Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Sottero & Midgley Bride for a Family-Focused Black Tie Jewish Wedding at The Swan Club in Roslyn, New York, USA

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We love it when a couple makes their Jewish wedding all about family – which is exactly what Sara, a record label manager, and Greg, who owns a chain of women’s clothing stores, did in planning their autumnal black-tie affair near the bride’s hometown on Long Island.

It started during the planning phase, when Sara’s mom took the lead in bringing the day to life. Then, on the day, Sara and Greg were married by the bride’s uncle, a rabbi for the United States Navy – all while wrapped in Greg’s late grandpa’s tallit. Then, post-ceremony, the couple’s living grandfathers came out on the dance floor to help the newlyweds bless and cut the challah. You can just feel the love seeping out of each and every one of Hilary Katzen’s exquisite photos.

We’re also obsessed with Sara’s bridal style, from her crystal-beaded gown bySottero & Midgley to her white glitter Keds by Kate Spade (yep, this bride wore sneakers all throughout the big day!) to her gorgeous veil – which, fittingly enough, was handmade by her mother. Sara’s luscious locks looked perfect, too – which was all the more meaningful since she spent the three years preceding the wedding growing her hair back after losing it to cancer.

And how gorgeous is the couple’s exuberant ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor 1-800-ketubah.com – Nava Shoham?! Selected by the groom, who was after something colorful, the couple now give their ketubah place of pride in their home.

Read on for the full details of this epic day – which was truly a family affair…

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How We Met

Sara, the bride: We met at a bar mitzvah when we were seniors in high school in 2010.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Ten Meaningful Ways to Bring Shabbat Into Your Life {Part Two}

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Photo courtesy of Micaela Ezra 

Last week we shared five of our favorite accessible ways to begin or grow your observance of Shabbat, Judaism’s weekly day  of rest which runs from Friday evening at sunset through to Saturday night 25 hours later – and this week we’re back with the second half of our list.

Especially in times as uncertain as the ones we’re living through right now, Shabbat is an incredible tool for disconnecting from the chaos of 2020 and reconnecting with ourselves, our loved ones, and our tradition and spirituality. In the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom and one of the most prominent Jewish thinkers of our times, who tragically passed away just yesterday, “Shabbat is the day we stand still and let all our blessings catch up with us” – and, now more than ever, couldn’t we all use a little bit of that in our lives?

Take Time to Relax

Whether that means curling up with a good book, taking a relaxing stroll in nature, or even a nap (a Shabbat nap on Saturday afternoon is actually a traditional practice for some!), take some time to rest and rejuvenate. After all, Shabbat commemorates the seventh day of creation when, after bringing the world into being on the first six days, God ceased from work – and, in so doing, created the very concept of rest. 

In the words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the greatest Jewish thinkers of the 20th century, in his classic The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man, “Six days a week we seek to dominate the world, on the seventh day we try to dominate the self.” Which, if you think about it, means that even your Shabbat self-care is imbued with an extra hit of holiness.

Attitude of Gratitude

We love this suggestion that our friend Paula Shoyer, The Kosher Baker, shared on our Your Jewish Life  Instagram account: Shabbat is the perfect time to reflect back on the week and focus on the things you have to be grateful for – from the biggest to the smallest. Seriously, it can be anything from your family to finding a great parking spot!

Keep Up with the Weekly Torah Portion

Reading the weekly parsha (Torah portion) is a great way to spend some of your Shabbat. If, like most of us, you’re not able to read it in the original Hebrew, find a translation you like in English or whatever language is most comfortable for you. Either in addition to reading the actual Torah portion, or instead, you can also sign up to get any number of commentaries sent to your inbox or podcast queue weekly, in written or audio form. There are plenty to choose from – check out Covenant and Conversation from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who sadly passed away over this past Shabbat; Ten Minutes of Torah from Reformjudaism.org; Torah from JTS; or Parsha Picks from Chabad. If you’re looking for some more suggestions, we love this list from My Jewish Learning. 

