Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Win a Stay at the Kimpton Fitzroy London – Just by Watching Today’s Jewish Wedding Music Facebook Live!

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Struggling to hit just the right notes when it comes to picking music for your Jewish wedding? Then I’ve got just the Facebook Live for you… and it’s happening TODAY, Tuesday, June 22!

At 7:15 pm GMT (2:15 pm EST/12:15 pm PST), I’ll be going live (click here to watch it) at one of my very favourite London venues, Kimpton Fitzroy London, with the fabulous Sensation Band, the world-class wedding entertainment outfit beloved by so many Jewish couples in London and beyond, and incredible catering by Adam Nathan Catering!

What’s more, one lucky person watching the Facebook Live will also win a FREE overnight stay at the Kimpton Fitzroy London for themselves and a guest! It’s super easy to enter but you’ve got to be watching live to find out what to do – and you have to enter whilst I’m live too!

A firm favourite with STG brides, Sensation Band is truly the very best (their version of Boi Kallah below has had more than 100,000 views on YouTube – you have to listen to it if you haven’t already!) – they’ll be not only performing some favorite pieces from their vast repertoire of Jewish music but also helping you choose the right tracks for YOUR Jewish wedding.

There’ll also be delectable nibbles on hand from Adam Nathan Catering, Kimpton’s preferred partner for kosher-style catering!

Interspersed with Sensation Band’s unforgettable Jewish music will be a live Q&A, where you can ask me,  Sensation, and the Kimpton Fitzroy London weddings team anything you’ve ever wanted to know about either Jewish wedding music OR this in-demand Jewish wedding venue. Definitely not to be missed!

But that’s not all! Once we’ve wrapped up with Sensation, we’ll be launching straight in to Facebook Live #2 of the evening, a venue tour of the Kimpton Fitzroy London starting at 8:00 pm GMT / 3:00 pm EST / 12:00 PM PST.

And then, after the venue tour, I’ll announce the details of what you need to do to be entered in our competition to win a night’s stay at the Kimpton Fitzroy London for you and a guest!

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A Suzanne Neville Bride for an Elegant Orthodox Jewish Wedding at the Kimpton Fitzroy London, UK

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Ivi-and-Ben-Kimpton-Fitzroy-London-UK

Get ready to be blown away by one of the most stunning Jewish micro weddings we’ve seen yet. When Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Ivi and Ben got engaged in February 2021 after Ivi completed her three-year journey toward conversion to Judaism, they knew they wanted to become husband and wife ASAP, pandemic or no. So in just six weeks of planning, they whipped up an absolute dream wedding, split into several events over two days to follow lockdown restrictions.

First, Ivi and Ben held the most magical chuppah for an intimate crowd of 15 at beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kimpton Fitzroy London, which Ivi found right here on STG! From the beginning, the couple fell head over heels for everything about this venue, from the way it combines opulence with warmth to the gorgeous high-ceilinged ballroom where the chuppah took place to the ultra-attentive personalized service the staff provided every step of the way. Ivi describes the Kimpton Fitzroy as an “absolute gem,” and we couldn’t agree with her more!

Afterward, Ivi and Ben threw an all-day party in a marquee at their garden, with two shifts of thirty guests each attending, so friends and family who couldn’t attend the ceremony were still able to celebrate with them.

Both events were captured by photography and videography team Fire & Ice, and we’re not sure what we’re more in love with, the luminous photos or the ultra-moving trailer. The Fire & Ice team came up with the brilliant idea to record Ivi, a pianist, playing a song to layer over the video – and, in honor of her Chinese heritage and as a tribute to her parents, who live in Malaysia and couldn’t travel to the wedding due to COVID, Ivi chose a classic Chinese love song. How amazing is that?!

Ivi also wore her absolute knockout of a modest wedding gown – customized just for her by the one and only Suzanne Neville – for both celebrations. Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to wear such an exquisite dress twice?!

There’s so much to say about this incredible Jewish wedding, but we’ll let Ivi tell you the rest of the story… And if you love the look of the Kimpton Fitzroy (Ivi and Ben’s wedding venue), you’ll want to tune in to our Jewish wedding music Facebook Live tomorrow, Tuesday June 22, live from the hotel, as one lucky couple is going to win an overnight stay (plus you’ll get to see how truly gorgeous it is for a wedding venue). I’ll see you there!

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How we Met

Ivi, the bride: Previously at British Vogue, now at Publicis Media and a classical pianist, I took a sabbatical from my career in the City in 2016 and worked for a stint as a fitness instructor, teaching high-intensity TRX classes at Heartcore Studios in St. John’s Wood in London. Ben, an owner of a number of jewellery and consumer brands, came to workout at Heartcore and took my classes for nine months before we started dating. I used to shout “Burpees! Burpees!” at Ben on a weekly basis. Ben jokes that he was the fittest he’s ever been when he used to come to my classes!

On our first date, we went for a post-workout brunch that lasted over four hours. We both knew there was something extraordinary between us straightaway. Ben says that he knew I was “The One” after that date. We fell madly in love after a few months of dating, and we discussed how important being Jewish and having a Jewish family was to Ben. Following a thorough period of soul searching and spending time with Orthodox Jewish rabbis’ and their families, I heeded what I now realise was a lifelong calling, to which Ben was the catalyst, to convert to Orthodox Judaism. Hand-in-hand, we spent the next three years undertaking one of life’s most demanding yet spiritually enriching journeys. Ben wholeheartedly embraced and deepened his connection and observance of the faith he was born into.

