Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Love Letter to Italy: Jewish Wedding Inspo from a Beloved Destination Hit Hard by COVID-19 {with La Fete}

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Italy is one of the most beloved Jewish wedding destinations among #STGbrides and grooms – and there’s no wonder why. Between the landscape, the sunlight, and the food, this is a corner of the world like no other.

Sadly, it’s also one of the areas hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout March and April, the world looked on in horror as staggering death rates rocked the northern part of the country, with the pandemic’s epicenter squarely in the northern region of Lombardy.

Our hearts went out to our Italian friends and beloved #STGvendors, and we wished we could do more to support the wonderful Italian wedding community, who have opened their hearts to so many wonderful Smashing The Glass couples over the years.

So when international luxury wedding planner and #STGvendor La Fête let us know they’d about a gorgeous Jewish wedding-themed styled shoot they’d worked on in Tuscany, we couldn’t wait to feature it.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Real Jewish Brides: Jenna on How We are Customizing our Jewish Wedding

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Jenna will be marrying Mat on 13th June 2021 at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Arizona. Click here to read all Jenna’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Jenna + Mat have known each other all their lives – they met when they were both one-year-old at a baby class! (2) Their relationship began at the University of Arizona in March 2012 (3) Mat proposed at Jenna’s parents house in December 2018

Judaism is a huge part of our identity – both for my fiancé, Mat, and for me. We not only grew up at the same synagogue, where we were bar and bat mitzvahed, but also attended Jewish summer camps (and worked as counselors), were members of our Jewish youth group USY, went to the Jewish day school or the synagogue’s Hebrew school, and so much more (I taught b’nai mitzvah class for 5 years!).

Growing up for me, I always remembered going to Shabbat dinner at my Bubbie and Grandpa’s house – I even learned how to bake challah from my Grandpa, who would bake two fresh loaves every other week. We always celebrated all the Jewish holidays as well, with the entire family getting together to eat good food and celebrate. For Mat, going to Hebrew school 3 times a week at the synagogue kept him connected in his daily life to Judaism – it is where he learned about our history, culture, religion, and it taught him the importance of his Jewish identity. 

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An Allison Webb Bride for a 1920s Glam Jewish Wedding at the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, Chicago, Illinois, USA

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Jacklyn-and-Jeffrey-InterContinental-Chicago-Magnificent-Mile
We could not be more excited to be sharing the gorgeous vintage glam Jewish wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Jacklyn, a registered nurse, and Jeffrey, who owns a real estate company!

Taking cues from the old-world luxury vibe of their ca. 1929 venue, the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, Jacklyn and Jeffrey turned the hotel’s already stunning ballroom into an eclectic fantasyland, full of luxe florals and pampas grass, in a neutral color palette with pops of gold – including an absolutely stunning gold chuppah, which the couple covered with the groom’s grandfather’s tallitot. Don’t miss Erin Hoyt’s moody, classic photos and This Charming Heart’s wonderful trailer.

We also love the creative approach Jacklyn and Jeffrey took to structuring their day: Jacklyn wanted to be sure everyone would see her in her dress for the first time as she walked down the aisle, so to help with the flow of the day the pair opted to have their ketubah signing the night before the wedding. This turned into a very special gathering for an intimate group of 20, including family and friends who’d flown in from Poland and Dubai, beautifully photographed by the bride’s friend, fashion photographer Anna Stokland.

And we’re in love with the couple’s ketubah, a replica of an Italian ketubah dating from 1768 which they purchased from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com! (PSA to all history lovers: in addition to their fantastic collection of contemporary designs, Ketubah.com also has a wonderful collection of historical designs based on ketubot from all over the world, some dating back to the 1500s.)

