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What To Ask Your Officiant and Wedding Planner to Ensure They Facilitate the Jewish (or Jew-ish) Wedding You Want

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Jewish-Wedding
This is a guest post by Danya Shults whose wedding we featured on Smashing The Glass last year

When to say ‘I Do’ to your wedding team

Your partnerships with your wedding officiant and planner aren’t as serious as the one you’ve got with your husband or wife, but they are facilitating one of the most significant days of your life!

Your wedding team’s job is to bring your dreamy vision of a meaningful, personal wedding to life. That’s why it’s so important that you’re all on the same page as you plan your big day together.

If you want kosher wine under the chuppah and shrimp hors d’oeuvres at the reception, they should respect that. If you want to include a Yoruba poem in your ceremony to complement the traditional seven Jewish wedding blessings, they should be able to make that work.


Picking the perfect wedding providers

What you really want to know is that your officiant and planner share your values and that you feel heard and understood by them, especially when it comes to incorporating religious and cultural traditions into your wedding in a way that feels authentic to you.

First things first – before you begin the search for your wedding pros, you and your partner should have your own chat about what you do and don’t want for your Jewish (or Jew-ish) wedding. Otherwise, it’ll be tricky to figure out whether or not any particular wedding service provider is right for you.

Once you’re clear on your own expectations and preferences, you can start interviewing wedding officiants and planners. Remember: the key is to pick providers who really get you, whom you love working with, and who will bring your wedding vision to life.

You can use the questions below to make sure you and your wedding team mesh!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

31 Top Tips For an Awesome Jewish Wedding

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Last month I set myself the challenge of posting one Jewish wedding tip by video, every single day on the Smashing The Glass Facebook page. It amounted to 31 two-minute tip videos of me talking about everything from killer wedding shoes to how to get the best out of your wedding vendors, to how to get that amazing ‘crush’ sound when you smash the glass, to the importance of keeping your family happy to literally EVERY fantastic wedding tip under the sun chuppah!

As of today (August 10, 2017), the videos have collectively been viewed well over 10,00 times, so there must have been a few nuggets in there! As such, I thought it would be a good idea to post them all here for you to enjoy in one place. 

Let me know which one’s your favorite? Happy Planning!

Tip #1 Incorporate meaningful things into your wedding

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10 Couples Who Totally Made Their Jewish Wedding Their Own

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Creative Jewish Wedding
It is very easy to make the mistake of assuming that Jewish weddings are quite predictable and similar to one another. But Smashing The Glass‘s entire raison d’àªtre is to demonstrate how this is absolutely not the case.

Jewish traditions are templates, ready to have a couple’s unique and original personalities stamped onto them. Every Jewish or Jew-ish wedding we feature is a total one off — a unique celebration encompassing all of our couples’ quirks, tastes and influences.

To prove it, we’ve put together a list of ten incredible past STG couples (in no particular order) to illustrate exactly how they did things their way. The list we’ve chosen incorporates vastly different budgets, themes, cultures, sexual orientations and styles – and we wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Prepare thyselves for a full on Pinning session, because there’s simply too much pretty (and creative ideas galore) to handle.

1. Danny and Aaron’s Jewish wedding, complete with an entrance on the back of a Jew-nicorn


Image: Maya Myers

When it came to doing things their way, Danny and Aaron went EPIC. They rode down the aisle to their chuppah atop a tallit-wearing horse dressed as a unicorn (or Jew-nicorn, as they dubbed it!) to the tune of Madonna’s Like a Virgin. What’s more Joss Stone (yes, the Joss Stone) undertook the role of cantor, singing Circle of Life as Danny and Aaron circled each other under the chuppah, and, if Joss Stone herself wasn’t enough, they also had a a 16-person-strong gospel choir.

> Read more about Danny and Aaron’s Jewish wedding here

2. Charlotte and Ellie’s industrial, Victoriana Jew-ish wedding


Image: Dale Weeks

Charlotte and Ellie’s same-sex Jew-ish big day had a dramatic and industrial meets romantic, dark florals theme, and took place at the iconic St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London. Special touches included home-designed invitations, rust-coloured chairs, Victoriana table decorations and whole flower stems strewn down the aisle. ‘Sunrise, Sunset’ from Fiddler on the Roof signalled the start of their Jewish ceremony.

