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Dreaming of a Jewish wedding in the South of France? It has to be Provence…

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Jewish-Wedding-Provence
If you’re dreaming of an outdoor wedding there’s probably no setting more stylish and idyllic than Provence. Forget the billionaires and big boats of the French Riviera, Provence is now the place to hold your Jewish wedding in the South of France.

Tuesday’s real Jewish wedding, planned by the flawless Lavender & Rose illustrated the region’s timeless elegance brilliantly, and you simply must take a peek if you haven’t already (might I just add that all the images of Provence weddings in this post are from weddings planned by the fabulous Lavender & Rose).

A lot of people think of the South of France for a destination wedding, and immediately think of the Cà´te d’Azur as the place to hold it, but there are so may reasons why, for me, Provence eclipses its glitzier neighbour.

Aside from the obvious advantage of being better value for money than the Riviera, it’s actually more of an authentically French setting. The sprawling vineyards, lavender fields, exquisite architecture, stunning al fresco venues, and exclusive hotels makes for a dream destination wedding backdrop.

There are so many beautiful Chateaus, vineyards and country houses in the region, and accommodation is far more reasonably priced than the Riviera, so it’s more economical for your guests to stay there too. The gastronomy and wines are exceptional even in the smallest of bistros and more of the venues in Provence work on a dry hire basis with less strict exclusive vendor relationships so you have more freedom in terms of which suppliers you work with.

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Jewish Wedding in Provence
Images from Provence weddings planned by Lavender & Rose. Clockwise from top left:
Alban Pichon / Greg Finck / Alban Pichon / Greg Finck / Greg Finck / M&J Photography / Greg Finck

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Considering getting married in Italy? Then I’ve found your perfect wedding planner…

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SposiamoVi
I’ve made no secret of the fact that if I were to marry Mr STG again, it would be in the gorgeous ‘boot’ of Southern Europe.  There is simply something magical about Italy. It feeds the soul. It conjures up a world in our imagination and touches so many thanks to it’s art, fashion, culture, food, climate and collection of insanely contrasting but always stunning vistas.

A destination wedding in Italy is one thing but trying to choose where to have it is another.  How to pick from the sun-drenched Tuscan olive groves, Venice and all its romantic splendour, Florence and its history and elegance, Rome and its Dolce Vita cityscape, the sophisticated glamour of the Amalfi coast or snowy, classy Cortina D’Ampezzo?

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But, like reading a book, everyone comes away with their own interpretation of Italy’s best bits.

And that’s why if you’re thinking of having your Jewish wedding there, I think it’s a pretty good idea to turn to a group of experts who can take on the challenge of understanding your vision, building on it and ultimately realising your dream  wedding.

Well today’s your lucky day because I’ve found exactly who you’re looking for:  SposiamoVi  are superior Italian wedding planners who I first discovered through Olivia and Jacob’s breathtaking Jewish wedding  that took place in Florence. I blogged it last year  but  this is a  wedding that will stay with me for a very long time and you must check it out if you haven’t already. The, style,  planning and delivery of it are  simply astonishing. Once  I had seen what SposiamoVi were capable of  with this wedding,  I snapped up them right away  as Smashing Suppliers.

SposiamoVi was set up ten years ago by Alice, an interior designer and Cinzia, an event organiser and they currently boast offices in Florence, Portofino and Amalfi.

They’re an awesome team of high-achieving and inspired wedding planners. Armed with a golden rolodex of trusted suppliers right across Italy, they provide local knowledge and know-how and with a team of creative directors, stylists and designers to hand, they can turn your wedding into an art form.

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Save £1000’s on your wedding essentials with money saving offers exclusively for Smashing The Glass readers

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Smash-and-grab
We’re into  2016, and to celebrate the New Year I want to tell you all about  ‘Smash & Grab’! These are my personally curated money saving  offers from some of the very best wedding vendors in the business  (believe me, I’m  incredibly  fussy about who I partner  with).

So below  you’ll find my exclusive collection  of discounts, exclusively  for Smashing The Glass readers, from photographers, videographers, planners, make up artists, DJ’s, bands, florists, wedding websites, and more! I suggest you  bookmark this page for speedy  reference, as many  of these offers expire in  February 2016 (some even sooner).

I’m a huge fan of  each and every one of the wedding vendors listed, and I have handpicked them for these offers, not only because  they love Jewish  weddings (and  know every little detail about them) but because they  are some of the most fabulous, creative, and talented  people you could ever wish to  work with.

To redeem any of the offers listed, simply quote SMASHING THE GLASS.

If there’s a supplier type you’re looking for that’s not listed, please email me at karen@smashingtheglass.com and I’ll help you in whatever way I can.

