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BIG NEWS: Announcing Smashing The Glass’s FREE Online Event for Jewish and Jew-ish Brides!

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If you’re planning a Jewish or Jew-ish wedding, I’ve got some really exciting news for you! Yes — for the first time in my 5 years as founder and editor of Smashing The Glass, I’m taking to the virtual stage for a FREE private online event  especially for Jewish and Jew-ish brides-to-be, called ‘The Secrets to an Unforgettable Jewish Wedding’ and I’m SO excited!

That’s because I’m a million percent confident you’ll walk away knowing exactly what you need to do to ensure you have an unforgettable wedding — the wedding you really want (whilst keeping everyone around you happy)

The free event is taking place next Monday November 12, 2018 @ 3:00 PM EST (that’s 3pm New York, 12pm Los Angeles, 8pm London, 10pm Israel)

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE AND GET A REMINDER

Karen Cinnamon Smashing The Glass_1224 You’re engaged… and I get it:

  • You want to be different but fulfil certain expectations.
  • You want to be cost efficient without seeming to scrimp.
  • You want to involve friends and family without causing them a ton of work and stress.
  • You want to throw an amazing party that will appeal to quite a disparate group of people… and across the generations.

I know most of these pressures apply to ALL weddings but there are extra levels of pressure for Jewish weddings — how much of the traditional stuff do you do? How do you cater for kosher guests? The chuppah, the ketubah, the glass, kippot, the rituals, the rabbi…

And then there’s the party itself. How do you ensure it’s one to remember without losing your mind in the process of planning it all? (And by the way you’ll benefit from the event whether you’re using a planner or not — this is an absolute must-attend for every Jewish / Jew-ish bride-to-be!)Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Bringing Spirituality into Your Jewish Wedding and Your Home with Micaela Ezra of AHYIN

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Photography; Sasha Israel | @sashaisrael

As brides, we spend so much time thinking about the aesthetics and logistics of our big days, sometimes it’s easy to overlook the spiritual element of your Jewish (or Jew-ish) wedding – and of the home you’re building together. 

That’s why I’m so thrilled to be talking today to Micaela Ezra, the powerhouse designer behind AHYIN, a jawdroppingly gorgeous line of contemporary Judaica that we on Team STG are absolutely in love with. Micaela’s designs – she’s best known for her stunning challah covers, which bring together traditional Jewish symbolism and the embroidery traditions of the craftswomen of Hilando Mexico, a collective whose members hand-embroider each and every AHYIN piece.

Meant to start conversation around the Friday night dinner table, Micaela’s designs reflect her belief in the relevance of Jewish ritual to our contemporary lives, and equally in the fusion of spirituality and beauty.

Micaela’s wedding — Photography: Joe Buissink | @joebuissink

AHYIN’s pieces are intended to be handed down through the generations as heirlooms, and what a beautiful symbol of the beginning of your life together as a family. Even for those of us who are not exactly at the beginning of our lives together – I know I’m adding a few of these beauties to my own wishlist!

What makes Micaela so inspiring is that she really embodies her commitment to tradition and modernity, ritual and aesthetic, not only in her work but also in her life – as she detailed when talking to us about everything from her journey from fashion design to Judaica to how she incorporated spirituality into her own wedding. There’s so much more I could say about this fantastic lady and her art, but I’ll let you read it in her own words.

Photography; Sasha Israel | @sashaisrael

Photography; Sasha Israel | @sashaisrael

Photography; Sasha Israel | @sashaisrael

Photography; Sasha Israel | @sashaisrael

STG: What inspired you to create AHYIN?

Micaela Ezra: Actually a childhood friend from Australia asked me to design her a challah cover in the traditional Mexican Otami embroidery style (I am a designer and artist). The request prompted a creative journey into an industry I had never even considered. I serendipitously came across a community of talented artisans in Mexico and suddenly I realised that this work was the meeting point of so many life passions for me – textile design, Jewish spirituality and social change philanthropy.

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What’s It Really Like to Buy Your Wedding Dress at Kleinfeld?

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Image from The Knot

Hey everyone, Emily here! Today I’m so excited to be talking about one of NYC’s most iconic wedding businesses: Kleinfeld. You may know the bridal boutique from Say Yes to the Dress, but though it’s possibly best known as the place to pick up a five-figure Pnina Tornai, Kleinfeld is so much more.

But what’s it really like to shop for your wedding dress there, once the cameras stop rolling? I know from personal experience that some brides-to-be are intimidated to shop at this bridal behemoth based on what they see on the show.

Full disclosure: when I was engaged, I visited, had a fantastic experience — despite tending toward styles pretty different from what you see on the show (ALL the Temperley!) — and very nearly purchased a dress (though in the end I didn’t), and now whenever I’m talking to a newly engaged NYC bride  I always encourage her to see what Kleinfeld has to offer.

In the interest of demystifying the experience, we picked the brains of seven Smashing The Glass brides who purchased their gowns at the bridal institution. Read on to hear their thoughts on the selection of gowns, the customer service, and individualized experience the store offers — and reveal some surprising differences from what you see on TV.

