Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

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Real Jewish Brides: Maggie on Wedding Stress

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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!

Blogging Bride Maggie and Danny

I found it more difficult to write this month’s post as I have not really checked off any boxes when it comes to planning my wedding. We looked back through some vendors we saved for things such as cake and photo booth, worried about how we were going to pay for our catering deposit and tried to figure out a kosher caterer. We did however have our first meeting with our friend Leah Sachs of Leah E Moss Designs to discuss our wedding paper goods.

She gave us some much good information, much of which I already knew from following her blog and Instagram, but she taught a lot to my fiancé who surprisingly agreed with what I wanted without any convincing. I wish I could have screenshot her face though when we told her that we wanted her to make our custom ketubah. She was so honored, and we are so excited to have a friend design this for us. It will make our ketubah even more special to us as we believe in supporting and helping our friends. Besides all this, life has just been too crazy to really focus on wedding planning when the big stuff is taken care of and the wedding is 8 months away.

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An Eliza Jane Howell Bride for a Sustainable Jewish Wedding at One Marylebone, London

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We love it when a couple crafts a Jewish wedding that stays true to their values – so naturally we’re crazy about the fab celebration of Natasha, who runs Urban Cordial, an all-natural, low-sugar cordial brand made using British surplus fruit, and Jacob, a theatre producer who grew up in Australia!

Given Natasha’s business, it’s no surprise that sustainability is important to these two – and they incorporated it into their day through touches like sourcing seasonal vegetarian British food, reusing the chuppah canopy of their friends Ashley and Adam, and donating their flowers to a hospice and a women’s shelter at the end of the night.

Possibly the coolest sustainable touch, though, is the way Natasha and Jacob created their wedding jewelry: the two worked with goldsmith Rachel Jones to create their rings from heirloom pieces. Natasha’s engagement ring was made using gold from Jacob’s grandmother’s bracelet, a diamond from his grandmother’s engagement ring, and a sapphire gifted to the couple from Jacob’s mum. Then, the couple did a workshop with Rachel where they handcrafted each other’s wedding bands – how special is that?! Photographers Lina and Tom captured everything so perfectly, as did videographers  Moon and Back.

Natasha and Jacob are lucky enough to be friends with the incredible Dan of beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Function Band, so they were a natural pick when it came to entertainment for the reception – and true to form, the band went all out learning new songs, keeping guests on the dance floor all night, and even throwing in an impromptu song and dance bracket featuring some Aussie classics in honor of the groom! The Function Band also provided the epic lighting for the party – something Jacob was especially attuned to given his theater background.

Oh, and did we mention that this duo smashed not one but TWO glasses (one each)? We could go on and on, but we’ll let Natasha – who looked radiant in Eliza Jane Howell – take it from here…

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How we Met

Natasha, the bride and Jacob, the groom : We met at a mutual friend’s house and Jacob helped Natasha take some photos of drinks using her cordials for social media. He still helps her with this kind of stuff.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Allison Webb Bride for a Beachy Destination Jewish Wedding at Ana y José Hotel in Tulum, Mexico

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There’s nothing like a Jewish wedding on the beach, and Julia and Nick’s minimalist celebration in swoonworthy Tulum, Mexico, ticks all our boxes and then some.

First off, we love that these two knew they’d stumbled onto something special with their venue – I mean, can you believe that beach?! – and decided to keep a low profile with their décor so as to let the surroundings speak for themselves. They stuck with mostly natural materials and native flowers, greenery, and pampas grass (with the exception of some prominently placed protea flowers in a nod to the couple’s shared South African roots).

And we’re totally obsessed with Julia and Nick’s simple but stunning chuppah, consisting of nothing more than natural driftwood-esque branches and the couple’s grandfathers’ talitot. Against the backdrop of the ocean, does it ever make an impact! Don’t miss the incredible photos from Someplace Wild Photography.

