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Home > Advice + Planning > Page 22

Win a Performance from Balagan Roaming Band That ALL Your Wedding Guests Will Be Talking About!

14/01/2020 by Karen Cinnamon


We’re so excited to announce something totally new from the team behind Sensation Band… Balagan, the first and only roaming acoustic band in the world that offers Jewish wedding music sets – this is seriously the ULTIMATE in live Jewish wedding entertainment!

We’ve long been fans of Sensation Band, who’ve been bringing music from the biggest stages around the world to Jewish and Jew-ish weddings in London and around the world. Since launching five years ago, they’ve worked with some of the most creative and talented vendors around and entertained tens of thousands of guests in some of the coolest venues across the globe ( and of course we’ve featured Sensation in so many gorgeous real Jewish weddings here on Smashing The Glass over the years).


Now, with Balagan, they’re ready to crank the fun factor up to 11. Offering a 5-6 piece band consisting of singing guitarists, saxophone, percussion, and even an unmissable sousaphone! The band can roam around singing, dancing and interacting with guests during reception drinks, dinner, or during your party set.

Win a show stopping Performance from Balagan Roaming Band

We’re teaming up with Balagan to offer one lucky couple a chance to win a 5-piece Balagan acoustic roaming band to play at their wedding, free of charge! This is a truly incredible prize, worth over £3000 – so if you’re getting married between 1st March 2020 and 1st March 2021, read on to find out how to enter!

Why Choose a Roaming Band?

The greatest feature of a roaming band like Balagan is that it is designed from the outset to be fully mobile and fully personalized, so it’s perfect for receptions, dinner music or regular parties where the band can roam from table to table.

The band members are all highly talented musicians with outgoing personalities – they love getting in amongst the crowd and getting the party started.

The Jewish Wedding Set

Balagan is the only roaming acoustic band in the world (that we know of!) that offers Jewish sets. Fronted by an Israeli folk singer, you get truly authentic Israeli music brought to life in an immersive and fun way never seen before (why oh why weren’t Balagan around when I had my wedding?!).

This is an amazing alternative to the traditional format of having a band performing the Israeli set on stage – with Balagan you are in amongst the music. The band can also perform on a central podium with guests gathered around for dancing.

An immersive experience

Balagan gets everyone involved and makes the experience as immersive and participative as possible. They often suggest providing guests with personalised drums and tambourines, so even if they don’t know the words to the songs on the set list they can help create the music!

Why We Love Balagan for Jewish Weddings

  • You can’t beat the fun factor of a roaming band – Balagan creates an intimate, informal atmosphere guaranteed to get your guests talking
  • As a roaming band, Balagan connects with guests and tables in a totally personalized way that will make each and every attendee feel effortlessly comfortable and engaged in the celebration from the very beginning
  • Roaming bands are great in situations where there are specific sound restrictions, and Balagan can play acoustically without issue even where there are sound limiters in place
  • Without the need for a stage or any sound equipment, Balagan can work in pretty much any space available, no matter how small or large
  • And they also work with a range of budgets, depending on your needs
  • Give your guests a huge surprise by introducing the band out of nowhere with a guerrilla/flash mob entrance, guaranteed to get the whole room on their feet
  • Balagan can go fully wireless, so you get all the advantages of being fully mobile and acoustic, but you still get a big sound, mixed by a sound engineer

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Happy New Year Jewish and Jew-ish Brides!

01/01/2020 by Karen

Woo hoo — it’s 2020! Perhaps that means you can now say “I’m getting married THIS year?!” (so exciting!). Or maybe you’re looking forward to tying the knot in 2021?

Either way I wanted to let you know that we’ve just released 8 new free places inside our Brides Club for Jewish and Jew-ish brides… WOO HOO!

Karen Cinnamon Smashing The Glass_1224Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club

Inside our Brides Club we minimize wedstress and overwhelm, with step-by-step guides, handpicked wedding vendor discounts, Jewish wedding action plans, a free smash glass pouch, Jewish wedding checklists and templates, and SO much more! 

You can find out more and grab your free place here.

You’re engaged… and I get it:

  • You want to be different but fulfil certain expectations.
  • You want to be cost efficient without seeming to scrimp.
  • You want to involve friends and family without causing them a ton of work and stress.
  • You want to throw an amazing party that will appeal to quite a disparate group of people… and across the generations.

