Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Rime Arodaky Bride for a Backyard Jewish Micro Wedding in Connecticut, USA

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We are absolutely in love with the beautiful backyard Jewish wedding of NYC couple Alexis, a physician, and Marc, a lawyer! Alexis’s work as a front-line provider during the peak of the pandemic in New York made the pair realize it was time to seize the day and seal the deal.

Since Alexis and Marc didn’t want to wait long before making it official, a backyard wedding at the bride’s parents’ home made perfect sense. The couple didn’t have much time to spend planning, so they sought out micro wedding expert Susie Blumenfeld of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Pink House Productions to plan the rustic celebration of their dreams. And are we ever obsessed with the outcome – the perfect intimate romantic day, strewn with white blooms and greenery (including the most beautiful birch chuppah). Don’t miss the gorgeous photos from Dreamscapes Studio – or the stunning ketubah from Our ketubah was from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com.  

We also love that in shopping for the perfect dress for her casual outdoor day – something she had to do all online, since bridal stores were closed due to the pandemic – Alexis sought out French designers whose lines included civil ceremony dresses. And did she ever find her match in the most exquisite Rime Arodaky!

We’ll let her take it from here…


How we Met

Alexis, the bride: We both work very busy and opposite schedules and somehow were lucky enough to cross paths on the app Hinge in January 2019.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A DIY Jewish Garden Micro Wedding in London, UK

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We are absolutely in love with the quintessentially English garden micro wedding of Rebecca, a teacher, and Joel, an engineer. These two needed a convenient all-outdoor venue where they could throw a COVID-safe celebration – and fortunately, the school where Rebecca teaches happens not only to have a gorgeous garden but is also located just around the corner from the pair’s home.

With some help from their friends, Rebecca and Joel put together a beautiful day starting with a tisch and badeken in the couple’s own garden, followed by a procession down the street to their venue. Then there was the ceremony – which came together with lots of participation from not only those guests who were able to attend in person, but also some VIPs who joined in via the couple’s livestream. These included the bride’s parents, who were able to give the couple a blessing, and her brother, who sang to them as they stood under the chuppah.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kate Swerdlow captured the day so perfectly in her emotion-filled photos – and Rebecca and Joel can’t stop raving about how much they loved working with a photographer who not only put them at ease on the day with her warm, easygoing nature but also just “gets Jewish weddings”!

Now over to Rebecca…

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Garden Venue

Rebecca, the bride: We got married in the garden of the school where I work which is around the corner from our home. We picked this venue because it was beautiful, surrounded by an orchard, a vegetable patch, with easy parking and close by. It had a big green space where we had small marquees with tables that we used for lunch.

The chuppah was made out of bamboo and designed and constructed by my husband and his friends, and they built it onsite. The location was intimate and green and perfect.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Real Jewish Brides: Introducing Chris + Ariel: How They Met To The Present Day…

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Today on the blog we’re introducing our latest gorgeous crop of 2021 Real Jewish Brides! Please give a warm welcome to Chris, who will be marrying Ariel on 6th June 2021 in Chris’ Aunt and Uncle’s front yard. 

THREE FACTS: (1) Ariel proposed to Chris in November 2020 (2) Chris swiped right on Ariel and the rest is history! (3) Chris + Ariel will be having an intimate 10-person wedding.


How We Met

Every week in 2018 (and every week since up until the pandemic hit) I would go to dinner at Caitlin and Topher’s house. I introduced them and they have now been together for over a decade. She always said she wanted to return the favor, so one day after dinner I handed her my phone to swipe for me. Caitlin, having never done online dating herself, and now having two small children, squealed at the idea of doing an activity that had nothing to do with Baby Shark or Superheros.

She swiped right on Ariel and it was a match. I sent the first message and we decided to meet for tacos by the waterfront in Downtown Boston. When Ariel walked in it was clearly her, but her photos had not done her justice. We sat down, and I honestly don’t remember much of the first date. I was half nervous and half exhausted from a decade of online dating that had never worked out. But Ariel thought I was very tall, very funny, and the date flowed really well.

After we left the restaurant I took her hand as we walked to the train and it felt like home. I hugged her goodnight and told her to text me when she got home. 

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Win a Romantic Night For Two at the Pan Pacific London, London’s Hottest New Luxury Hotel

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I’m so delighted to offer you the chance to win an overnight stay in London’s hottest new luxury hotel: Pan Pacific London, opening in late spring 2021!

