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Home > Wedding Planning

Mazel Pup! Involving Your Dog in Your Jewish Wedding

18/05/2022 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Jewish-wedding-Red-Gate-Farm-Savannah-GA-USA

Jacqui and James‘ Jewish wedding with dogs | Photo by Sarah Diller

This is a guest post by Rabbi Robyn Frisch, Director of the Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship for 18Doors and founder of the Mazel Pups Facebook Group. Rabbi Robyn loves dogs just as much as she loves Jewish (and Jew-is) weddings – and having officiated at many over the past 20+ years, she’s seen it all and is channeling her wisdom into some great tips about involving your furry best friend in your big day.


“Will there be a ring bearer?” I asked the wedding couple, after they informed me that the bride’s four-year-old niece was going to be the flower girl. This was 22 years ago. I was a newly ordained rabbi, and it was one of the first weddings I officiated. The couple was planning a small, intimate ceremony in the groom’s parents’ back yard.

Rachel-and-Aaron-Five-Crowns-in-Corona-Del-Mar-CA

Rachel and Aaron‘s dog-friendly Jewish wedding | Photo by Hello Blue Photo

They told me that yes, there would be a ring bearer: their Yorkshire Terrier. He’d walk down the aisle by himself with plastic rings tied onto a bow around his collar. The best man would be holding the couple’s actual wedding rings. “How bizarre!” I thought to myself. In the handful of weddings that I’d officiated, a couple of them had ring bearers – but they were HUMAN ring bearers – all little boys under the age of five. As I imagined a dog – even a cute, well-trained little Yorkie – in the ceremony, a list of all of the things that could possibly go wrong ran through my head.

Jacqui and James‘ Jewish wedding with dogs | Photo by Sarah Diller

But the couple insisted that their dog be the ringbearer, and so he was. And I’m happy to report that the dog did a great job. He walked down the aisle on his own – stopping briefly once or twice to sniff the grass and look at the guests – and when he met the groom at the Chuppah (wedding canopy) he was rewarded with a scratch behind his ears and a Milk Bone treat subtly removed from the groom’s pocket.

Wendy-and-Nagesh-Bel-Air-Bay-Club

Wendy and Nagesh‘s Jewish wedding – with their dog | Photo by Laurie Bailey 

For many years after that wedding, I didn’t see or hear much about dogs being part of weddings. But in recent years, many couples I’ve married have dogs who aren’t just incredibly important parts of their lives, but who’ve also played roles in proposals; engagement and wedding photos; and wedding ceremonies.

Sara-and-Greg-The-Swan-Club-in-Roslyn-NY

Sara and Greg‘s Jewish wedding, with pup Bruce | Photo by Hilary Katzen 

PROPOSALS

For some couples I’ve worked with, the dog’s involvement starts with their engagement. For example, Sydney and Andrew already had rescued their dog Jasper together, and Sydney felt that Jasper was ready for a sibling. Her hints to Andrew weren’t so subtle: Sydney started sending Andrew pictures of other dogs they could rescue. She had no idea that Andrew was already in the process of looking for another dog to add to their family – and that he was planning for that dog to be a central part of his proposal.

Samantha and Scott‘s Jewish wedding, with furry friends on the guest list | Photo by Starfish Studios 

One day, Andrew came home holding roses – and a dog! Sydney was so excited about their new dog Pippa that it took her awhile to notice that Pippa was wearing a tag that said “Will you marry me?” Ultimately, Sydney did see the tag, and ended up that day with both a new dog in the family and the love of her life as her fiance.

Rachel-and-Aaron-Five-Crowns-in-Corona-Del-Mar-CA

Rachel and Aaron‘s dog-friendly Jewish wedding | Photo by Hello Blue Photo

ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS

Many couples choose to have their dogs in their engagement photos. While they’ll of course take plenty of photos with just the two of them, they’ll also have a bunch of photos with their dog, or dogs. Just like engagement photos in general, sometimes the photos with the dogs are taken at the couple’s home, sometimes they’re taken at a photographer’s studio, and sometimes they’re taken outside. Often the photos with the dogs are taken first, and then someone who the dogs are comfortable with – a relative, groomer, walker, or someone else the dog knows well – takes the dog so the couple and photographer can be alone to take the rest of the photos.

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Smashing The Glass’s Online Jewish Wedding Planning Party is TODAY!

20/06/2021 by Karen

Ever wondered what Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club, my members-only community where we minimize wedstress and overwhelm, and maximize your wedding budget with discounts and more, is like?

STG Brides Club is THE place to be for Jewish and Jew-ish brides-to-be, and now you can experience all the guidance, expertise, sense of community, fun, and free gifts we have in there, for yourself, at our free online Jewish Wedding Planning Party happening later today!

There’ll be music, dancing, and presents, and I’m a million percent confident you’ll walk away knowing exactly what you need to do to ensure you have the wedding of your dreams (whatever that dream looks like) — and the wedding you really want (whilst keeping everyone around you happy).

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Have you saved your space at our FREE Virtual Party for Jewish + Jew-ish Brides-to-be? It’s this Sunday!

