Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

An Essense of Australia Bride for a Jewish Wedding at the Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

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Melissa-Evan-Maryland-Centre-for-History-Culture-USA

There’s nothing like a good museum wedding. And we’re seriously smitten with the Jewish wedding of Melissa, a personal stylist, and Evan, who works for the U.S. government as an outdoor recreation planner and project coordinator. These two held their celebration at Baltimore’s Maryland Historical Society, which is chock full of cool history displays and art galleries – and it made the absolute perfect setting for their black-tie festivities. Have a scroll through the couple’s incredible photos by The Oberports and we bet you’ll agree!

We adore Melissa and Evan’s gorgeous ketubah, created by Nava Shoham of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor 1-800-Ketubah. The couple chose her “Royal Claddagh” design, in honor of their Scottish and Irish ancestry, and we’re in love with the bold, beautiful, colorful ketubah. In the bride’s words, it’s a real statement piece!

Now over to Melissa, who looked radiant in Essense of Australia…

Melissa-Evan-Maryland-Centre-for-History-Culture-USAMelissa-Evan-Maryland-Centre-for-History-Culture-USAMelissa-Evan-Maryland-Centre-for-History-Culture-USAMelissa-Evan-Maryland-Centre-for-History-Culture-USA
How we Met

Melissa, the bride: We met in college where we were both involved with the marching band.  Although, we weren’t in the band at the same time, we attended the same band parties and hit it off there.  That was 15 years ago!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Lyn Ashworth Bride for a Classic English Countryside Jewish Wedding at the Four Seasons Hampshire, UK

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Zoe & William, Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire, UK

We are absolutely in love with the gorgeous Jewish wedding of Zoe, a primary school teacher, and William, a senior buyer! Mostly because it was positively stunning, and a little bit because they worked with some of our very favorite Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to make their day a smashing success.

First off, Zoe and William opted to wed at #STGvendor Four Seasons Hampshire, one of the very best spots for a luxe Jewish wedding with those dreamy English countryside vibes that’s not too far from London but just far enough that you can make your wedding into a memorable weekend getaway, like these two did.

We also love that creative bride Zoe painted a floral design for the wedding invites and stationery, which Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Big Day Designs worked into their wonderful designs for the couple.

For entertainment, Zoe and William opted for incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ambassador Band, and as always they brought the party atmosphere and then some!

Then there’s Zoe’s gorgeous Lyn Ashworth dress, which she found at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ann Louise Bridal – and she can’t stop raving about their fantastic selection and service!

From start to finish, this wedding is truly a delight – do have a scroll through the gorgeous pics by Promise Photography and Zoe’s wonderful report!

Zoe & William, Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire, UKZoe & William, Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire, UKZoe & William, Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire, UKZoe & William, Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire, UK
How we Met

Zoe, the bride: When we first got together we both played along with the we met through mutual friends story but actually it was Tinder! It just shows that dating apps can work and William happily revealed to all our wedding guests the truth in his speech!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Why We Love Kimpton Fitzroy London for Jewish Weddings, from Micro to Mega

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It’s no secret that the Kimpton Fitzroy London is one of my very favourite Jewish wedding venues. Located oh-so-centrally in Bloomsbury’s Russell Square, the Kimpton Fitzroy London’s combination of historic charm and modern luxury makes it an incredibly elegant spot equally suited for an intimate micro wedding or a post-pandemic celebration with up to 200 guests.

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.

Danielle and Rob‘s Jewish micro wedding | Photo by Mike Garrard

Micro Wedding Bliss

Since then, they’ve hosted some truly exquisite Jewish weddings, from the biggest ballroom bashes to intimate micro weddings like Danielle and Rob‘s that we featured on STG last month. 

For as long as government restrictions on weddings last, Kimpton Fitzroy London offers bespoke micro wedding packages to suit your every need for groups starting at 15 – all while following up-to-the-minute COVID regulations, of course.

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. Meanwhile, the Kimpton Fitzroy London is also booking up fast for 100+ person celebrations later this year and in 2022!

And did I mention that the team at Kimpton Fitzroy London couldn’t be more knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Jewish weddings? 

A Space to Suit Every Need

But back to the glorious space that is Kimpton Fitzroy London: 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.

