Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Jewish Wedding with a Fabulous Wildflower Chuppah at The Queens Hotel, Leeds, UK

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Ok, is this #chuppahgoals or what?! We’re positively obsessed with the floral masterpiece Deanna and Elliott dreamed up for their big day.

Inspired by the glorious wildflowers the pair saw on a hiking trip to the Dolomites, these two worked with their florist to concoct an absolutely stunning structure that really does look as if it was just airdropped in from a magical field in the Italian countryside. Don’t miss the exquisite photos from Nadine van Biljon – who did an absolutely masterful job capturing not only the luxe details, but all the love and emotion of the day too.

We’re not sure what’s got us feeling more FOMO, that chuppah or the mouthwatering menu from the incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Feast by Ed Shaerf. Ed and his team dream up kosher wedding food like you’ve never seen before – we’re salivating over Deanna and Elliott’s dessert, which involved spiced ginger cake, strawberry daiquiri ice cream and candy floss! – and the couple reports that Ed was a delight to work with every step of the day, and made dealing with allergies and special diets a breeze. They’re still dreaming about his fresh, innovative food – and at this point, so are we!

We’ll let Deanna take it from here…

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A Hometown Venue

Deanna, the bride: We got married at The Queens Hotel in Leeds. I grew up in Leeds and always knew I wanted to get married there. The space was exactly what we were after and the venue was located right in the centre of town next to the train station. We had been to weddings there before and seen how the space could be magically transformed. We had several guests from out of town so having our venue next door to the train station was super convenient for them. 

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Hanukkah Cards: The Holiday Tradition We All Need in 2020

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Jewish Museum Boxed Hanukkah Cards: Zoomukkah? Hanuzoom? by Jenny Rozbruch

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Hanukkah 2020 is going to be a holiday unlike any other. A lot of us are going to be missing family and friends we’d ordinarily celebrate with, and all kinds of eagerly anticipated festivities – from Hanukkah parties to public menorah lightings – are a no go due to the pandemic.

But we’d like to propose one small custom to add to your Hanukkah toolbox that can help you stay connected even while social distancing: the Hanukkah greeting card. Sending a cute card with a heartfelt message is such an underrated – and easy – way to reach out across the miles and make your loved ones feel cared for. Plus, these days there are so many fun designs to choose from – and today we’re sharing some of our very favorites. 

While sending (and hopefully also receiving!) some gorgeous greeting cards to those loved ones you won’t be able to see in person this year is a great way to alleviate some of that pandemic gloom, we realize it may not be quite enough to get you through all eight days – and for that reason, we’re running a FREE online 8 Days of Hanukkah Festival, starting December 8. Come together with our wonderful community of Jewish and Jew-ish women from around the world to share recipes, crafts, decor, music, and more – and to make some new friends, of course! Sign up to reserve your spot today.

Mighty Maccabees Hanukkah Card by ThePaperPonyCo via Etsy

We love the way this fun card illustrates key elements of the Hanukkah story, from the Maccabees to the menorah to that miraculous jug of olive oil!

 

Blue Hanukkah Scene Card by Paula & Waffle via ModernTribe
(10% discount for Smashing Life members)

We’re loving the folkloric vibes of this blue and white design.

 

Saguaro Cactus Menorah Card by SketchyNotions via Etsy

Attention all Southwesterners: rep your regional pride with this fun saguaro menorah card! Also appropriate for those of us just dreaming about a warmer climate this time of year…

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An Eddy K. Bride for a Jewish Interfaith Backyard Micro Wedding in Connecticut, USA

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We’re so delighted to be sharing the gorgeous interfaith Jewish micro wedding of our Brides Club member Julia, a social worker for the Department of Veteran’s affairs working to hose homeless veterans, and Josh, an EMT and US Army veteran!

Julia and Josh had originally planned for a 200-person wedding at a local park, but when COVID hit they downsized their guest list and shifted the festivities to Julia’s mom’s property – which, luckily for the couple, just happens to be a beautiful farm filled with green fields of wildflowers.

