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Top 20 songs to play immediately after smashing the glass at a Jewish wedding!

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Breaking-The-Glass
Image by Dave & Charlotte

There’s no doubt about it, one of the theatrical highlights of any Jewish wedding is when the groom stamps his foot and smashes that glass (is it any surprise that it’s the Jewish wedding tradition this blog is named after?!).

For me, the breaking of the glass is THE moment of a Jewish wedding. With cries of ‘mazal tov’, cheering, clapping and hollering, it’s a great time to play your favourite party song to kickstart the celebrations, smooch your beloved for the first time as man and wife, and joyously embrace your loved ones.

You may want to choose a tune that’s personal to you as a couple, or perhaps something brilliantly traditional like Siman Tov U Mazal Tov or Hava Nagila, but if you want to pump up the party atmosphere, choose any one of following 20 songs.

The first 10 tunes are my top picks, whilst the following 10 come courtesy of Maya Bechor from Zebra Music, who’s an expert at gently encouraging couples to step out of their comfort zone of ordinary “wedding music”.

All 20 tunes are also handily compiled in this Spotify playlist for your entertainment pleasure.

Oh… and for the perfect accessory for smashing the glass, you’ll want one of our own-brand smash glass pouches!

Are there any other ‘breaking the glass songs’ you’ve you heard that really got the party started? Let me know in the comments section below!

1. Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder


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Dates in 2026, 2027 and 2028 to avoid for a Jewish wedding plus a 12 Month Wedding Planning Monthly Checklist

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Photo by Lacy Gabrielle Photography

Mazal tov on your engagement! There’s so much to do before the big day (start with trying out Brides Club, our ultra-supportive community for Jewish and Jew-ish brides), it can feel overwhelming to keep track of everything. That’s why I’ve condensed it all into one neat checklist, laying out the biggest tasks that need to be taken care of in chronological order. You’ll find that further down the page, but first things first – you need to pick a date! 

DATES TO AVOID FOR A JEWISH WEDDING IN 2026, 2027 + 2028

Below you can see all the dates that should be avoided for your Jewish wedding in 2026, 2027 and 2028, according to the Jewish calendar.

Jewish Wedding dates to avoid in 2026

Avoid Purim: March 3rd, 2026 (at sunset) to March 4th 2026

Avoid from Passover:  April 1st 2026 [from sunset] to April 9th 2026. Traditionally, no Jewish weddings take place between Passover and Shavuot except on Lag B’ Omer (that’s the date I chose for my wedding in 2013!) which in 2026 falls on 4th May (from sunset) to 5th May 2026

Avoid the 3 weeks leading up to and including Tisha B’av: July 2nd 2026 (from sunset) to July 24th 2026. Jewish marriages are not allowed during the period of three weeks leading up and including to the Fast of Tisha B’av

Avoid Rosh Hashana: September 11th (from sunset) to September 13th 2026

Avoid Yom Kippur: 20th September (from sunset) to 21st September 2026

Avoid Succot: 25th September (from sunset) to 27th September 2026

Avoid Simchat Torah:  2nd October (from sunset) to 4th October 2026

Jewish Wedding dates to avoid in 2027

Avoid Purim: March 22nd, 2027 (at sunset) to March 23rd 2027

Avoid from Passover:  April 21st 2027 [from sunset] to April 29th 2027. Traditionally, no Jewish weddings take place between Passover and Shavuot except on Lag B’ Omer (that’s the date I chose for my wedding in 2013!) which in 2026 falls on 24th May (from sunset) to 25th May 2027

Avoid the 3 weeks leading up to and including Tisha B’av: July 21st 2027 (from sunset) to August 12th 2027. Jewish marriages are not allowed during the period of three weeks leading up and including to the Fast of Tisha B’av

Avoid Rosh Hashana: October 1st (from sunset) to October 3rd 2027

Avoid Yom Kippur: 10th October (from sunset) to 11th October 2027

Avoid Succot: 15th October (from sunset) to 22nd October 2027

Avoid Simchat Torah:  23rd October (from sunset) to 24th October 2027

Jewish Wedding dates to avoid in 2028

Avoid Purim: 11th March (sunset) – 12th March

Avoid from Passover:  10th April (sunset) – 18th April. Traditionally, no Jewish weddings take place between Passover and Shavuot except on Lag B’ Omer (that’s the date I chose for my wedding in 2013!) which in 2028 falls on 13th May (from sunset) to 14th May 2028.

