Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A BHLDN Bride for an Interabled Couple’s Ultra-Personal Egalitarian Jewish Wedding at Finsbury Old Town Hall, London, UK

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It’s no secret that we love seeing a couple who crafts a unique Jewish wedding that’s totally, 100% them. And that’s exactly what today’s bride and groom did. Candy and Max are passionate about documenting their life together as an interabled couple at Riding Everest – Max, an investment analyst, has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, and in addition to a career in writing and social media Candy cares for Max, assisting him with all the tasks he needs help with due to his disability – and showing the world that relationships where one partner has a disability are just as loving, normal, and beautiful as any other.

And that seems to go doubly for weddings, based on Kristian Leven’s radiant, joyous photos of the day. This wedding was SO full of love, happiness, and cool personal touches, from papel picado in honor of Max’s Mexican heritage, eucalyptus leaves to reflect Candy’s Australian family, and tiny plastic horses scattered around the venue for guests to find as a nod to the couple’s 2018 horseback trek to Everest Base Camp! And they also worked in plenty of DIY touches, from hand-painted place cards (Max worked with a paintbrush held in his mouth, and Candy took charge of the calligraphy) to homemade gin favors.

We also love that these two opted to get married twice in one day, starting their day at the register office and ending it under the chuppah, which Candy and Max loved because it gave them the opportunity to have both a small, intimate wedding with just family AND a big Jewish wedding where they celebrated with their community.

And then there’s the exuberant Jewish music by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Shir! This mega-talented group not only helped the couple pick their favorite tunes and iron out logistical creases in their day, they also led the Israeli dancing and made sure that everyone – even guests who’d never before attended a Jewish wedding – got involved!

There’s so much more we could say about this awesome wedding, but we’ll leave it to Candy – who started the day in a pale blue vintage tea dress before a secret pre-chuppah costume change into a beaded dress from BHLDN – to fill you in on the rest…

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How we met

Candy, the bride: We met after my masters, when I needed a part time job (an MA in playwrighting isn’t a very lucrative way to get into the job market) and Max needed a PA at work. Then we accidentally fell in love and the rest is history!

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An Elia Vatine Bride for a Ketubah Artist’s Egalitarian Vegan Jewish Wedding at the Great Barn at Headstone Manor, UK

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We love seeing what kinds of choices our favorite wedding vendors make for their own Jewish weddings, so naturally we couldn’t wait to hear all about ketubah artist Rachelle’s big day. Rachelle is the mega-talented artist behind Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush, and we knew from the getgo that her wedding to Elan, who’s a sales director for a tech company, was going to be something special.

And was it ever! We’re in love with everything from the gorgeous, vibrant colors and florals to the historic venue (which once belonged to Henry VIII!) to the wonderful rustic wood chuppah supplied by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Happy Chuppah People to the egalitarian ceremony, featuring touches like seven personalized English blessings written by one of the bride’s sisters and read by the bridesmaids.

Then there’s the ketubah. Rachelle is known for her nature-inspired designs, featuring trees, mountains, oceans, and more, and we adore the willow leaf design she chose for her own ketubah. And this busy bride didn’t stop there – she also designed all of the stationery for the day herself! We’re in love with the way photographer Frances Sales and videographer Pristine Videography captured all the exquisite details of this fantastic day.

Scrolling through the images, you’d never know Rachelle and Elan’s wedding took place on March 15, 2020, just as coronavirus was getting serious in the countries where most of this Israeli-British-American couple’s guests reside. In the end, half the couple’s guests were unable to attend – including Elan’s sister, who watched the ceremony via a live stream set up by a friend.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave the rest to Rachelle, who looked stunning in her secondhand Elia Vatine dress…

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How we met

Rachelle, the bride: We met on Tinder 4 years ago – our first date was at Tel Aviv University’s student day! We were a couple from day one.

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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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