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A Beachy Same-Sex Jewish Wedding at Harbour House Oceanfront Venue, Indian Harbour Shores, Florida, USA

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What’s better than one beautiful bride? TWO beautiful brides, of course! Tessa and Ashley had the most incredibly heartfelt beach front Jewish wedding, and we are here for it!

This wedding was so full of wonderful personal touches – we love the fact that Ashley’s brother served as the officiant (and, naturally, delivered an incredibly moving speech), and we’re also obsessed with the couple’s gorgeous colorful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nava Shoham, which Tessa and Ashley now proudly display in their home!

And how special is it that, unbeknownst to each other, Tessa and Ashley both ended up selecting stunning fitted lace gowns from local boutique  Calla Blanche! Now that’s a first look to remember!

We’ll let Ashley fill you in on the rest…

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How we Met

Ashley: They say when you meet the right person, you know. Ironically, we actually grew up about 45 minutes from each other. Our high schools played soccer against each other and our lives overlapped in a few moves across the county in our college years. We found out we had the same groups of friends circles but we didn’t meet in person until three years ago living in Florida through a mutual friend who planned for us to go as a friend group to the Katy Perry concert. 

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Real Jewish Brides: Jenna on Keeping Busy

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Jenna will be marrying Mat on 13th June 2021 at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Arizona. Click here to read all Jenna’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Jenna + Mat have known each other all their lives – they met when they were both one-year-old at a baby class! (2) Their relationship began at the University of Arizona in March 2012 (3) Mat proposed at Jenna’s parents house in December 2018

I have to say I struggled with this blog post.  There hasn’t really been any update in regards to my wedding planning progress, as we were set to be married on September 6, 2020 and postponed to June 13, 2021, so we have been mostly set with our planning process.  It has also been hard to get the little details done when my fiancé and I live across the country from where we are getting married.  Things feel pretty much the same as when I wrote my last blog post about our postponed wedding weekend and Mat’s birthday.

We have been doing things, like the occasional brunch outside, socially distant weekend afternoons spent with friends in our building, exploring our neighborhood by letting the streetlights tell us where to go on our walks, or taking the ferry between Brooklyn and Manhattan.  I guess the main life update for us has been regarding my job becoming a fully remote position.  That for sure has been a big change for me and has taken a lot to wrap my head around.  With so much changing in the world and my own life, I’ve needed things to keep me feeling grounded.

One has been cooking and especially baking (if you are not a member of the Bride’s Club, join and you will get access to the recordings of the Pumpkin Spice Roll Challah virtual bake I am leading on 11/7) and choir – well, virtual choir.

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Two Broadway Performers’ Jewish Backyard Micro Wedding in Plainview, New York, USA

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Like so many couples in 2020, Elyssa and Adam had to drastically rethink their wedding plans after the pandemic broke out. These two also have the additional challenge of working on Broadway, which has been especially hard hit, with theaters set to be closed for no less than a year: Elyssa is an actor and playwrightcurrently producing a digital benefit concert through her Jewish theatre company, Ahava Theatre, and Adam is a Broadway musician currently teaching virtual piano lessons during the pandemic.

But the couple made the most of a tough situation by putting together a gorgeous micro wedding in Elyssa’s mom’s backyard, complete with a heartwarming ceremony, a chuppah handmade by the groom, the bride in a repurposed white prom dress, and the most stunning ketubahby Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nava Shoham.

Even though it was very different from the day they’d originally planned – and Elyssa and Adam do still plan to have a big celebration next summer on the one-year anniversary of their micro wedding – they say opting to get married now was “the best decision we ever made.” And it’s easy to believe after scrolling through the Erica Marie Photos’ joyous, emotion-filled images.

Now over to the couple…

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How we met

Elyssa, the bride and Adam, the groom: Adam’s stepdad and Elyssa’s uncle were childhood friends in Brooklyn in the 60s! In 2015, Adam met Elyssa’s aunt and uncle and coincidentally they were both in Cambridge, MA for the summer doing theatre.  Elyssa’s aunt Amy and Adam’s mom Debi thought it would be a great idea for them to meet because of their shared interest in music and theatre!Continue ReadingContinue Reading