We’ll let the bride, who looked so beautiful in her lace gown from Allison Webb, fill you in on the rest…


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How We Met

Julie, the bride: Nick and I have known each other forever, and I know a lot of people say that, but really, we have! Both coming from South African Jewish families, our lives have been intertwined for as long as I can remember, so it only seemed natural then when I got to high school (two years after Nick) that he was a kind, familiar face in a see of thousands of new ones, as I was coming from a small private school to a large public high school. Our story begins in high school, dating off and on as teenagers and A LOT of sneaking out of my parents house! When it was time for college, we parted ways, Nick two years older and off to New York City for his own adventure.

Fast forward a bit, and we are both at NYU, both living in New York City. It was an incredible and very intense way to reconnect. Somehow, even when we were “broken up” we kept finding our way back to each other. Once we both had matured a bit, we finally decided it was time to really be together. After a few years in New York, we decided to make our way back to our home base, Atlanta, where both our families and extended family lives.  

Although a rollercoaster, we really have watched each other grow up and taken time to do that separately. To be with someone who has witnessed a lot of your life is pretty crazy and we are constantly grateful to continue to have the front row seat to each other’s life. 

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Get Screened for Jewish Genetic Disorders in the UK with Jnetics

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 Here at Team STG, we’re passionate about Jewish genetic carrier screening. I know it’s probably not at the top of anyone’s wedding planning to-do list – but if you and your partner think children might be in your future, it should be! A simple saliva test can go so far toward ensuring the two of you start the healthy family of your dreams – and while the process of getting screened can seem daunting and even scary, I promise it really isn’t!

That’s why we’re so excited to be sharing the following post from our friends at Jnetics, a UK-based charity that provides accessible carrier screening for some of the genetic diseases most common among Jewish populations. They’ve demystified the screening process from start to finish, so you can take the first step toward taking control of your future family’s health. 

If you’re in the UK and planning to start a family within the next few years, read on to learn more about who they are, what they do, how you and your partner can get tested – and, most importantly, why you should. 

“We recently got engaged and it was really important for us to have the screening test. Due to COVID-19, the test was conducted through Zoom and the test components were sent to our home address. The whole process was really easy, and we would recommend taking the test through Jnetics.” -Natalia and Daniel, recently engaged

What is Jnetics?

Jnetics is a UK-based charity that tests for life-threatening Jewish genetic disorders (JGDs). We are the only organisation dedicated to improving the management and prevention of these disorders in the UK. We focus on recessive genetic conditions that, although not exclusively Jewish, have a significant impact on the lives and well-being of Jewish people.

Our mission is to eliminate new cases of these devastating disorders from the Jewish community by providing accessible carrier screening to all young Jewish adults. Our hope is that genetic screening becomes standard practice, thereby erasing these conditions and saving a countless number of lives.

It is important that anyone who is planning on having children, either now or in the future, get screened in order to make informed health decisions that can prevent them from passing on a devastating genetic illness to their child.

“We were always aware of the importance of getting screened being both from an Ashkenazi heritage, and Jnetics made it easy, even in Covid-19 times! The team was really communicative and very quick at responding to emails, explaining the process, setting up zoom calls and organizing getting tested.” -Jodie and Yehudah, recently engaged

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A Pronovias Bride for a Travel-Themed Summer Garden Jewish Wedding at The Park Savoy Estate, Florham Park, New Jersey, USA

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Who’s missing traveling right about now? Yep, thought so. Until we can get back to it, here’s the next best thing: the fabulous travel-themed Jewish wedding of Melissa, a regulatory specialist, and Adam, an account manager.

These two may have chosen to wed close to home in New Jersey, but they highlighted their love of travel with adorable touches like luggage tag escort cards, luggage used as baskets, and even a globe guest book – which Melissa and Adam now proudly display in their living room. How cool is that?! Photographer Gabelli Studio captured everything so beautifully, and we’re in love with Studio 94 Video’s moving trailer.

There are so many more wonderful details – from Melissa’s gorgeous Pronovias gown to the couple’s adorably named signature drink, The Frozen Rosen, but we’ll leave it to the bride to tell you about all of that…

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How we Met

Melissa, the bride: In the spring of 2017 we both swiped right on JSwipe and had our first date at End of Elm in Morristown. On September 2nd, 2018 Adam surprised me and proposed on the top of High Point National Park in Sussex, New Jersey.

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