Happy wedding planning!

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Jewish wedding program 101: How to create a ceremony program that’s perfect for your special day

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Jewish-Wedding-Program
Image by Hales Studio taken from Sarah & Mike’s Jewish DIY Wedding

How to produce the perfect Jewish (or Jew-ish) Wedding Program

When it comes to Jewish weddings there are a few highly recognisable traditions that many of us look forward to seeing, like, as this blog’s name suggests, the smashing of the glass. However, as any bride well knows, there are a myriad of other customs that a couple may or may not include depending on their preference and level of observance. Most choose to spend their big day with their closest family and friends and in today’s modern world, this typically includes individuals from a diverse set of backgrounds with varying understanding of a Jewish wedding ceremony.

Consequently, the wedding program has become an increasingly important tool as it both enables wedding guests to navigate the marriage ceremony and allows them to feel included by providing the appropriate context. Despite the wedding program’s growing importance, we were surprised to learn firsthand how difficult it can be to write one. For those facing a similar predicament, please read on to hear our tips for putting together a ceremony program perfect for your special day!

Pre-planning

Jewish wedding program
Image by W2 Photography taken from Sydney & William’s handmade Jewish DIY Barn Wedding

Know your guests

Without having a sense for your guest’s familiarity with relevant Jewish traditions it can be difficult to approach the program writing process. For a guest list that includes people who may be attending their first Jewish wedding, we suggest keeping your program more high level and focused on sharing the appropriate context, without being overwhelming. For one that has a largely Jewish audience, you may include less information on the ceremony basics and more time on specific custom details or interpretations. It’s also important to ask yourself how familiar your guests may be with the traditions you choose to incorporate into your ceremony. After all, the non-observant Jewish guest may not be familiar with a highly orthodox ceremony. Similarly, the highly observant may not follow egalitarian interpretations of tradition.

Determine your ceremony details

This may go without saying, but before writing your wedding program it’s best to have a clear understanding of what your ceremony will look like. Are you doing a badeken and tisch? Are you inviting all of your guests to your ketubah signing? Will your ceremony be more modern or traditional? A more formal or casual affair? Are you including a flower girl? These are just a handful of examples of things that need to be finalised prior to beginning your program.

Think about tone

As you want to the voice of the program to reiterate the tone of the event overall, it’s important to think about what this is prior to beginning the writing process. A black tie wedding will call for a more formal and restrained voice. In contrast, a more casual ceremony will be amenable to a lighter and playful narrative.

Writing your program

Jewish wedding program
Image by Corey Torpie taken from Sarit & Ari’s Jewish DIY Wedding

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How to add WOW to your wedding day

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This is a guest post by Aron Schlagman, owner and creative director of WHiTEPAPER event

A friend told me recently that the best part about creating that ‘stand-out moment’ for an event, and especially a wedding, is that it doesn’t have to cost very much at all. In fact, some of the most beautiful moments that are created for weddings are done so by the couple themselves – touching moments of real thought that express love for those attending their most special of days – leaving the longest lasting memories in the process.

So, where do I get me some of that WOW?!

I’m going to share a few top line tips and ideas in the hope that they may spark a flash of light in your own heads to create your own wedding stand out moments.

A traditional Wedding vs. a DIY Wedding

If you are planing a DIY wedding from the off, the opportunity to WOW might be greater, but so will the potential stress given just how much and how far you can go. For my own wedding, created in a very DIY style for 50 of our closest friends at an outside space in North London, everything had to have a personal touch. From ladies parasols to shade them from the sun to hay bales for seating with vintage throws as covers. Multicoloured water in antique crystal decanters as decor for a cheese table, to the herb used for the wrapping of the napkins. Afternoon tea with a twist through to the vintage 1920’s dress my beautiful bride wore on the day (and of course my yellow Converse). We’re also talking about shawls for the ladies (this was England in June after all and not the South of France) and a great selection of Whiskey’s for the gents.

What was one of the nicest elements though? Possibly the one which didn’t even relate to a design aspect of the day. For us, it was important that all of our friends could be there, and still be home in time to bath and put their kids to bed. Our event began at 3pm, was over by 6.30pm, and we said goodbye to our guests before heading up to town (still dressed up) for dinner at J Sheekey and an evening in a 5* hotel. Our guests appreciated it, stayed until the end, and avoided an expensive evening of babysitters and hangovers.

Some, all, or none of this might have worked had the event been in Claridge’s, but the point is that it might not have had to. A wedding recently attended in this very hotel was simply beautiful because tradition was where the WOW beauty was to be found, in of course, an already stunning space.

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