Avoid the 3 weeks leading up to and including Tisha B’av: 1st July (from sunset) to 1st August 2028. Jewish marriages are not allowed during the period of three weeks leading up and including to the Fast of Tisha B’av

Avoid Rosh Hashana: 20nd September (from sunset) to 22nd September 2028

Avoid Yom Kippur: 29th September (from sunset) to 30th September 2028

Avoid Succot: 4th October (from sunset) to 11th October 2028

Avoid Simchat Torah:  12th October (from sunset) to 13th October 2028

Danielle-David-Terra-Mia-Vineyards-Paso-Robles-California-USA

Dani and David‘s Jewish wedding | Photo by Derek Preciado Photography

 12 Month Wedding Planning Monthly Checklist

So now you are in the know about dates, let’s lay out the biggest tasks that need to be taken care of in chronological order. If you’d like a more comprehensive guide, you can download our Ultimate Wedding Checklist here.

I’ve used a 12 month timeline as that’s the length of the average UK and USA engagement. It’s just a guide obviously – I myself only had 6 months to plan my wedding and others will have a lot longer.

9-12 months before the wedding

  • Join Brides Club, our members-only community for Jewish and Jew-ish brides to be, for tons of support, guidance, and inspo as you delve into wedding planning!
  • Create a wedding folder and a Pinterest board and start collating ideas for the style of your wedding that appeals to you.
  • Determine your budget and work out how expenses will be divided.
  • Reserve a date (see Jewish wedding dates to avoid, above in this post) and send out a save the date. This could be beautifully designed card or e-card and set the tone for your event, or it could be a simple beautifully worded email.
  • Start to envision your ceremony. Do you want it to be long and symbolic or short and sweet? Do you want to include all the traditions or just a select few?
  • If you have a particular rabbi in mind, book him or her once you’ve decided on a date. If you haven’t got one in mind, find a rabbi or officiant who suits your style and spirit.
  • Start a guest list and work out an idea of the number of guests you’ll have as this will generate the most accurate cost estimates.
  • Brainstorm ceremony and reception ideas and book a venue.
  • Decide on whether you want a wedding planner, and if you do, hire one.
  • Research photographers, videographers and entertainment. The really good ones can get booked up early so be sure to commit when you find a supplier you love.
  • Ensure that any band or DJ you book plays Jewish wedding music.
  • Research caterers and decide if it’s important for you to have a kosher menu or a non-meat ‘Jewish friendly’ ‘inoffensive’ menu.
  • Start thinking about your wedding dress and enjoy the experience of shopping and finding your dress!

Gaby-Alex-The-Langham-London-UK

Gaby and Alex‘s Jewish wedding | Photo by Mike Garrard Photography

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Juggling motherhood with running a business from home

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motherhood-self-employment
My life–both work and personal–has changed so much in the past couple of years with the appearance of my darling daughter, Sacha, now 13 months old, and the birth of the fast-growing  Smashing  The Glass, just 18 short months ago. I’ve had to strive for a gold medal in  multi-tasking whilst also trying to instil some semblance of balance in my life. And when you work from home, your productivity in all areas is both accelerated  and impeded.

I define myself as a: Wife, Mother, Daughter, Career-Woman, Blogger, Designer, and Adorer of Wonderful People In My Life. With each of those identities comes responsibilities and duties, but  most importantly I’m also blessed to say that they come with a hell of a lot of  fun and fulfilment!  At the grand old age of 39 (yes I turned the big 40-minus-one a couple of months ago), and with the birth of Sacha, I feel like I’ve designed a life where I revel in  every minute and  am surrounded by, and immersed in,  people and  projects I love.