There’s so much more we could say about this exquisite wedding, but we’ll leave it to Jacklyn, who looked like an absolute supermodel in Allison Webb, to share the rest…

Jacklyn-and-Jeffrey-InterContinental-Chicago-Magnificent-Mile

Jacklyn-and-Jeffrey-InterContinental-Chicago-Magnificent-MileJacklyn-and-Jeffrey-InterContinental-Chicago-Magnificent-MileJacklyn-and-Jeffrey-InterContinental-Chicago-Magnificent-Mile
How We Met

Jacklyn, the bride: We met through mutual friends. Went on one date and we instantly knew, that night, we were each other’s “one”.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Sassi Holford Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London, UK

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Laura and Josh, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London

We’re so excited to be sharing the gorgeous Jewish wedding of another of our Smashing The Glass Brides Club members today! Not only did Laura, a nutritionist, and Josh, a project management consultant, have the quintessential London wedding at the stunning St Pancras Renaissance, but they also worked with some of our very favorite Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to make sure their big day was nothing less than a smashing success, as evidenced in the joyous photos from Chiko Photography.

First off, we’re all about Laura’s elegant bridal look, featuring a classic gown by Sassi Holford and the chicest updo by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Hair by Slo. Stylist Sarah-Louise is so loved by #STGbrides, and reading Laura’s kind words it’s no wonder why: “She was always at the end of the phone when I needed both hair and non-hair related advice, and on the day she blew me away with how she did everyone’s hair and made everyone feel.”

And then there’s the cinematic masterpiece that is the couple’s wedding video from beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion. We’re not at all surprised to hear that the team made Laura and Josh feel super comfortable on the day – or that they’re obsessed with their video and the amazing memories it brings back. This is one trailer not to be missed!

We’re also crazy about the couple’s modern ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Elena Berlo, in the most wonderful palette of blues, greens, and golds. It’s a true piece of art, which Laura and Josh now proudly display in their living room as a memento of their special day.

Now over to the bride… 

Laura and Josh, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, LondonLaura and Josh, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, LondonLaura and Josh, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, LondonLaura and Josh, St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London

Venue

Laura, the bride: We got married at the St Pancras Renaissance hotel in London. I have worked around the corner from the venue for 5 years and every time I walked past it, I fell in love with it a little bit more. Soon after we were engaged, I made Josh come with me to have a look at the hotel.  After we had been shown around, I couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else.

We loved all the rooms and the iconic stair case, which all could be used as part of the wedding and how the spaces were naturally beautiful and didn’t need too much dressing. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Backyard Jewish Micro Corona Wedding in Katamon, Jerusalem, Israel

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Beth and Mattan, Corona wedding, friends garden in Katamon, Israel
We were totally blown away when we first saw the photos by Mama from this gorgeous Jewish corona wedding. When Beth, a special education teacher at an American school in Israel, and Mattan, a lawyer at a high-tech company, realized they were going to have to overhaul their wedding plans due to COVID-19, they turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Michal K. Events Israel to plan the micro wedding of their dreams.

With only fifty guests legally allowed to attend – and some VIPs, including the groom’s parents, were sadly unable to fly in from the US – Beth and Mattan’s wedding looked pretty different than the one they’d originally planned. But after swapping out their original venue for a friend’s backyard and implementing some creative measures to make sure everyone could celebrate safely, it was just as beautiful and memorable a day as any big pre-COVID bash.

With some clever touches – like serving each guest a boxed kids meal from a local burger place (planner Michal’s idea!) – and plenty of socially distanced dancing, this wedding was one for the books. And those who couldn’t be there in person were able to watch the ceremony on  Zoom (you can catch the recording here). 

If you’re planning a micro wedding of your own, you won’t want to miss the masterclass that their planner, Michal, is leading inside Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club tomorrow, Thursday July 9! She’ll be covering everything from platform options and tech to how to make a socially distanced Hora fun and beyond – and based on this incredible wedding, there’s no one we’d trust more on the subject!

There’s lots more we could say about this joyous wedding, but we’ll leave it to the bride – who looked lovely in Michal Taylor – to tell you the rest of the story…

Beth and Mattan, Corona wedding, friends garden in Katamon, IsraelBeth and Mattan, Corona wedding, friends garden in Katamon, IsraelBeth and Mattan, Corona wedding, friends garden in Katamon, Israel
How we met

Beth, the bride: We met through a friend. Mattan had just gone out with her, and I was friends with her. However, we had both lived in Washington Heights, NY, at the same time and had similar social circles. We even had Shabbat meals in each other’s apartments when the other wasn’t there.

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