Danielle and Rob‘s Jewish micro wedding | Photo by Mike Garrard

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.

I’m seriously in love with this place and it has got to be the best reception space to go with a ballroom wedding that I’ve seen in London.

Danielle and Rob‘s Jewish micro wedding | Photo by Mike Garrard

Innovative Kosher Catering

For those needing fully certified kosher catering, the Kimpton Fitzroy London is in partnership with Ben Tenenblat as their preferred kosher caterer! And in addition to the stellar in-house team, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Adam Nathan Catering is available for delectable kosher-style menus.

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A Jewish Micro Wedding with the Most Breathtaking Floral Chuppah at Jacob’s Pillow, Becket, Massachusetts, USA

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Gaby and Michael, Jacob’s Pillow, Becket, Massachusetts, USA

We see a lot of cool chuppahs around here, but the one Gaby, a life and career coach, and Michael, an investment advisor, dreamed up for their big day at Jacob’s Pillow in the picturesque Berkshires really takes the (wedding) cake. Filled with gorgeous flowers, centered on an otherwise empty stage overlooking the mountains surrounding the venue, it’s really, truly, 100% #chuppahgoals. We’re absolutely obsessed with the dreamy photos by Lauren Foley of 309 Productions, and we’re guessing you will be too.

Gaby and Michael had initially planned a 200-person wedding, but when the pandemic hit they had to scale their day down to just 20 guests. Luckily, the couple had incredible wedding planner Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tara Consolati on their team to redesign the day to perfectly fit their new, smaller event. Together, they came up with a unique “interactive” ceremony that included participation by 32 guests (including some of the 300 who attended virtually via Zoom)! Friends and family gave musical performances, mini speeches, and blessings, and lit memorial candles. What an incredibly special way to make guests really feel a part of things – especially those who are physically far away!

Another wonderful touch is that Gaby’s step-sister Rachel painted the most gorgeous border on the ketubah they purchased from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com, incorporating lots of personal touches with special meaning to the couple.

There’s so much more we could say about this fab day (did we mention that Gaby found her dress by chance off the rack at Bloomingdales, for 1/10 of the price of the bridal gowns she’d been looking at?), but we’ll leave it to the bride to fill you in on the rest…

Gaby and Michael, Jacob’s Pillow, Becket, Massachusetts, USA
How we Met

Gaby, the bride and Michael, the groom: Gaby and Michael met on the dating app, Hinge, in the summer of 2018! After only a few messages back and forth they met for drinks at La Pecora Bianca in Midtown Manhattan. The night was perfect and was filled with many laughs, stories and glasses of wine. Even more fitting, Gaby went to her family home in the Berkshires the weekend afterward, a place that proved incredibly important to our relationship given we lived there for nearly 7 months during the pandemic.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Stella York Bride for a Classic Country House Jewish Wedding at Hedsor House, Taplow, UK

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Kim and Josh, Hedsor House, UK

There’s nothing quite like a good English countryside Jewish wedding. And Kim, a secondary school maths teacher, and Josh, a quality manager, threw the absolute perfect bash at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Hedsor House, which, despite being located conveniently just outside London, feels like it’s worlds away.

Family-run stately home Hedsor House ticked all the couple’s boxes: classic feel; exclusive hire for 150 people; rooms for the bridal party to sleep in, and ability to bring in a great kosher caterer. And if you scroll through the gorgeous images from Richard Galloway Photography, you’ll see that Hedsor could not have been a more perfect spot for Kim and Josh’s special day.

We’re in love with the couple’s exquisite lace effect chuppah (to match Kim’s lace gown!), supplied by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Happy Chuppah People, which has held up by Josh’s ushers during the ceremony.

We’re also totally taken with the couple’s Jenga “guest book,” a custom Jenga tower with Kim and Josh’s names and wedding date engraved into each block, which guests could then write messages on. The pair plans to bring it out for a game every year on their anniversary – how sweet is that?!

Now over to the bride, who looked stellar in Stella York…

Kim and Josh, Hedsor House, UKKim and Josh, Hedsor House, UKKim and Josh, Hedsor House, UKKim and Josh, Hedsor House, UK
How we Met

Kim, the bride: We met online on ‘Plenty of Fish’.Continue ReadingContinue Reading