Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Join Our Live Chat on Jewish Wedding Checklist Essentials {with JScreen and FAB Styling}

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There’s so much to keep in mind in the midst of planning your wedding. And I’m so excited to tell you about my upcoming Facebook Live, where I’ll take a deep dive into two elements that I think are absolutely essential: finding a gown you feel great in, and genetic carrier screening.

This Thursday, October 7, at 5:00 PM GDT / 12:00 PM EST / 9:00 AM PST, join me for an interactive chat on Facebook 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, and New York-based bridal stylist Farrah Arrenson of FAB Styling, who specializes in helping busy brides find the dress of their dreams, stress-free.

These are two of the topics we get the most questions about, and so we’ve decided to put them together in one blockbuster event! Dress shopping is for your fairy tale moment. Genetic carrier screening helps ensure your happily ever after continues through your married life. What happens after you hang the dress up and you’re ready to start your future is where JScreen comes in.

This is going to be an incredible opportunity to get all your questions on both of these topics answered by the experts, so please do join in!

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Jewish Bride Spotlight: Danielle Trainis

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Danielle  is a member of our Brides Club for Jewish and Jew-ish brides, and we’re so excited for her wedding plans!

Inside Brides Club, I personally help you to minimize wedstress and overwhelm, and maximize your wedding budget. Oh – and every Brides Club member gets a free smash glass pouch (designed by me) for under the chuppah posted out to them too. Mazal Tov!

Come and join Brides Club too – for advice, discounts, community, sisterhood… and your sanity!

ABOUT DANIELLE

Where are you from? London, England
What do you do for a living? I work as a Global Community Manager for a non-profit called Moishe House
How did you meet your partner? We met on Tinder!
Where did you go on your first date? To a secret hidden away cocktail bar, and then to Wagamama’s for Japanese food…. And then back to the cocktail bar because we didn’t want the date to end!
When did you first know you were in love? It was a rainy london day and I planned a surprise date night to this ‘winter wonderland’ themed place. I was cold so went to get out my gloves and told him not to laugh or judge me for wearing leather gloves. He laughed and said he might judge me, as he pulled out his own pair of leather gloves! I knew then that he was the one!
How long had you been dating when you became engaged?Nearly 2 years (he proposed to throw me off the hint about 5 days before our 2 year anniversary whilst we were away in Santorini!)
What date are you getting married and where?  May 1st 2022 at Micklefield Hall
 

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Win a Romantic Night for Two at Kimpton Fitzroy London

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There’s no place like Kimpton Fitzroy London for a Jewish (or Jew-is wedding). If you’ve been following Smashing The Glass for a while, that won’t come as any surprise – you may remember the epic live Jewish music event we put on there over the summer, and then there are the exquisite real Jewish weddings we’ve featured on the blog.

But Kimpton Fitzroy London isn’t only a wedding venue – it’s also an incredible luxury hotel, located oh-so-centrally in Bloomsbury’s Russell Square, and the absolute perfect place to spend a romantic night. 

That’s why I’m so excited that we’re teaming up with Kimpton Fitzroy London to offer one lucky couple (and you can be single with a plus one, engaged, or married to enter) an unbelievable prize to experience the luxuries of the hotel.

The lucky winner will be treated to a truly swoon worthy stay including all of the following:

  • An overnight stay in a luxury corner suite
  • Champagne and sweet treats on arrival
  • Pre-dinner cocktails in Fitz’s Bar
  • 3-course dinner with a bottle of wine in the stunning brand new restaurant Galvin Bar & Grill
  • Breakfast the following morning
  • The total prize value is £1300 !

Read on to find out how to enter!

All about Kimpton Fitzroy London

Kimpton Fitzroy London’s combination of historic charm and modern luxury makes it an incredibly elegant spot – and did we mention the Bloomsbury location is unbeatable? We also love that the property is equally suited for an intimate micro wedding or a celebration with up to 200 guests, and everything in between. 

Originally built in 1898 (on the site of Emmaline Pankhurst’s onetime home — how’s that for a bit of feminist history to add to your wedding?!), Kimpton Fitzroy London undertook a two-year, £85 million refurbishment of the hotel before opening it in April 2018 as the first Kimpton property in the UK.