Pan Pacific London is the most exquisite modern urban retreat, located in One Bishopsgate Plaza in the heart of the City. Combining the Singaporean hospitality at the root of the Pan Pacific brand with contemporary London design, it’s truly the epitome of modern luxury.

The perfect spot for a quintessential City wedding, Pan Pacific London’s location at One Bishopsgate Plaza showcases the juxtaposition of old and new architecture that the City of London is known for. The hotel offers an array of distinguished spaces, perfect for everything from the biggest bash to an intimate gathering.

We’re obsessed with Pan Pacific London’s extraordinary customer service, with a dedicated Celebrations Connoisseur accompanying you every step of the way as you plan the day of your dreams. Their full-service Event Emporium will work to help you craft a bespoke day tailored to your individual tastes, with no detail spared. From the softness of the linen to the curation of personalised menus and the scent of the room, the only limit is your imagination.

A JEWISH WEDDING AT THE PAN PACIFIC LONDON

Offering everything from pre-wedding wind-downs on an exclusive wellbeing floor, to post-wedding brunches and intimate anniversary dinners, Pan Pacific London’s incredible events team is there to help you create ongoing memories that last a lifetime.

We’re in love with the hotel’s Pacific Ballroom, accommodating up to 250 for dinner and dancing. You’ll enter the majestic double-height subterranean ballroom (the only one within London’s Square Mile) via a glass escalator and lift – a preview of the grandeur and grace you’ll find inside. The ballroom’s elegant contemporary design features a neutral colour palette, Swarovski crystal chandeliers and state of the art technology that allows you to share your special moments globally in real time.

And for more intimate groups of up to 40 for dinner, the fifth-floor Green Dragon (the name represents good fortune) offers magnificent views over Bishopsgate Plaza through-floor to ceiling windows.

As far as food goes, choose from kosher-style catering by Pan Pacific London’s culinary connoisseurs, or choose from one of the hotel’s certified kosher catering partners.

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A Pronovias Bride for a Jewish Micro Wedding at Pierce House in Lincoln, Massachusetts, USA

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To look at this gorgeous Jewish wedding, you’d never know it was planned in just two months! Boston couple Alisa, a product manager, and Evan, an architect, got engaged in August, and knew they were ready to move forward with building their future together – pandemic or not.

With just a few months to plan a COVID-safe outdoor celebration before the New England winter set in, Alisa and Evan knew it was time to call in the big guns. In this case, that meant Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Primavera Dreams, who helped them pull together the day of their (socially distanced) dreams, stat. Within three days of the couple’s engagement, founder Luba set the pair up on venue visits, and a couple weeks later they’d booked all their key vendors. Alisa and Evan say they couldn’t have done it without Luba’s expertise.

The couple’s number one goal was to plan a day where their friends and family would stay safe, and so they opted for a short guest list, socially distanced seating arrangements, table-side bar service, additional cleaning staff at the restrooms, and sanitization stations throughout, among other touches. They also opted to livestream the ceremony for those who weren’t able to attend in person. Because a dance floor wasn’t allowed due to COVID restrictions, Alisa and Evan went with a classical string duo for the ceremony and a jazz trio for the reception for their entertainment.

Photographer Kataram Studios did such a beautiful job capturing the day. Don’t miss all the gorgeous details, like the couple’s Enya Keshet ketubah, which they found online at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com. With a multilayered cut paper design, gold leaf, and Swarovski crystals, it’s truly a work of art.

We’ll turn you over to the bride – who looks gorgeous in the Pronovias dress she found just days after getting engaged – for the rest…

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How we Met

Alisa, the Bride and Evan, the groom: Despite living less than a mile from each other in Brookline, Alisa and Evan’s paths never crossed. Like many 21st century relationships, theirs started by “swiping right”. After a week or two of texting, Alisa and Evan finally met for a drink after work in Copley Square.

The date went well, and they scheduled another shortly after. After the second date, Evan wanted to let Alisa know how special she was – so he sent flowers to her apartment. Evan knew this was a bold move, but he also knew he needed to let her know how he felt. He proceeded to send flowers to the wrong apartment, that got course-corrected with a help from the security desk. 

In early March of 2020, Evan cleared out a large portion of his closet and Alisa brought an entire car-load of her stuff over to his place. One week after moving in, the world changed, and they were quarantined together.

Alisa and Evan went from spending most of their time together – to spending ALL of their time together. Fortunately, the relationship thrived, and they became closer than ever. During quarantine, they could only see their parents, and spent most of the weekends in 2020 visiting each other’s families. In a span of 6 months, Alisa & Evan spent less then 24 hours apart.

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