I completed my conversion to Orthodox Judaism and emerged from the holy waters of the mikveh, reborn a Jewess on 18th February 2021. On a day already bursting with joy and jubilation, after making me my favourite Nutella crepes, Ben got down on one knee and proposed. Less than three months later, we were married in the presence of just 15 of our nearest and dearest.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Smashing The Glass’s Online Jewish Wedding Planning Party is TODAY!

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Ever wondered what Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club, my members-only community where we minimize wedstress and overwhelm, and maximize your wedding budget with discounts and more, is like?

STG Brides Club is THE place to be for Jewish and Jew-ish brides-to-be, and now you can experience all the guidance, expertise, sense of community, fun, and free gifts we have in there, for yourself, at our free online Jewish Wedding Planning Party happening later today!

There’ll be music, dancing, and presents, and I’m a million percent confident you’ll walk away knowing exactly what you need to do to ensure you have the wedding of your dreams (whatever that dream looks like) — and the wedding you really want (whilst keeping everyone around you happy).

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An Anthropologie Bride for a Casual DIY Micro Jewish Wedding at Kensington MetroPark, Michigan, USA

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Like so many couples these days, Marisa, a clinical social worker at a psychiatric hospital in downtown Detroit, and Dan, an electrical engineer project manager for car companies, had to change their wedding plans due to the pandemic. But for these two, postponing came with a pretty sweet silver lining: they were able to make it official on their five-year dating anniversary, April 9, 2021!

The couple’s families live out of state and couldn’t make it, but their awesome crew of local friends pitched in to make their chill outdoor wedding a smashing success. For those who couldn’t make it, Marisa and Dan are planning a bigger vow renewal celebration for 2022, complete with dancing, hugging, and food trucks. Sounds like an awesome party, though to be honest we’re already pretty smitten with the couple’s micro wedding – and after scrolling through the gorgeous photos from the pair’s photographer and friend, Eclectic Desire Photography, we bet you will be too.

We’re also in love with Marisa and Dan’s gorgeous ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Windthrow Fine Art. Marisa and Stephanie – one half of Windthrow, along with her twin brother Eddie, the artist – are former coworkers, and when Marisa saw some of the gorgeous nature-inspired ketubot Windthrow is known for, she knew she’d found just the thing for her wedding – or rather, weddings: Marisa and Dan opted to sign their ketubah, along with one witness, at their micro wedding, and Marisa’s aunt (who also gifted the ketubah to the couple!) plus another witness will add further signatures at the vow renewal next year.

Now over to Marisa…

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How we Met

Marisa, the bride and Dan the groom: Dan and Marisa’s wedding took place on the five year anniversary of their first date. Dan and Marisa met on Tinder and after talking via text for about a month, they met in person on April 9, 2016. Their first date was in Easton, PA at a small ice cream shop close to Lafayette College. This date was full of laughter and only a few awkward moments. Looking back, there’s a lot of different ways this first date could have unfolded (online dating is hard!) and it’s a great date to look back on and laugh about.

A year later, Dan and Marisa moved to Pittsburgh, PA. Marisa started a grad school program in social work and Dan started his career in electrical engineering. Two years after that, they moved to Michigan to pursue new job opportunities. They were open to doing something new and Marisa continued her career in Jewish non-profit community organizing before landing in her current role as a clinical social worker at a psychiatric hospital in downtown Detroit. And Dan continues his career as an electrical engineer project manager for car companies.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

#SmashingTheHashtag: Find Your Perfect Wedding Hashtag with Wedding Hashers

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#CinnamonSpiceAndMarriedForLife | Photo by Earthy Photography

An awesome wedding hashtag is the perfect way to set the tone for your big day. You’ll get your friends and family jazzed for the big day – not to mention your guests’ social snapshots are easy to find and save for posterity after you’ve made it official.

But coming up with just the right hashtag can be incredibly frustrating. What if neither of your names rhyme with anything fun? Or you’re just not very pun-ny? You might even be worried that if neither of you is a comedic genius, you’re out of luck when it comes to a memorable hashtag.

Enter Wedding Hashers. They’re a fab team of professional writers – never random generators! – creating awesome hashtags, personalized for your wedding.

While there are plenty of free automatic hashtag generators out there, every hashtag you receive from  Wedding Hashers is crafted by a real live human with tons of industry experience – and a great sense of humor.  

The Wedding Hashers team will take into account all the information you provide them – everything from your names and date to your wedding theme and location to special requests – and handcraft an awesome collection of custom hashtags for you to choose from. And collectively, the team has written over a million wedding hashtags – so you can be sure they know what they’re doing! Check out some of their recent favorites on their site – laughs guaranteed!

Believe it or not, our founder Karen Cinnamon didn’t have a hashtag at her own wedding – they weren’t such a thing yet back in 2013 – but we thought it would be fun to ask the Wedding Hashers team to come up with an awesome hashtag summing up her glorious London wedding to Jeremy, aka Mr STG!

And did they ever come through – we’re obsessed with ALL of the options they sent through, though in the end we had to go for #CinnamonSpiceAndMarriedForLife as our top pick! (Though who can resist #CinnamonsStickTogether?) Wedding Hashers are absolute pun masters, and even if you happen not to have a last name quite as cool as Karen’s, with their wordplay prowess they’re guaranteed to come up with something that will make you laugh.

#CinnamonsStickTogether | Photo by Earthy Photography

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