Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Country House Jewish Wedding Inspo at Offley Place, Hitchin, Hertfordhsire, UK

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Who doesn’t love an English country house wedding? Here at Team STG, we sure do! So we were pretty excited when we found out that some of our very favourite Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors – photographer Rafe Abrook, planner Rachel Flax Events, and makeup artist Katy Angelidi – had teamed up to organize a gorgeous styled shoot at Offley Place in Hitchin, North Hertfordshire. 

Offley Place is a totally gorgeous venue in North Hertfordshire – one of those magical places that hits that tiny spot on the Venn diagram where classic English countryside meets proximity to London. 

It’s a favorite with STG readers – and our Brides Club member Shelley‘s interfaith Jewish wedding to Chris last spring just happens to be the very first to take place in the newly opened Hester Ballroom (with capacity for 250 guests!).

And they even used one of our very own smash glass pouches!

Plus, how cool (and rare) is it to see a Jewish-themed styled shoot?

All the stationery and signage used in this shoot was created by wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Liv & Luc!

And that gorgeous gown (as well as the others used in this shoot) came from another beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, Morgan Davies Bridal!

How dreamy is this tablescape? We’re obsessed with the chic florals by Sian Ryan Design, who created all of the stunning arrangements used in this shoot. 

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An Allison Webb Bride for an Industrial Rustic Jewish Wedding at The Venue, Asheville, North Carolina

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We are obsessed with the industrial-meets-rustic vibe of today’s beautiful Jewish wedding! Taryn, a software consultant, and Josh, a software engineer, combined their love of the city life – they reside in the DC metro area – with a passion for the mountains of western North Carolina, and their big day was a pitch perfect reflection of that.

The Venue in Asheville, North Carolina, was the perfect spot, with its mix of chandeliers and exposed brick walls, and we love the way Taryn and Josh added soft romantic touches with candlelight and the loveliest floral chuppah. Don’t miss the wonderful photography and videography from Beautiful Life Films! 

And how beautiful is the couple’s beautiful ketubah, by the amazing Rachelle of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush? The design – featuring a gold star of David intertwined with the seven species of Israel – is just so lovely, and we’re not at all surprised to hear that Taryn and Josh adored working with Rachelle!

We’ll let Taryn, who looked totally fab in Allison Webb, fill you in on the rest…

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How We Met

Taryn, the bride: We met online through Jswipe. After many unsuccessful online dating attempts, I was fed up with the online platform and was not too excited for another date. Josh and I had our first meeting at a coffee shop in downtown DC called SlipStream. I called my Mom on my walk from work to the coffee shop and she gave me some encouraging motherly advice, which I am forever grateful for.

I fell in love on that date and the rest is history. Since it was only a coffee date, both of us had made plans for later in the evening. Both of us were over an hour late for our other plans because we could not stop talking and laughing. Josh is truly the most incredible human I have met, and I am so lucky to be married to him. We love each other more every day and look forward to spending the rest of our lives together side by side. I wish we could live to be 500 years old, just so that I would have more time with him.  

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A Justin Alexander Bride for an Ultra-Personal Jewish Wedding at TPC Sugarloaf, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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We love it when a couple plans a Jewish wedding that’s totally, completely them – and that’s exactly what Natasha, a risk analyst at a real estate investment company, and Ryan, a development associate for Hillels of Georgia, did.

For starters, we’re obsessed with the custom ketubah the pair commissioned from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink with Intent to feature the famous University of Georgia Arch – since these two met at college there and are both diehard Bulldog fans!

We also love the fact that the bride crafted most of the décor herself! But most special of all is the fact that Natasha was given the surprise gift of a special necklace of her late mother’s. Natasha had thought her mother was buried in the necklace, but turns out her uncle had been holding onto it with the intention of gifting it to her on her special day – how beautiful is that?! We love all the emotion of the day that comes through in the beautiful photos by Katie Tiller and video from Snguyen Media.

Now over to Natasha, who looked beautiful in Justin Alexander…

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How We Met

Natasha, the bride: We met our freshman year of university at The University of Georgia.

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An Ida Torez Bride for a Rustic Countryside Jewish Wedding at Quendon Hall, Essex, UK

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How excited are we to be featuring the beautiful Jewish wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Yasmin, a nutritional therapist, and Andy, a tradesman?! These two had the quintessential English countryside wedding, with all the rustic touches you could hope for, and we are here for it.

The couple’s idyllic venue, Quendon Hall, is located in an actual deer park – doesn’t get much more perfect than that! We’re in love with all the glorious green space, and how perfect is that effortlessly rustic floral ketubah?

We’re also super touched to hear Yasmin’s kind words about her experience as a member of our Smashing The Glass Brides Club. In her own words:

Whenever I posted a question, Karen would reply promptly and always supply lots of options and ideas for me. I found our videographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion through Brides Club, and also ordered our kippot from Hebrewear – using our Brides Club 10% discount ”

And speaking of Denee Motion – don’t miss their exquisite wedding trailer. It’s truly swoonoworthy! We’re also loving the photos from Picture Your Wedding.

Now over to Yasmin, who looked positively dreamy in her floral Ida Torez gown…


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How we Met

Yasmin, the bride: We met through my brother, who was friends with Andy and we have been together for about 8 years. 

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Real Jewish Brides: Introducing Jenna + Mat: How They Met To The Present Day…

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Today on the blog we’re introducing our latest gorgeous crop of 2020 / 2021 Real Jewish Brides! Please give a warm welcome to Jenna, who will be marrying Mat on 6th September 2020 at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Arizona. 

THREE FACTS: (1) Jenna + Mat have known each other all their lives (2) Their relationship began at the University of Arizona in March 2012 (3) Mat proposed at Jenna’s parents house in December 2018


How We Met

When people ask me what my first impression of my fiancé was, I like to say, “I think he needs a diaper change.”  You see, we have a love story you don’t hear every day.  The year was 1994, we were both one-year-olds, and we were at a local park in Tucson, Arizona at a baby tumbling class.  Our moms connected, and they brought us to the same playgroup until we started school. While we never went to the same school growing up, we both belonged to the same synagogue, and we were even in the same B’nai Mitzvah class together – my Bat Mitzvah was on Mat’s 13th birthday!

We lost touch for the next few years until we both happened to be at a mutual friend’s high school graduation party. Mat was about to start his freshman year at the University of Arizona and I was about to start my sophomore year.  They got to talking, and it turned out that Mat was joining the same business mentorship program Jenna had done her freshman year. Mat and his best friend happened to attend the orientation session that following week, and he serendipitously received a book for the business mentorship program that I had read and signed! I was one of 60 students in the program the year before, and of all the incoming freshmen that could have received my book…Mat was the lucky recipient.

Come the beginning of the school year, I was helping our Chabad at the U of A table on the mall (center grass strip of campus), and I may have enticed Mat to come for free food…and my company (which Mat couldn’t turn down).  Over the course of the next few months, our friendship began to blossom.  FINALLY, Mat asked me to be his girlfriend in March of 2012, and we have been dating ever since.  Our relationship has withstood two and a half years of long distance while I attended graduate school at Brandeis and my subsequent move to New York City.  Six months after I moved to NYC, Mat followed.Continue ReadingContinue Reading