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Your Wedding Stationery – Everything You Need To Know

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Dimitria-Jordan-Wedding-Stationery
This is a guest post by Dimitria Jordan, founder of Dimitria Jordan Luxury Stationery 
Dimitria designed the stationery above as seen in Natalie and Paul’s Jewish Wedding

{If you are a member of Smashing The Glass’s VIB Club, you can watch Dimitria’s video masterclass, ‘Everything You Need To Know About Your Wedding Stationery’ here}

Your wedding stationery sets the scene for your wedding day with your save the dates and / or invitations, and filters right through until the very end with your thank you cards. Your wedding stationery reflects you both as a couple and your style, and is the first glimpse guests will have of your special day! 
 
Below are some practical tips, useful ideas if you are unsure of the direction to go in, as well as the various printing techniques explained to guide you on your wedding stationery journey…
 

Dimitria Jordan
When should I make  a start on my wedding stationery?

My advice to all brides is to not underestimate timings for your wedding stationery. Once your venue is booked and you have a wedding date, I advise you to start looking for wedding stationers, and contacting those that suit your style and you would like to work with.

The design you choose (‘ready-to-order’ collection or bespoke) and the type of printing you decide on will affect the overall process, so it beneficial to make a start as soon as possible. As a minimum guideline, it’s best to make a start at least 6-8 weeks before you would like to send your save the dates or invitations to guests.

This ensures you can enjoy the whole process with your wedding stationer, discuss options and take your time rather than having to make rush decisions and having the extra stress of needing to send them out. You may also need to handwrite each guests name & address (a printed addressed envelope will take this job away!), add the postage and seal the envelope, which all take time too and is something to bear in mind.

Dimitria-Jordan-Wedding-Stationery
When should I post out my wedding stationery?

When you should post your wedding stationery will also give you an indication of when to make a start. There are varying guidelines for timelines, but listed below are general guidelines. If you decide against sending save the dates, you may wish to send out your invitation earlier than the time guidelines below… there is no right or wrong!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Your Chuppah – Everything You Need To Know

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Everything you need to know about your chuppah
This is a guest post by Lauren Dubell-Beadle, founder of The Chuppah Design Co who created the chuppah above
Image: Babb Photo from Clelia & George’s Jew-ish wedding

{If you are a member of Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club , you can watch Lauren’s video masterclass, ‘Everything You Need To Know About Your Chuppah’ here}

Before the dress, before the center pieces and before the personalized cocktails, your guests will see the symbolic chuppah that you will be married under. If you are like me, you will want that first impression to pack a punch and tell a story at the same time.

Why have a chuppah?

The chuppah goes back a long way and holds a lot of tradition within its simple four-posted structure. Its symbolism is vast, but ultimately the chuppah represents a couples first home that they will build together.

It is open on all four sides to represent the open hospitality the couple will give in their home to their family, friends and acquaintances… fitting more than a handful of your guests under the chuppah would be a challenge!

So the open sides help all your guests feel part of your ceremony. Today many non-Jewish couple choose to include a chuppah in their wedding for its symbolic nature and Jew-ish couples (like my husband and I) also want to have a chuppah, but may come across some challenges finding a rabbi who will willingly marry them or bless them under a chuppah.

US couples may not have the same issue, but if you are lucky enough to find Rabbi Paul Glantz free for your UK (or European) based date then make sure you snap him up! The chuppah was the first ‘Jewish thing’ we knew we wanted at our wedding and our insistence on having one led us to planning a wedding that was truly done ‘our way’. We wanted it to be the start of our meaningful and personal day.

Chuppah ideas
Image: The Image is Found from Michelle & Joseph’s Jewish wedding

Where to get inspiration?

So where do you start with planning your chuppah? Most people make the decision if they want to DIY their chuppah or not before they actually decide what they want… and you can definitely do that… we did.

We knew we wanted to make it ourselves in keeping with the idea of the new couple building their home together and we really didn’t want anyone else’s help for this one part of our day. However, it is important to decide what sort of chuppah will fit in with the overall style of your wedding.

Do you want something simple and traditional (that could be relatively easy to DIY) or do you want a massive eye-catching art installation style that will be pinned and shared all over Instagram after the big day? The latter you may wish to get some help with!

There are three places I’d suggest looking for inspiration at this stage; Smashing the Glass (particularly this post), Pinterest and Instagram the hashtag #chuppah always works a treat!

Whilst you’re scrolling you can begin to think of the style you are heading towards and how you might be able to turn those inspirational images into a reality. Here you might decide if you are DIY-ing or looking for some support from a florist and a rental company or a design service (like me!) for the truly one-off personal chuppah.

book-chuppah
Image: Dave Robbins from Jessie & Craig’s book-themed Jewish wedding

How to turn your vision into reality?

So, you are a newly engaged bride-to-be with a massive wedding Pinterest board and a whole load of new hashtags to follow on Instagram… so how do you turn all these ideas into something for your big day?

Do you go for it and DIY the whole thing or get someone in to do it for you? Both definitely have their merits. If you choose to DIY your chuppah then I’d suggest doing a bit of research before you plan it all out.Continue ReadingContinue Reading