Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

The Top 5 Ways to Cover Your Shoulders Under the Chuppah in 2026

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Tonic bolero by Galia Lahav

From pearl-dusted couture boleros to barely-there detachable details, shoulder coverage for the chuppah has officially entered its fashion-forward era. Today’s Jewish brides are embracing clever, removable layers that honor tradition and personal style – without compromising on the dress of their dreams.

Ben and Lauren, Kin House, Wiltshire, UK

Lauren‘s shrug | Photo by Natalie J Weddings

Whether you’re drawn to timeless elegance, modern minimalism, or a touch of drama, there are more beautiful options than ever before for ceremony-ready coverage that feels intentional, elevated, and unmistakably bridal. Here are our top five chic, modern ways to cover your shoulders under the chuppah in 2026 – and look effortlessly stylish while doing it.

Sydney-and-Chaim-The-Estate-at-Florentine-Gardens-River-Vale-New-Jersey-USA
Sydney‘s bolero | Photo by Alex Knight Studio 

1. Brilliant Boleros 

A timeless and elegant choice for brides who want to keep their shoulders covered under the chuppah, boleros add structure and sophistication without overwhelming your gown – and there are so many options, whether you’re going for a classic princess look or something sleek and modern. 

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12 Thoughtful Ways to Make Jewish Rituals Inclusive at an Interfaith Wedding {with La Fête}

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Are you planning an interfaith Jewish wedding? If so, you might be thinking about how to find the right balance between honoring the Jewish rituals that matter to you while making sure every guest, regardless of background, feels welcomed and included in the day. 

We sat down with interfaith and multicultural wedding expert Charlotte Ricard-Quesada, founder of La Fête, for a discussion about thoughtful ways to honour Jewish tradition while creating a ceremony that feels inclusive, warm, and genuinely reflective of both partners.

The founder and creative director of luxury wedding planner La Fête, Charlotte followed her dream and created her own events company in 2016, following a career in luxury fashion. She’s become one of London’s most sought-after wedding designers and event planners, and is the recipient of several industry accolades, including Best Wedding Planner at the BrideLux UK Awards 2022.

Charlotte’s multicultural background and fluency in four languages make her a go-to for couples planning interfaith and multicultural weddings, and she has such a wealth of experience to draw on. If you’re planning an interfaith Jewish wedding yourself, this one is truly a must-read.

Explain Jewish Rituals with a Ceremony Program

One of the simplest and most powerful ways to include everyone is to explain what’s happening in a wedding program that outlines the ceremony and explains the various Jewish traditions that are part of the day. There are lots of symbols that can be confusing to the uninitiated, from the chuppah to the ketubah to smashing the glass, and making sure all of your guests are kept in the loop is key to creating a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere for family and friends of all backgrounds. 

Charlotte recently planned an interfaith wedding where the Jewish bride wanted all relevant symbolism explained, in simple terms, in the wedding program – and she shares that it made such a difference in terms of allowing the attendees to feel fully part of each ritual component of the ceremony. 

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A Pronovias Bride for a Timelessly Elegant Jewish Wedding at Cochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

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Charlotte and Jonah, Cochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

Weddings in Israel are so special, and London couple Charlotte and Jonah had one of the best! To start with, they picked the magical Cochav Hayam as their venue – in the bride’s words, “Sunset beach backdrop, gorgeous grounds, and unbelievable food made it a no-brainer.”

The duo opted to work with Yana Andreev of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Craspedia Events to make planning from abroad “not just possible, but genuinely fun and exciting.” Charlotte and Jonah can’t stop raving about how great Yana and her team were, both in the leadup and on the big day itself.

And then there’s the chuppah. The pair went for an elegant arched all-white floral chuppah set against the venue’s stunning ocean backdrop, creating the most wonderfully romantic ambience. Don’t miss it in the beautiful photos by People Photography!

There’s so much more to say about this very special Jewish wedding – like, how elegant did Charlotte look in her princess ballgown from Pronovias?! – but we’ll leave it to the bride to take it from here…

Charlotte and Jonah, Cochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel Charlotte and Jonah, Cochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel Charlotte and Jonah, Cochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel Charlotte and Jonah, Cochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

How We Met

Charlotte, the bride: We met at Cambridge University at the Jsoc on the very first Shabbat of term — I was a fresher, he was a third-year, but we didn’t start dating until a few months later!

