi Kallah (sung to ‘All Of Me’ by John Legend) (57 mins in). Full breakdown below!

The show was absolutely brilliant and if you missed it, you can still catch up by watching the replay above. Ariel and Bryan were just fantastic and it’s an absolute must-watch if you’re still thinking of ideas for your Jewish wedding ceremony music!Continue Reading

Facebook Live Catch Up: Jewish Wedding music with Jonny Mosesson

01/07/2017 by Karen

On Wednesday evening we were privileged to host the BEST Facebook Live yet when we went live with the ridiculously talented Jonny Mosesson, the chazan who I had at my own wedding!

It was essentially a Smashing The Glass Unplugged for the June episode of our monthly STG show live from my apartment in London – Mr STG made Aperol Spritz’s for everyone, we had friends over at our place watching, singing and dancing in the background, and the neighbors even joined in!

It was was a ‘Jewish Wedding Music’ special and we were bowled over by Jonny’s musical talents and his wonderful accompanist, Jamie Noar. The live audience, from all corners of the world, expressed their love for the show with loads of hearts, likes and comments. Thank you for being such a great audience – we love the live interaction!

There were so many great songs played including the Hora medley with Siman Tov Mazal Tov (45 mins in), Yerushalayim Shel Zahav (9 mins in) Katonti (13 mins in), Shuvi Nafshi (22 mins in) Boi Beshalom (26 mins 30 secs in), Im Eshka’hekh (42 mins in), Eshet Chayil (38 mins in), and Erev Shel Shoshanim (57 mins in).

The show was absolutely brilliant and if you missed it, you can still catch up by watching the replay above. Jonny and Jamie were just fantastic and it’s an absolute must-watch if you’re still thinking of ideas for your Jewish wedding ceremony music

Our monthly STG shows air live on the last Wednesday of every month on the Smashing The Glass Facebook page at 8pm GMT (that’s 3pm EST, 12pm PST, and 9pm in Europe) to coincide with #WeddingWednesday. The next monthly show airs on Wednesday 26 July 2017.

Make sure you like the Smashing The Glass Facebook page to be notified of all future shows.

Image: Danielle Manson

Facebook Live Catch Up: Best Songs for your Wedding with DJ Knight

29/04/2017 by Karen

On Wednesday evening DJ Knight and I had SO much fun when went live for the April episode of our monthly STG show live from my apartment in London!

This month is was a ‘Wedding Songs’ special and we were bowled over by DJ Knight’s (otherwise known as Kwamé’s) fantastic recommendations for First Dance Songs, Smashing The Glass songs, Last Dance songs, and everything in between! There were so many good tunes mentioned (and played – DJ Knight brought along his decks!) that we’ve created a playlist below of every song brought up.

There’s a Spotify playlist for you to listen to and import directly, as well as YouTube links of every song. That’s how much we love you – and it’s all below!

The show was absolutely brilliant and if you missed it, you can still catch up by watching the replay above. Kwamé was just fantastic and it’s an absolute must-watch if you’re still thinking of ideas for your wedding songs!

We had SUCH a great reaction to this that we are going to follow up in June’s STG Live show with a ‘Best Hebrew Songs for Jewish Weddings’ special with chazan Jonny Mosesson – keep your eyes peeled for that one!

Make sure you like the Smashing The Glass Facebook page to be notified of all future shows.

It’s all about the music – Sound Generation make good weddings exceptional…

08/03/2017 by Karen

Well at least this years Oscars started well. Ahem. Obvious gaffe aside, there’s a reason why Justin Timberlake was asked to open the show with that *stunning* performance of Can’t Stop the Feeling.

Because it was fabulous and music is crucial to kick start and maintain an amazing night. Did you see the stars in the audience caught dancing? Jeff Bridges, Javier Bardem, Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman among them – all shaking off the pre-awards tension.

But that’s the Oscars, so how important is music at a wedding? Well, if you want it to be a memorable one, then VERY. Music creates the atmosphere and galvanises the memories of your big day. It’s the heartbeat – coercing cheers, tears and driving the dance floor. And with that in mind, today I’m posting about a live music provider for weddings that you really must know about – Sound Generation.

Why we heart Sound Generation

Sound Generation are a UK-based outfit that arrange some of the finest singers and bands to play at (good) Jewish weddings. Their acts – all of whom work full time in the industry – are highly sought after, having worked with global music stars including Beyonce, Rhianna, Ed Sheeran and Tony Bennett.

They have artists that cover all traditional Jewish wedding favourites, as well as harpists, pianists, jazz trios, DJs, string quartets, party bands, acoustic duos… you name it. Sound Generation’s acts are so impressive that they’re regularly seen performing at Ronnie Scott’s, Wembley Arena, the O2 and The Royal Albert Hall. This is the real deal folks!

And they so happen to have organised the music at the real wedding I chose to open 2017 with – the sensational Jewish wedding of Amy and Adam.

The Talent

Just imagine the entertainment at YOUR wedding… what style are you leaning towards? Sound Generation can provide oodles of audible food for thought

How about Louise? A phenomenally talented singer-songwriter who’s performed at Glastonbury and Isle of Wight Festival, is a regular at Ronnie Scott’s and Jazz Café, and has supported the likes of En Vogue, George Benson, Roberta Flack, and The Stylistics.