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Facebook Live Catch Up: Wedding Dress Trends for 2018 {with The Wedding Club}

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WOW! What a Facebook Live we had on Wednesday, live from central London’s most prestigious wedding dress store, The Wedding Club.

I spent most of it open-mouthed, taking in the awesomeness of the show-stopping  wedding gowns from some of the most sought-after wedding dress designers in the world. I’m talking Berta Bridal, Zuhair Murad,and Naeem Khan – all Smashing The Glass faves!

We were treated to a diverse range of breathtaking looks, from super-sexy and barely-there on one end of the spectrum, to lavish gowns layered with peplums, beading, sparkles and a ‘modern ballgown’ feel.

We also saw some sensational statement two-in-one styles, and overskirts that brilliantly illustrate how you can create two different looks for your chuppah ceremony and party. These drew virtual gasps in the comments boxes with lots of ‘wooooah’s and wow’s. We ADORED all your comments, questions, interaction and shares. Thank you so much!

Smashing-The-Glass-Facebook-LiveContinue ReadingContinue Reading

Throwing The Perfect Hen Do / Bachelorette Party… the Non-Traditional Way

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Bachelorette-Party
This is a guest post by Tash Rosehill whose wedding we featured on Smashing The Glass last May

Hands up if you’re planning a hen do (or bachelorette party!) right now? Chances are, if you’re in wedding mode, you’re also in hen mode. If you’re like me and having a bumper year, you have a wedding or hen do almost every weekend during the summer months.

Where to start?

The first thing to think about, unsurprisingly, is the hen herself! What type of things does she like to do? Is she more artsy than outdoorsy? Does she prefer a can of coke over a champagne? Is her Instagram more restaurants than raves? Take a few of her favourite things and try and think up a couple of activities that she might find interesting.

Breaking the ice

If you’re planning a hen, or going on one, you may be worried about bringing different groups of friends together. This is where hen games come in, yes they are cringe but they are supposed to be, so embrace it! Hen games are a great way to help everyone get to know each other a bit more and start the drinking off as well (if you haven’t already!) 

Hen-Party

A Memory Book

A lot of hens also make a hen book, which is a lovely little memory for the bride-to-be, filled with memories. This could be a traditional book with messages, pictures and even recipes, or something entirely different! You could make a collage-style canvas out of the pictures, or get photos, drawings, or messages printed onto pretty much anything!

Hen Game ideas

  • Toilet paper wedding dress – Divide the hens into 2 teams, give them several toilet paper rolls and get them to construct a dress on a model. Make sure the bride is one of the models (or gets to choose the winner!)
  • Cads About Matrimony – if you love Cards Against Humanity – you’ll love the wedding version! You can always instigate a drinking game element too – download and print off here: http://cadsaboutmatrimony.com/product/cads-about-matrimony/
  • Mr & Mrs – Q&A where the bride and groom answer questions about each other – sometimes done as a video. If the bride gets it wrong, she has to drink! (I know this is an oldie but always goes down well)
  • Dare necklace – get everyone in the hen party (and maybe mummy hen too!) to submit some dares. Write these on card, number them from nice to naughty, fold over, hole punch and thread a ribbon through to create a necklace. The bride can complete some/all of the dares during the course of the hen do to win a prize!

Bachelorette-Party

Decor and theme ideas

You might find it helpful to theme the hen weekend or each part of it around things in the hen’s life. For example, I’ve planned a Doctors and Nurses themed hen for a Doctor, been on a safari night for another hen (it was where her now-husband proposed) and completed political hen games for a hen obsessed with current affairs.

Don’t forget the little touches – decorating the venue and yourselves with photos, banners, or even just willy confetti all add to the spirit of the hen do. Sashes, personalised t-shirts, temporary tattoos and even a bouquet made of willies (yes – its a REAL thing and yes, I have bought it for a hen do!) amplify the silliness.  Continue ReadingContinue Reading