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A Zavana Bride for a Romantic Winter Jewish Wedding at Offley Place, Hitchin, UK

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Jonny & Sophie, Offley place, London, UK

We’ve got a really special Jewish wedding to share with you today! Sophie, a media agency manager, and Jonny, a private chef, had the most beautiful romantic winter wedding at Offley Place just outside London, filled with all the best things in life: food, music, and – of course – family and community.

Given that Jonny’s a chef, the food needed to be top-notch – and he even created the menu himself! And we love that Sophie decided to have a “L-ish” (ladies’ tish) pre-chuppah. In hjer words, “The boys get a drink with their friends before they walk down the aisle, I thought why not do the same with my girls too! It was so lovely to have some of my closest friends around me before I got married, highly recommend getting your hype girlies together to have a little moment and drink before.” How fun is that?

And then there’s the music: Sophie and Jonny wanted the best of the best, and they found it in  Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The White Keys. In Sophie’s words, “their energy, talent, and incredible vocals created the most electric atmosphere.” Rounding things out were the couple’s incredible chazzan, Serge and super-talented Josh Nesbitt on the keys, who brought the ceremony to another level.

Photographer Marcus Curry captured the most wonderful images of the day, as did videographer Ayla from Reel All About It – who also created the most beautiful reels for Sophie and Jonny the very next day!

Jonny & Sophie, Offley place, London, UK Jonny & Sophie, Offley place, London, UK Jonny & Sophie, Offley place, London, UK

How We Met

Sophie, the bride: The short, not so romantic story, is Hinge! The new version of a matchmaking.

The long story is, we have always known of each other, living in the bubble, we had gone to the same school at some point and the same clubs as children.

As Jonny is slightly older than myself, he used to volunteer looking after and run sessions for younger children at a Jewish youth club called Chigwell Maccabi, ‘Chigs’ for short. My younger sister happened to be a part of this age group Jonny helped. She remembers him as the boy who used to make people laugh and run around in a monkey onesie, he remembers her as being loud and trying to keep her away from the boys.

At this very same club, Jonny’s family donated an award for volunteers each year. After his Grandpa got too old to present it himself, his dad Bradley would present the ‘Mervish award’ to those who had volunteered. My sister was the winner of this award and there has been a picture of my sister, Jonny’s dad and sister up on our wall years before we met!

I say she got the shield, but I got the trophy.

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Top 5 Ketubah Trends for 2026 {with Ketubah.com}

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Joy Papercut by Enya Keshet

Here at Smashing The Glass, we get so many couples coming to us looking for the ketubah of their dreams – and in the years we’ve been in business, we’ve been thrilled to see how much the ketubah world has grown. Long gone are the days when a ketubah was just a formality – today, for most couples, it’s so much more: a tangible record of the commitment they made on their wedding day that they carry with them through the rest of their lives – and a piece of art to boot. So what’s new for 2026? We sat down with our friends at Ketubah.com to find out. 

Concentric Circles Papercut I Ketubah by Shell Rummel

It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of Ketubah.com (as are our couples), THE go-to online ketubah emporium featuring designs to suit all styles, budgets, and types of wedding. They’ve got multiple text options from traditional to egalitarian to  interfaith to LGBTQ+ and more, and each ketubah is made to order by independent artists and calligraphers. 

Another reason we love Ketubah.com is their top-notch customer service. The team provides hands-on, personalized support throughout the entire process, including digital proofs and guided assistance from selection through delivery. Over the years, we’ve heard so many stories from STG couples about how they’ve has gone above and beyond to make their ketubah dreams come true. 

Celestial Vision by Susanne McGinnis

With 30 years of expertise, Ketubah.com has been at the forefront of the ketubah world for decades, combining deep knowledge of tradition with a modern design sensibility. They’ve recently published Ketubah Renaissance: The Artful Modern Revival of the Jewish Marriage Contract, a definitive resource on the evolution and artistry of the ketubah. And they even offer a 10% discount to members of our Brides Club!

In addition to ketubahs, Ketubah.com supports couples with thoughtful educational tools, including their free Jewish Wedding 101 ebook, designed to help couples understand traditions and plan with confidence, and HebrewNamer.com, a trusted resource for exploring and choosing meaningful Hebrew names.

Sun Kissed by Jennifer Rozbruch

Without further ado, we bring you the top 5 ketubah trends for 2026 – from nature-inspired romance to modern minimalism and bold artistic expression and beyond.

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