16/06/2021 by Karen

Have you heard the big news?! I’m hosting a free virtual Jewish Wedding Planning Party, exclusively for brides, this Sunday June 20 and it’s going to be EPIC!

There’ll be presents, and partying, music and (virtual!) drinks, but most importantly I’ll be teaching you exactly how to:

♥ Maximize your wedding budget (whether it’s $ or $$$$$)

♥ Handle unwanted opinions(to get the result you want without hurting anyone’s feelings)

♥ What to ask your vendors when you’re planning a wedding during coronavirus (we’ll talk contracts too)

♥ Craft your perfect Jewish or Jew-ish wedding ceremony + make all your guests feel included (whether they’re attending virtually or in person)

♥ Come up with creative wedding ideas for an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind wedding

And I’ll be answering every single one of your questions (however big or small!) 

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR FREE PLACE AND GET A REMINDER

My online Jewish Wedding Planning Party is all about helping you cut through the overwhelm and have the wedding you really want, stress-free (or as close as you can get).

This is for you whether you’re planning a Jewish or Interfaith Jewish wedding, and whether you’re using a planner.


I’ll be ready and waiting to help you out with every single one of your own wedding planning questions, no matter how big or small.

(And by the way you’ll benefit from the Jewish Wedding Planning Party whether you’re using a planner or not — this is an absolute must-attend for every Jewish / Jew-ish bride-to-be!)

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BIG NEWS: Announcing Smashing The Glass’s FREE Virtual Party for Jewish + Jew-ish Brides-to-be

08/06/2021 by Karen

SAVE THE DATE (and get your free ticket!). On Sunday June 20 I’m hosting a free virtual Jewish Wedding Planning Party for you wherever in the world you live!

My online Jewish Wedding Planning Party is all about helping you cut through the overwhelm and have the wedding you really want, stress-free (or as close as you can get).

This is for you whether you’re planning a Jewish or Interfaith Jewish wedding, and whether you’re using a planner – or not and this is what you can expect:

There’ll be presents, and partying, music and (virtual!) drinks, but most importantly I’ll be teaching you exactly how to:

♥ Maximize your wedding budget (whether it’s $ or $$$$$)

♥ Handle unwanted opinions(to get the result you want without hurting anyone’s feelings)

♥ What to ask your vendors when you’re planning a wedding during coronavirus (we’ll talk contracts too)

♥ Craft your perfect Jewish or Jew-ish wedding ceremony + make all your guests feel included (whether they’re attending virtually or in person)

♥ Come up with creative wedding ideas for an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind wedding

And I’ll be answering every single one of your questions (however big or small!) 

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR FREE PLACE AND GET A REMINDER


I’ll be ready and waiting to help you out with every single one of your own wedding planning questions, no matter how big or small.

(And by the way you’ll benefit from the Jewish Wedding Planning Party whether you’re using a planner or not — this is an absolute must-attend for every Jewish / Jew-ish bride-to-be!)

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Everything You Need to Know about Jewish Genetic Carrier Screening {Facebook Live Recap with JScreen}

18/02/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

I’m delighted to share with you my latest Facebook Live, all about the most important wedding planning task that might not have made it onto your checklist: Jewish genetic carrier screening. While genetic screening certainly isn’t as much fun as, say, cake tasting, if you’re planning on having children it’s one of the most important steps you can take in securing your family’s future. 

On this Live, I spoke with Hillary Kener Regelman, Director of National Outreach at JScreen, a US-based not-for-profit at-home education and carrier screening program for Jewish genetic diseases. Hillary spoke with us for the first time this past July, and we had such an informative, empowering conversation about what JScreen does, how genetic carrier screening works, and what it all means for Jewish and Jew-ish couples.

We wanted to make sure all the newly engaged couples are able to benefit from her knowledge, so we brought her back for another session – where she went through the basics, answered questions from the audience, and filled us in on some recent updates at JScreen, like their new cancer susceptibility panel.

Hillary strongly believes that genetic screening should be an essential item on every couple’s wedding to-do list, and now that I’ve gotten to know her and JScreen, so do I!

What is genetic carrier screening?

Hillary began by explaining what exactly genetic carrier screening is – and what it’s not. First, it’s not a diagnostic test. JScreen’s reproductive panel won’t tell you if you yourself are at high risk of developing various diseases. Rather, JScreen’s testing lets people know if they are healthy carriers of genetic diseases who have mutations that they could potentially pass on to their future children.

Who should get screened?

The short answer: everyone planning on having children! While genetic screening is sometimes thought of as being relevant only to Ashkenazi Jews, the truth is that anyone, regardless of background, can be a carrier of one or more genetic diseases (and even as far as Jewish genetic diseases go, plenty affect Sephardi and Mizrahi populations). JScreen‘s pan-ethnic panel tests for all kinds of genetic diseases, not just those common among Jews – so it’s absolutely smart to get screened even if one or both of you are not ethnically Jewish.

Your parents may have done testing themselves, but even if that’s the case it’s still important to do it yourself before starting a family. So many more diseases are testable today than even five years ago – even if you yourself were screened a number of years ago, it’s worth considering retesting with JScreen. You can always look at the list of all the diseases they currently screen for and compare it to what you’ve already been screened for.

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