Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Magical Laid-Back Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Ein Chemed, Jerusalem, Israel

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HOW magical is the Israeli Jewish wedding of Andrea, a medical massage therapist, and Yehoshua, who works in sales?! Their gorgeous Jerusalem Hills venue, Ein Hemed, looks like an absolute fairy tale wonderland – all trees and twinkly lights – the perfect choice for two nature lovers!

Picking a venue that was totally stunning all on its own also helped the couple stay on budget – not much was needed to make Ein Hemed shine. With just a simple chuppah, lanterns and flower petals lining the aisle, and pinecones and herbs on the tables instead of flowers, Andrea and Yehoshua created the ultimate rustic vibes without breaking the bank.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman Photography (whose team also handled videography) captured not only the marvelous aesthetics of the day, but – in his trademark style – the couple’s story too.

We also love how the pair – both of whom made Aliyah on their own – took the wedding as an opportunity for their friends and family to get to see Israel and the lives they’ve built in the country. There’s so much more to say, but we’ll let Andrea take it from here…


Andrea-and-Joshua-Ein-Chemed-JerusalemAndrea-and-Joshua-Ein-Chemed-JerusalemAndrea-and-Joshua-Ein-Chemed-JerusalemAndrea-and-Joshua-Ein-Chemed-Jerusalem
How We Met

Andrea, the bride: We like to say that we met at the party we didn’t want to be at. It was a very cold and stormy February night. It was a night that no one would have wanted to leave their homes, yet thankfully we both did. A mutual friend was having a party to celebrate his birthday. I debated whether to go or not thinking that perhaps many friends would not show to the party because of the horrible weather.

In the meantime, Yehoshua was already out due to the fact that he was going to the kotel for 40 days straight in the merit that his bashert would be revealed. That night he even struggled to find a minyan (10 men) because of the torrential downpour. Nonetheless we both ended up at that party, however, he showed up shortly before I was planning on leaving. We spoke very briefly and then said our goodbyes- no numbers exchanged.

Almost one month later we both attended a wedding that I, Andrea, did not plan on attending. A friend’s husband was unavailable and she convinced me to come take his place. Thankfully I agreed because I turned around during the ceremony, and there I saw the brightest smile 🙂 Yehoshua and I got a ride home together, this time, exchanging numbers. 6 months later we were engaged and another two and a half months we were married! God was our clear matchmaker and we are forever grateful!

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12 Unique Challah Shapes for Your Shabbat Table

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Here at Team STG, we love a good challah. (Although on second thought, is there anyone who doesn’t?) In addition to being totally delicious – there is nothing, but nothing, like a slice fresh out of the oven – challah’s just so evocative of cozy Shabbat dinners and nourishing holiday meals. 

Usually it’s simply (or not-so-simply) braided – with three, four, five, six, or even more strands – and while the more standard braided loaves can be plenty impressive in their own rights, today we’re turning to some intrepid bakers of Instagram, for whom challah is more than a bread – it’s an art form. 

From Jewish symbols to animals, abstract designs to seasonal specialties, turns out you can shape your challah dough into just about anything. Though it’s just a tiny smattering go all the gorgeous loaves we could’ve shared, feast your eyes on twelve of our very favorite bakes. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Allegra Benitah, Challah Mummy (@allegrabenitah) on

We’ve seen pull-apart challah before, but never like this – HOW stunning is this design from master baker @allegrabenitah?

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Nomad Bakery (@nomadbakery) on

This hamsa challah from @nomadbakery‘s got us wondering why this palm-shaped good luck symbol doesn’t show up more often when it comes to bread baking.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Rebekah Lowin (@rebekahlowin) on

Just in time for Halloween (or really any autumnal occasion), @rebekahlowin brings us pumpkin challah rolls – which not only look like sweet lil’ mini pumpkins, but taste like them too (well, sort of) thanks to pumpkin puree.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by The Challah Artist from Berlin (@challahprince) on

How elegant is this artistic sunrise (or sunset, your call!) challah from @challahprince?!

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Amy Kritzer ???? Jewish Food (@whatjewwannaeat) on

Okay, so it’s not the shape we love about this one, but rather the colors – but either way, @whatjewwannaeat bakes up the prettiest rainbow challah we’ve ever seen. And Amy Kritzer, the blogger behind this iconic account, just happens to be a member of Smashing Life, our community for Jewish and Jew-ish women looking to lead authentic Jewish lives on their own terms!