I know most of these pressures apply to ALL weddings but there are extra levels of pressure for Jewish weddings — how much of the traditional stuff do you do? How do you cater for kosher guests? The chuppah, the ketubah, the glass, kippot, the rituals, the rabbi…

And then there’s the party itself. How do you ensure it’s one to remember without losing your mind in the process of planning it all? 

That’s why I set up my Brides Club and I can’t wait to see you in there.

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Our Top Judaica Finds for Hanukkah 2019 and Beyond

12/12/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Hamsa Hand Watercolor Painting by BRITcolors

In honor of Hanukkah coming up in just a couple of weeks (yep, the first night is December 22 – mark those calendars!), we wanted to share with you some of the Judaica pieces Team STG is lusting after right now. 

Though we’re normally pretty narrowly focused on bringing you the best of the best when it comes to wedding-related goods and services, we’re always keeping an eagle eye out on the latest and greatest in Jewish art, design, and beyond (NB: if you’re into this, join our Smashing Life membership for life after the wedding) so we’ve put together this post as a snapshot of what we’re loving as we head into 2020.

The Chosen One Game

Whether you’re looking for an heirloom to pass down through the generations or just a fun last-minute Hanukkah gift, we’ve got you covered. 

Hanukkah

Acyrylic Oil Chanukiah by Apeloig Collection from Contemporary Judaica  | £245

How cool are these colorful acrylic menorahs from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Contemporary Judaica? You can even customize the placement of the shamash!

PSA to all you brides and grooms reading this: Contemporary Judaica offers wedding gift list services, either through their own site or through The Wedding Shop at Selfridges in London 


Delightful Dreidel by Melanie Dankowicz | $145

This magnificent stainless steel dreidel from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Melanie Dankowicz, featuring the Hebrew letters nun, gimel, hey, and shin tucked in amidst the design, is a true work of art.


Hanukkah High-Performance Leggings from ModernTribe | $40
(Take off an additional 10% discount if you’re a member of Smashing The Glass Brides Club)

How cute (and cozy) are these leggings, adorned with menorahs, dreidels, and Stars of David? Even better, STG Brides Club and Smashing Life members get an automatic 10% discount at Modern Tribe. Not yet a member? Join here for Brides Club and here for Smashing Life!


Shoshi Dreidel Studs by Ariel Tidhar  |  From $36

This Hanukkah, dreidels aren’t just for playing with, thanks to these fun acrylic stud earrings, handmade in New York City.


 

The Ultimate Hanukkah Sweater by Sefira Creative  | $49

A Hanukkah sweater, but not cheesy. 


Shabbat

Farah Challah Cover in Gold Bordeaux by AHYIN | $350

Micaela Ezra of AHYIN creates truly stunning ethically crafted challah covers – each one is hand-embroidered by artisans in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. 

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Everything You Need to Know about Jewish Wedding Stationery {With Jack McGinnigal of EYI Love}

10/12/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

I’m so excited to share with you my latest Facebook Live with the incredible Jack McGinnigal of luxury design and print studio EYI Love. EYI Love, which Jack runs with his wife Lorna, have been translating their respective engineering and fashion backgrounds into memorable, modern stationery design since 2010. They adore Jewish weddings, and work with Jewish couples all over the world from their home base in Glasgow – including many happy STG brides!

Jack and I chatted about all things Jewish wedding stationery, from timings to aesthetics, and if I say so myself we created some excellent content. If you’ve still got decisions about wedding stationery to make, this Live is truly not to be missed. 

 

Wedding invitation suite of fab wedding planner and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rachel Flax – wedding coming soon to STG!

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Discover Your Dream Bar or Bat Mitzvah Venue {with Pop Up Bar Mitzvah}

05/12/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Photo by Loft Studios

You might be wondering what we’re doing writing about bar and bat mitzvah venues. We are a wedding blog, after all. But when we met the fantastic team at Pop Up Bar Mitzvah, we couldn’t resist sharing their fab work with you – if STG did bar mitzvahs, this London-based outfit would be our go-to, no question. Plus, we figure chances are you might know someone who’s planning a bar or bat mitzvah and looking for the perfect team to help make it a smashing success.