Regardless of the location, Julia’s top priority was always to create a relaxed and inclusive celebration that embraced both her Jewish faith and Josh’s Puerto Rican heritage. In her words,

My husband is Puerto Rican and most of my friends are not Jewish. While I am rooted deeply in my faith, sometimes I feel isolated by my Jew-ishness. Brides Club felt like this beautiful validating hug. I was able to get so much out of the articles and vendor tips. I wish I had found Smashing the Glass earlier!

The pair opted for a mostly Jewish ceremony under a chuppah (covered by a Puerto Rican flag with a Star of David at is center – designed by the groom!), officiated by Julia’s mom’s best friend, who is the rabbi of an interfaith Jewish congregation. And we love that they incorporated their daughter (who also gave a beautiful speech and sang a song for the couple!) into the ceremony, too.

Don’t miss the beautiful images from Abigail Renee Photography – or the rest of the story of this very special day, as narrated by the bride…

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How we met

Julia, the bride: Josh and I met working at a group home for teen girls. We both worked third shift at the time. When he started, he requested to have Fridays off and I lost my Shabbats off, so I decided I was not going to like him. (Boy did that backfire!) Turns out the reason he couldn’t work Fridays was because of his daughter. He used his weird sense of humour and a few honeydew melons to get me to talk to him.

When the group home closed, he asked me out (I was his supervisor). I said no. Josh was deployed a few weeks later and when he got to his post, he asked me if he could take me on a date. I agreed when he got home to go on a date with him. When he got home, he drove four hours from the airport home, showered and came right to pick me up.

About four years later he proposed in front of Boston Harbour.

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Real Jewish Brides: Maggie on Wedding Planning Depression

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Maggie will be marrying Danny on 6th June 2021 at Stone House of St. Charles in St. Charles, Missouri. Click here to read all Maggie’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Danny proposed to Maggie on his birthday! (2) Maggie is in the process of converting to Judaism (3) Maggie is a member of STG Brides Club!


The idea of wedding planning in today’s society is just plain depressing. In my everyday life I am looking at the occupancy of my hotel going up and down, the possibility of a second round of layoffs, and the continued call of cancelations. In a recent hit to my hotel we found out they are canceling elective surgeries for 8 weeks – we are a hotel near the hospitals so this is a major hit to our occupancy.

Having this perspective on the pandemic just makes me more and more depressed about our day. Getting married on June 6 is the most important thing to me as this was my grandparents’ anniversary. With this in mind we will absolutely not reschedule our wedding, we just know that with this third wave coming we likely will go from a list of 250 guests to about 150 or less.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Vera Wang Bride for a Brooklyn Meets Tropical Paradise Jewish Wedding at 501 Union, Brooklyn, New York, USA

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There’s nothing like a little hometown pride – and what better to serve as inspiration for your Jewish wedding? Today’s bride and groom, Rebecca and Brandon, are both passionate Brooklynites – and they used their love of their home borough as inspiration for their big day.

Their venue, 501 Union, in Brooklyn neighborhood Gowanus, is SO industrial chic, and the couple complemented it with fun touches like a personalized map of Brooklyn on the back of their invitations (with key spots in the couple’s lives marked), mini Junior’s cheesecakes as favors, a Brooklyn-fabulous cocktail hour menu including lox on everything bagel chips, pastrami bites, and Coney Island hot dogs, and even a Coolhaus ice cream sandwich truck!

We’re also digging the urban jungle vibes Rebecca and Brandon went with for their florals – how fun is their chuppah?! Don’t miss it in Billye Donya Photography’s wonderful pics.

We’ll leave it to the bride, who looked utterly urban chic in Vera Wang…


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How we met

Rebecca, the bride: We swiped right on Tinder, so obviously didn’t know much about each other before we met. For our first date, he suggested we meet after work near the Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park, since it was right in between our apartments, and grab a drink from there.

I had certain hesitations about meeting a random internet man at the park at dusk so I told a good handful of friends about the date, so they’d know what to tell the authorities if I never came back… Anyway, once I saw Brandon in his Canadian tuxedo (denim on denim, baby!), I knew I had nothing to worry about (;

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