Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

An ASOS Bride for a Garden of Eden Jewish Micro Wedding at White Meadow Lake, Rockaway, New Jersey, USA

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Jori-and-Corey-White-Meadow-Lake-in-Rockaway
How gorgeous is the ultra-intimate micro Jewish wedding of Jori, who works in customer success for a social enterprise tech startup, and Corey, a copywriter at an ad agency?!

These two had originally planned a big wedding, but when COVID hit they had to rethink things. They ended up opting for a ceremony with just immediate family, to be followed by a big reception post-pandemic, date TBD. Jori and Corey worked with Rabbi Samantha Frank of Modern Ritual to create an intimate ceremony that made the most of the bare essentials.

The pared-down outdoor celebration was very different than the one they’d originally planned, but they managed to fit in some stunning floral touches; bright, beautiful dresses; a stunning floral ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rachelle Tchiprout of The Delicate Brush – and speeches by every single one of their guests (admittedly, there were just six – the couple’s parents, plus the groom’s brother and his girlfriend)! There’s something so special about having such a tight-knit group, and the luminous photos from One Night Cereus capture that so well.

Now over to the bride, who looked oh-so-chic in a dress from, believe it or not, ASOS!

Jori-and-Corey-White-Meadow-Lake-in-RockawayJori-and-Corey-White-Meadow-Lake-in-RockawayJori-and-Corey-White-Meadow-Lake-in-RockawayJori-and-Corey-White-Meadow-Lake-in-Rockaway
How we met

Jori, the bride and Corey, the groom: We met on the first day of college at The New School, when we both ended up at the same party that neither one wanted to be at. As I was leaving, Corey gave me his phone number and asked me to text him if I ever wanted to hang out. I ended up texting him twenty minutes later. He hadn’t even left the party himself.

We met up right away and spent our whole first night in the city walking around Greenwich Village, talking and making each other laugh. It would take a few months before our friendship would blossom into something more, but we were inseparable from that point on.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Top Ketubah Trends for 2021 {with Ketubah.com}

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Stunning Henna Princess Papercut by Enya Keshet  | Photo by Julia Pollak of Luria Visuals

As you may have noticed, we are huge fans of Ketubah.com – and so are our couples! There’s no question that this online ketubah emporium – featuring designs to suit all styles, budgets, and types of wedding. Whether your big day is Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, interfaith, secular, and/or same-sex, Ketubah.com‘s got you. They even offer a 10% discount to members of our Brides Club!

Moonstone Hora Square by Hadass Gerson  | Photo by Alex Jardine at Ikonica

Between their incredible range and impeccable customer service, it’s no wonder they are by far the #1 ketubah source among STG readers. And today we’re so excited to be teaming up with our friends at Ketubah.com to fill you in on the top trends they’re seeing in 2020, from sustainability to 3-D to crystals and beyond. 

Sustainability

Renaissance Echoes by Jonathan Kremer

It’s no secret that sustainability is one of the keywords of 2020 – it’s  been trending in bridal fashion, and it’s no surprise that concern for the environment is hitting the ketubah world hard. And Ketubah.com’s ahead of the curve: their ketubahs are made with clean electricity, and even their Toronto office is powered by Bullfrog power, which lowers their carbon footprint and brings renewable energy – and naturally they recycle, seeing as they work with a ton of paper!

Couples who are environmentally conscious may want to consider a washi paper ketubah. Japanese washi paper is not only beautiful, it’s also especially eco-friendly because it is biodegradable and tree-friendly alternative (the fibers are taken from the bark of living trees – most commonly mulberry – no chopping required). Ketubah.com has an awesome selection of designs on washi paper.

Crystals

Adventure of a Lifetime II by Shel Rummel

Crystals are all the rage these days. There is a belief that crystals can affect energy in your life – and, therefore, your wedding day too. Who among us can’t use some positive vibes for the big day (not to mention in your home forever after)?

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Real Jewish Brides: Charlotte on 81 Days to Go!