In all honesty  I’m exhausted most of the time but I  also feel extremely privileged  to  have such a satisfying  career and home  life. I know that my daughter will only be little for so long, and I am lucky to get to spend the extra time with her that I do.  I  have part-time child-care but  I’m running  a full-time business so it’s a constant juggle and shifting of priorities. I’m often working around the clock, in the evenings  once  Sacha  is in bed, on weekends whilst  she’s  napping, and pretty much anytime I’m waiting, walking or  watching TV  thanks to my multitude of Apple gadgets.

Karen Cinnamon

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Jewish wedding catering: Ideas for kosher-style, or ‘non-offensive’ menus vs. strictly kosher food

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Catering-for-a-Jewish-wedding
Image: Duncan Nicholls for Alison Price 

Those of you in the know will have no doubt heard of  Liesl Lamare from Lamare London, today’s guest blogger. She has created a brilliant bespoke wedding planning service tailored specifically to reflect luxury brides and grooms, and their vision for their wedding day.

She prides herself on going above and beyond to help her brides and grooms, and today she’s going to do just that for you with her advice and mouth-watering menu ideas for those of you that are choosing a ‘kosher-style’ or “non-offensive’ menu for your wedding, rather than a strictly kosher affair. Take it away Liesl!

Food for thought

It is fair to say that catering often plays a big part at a wedding, and can take up the bulk of your wedding budget too! Catering can contribute to your guests’ experience and enjoyment of your wedding — you can take it from us that well fed guests are happy guests! Critically, when planning a Jewish wedding, you may be considering whether or not you should hire a Kosher caterer.

The importance of having Kosher catering may depend on your family beliefs or the strict dietary requirements of your guests. Equally, you may need to consider whether Kosher catering at your chosen reception venue is even an option.

There are several venues that offer Kosher catering or have a relationship with a preferred Kosher caterer who is familiar with your reception venue’s kitchen. Often, in cases when opting for Kosher catering at your chosen venue, the contract is between the couple and the caterer as opposed to the couple and the venue.

Catering for a Jewish wedding Kosher vs. Kosher-Style or 'non-offensive’ menus
A ‘non-offensive’ menu by Alison Price — see menu 1 below for details on each dish). Imagery by Duncan Nicholls

One of the key Kosher rules is not to mix meat and dairy. Should you choose a Kosher-only venue, there will be a meat kitchen separate to a dairy kitchen. But if your venue doesn’t have a separate catering facility, the caterer will need to go into the kitchen to sterilise it to conform with the regulations of kashrut (Jewish dietary law). Catering staff will also only use food products that have been supervised by a rabbi. Kosher caterers will also need to bring in and use all their own equipment as they are unable to use the equipment at a non-Kosher venue. This includes not being able to use the venue’s dishwashers (!), unless they are for Kosher use only, meaning all the equipment must be washed back at the caterer’s own kitchen or by hand in bowls.

Kosher v Kosher-Style or “non-offensive’ catering

With all these regulations to follow, it may now make sense why hiring in a Kosher caterer can often sky-rocket the price per head to an eye-watering level when planning your Jewish wedding. But we are delighted to let you know that there is a more budget-friendly alternative for the Jewish Bride and Groom – Kosher-Style catering. This is also sometimes called “non-offensive catering”.

Catering for a Jewish wedding Kosher vs. Kosher-Style or 'non-offensive’ menus
A ‘non-offensive’ menu by Kalm Kitchen — see their menu below for details on each dish). Imagery by Kalm Kitchen

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‘Meet The Blogger’ – my interview for the Save The Date wedding podcast

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Karen-Cinnamon-interview
Last week I was interviewed by  Aleisha from the  Save The Date Wedding Podcast  and it was so much  fun!  We laughed a lot whilst discussing everything from how to avoid a ‘cookie cutter’ Jewish wedding-by-numbers, to planning a fabulous Jewish (or Jew-ish!) wedding on a budget, to tailoring traditions to your tastes and beliefs and so much more. There’s also snippets from Charlotte York’s Sex and the City Jewish journey,  some  very unusual versions of Hava Nagila, and  lots more goodies.

If you’d like to listen to it, you can do so here  or here.

And yes, that is me pregnant in the picture above! It was taken last week by the phenomenal Laura Babb, and I’ll be reporting on that shoot very soon.

I hope you enjoy the podcast – let me know your thoughts! And  thanks so much for having me Aleisha!

podcast