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Jewish Food History Blog (@poppyandprune) on

It’s a little late for this year, but keep this lulav and etrog challah by @poppyandprune – aka Smashing The Glass’s very own Client Relations Manager, Emily Sacharin – in mind for next Sukkot!

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Real Jewish Brides: Charlotte on Changing Plans

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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!

CHARLOTTE AND ADAM

This post and update on our wedding was meant to look a little different. We had our engagement photo shoot, which was really more an engageaversary shoot, I was feeling more upbeat about the wedding and had really got my head around a wedding for 30 and a bigger celebration down the line. A few days ago the UK government announced yet another change, only 15 guests are permitted to attend weddings. This change is expected to last 6 months. 

A Galia Lahav Bride for an Ultra-Personal Israeli-American Jewish Wedding at Alma, Even Yehuda, Israel

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Rachael and Yuval, Alma in Even Yehuda, Israel

There’s nothing quite like an Israeli wedding. Today’s American-Israeli couple used that to their advantage as they planned their big day with the overarching aim of “showing the Americans a real Israeli wedding” – and did they ever!

American Rachael, an elementary school teacher who made Aliyah from Atlanta, and Israeli Yuval, who owns his own marketing company and sells products on Amazon, had friends and family attending from all over the world – many of whom had never attended an Israeli wedding or even visited the country before. So the bride had the great idea to prepare a guide to things that guests from abroad might find different from the weddings they’re used to – like how you will see the bride and groom before the ceremony and how once the groom smashes the glass, you’re supposed to run up to the chuppah to congratulate the couple. Such a smart thing to do!

We love that the two were married by Rachael’s family rabbi from Atlanta, who partnered with a local Orthodox rabbi to perform the ceremony in alignment with Israel’s legal requirements. And how special is it that the gold wedding band they used in the ceremony originally belonged to the bride’s great-grandmother?!

Speaking of family heirlooms – Rachael’s grandparents wanted to gift them with something really special that would be used for years, maybe even generations, to come. After going through lots of ideas, Rachael and Yuval decided a ketubah would be just the thing. But not just any ketubah – these two opted for a gorgeous handpainted nature-inspired piece by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush that they now hang proudly in their home. Don’t miss it in Ariel Aricha Photography’s gorgeous pics.

Now over to the bride, who looked radiant in Galia Lahav…

Rachael and Yuval, Alma in Even Yehuda, IsraelRachael and Yuval, Alma in Even Yehuda, IsraelRachael and Yuval, Alma in Even Yehuda, IsraelRachael and Yuval, Alma in Even Yehuda, Israel
How we met

Rachael, the bride: Yuval and I swiped right on Tinder and met in October 2017, 2 months after I made Aliyah from Atlanta, Georgia. We chatted for a few hours before he asked me to meet him at Tamara in Tel Aviv for a smoothie. I accepted and that was our first date – smoothies and a walk on the tayelet. We got engaged a little after a year of dating and then married 9 months later.

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Announcing ‘Your Jewish Life’ – Our New Sunday Jewish Lifestyle Feature!

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Here at Smashing The Glass, we’ve always been dedicated to helping you plan your Jewish wedding, your way – from providing inspo for stylish, contemporary, creative celebrations via the blog and Instagram to building a wonderful community of likeminded Jewish and Jew-ish brides-to-be over in our membership space Brides Club.

But more and more, we’ve been seeing our audience craving a place where likeminded women can come together to celebrate ALL aspects of Jewish life, far beyond weddings. Especially since the pandemic hit, I think just about all of us have been craving connection and meaning in our lives – and there’s so much to be found in Judaism.

So in order to help us all tap into the beauty of our people and tradition, we’re starting something new for Smashing The Glass: in addition to our trademark Jewish wedding inspo, from here on out each Sunday we’ll be publishing the kind of Jewish content that matters to you, from ideas for meaningful ways to observe Shabbat and holidays to talk about what it feels like to be Jewish in 2020 to discussions of our favourite Jewish media to roundups of contemporary, stylish Judaica and home decor we love.

Basically, content that will help empower all of us to live our best Jewish lives – even right now, in 2020, when times are, to put it mildly, weird. But most of all, this space is for you, and if you have ideas about what kinds of content you’d like to see in this slot, we want to hear about it in the comments!

Or you can always shoot us a DM over on our brand new Jewish lifeInstagram account, @yourjewishlife– where we’re sharing more of the Jewish and Jew-ish lifestyle content you’re craving.

So be sure to check in every Sunday on Smashing The Glass for Your Jewish Life. And here’s to living our best Jewish (or Jew-ish) lives!