This is the first part in a series with Pop Up Bar Mitzvah, where we’ll be looking at different elements that go into planning a memorable, personal bar or bat mitzvah – this time, we’re focusing on venues. 

Photo by West Reservoir Center (part of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Hackney Venues)

The Perfect Match

Finding the perfect anything isn’t easy – the perfect match, the perfect place to get married and sooner than you’d ever expect, the gentle patter of tiny feet has turned into the stress of searching for the perfect bar or bat mitzvah venue.

Photo by Secret River Garden

If you’re at that stage in life when you’re starting to think about where would be a great place for your child’s bar mitzvah party but the prospect of researching venues brings you out in hives then you’ll be excited to know about event planning company Pop Up Bar Mitzvah whose team of experts can assist you in compiling a shortlist of venues to suit your requirements.

Photo by Sunbeam Studios

A Wealth of Experience

Their wealth of experience means that you can trust their recommendations as they use their keen eye and expertise in their field to put together a carefully selected list of the best, chicest and most gorgeous bar mitzvah venues in London.

Photo by Postal Museum

Working with them is a bit like being able to ask your most stylish friend to give you the inside scoop on the best places to party because you know their recommendations are going to be honest, impartial and on trend.

Photo by The Printworks

Pop Up Bar Mitzvah have an amazing black book of unusual venues and specialise in blank canvas venues, which basically means somewhere that you can style and transform to create something unique.

Photo by Bankside Vaults

You won’t find the standard hotels in their recommendations, instead you might discover a secret river garden perfect for a festival vibe, an underground tunnel that takes you on a journey beneath the streets of London, industrial warehouses in East London that ooze character or even a beautiful castle suitable for a prince or princess. What all the venues have in common is their flexibility; a unique space that can be styled to suit you.

Photo by Strawberry Hill House

The Best Venues in London

Over the years they’ve produced countless events and parties so they’ve done all the legwork, getting to know the best venues in London, saving you the slog of studying endless websites.

Photo by The Tate Switch House

Visiting venues is key to choosing the right place and the team can organise and attend the show-rounds with you; they’ve even got a handy little guide that lets you know the 20 questions you need to ask to when you visit a venue to ensure you get the most out of your time.

Photo by Hawker House

And once you’ve found that perfect place, Pop Up Bar Mitzvah are also able to help you organise the party. From helping you find the perfect venue, to styling or theming, sourcing unforgettable entertainment to creative menu ideas your guests will love, the team will be with you ever step of the way, making sure everything is perfect on the night.

Photo by Kent House Knightsbridge

Why not have a look at their website full of venues to inspire you or ask the team to send you a shortlist of recommended venues.

Photo by Merchant Taylors’

About Pop Up Bar Mitzvah

Pop Up Bar Mitzvah was set up by Gary Peters, the director of award-winning event agency Evolve Events. During his 20 years of producing countless events one of the most common questions he’s been asked is how can you make your Bar Mitzvah celebration stand out from all the rest. That’s why he set up Pop Up Bar Mitzvah, to create one-of-a-kind, over-the-top experiences, specialising in creating unique parties that celebrate the individualism of your child. Each celebration is tailored to your needs and personalised to your child and your family. From the venue finding to creating the overall look, including lighting and styling, the team at Pop Up Bar Mitzvah will be there to make sure all the elements, including food and entertainment, come together in a night of extravaganza and celebration.

What People Say

We wanted to say how much we appreciated your hard work – both before and on the day itself. The Bat Mitzvah went incredibly smoothly and your meticulous preparation meant everything was under control. Thank you for your amazing professionalism and charming approach throughout the process. With you at the helm, working in such harmony with the caterers and florist we were able to enjoy the party from beginning to end.

Lord and Lady Leigh of Hurley

Photo by 8 Northumberland Avenue

Contact Details

info@popupbarmitzvah.com

Website | Instagram | Facebook

Location: London


Pop Up Bar Mitzvah is a Smashing The Glass handpicked sponsor and this is a sponsored post. We only ever work with sponsors that we absolutely ADORE and would use ourselves. You can find out more about sponsored posts here.

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