Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Real Jewish Bride: Sarah on The Wedding Day that wasn’t, and Looking Forward

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Sarah will be marrying Rich on 20th June 2021 at Tikitano Beach, Marbella, Spain. Click here to read all Sarah’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Sarah knew Rich was the one when he brought a gift of dog treats for her toy poodle Nuala along to their fourth date! (2) They are crafting an amazing destination wedding weekend in Marbella with beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended vendor optimum weddings as their planner. (3) Sarah is a member of  Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!


The Wedding Day That Wasn’t and the Wedding Day That Will Be

I always thought that when I wrote this blog post I would be bathing in the bliss of being a newlywed (perhaps with a hangover and sore feet!). However, I am writing it as an excited bride to be, filled with hope and positivity about my wedding day on June 20th 2021.

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A Bright and Colorful Jewish Wedding at Bolton Street Synagogue, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

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This gorgeous Jewish wedding is ALL about the colors! From the pink and orange florals to the exuberant invitations to the bold mix-and-match bridesmaids dresses to the exuberant Tree of Life ketubah from Shell Rummel via Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com, the nuptials of Heidi, who is dean of instruction at a charter school in Baltimore, and Max, an architecture grad student, is just so vibrant and full of joy.

And we love the simple birch chuppah, artfully adorned with some asymmetrical florals (in pink and orange, natch) and greenery – which just goes to show you don’t have to go all out on the flowers (or the spending) to create a high-impact floral chuppah.

We also think it’s super cute that the pair opted to marry right where they met, at Bolton Street Synagogue! Not only are Heidi and Max members of the congregation, but they laid eyes on each other for the very first time at a musical improv class taking place in the synagogue’s basement – awwww!

Urban Row Photography captured the day so perfectly – don’t miss these joyous, energetic images!

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A Synagogue Wedding

Heidi, the bride: We first met at a musical improv class in the basement of the Bolton Street Synagogue. I was the more experienced improv student, and Max was more of a rookie. But we both loved (and still love) singing and improvising. Funny fact, my mother happened to be in town visiting on the night of our first class.

That night, when our class went out for post-improv drinks, Max met his future mother-in-law on the same night that he met his future wife. Though Max didn’t sit next to me at the bar, we connected briefly by realizing that both of our mothers’ names are Barbara. Getting married in the place we first met and are members of the congregation to this day, Bolton Street Synagogue, was an easy choice of a venue for us.

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A Galia Lahav Bride for an Industrial Rustic Jewish Wedding at Knockdown Center, Queens, New York, USA

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This is SUCH a New York wedding, and we are all over it. Jenny, who works as an associate media director at an ad agency, and Zach, who works in real estate development at a private equity firm, brought the city vibes to their Jewish wedding with everything from their choice of venue – the super cool Knockdown Center in Queens, which manages to combine industrial chic while being able to bring in greenery and rustic sophistication seamlessly – to their decision to bring in iconic NYC eats like Robertas Pizza andthe Shake Shack food truck.

And how incredible is the couple’s floating chuppah?! With all four sides open – so all 375 guests seated in the round could see the couple clearly – it brings some serious enchanted forest vibes to an otherwise urban setting. Photographer Tory Williams captured everything so perfectly.

Now over to Jenny, who looked stunning in Galia Lahav – one of our fave Israeli designers!

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Industrial Rustic

Jenny, the bride: We got married at the Knockdown Center in Maspeth Queens.  We were looking for a venue that was “us” and not typical.  We wanted a place we could create what we wanted but that had natural beauty.  Zach works in real estate and loves finding raw spaces and making them beautiful.  This space had the perfect contrast of industrial chic while being able to bring in greenery and rustic yet sophisticated beauty.

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A David’s Bride for a Dreamy Outdoor Jewish Wedding Just Before Lockdown at HaGiva, Giv’at Brenner, Israel

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Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Naomi and Daniel are one seriously lucky couple. Their ridiculously gorgeous Jewish wedding in Israel took place as the COVID-19 crisis was becoming increasingly more serious, just days before the country banned gatherings of more than ten people. And while the bride, a physics teacher, and the groom, an aerospace engineer, didn’t have their big day go untouched by coronavirus – there was plenty of stress about increasing restrictions and whether family and friends from the UK would be able to make it, and in the end many guests weren’t able to make the trip – their close relatives made it out to Israel in time, and most of the wedding went to plan.

And it was an awesome plan! We’re in love with the garden vibes of their gorgeous venue, Giv’at Brenner, and we’re obsessed with the efforts these two made to personalize their day, like making a list together of seven things to pray for and then reading and praying for one item each time Naomi circled Daniel under the chuppah, and finding ways to honor female guests in their Orthodox ceremony.

And how cute is it that the couple got matching personalized Converses to wear for the reception?! The photos from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman Photography are so full of love and emotion, with each moment captured so beautifully.

Now over to the bride, who looked radiant in her simple David’s Bridal dress (the first she tried on!), which she had altered to add in sleeves and a higher neckline…


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How we met

Naomi, the bride: We both grew up in London, with similar social circles, same year group but never knew each other, it wasn’t until we both made aliyah that we met!

We first met at a party in Jerusalem a few days after I had made aliyah, we chatted for about 5 minutes and Daniel wanted to ask me out but felt it wouldn’t be fair on me as I needed time to settle into the country. Over the next couple of months he hadn’t forgotten about me but some friends had told him they knew a girl who they thought would be good for him.

He agreed to meet her at a Purimseudah but thought to himself that if it didn’t go well he would try to find the number of the girl from the party. But when he walked into the Purim seudah he was surprised and delighted to find the girl from the party, me, sitting there. The rest is history! He proposed to me in September and I proposed to him in October. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Real Jewish Brides: Alexandra On how she spent her Original Wedding Date

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Alexandra will be marrying Ian in May 2021 at La Corte Dei Messapi in Ostuni, Puglia, Italy. Click here to read all Alexandra’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: THREE FACTS: (1) Alexandra and Ian are planning an intimate black-tie destination wedding for 60 of their nearest and dearest in Puglia, Italy. (2) Alexandra is Jewish, and Ian is in the process of converting to Judaism. (3) Alexandra is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

When I first sent out the email about postponing the wedding I was sort of zen about it. I realized that this is how things had to be and that we would have an amazing wedding next May (it now may be May 2022 depending on how things pan out virus wise). The zen quickly wore off and I was crying over Swedish pancakes at my parents’ house a few days later. What can I say – it’s a process!

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