A Jewish Wedding at Kimpton Fitzroy

Did we mention that the wonderful weddings team at Kimpton Fitzroy London is incredibly knowledgable and enthusiastic about Jewish weddings? We can’t say it any better than real Jewish bride Ivi, whose incredible wedding we featured on STG earlier this year:

The Kimpton Fitzroy is an absolutely rare gem – its glamorous opulence yet intimate warmth sets it worlds apart from the conventional swanky hotels a stone’s throw away in Mayfair. What we treasured the most is the loving way Jen and all of the hotel’s staff made us feel like royalty on our big day. No requests were too big or too small, we were met with smiles and genuine well wishes all day, we truly felt the hotel’s joy and pride of hosting us on the most special day of our lives. We are still pinching ourselves that we managed to get married in such an exceptional and luxurious venue. The Kimpton Fitzroy London will eternally be special to us and we cannot wait to return to spend our first wedding anniversary there!

Ivi and Ben’s Jewish wedding at Kimpton Fitzroy London  | Photo by Fire & Ice

We also love that, depending on your specific needs, you’ll have your pick of a range of delightful spaces – from the dramatic ballroom to eight-intimate rooms and four restaurants and bars, all flooded with natural light and historic details at every turn. With a capacity of up to 180 for a seated dinner and dancefloor, or 450 standing, it can accommodate a big bash.

The centre of the property — at least when it comes to weddings — is the ballroom, a grand event space perfect for a standout Jewish ceremony followed by a beautiful reception, boasting a private entrance on Bernard Street, original 19th-century architectural details, a full wall of windows, and a mezzanine gallery.

And the adjoining Palm Court is the most magical backdrop for reception drinks, with a soaring glass ceiling that floods the room with light, comfortable clusters of seating, an outdoor terrace, and lots of gorgeous greenery — the vibe is conservatory meets lounge meets members club, and it is exactly as fabulous as it sounds. Intimate yet fun, hip yet classic.

Ivi and Ben’s Jewish wedding at Kimpton Fitzroy London  | Photo by Fire & Ice

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An Etsy Bride for an Interfaith Jewish Wedding with Plenty of DIY at Farms Country Club, Wallingford, Connecticut, USA

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Nalda-and-Dan-Farms-Country-Club-in-Wallingford-CT

We could not be more delighted to be sharing the gorgeous interfaith Jewish wedding of our beloved Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Nalda! Nalda, a licensed massage therapist, married groom Dan, who works in higher education, in a heartfelt ceremony with some truly wonderful DIY touches.

First off, how special is it that Nalda’s crafty mom made the couple’s chuppah canopy and chair sashes? She also helped crochet kippot for the guests – and Nalda and Dan even learned to crochet themselves so they could join in! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to touching personal details – don’t miss the super special way the couple included Nalda’s son in their ceremony! You can tell from Misha Book‘s photos what a truly special day it was.

And of course we’re so touched by Nalda’s kind words about our Brides Club. In her words,

Brides Club was an invaluable resource during our planning. I spent so much time reading through all the Brides Club checklists and guides, on everything from choosing your planning priorities, to picking traditional music, and what to include in our programs… The other Brides Club members are always so supportive and quick to provide advice, insight, creative ideas, or just a listening ear. I can honestly say our wedding wouldn’t have been half of what it was without Brides Club.

There’s so much more to say – just for starters, the wild story of Nalda’s Etsy dress, and the couple’s surprise minimoon – but we’ll hand you over to the bride now…

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How we Met

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Jewish Bride Spotlight: Anna Godes

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Anna Godes is a member of our Brides Club for Jewish and Jew-ish brides, and we’re so excited for her wedding plans!

Inside Brides Club, I personally help you to minimize wedstress and overwhelm, and maximize your wedding budget. Oh – and every Brides Club member gets a free smash glass pouch (designed by me) for under the chuppah posted out to them too. Mazal Tov!

Come and join Brides Club too – for advice, discounts, community, sisterhood… and your sanity!

ABOUT ANNA

Where are you from? Columbia, South Carolina
What do you do for a living? Government Employee
How did you meet your partner? We met on Bumble!
Where did you go on your first date? The night that we met I was my fiancé’s date to his fraternity’s semi formal, and we went on our first real day 2 days later to an Alabama football game.
When did you first know you were in love? I realized it around 2 weeks after we met
How long had you been dating when you became engaged?2.5 years
What date are you getting married and where?  December 11th, 2021 in Charleston, South Carolina
 
 

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