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Real Jewish Brides: Jos Gets Real about Body Image and Planning Curveballs

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Jos will be marrying Daniel on 28th June 2020 at Hackney Town Hall, London, UK. Click here to read all Jos’ planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Before meeting Daniel, Jos was known for her torrid dating tales – so much so that her friends used to call her Bridget Jonestein! (2) Daniel proposed to Jos in the Greek island of Naxos! (3) Jos is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!


Fiction Vs Reality

As a child I grew up with a beautiful view of love. Disney princesses with impossibly small waists and hair that seems to just fall into place meet similarly beautiful men, usually on horseback and then suddenly appear, doe eyed, at their weddings.

Yes, there are a few bumps in the road, a few wicked witches, maybe a poison apple or two, but the end game is always the same. We all live happily ever after. 

So, with such high expectations, the experience of being engaged so far has fallen somewhat short. Don’t get me wrong, I am 100% sure that I am marrying the right guy, he’s an angel. However, there are two things that have been making the past few months difficult, and they are two things that Disney did not prepare me for. 

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Real Jewish Brides: Janine Is Planning Her Wedding From Afar

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Janine will be marrying Paul on 26th July 2020 at Fasque Castle, Scotland, UK. Click here to read all Janine’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Janine and fiance Paul met on Bumble. (2) The two of them are planning an interfaith Jew-ish wedfest weekend, to include everything from a whiskey tasting to mini highland games! (3) Janine is a member of  Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

Our Vision for Our Wedding

From the day Paul and I knew that we wanted to get married, way before we were engaged, we decided that we didn’t want to get married in London; we wanted to marry in a place with meaning. 

I recall the day that we got our inspiration – we were watching a rom com, which Paul claims to hate, but I know that he secretly loves; maybe not for the content but for snuggling up on the sofa and relaxing.

The film, Leap Year, showed a beautiful wedding set against a lake with a mountainous backdrop, that’s when I exclaimed, we should marry in Scotland(!) – I have Scottish heritage, it’s a beautiful place, and will be ideal for the small wedding that we wanted.  That’s when we set about on our mission to find our perfect venue…

Our search began with a very long list (Paul likes to have options), which we whittled down to six venues. On December the 19th last year we set off in my car on the long drive to Scotland.

Our plan involved viewing six venues in three days across different parts of Scotland, of varying styles, but all exclusive use venues because we want our wedding to be a party with just our families and friends, it was a busy trip but we were determined to find THE place for us! 

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Planning A Wedding Without My Dad

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Sarah who will be marrying Rich on 21th June 2020 at Tikitano Beach, Marbella, Spain. Click here to read all Sarah’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Sarah knew Rich was the one when he brought a gift of dog treats for her toy poodle Nuala along to their fourth date! (2) They are crafting an amazing destination wedding weekend in Marbella with beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended vendor optimum weddings as their planner. (3) Sarah is a member of  Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

So this is an emotional post, it’s heartfelt and it’s raw and it hasn’t been easy to write. I suppose that my main aim of writing it is in the hope that other brides to be realise that they are not alone in their feelings if they have lost someone special and that there is nothing wrong with having mixed feelings at such a happy time because it is normal. So here goes…

I lost my dad when I was five years old and I also lost my mums sister last year and my nanny, uncle, grandparents and very close family friends over the past 26 years.

For the most part I have always accepted this and been ok with it, even though I have really missed dad and my other loved ones at landmark events on special occasions like graduation, my first job, when I needed a male perspective on various boyfriend dilemmas, when I watched a father of the bride speech at a wedding or a father daughter dance at a wedding. However, I never expected the wave of emotions which hit me when I got engaged. 

Getting engaged was one of the best days of my life, I knew that it was the start of a wonderful life with my best friend and the man that I love. However, I had this overwhelming sense of emptiness and loss. I couldn’t understand what was wrong with me? How could I be feeling down at such an exciting and happy time, maybe I’m just not normal? 

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Real Jewish Brides: Alexandra’s Search for an Unorthodox Rabbi

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Alexandra will be marrying Ian on 10th May 2020 at La Corte Dei Messapi in Ostuni, Puglia, Italy. Click here to read all Alexandra’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: THREE FACTS: (1) Alexandra and Ian are planning an intimate black-tie destination wedding for 60 of their nearest and dearest in Puglia, Italy. (2) Alexandra is Jewish, and Ian is in the process of converting to Judaism. (3) Alexandra is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

My fiance and I are pretty up on the major Jewish holidays. When we scheduled our wedding on May 10th, 2020 in Ostuni, Italy, we thought it would be the perfect time to find an officiant; we were wrong. Most rabbis in Italy are Orthodox and we are getting married during the counting of the Omer when weddings aren’t conducted.

If you are like me, you may not know what the forty-nine day period that constitutes the counting of the Omer is all about. It begins on Passover and ends on Shavuot and we are getting married in the middle of it. The idea of counting each day between the two holidays represents spiritual preparation and anticipation for the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.

It is considered a time of semi-mourning. During this period, Orthodox Jews are forbidden from getting haircuts, shaving, listening to instrumental music, or conducting weddings, parties, and dinners with dancing.


Image by Maloman Studios  from Lindsey and Corey’s wedding

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Real Jewish Brides: Naomi’s Wedding Planning Progress, Getting Used to American Wedding Traditions, and Mourning a Tragic Loss

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Naomi will be marrying Daniel on 18th March 2020 at Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus in Aventura, Florida, USA. Click here to read all Naomi’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) British bride Naomi has just moved to Florida to join her Venezuelan fiance Daniel, who she met at a wedding in Israel – talk about an international couple! (2) Naomi and Daniel were long distance for 3.5 years, until this July. (3) Naomi is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club! 

Wedding Planning Progress

Hello and welcome to bridal blog number 2!

I’m very happy to report that some definite planning progress has been made since I last sat down to write a post. Who would’ve thought, I’m actually enjoying wedding planning!? I can only possibly put that down to the incredibly calming influence of my other half to be, so shout out to Mr Azulay for pulling through there.

Fun news number 1) – we booked our wedding photographer and videographer, Esmeralda Bodas. After seeing some Instagram previews of a recent wedding they photographed of Daniel’s friends, including some spectacular hora shots where the bride and groom are captured mid air being thrown about by their friends (!), we instantly loved their style and the spirit of their pictures, and I’m so excited to work with them.

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