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Charlotte will be marrying Adam on 25th April 2021 at Swynford Manor in Newmarket, UK. Click here to read all Charlotte’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Adam proposed to Charlotte on holiday in Cyprus (2) Charlotte and Adam met at work in London (3) Charlotte is a member of STG Brides Club!

As the clock turned midnight and we started 2021 I looked to Adam and said, we’re getting married this year, hopefully!

Staying home to protect ourselves, our family and our friends we start to think about the next few months and what they’re going to bring. With only 3 months to go until our original Wedding Day we are trying to keep ourselves motivated and keep planning and preparing as much as we can. Whilst we are slowly getting things to do ticked off the list there is a constant nagging thought on both our minds of, but what if we can’t get married on our chosen date?

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An Intimate Rainy Day Jewish Wedding for 30 at Dyson Place, Sheffield, UK

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Olivia and Daniel, Dyson Place, Sheffield, UK

When COVID forced Liv, a mortgage broker who recently opened a take away coffee shop called Olive and Joy, and Dan, a lawyer, to scrap their original plans for a 150-guest wedding at a stately home over the May bank holiday, they came up with something even better.

As soon as 30-person weddings were allowed in England, Liv and Dan sought the guidance of Victoria from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Linda Abrahams & Co in planning an ultra-memorable day in chic urban courtyard Dyson Place (Victoria, who does double duty as a planner and luxury stationer, also designed the couple’s stationery, complete with custom wedding logo). They put together a beautiful outdoor chuppah – which ended up having to be moved indoors halfway through the ceremony as the rain picked up – streamed on Zoom to all their loved ones who couldn’t be there in person. Don’t miss the gorgeous photos by Steven McNiven.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Feast by Ed Schaerf provided his trademark innovative kosher catering, featuring his kosher burger van which served up burgers, hotdogs, salt beef sandwiches, and fried chicken with all the trimmings.

In the bride’s words,

The thing that made it so special was that there were only 30 people so we could talk to everyone there really easily and all of them were our closest family and friends. Anyone who is doubting whether to go ahead with a smaller wedding during government restrictions – we definitely recommend it! 

Now we’ll turn you over to Liv…

Olivia and Daniel, Dyson Place, Sheffield, UKOlivia and Daniel, Dyson Place, Sheffield, UKOlivia and Daniel, Dyson Place, Sheffield, UK
How We Met

Olivia, the bride and Daniel, the groom: We have known each other for as long as we can remember. Our parents were friends when we were little and it turns out that we both liked each other but neither of us realised until we swiped each other on J-swipe!

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Everything You Need to Know about Jewish Genetic Carrier Screening {with JScreen}

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Here at Smashing The Glass, we’re passionate about genetic carrier screening. If you’ve started thinking about growing your family, it’s something you might have heard of. You may even have considered getting screened yourself. But we’re well aware that the process can seem intimidating, expensive, and scary. It doesn’t have to be any of those things, though! Knowing whether you’re a carrier for any genetic diseases – and what your options are going forward if it turns out you are – is actually really empowering!
 
That’s why I’m so excited to tell you that this Tuesday, February 2, at 9:00 am PDT / 12:00 pm EDT / 5:00 pm GDT, I’ll be chatting 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.
 

GET EMPOWERED

Hillary spoke with us this past July, and we had such an informative, empowering conversation about what JScreen does, how genetic carrier screening works, and what all this might mean for you. We wanted to make sure all the newly engaged couples are able to benefit from her knowledge, so we’re bringing her back – plus, she’ll be filling us in on some recent updates as JScreen continues to expand their testing repertoire (including testing for cancer susceptibility genes like BRCA).
 
JScreen‘s mission is to give individuals and families easy access to information convenient home testing (so you can get the process started even in lockdown) at a reasonable price point. Screening for over 200 genetic diseases – including those that are commonly found in Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi Jewish populations – is performed by a certified laboratory and results are reviewed and reported to participants by genetic counselors, so if it turns out you are a carrier for a disease, your counselor will be there to talk you through the options (and there ARE options!).
 

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