Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Love-Filled Micro Jewish Zoom Corona Wedding at the Brides’ Parents Home in Westport, Connecticut, USA

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Julie-and-Benjamin

So your long-planned wedding plans have been disrupted by COVID-19. That’s exactly what happened to New York couple Julie, a Smashing The Glass Brides Club member who works in sales for a tech startup, and Benjamin, who’s in private equity. They had a 250-person Jewish wedding planned for April 18, but when it became clear that couldn’t happen due to the pandemic, these two pivoted to something that’s become an increasingly popular choice for #coronabrides and grooms: a Zoom wedding.

These two decided they still wanted to get married on their original date, which fell when the pandemic was at its peak in the New York area. Nonetheless, Julie and Benjamin managed to pull together a truly unforgettable wedding – at the bride’s family home, with her parents attending physically, their rabbi officiating via Zoom, and the rest of the couple’s close family and friends tuning in virtually – in just three days!

Although this was a very different wedding from the big bash the pair had planned – and they do still plan to celebrate in person with their loved ones later on – in Julie’s words, “It was so special and so real. It reminded me that all of the other stuff is just stuff. We will tell this story to our children and our grandchildren.” This day was SO full of love, and we can’t get enough of the photos from Megan Mills.

Julie also kindly provided some invaluable tips for other couples considering Zoom weddings, for everything from dealing with tech to making sure your wedding day feels special – do read on for her wise words! She’s also posted a full Newlywed Debrief video inside Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club where she talks through the day in depth and provides some truly unmissable insights – if you’re planning a Zoom wedding, please do join us in the club so you can fully benefit from Julie’s wisdom and generosity (and so much more)!

Julie-and-Benjamin
HOW WE MET

Julie, the bride: We met on Jswipe on May 18, 2017!

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A Martina Liana Bride for a Sunset Jewish Wedding at the Marriott Marina del Rey, California, USA

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Ashleigh-and-Jason-Marina-Del-Rey-Marriott-California

We’re so excited to be featuring the beautiful SoCal Jewish wedding of our beloved Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Ashleigh, an ice skating coach and photographer, to Jason, a former PRO MMA fighter and current Muay Thai master instructor and personal trainer.

All of us at Team STG so enjoyed following Ashleigh’s planning journey in Brides Club, and we’re so touched by her kind words about her experience in the group:

Karen was so involved and totally dedicated in guiding me along my bridal journey. STG Brides Club is a virtual community where friendships are built and everyone truly supports each other. I love the fact that Karen encourages Bride’s Club Meet Ups. It is easy to form friendships online but in this day and age to meet and bond offline is a rare occasion! Now that I am married, I find myself still enjoying being a part of the STG community and I encourage every bride-to-be to join.

Aw, thanks Ashleigh – who clearly put all that Brides Club guidance to good use, because this wedding is incredible! From the floral chuppah with a panoramic view of the marina, the city, AND the ocean, to sweet personal touches like the couple’s dog, Baby, walking down the aisle in a princess crown, this was one beautiful day, and we’re obsessed with the breathtaking photos by Dmitry Shumanev and video from White Rose Production produced.

Also, how stunning does Ashleigh look in her gown from Martina Liana Bridal?! We’ll let her fill you in on the rest…

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How We Met

Ashleigh, the bride: We met at the gym. Jason was teaching his kickboxing class and I thought him incredibly handsome but did not think that an MMA fighter that looked like a ninja could be Jewish. To my surprise, he was and that is when my stalking began, which lasted for 4 months until he finally asked me out.

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Real Jewish Brides: Erin on looking beyond ourselves

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Erin will be marrying Josh on 1st November 2020 at Congregation Beth Israel, in Charlottesville, VA, USA. Click here to read all Erin’ planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Erin and Josh are planning an outdoorsy fall wedding on a budget in Virginia’s Shenandoah mountains. (2) Erin recently completed her conversion to Judaism, and she and Josh are looking forward to filling their big day with Jewish traditions while keeping it enjoyable and understandable to friends and family from all backgrounds. (3) Erin is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!


Sometimes as a bride, it can be really easy to become laser-focused on your wedding. Sure, you usually are still working, still maintain friendships and our relationships, but a bride (myself very much included.)

But right now, it seems like the world is conspiring to ask us to look beyond ourselves. Beyond our weddings.

There’s a pandemic that has all but stopped our cities. A pandemic that has left people away from their loved ones for months, without jobs, sick, and sometimes even dead.

In the United States, where I live, people are seizing the moment and protesting systemic racism and police brutality. Taking to the streets, even in the midst of a pandemic, because once again we feel like we have had enough.

So where does a wedding fit into all of this? Honestly, I think this is a question my fiancé and I are still fully sorting out.

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A Gift from Smashing The Glass to every Bride-to-be!

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Karen-Cinnamon
Seven years ago I hit the ‘go live’ button on my very first blog post (and if you’re wondering what it was – it’s the real Jewish wedding of my brother to his incredible wife, [and my one-in-a-million sister-in-law], Lee Ann… Just the most gorgeous wedding for very many reasons!)

Seven years later Smashing The Glass has  grown beyond my wildest dreams. We are a superwoman team of three (shout out to the amazing Emily and Dimtria!) with offices in London and New York City, and the sky is the limit!

Birthdays mean presents so today, Monday June 1, I’m gifting a FREE 30 day membership to STG’s Brides Club to 100 brides-to-be.

The doors to free entry close this Thursday so do grab one of the 100 spaces before then:

Inside Brides Club you’ll experience everything you need to move forward with wedding planning during the pandemic including:

  • Community
  • Connection
  • 1:1 wedding planning guidance with me
  • Pandemic planning resources
  • Weekly Yoga
  • Wedding discounts
  • Live Bridal Masterclasses
  • Social get-togethers (virtual and in-person)
  • Everything you need to get through this uncertain time
  • And the excitement you deserve to feel when you’re wedding planning!

Below are just a few comments from our Brides Club members about their experience of the community – it will knock your socks off!

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A Romona Keveza Bride for an Indian-Jewish Wedding at Bel Air Bay Club, Los Angeles, CA

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Wendy-and-Nagesh-Bel-Air-Bay-Club
We love it when a couple works to combine their backgrounds into a totally unique wedding that’s 100% them, so naturally we are so excited to feature today’s beautiful Indian-Jewish wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Wendy, who works on HR software, to Nagesh, who works in healthcare data analytics.

Wendy is Jewish, Nagesh is Indian, and the pair made it top priority to ensure both cultures were represented in their celebration. They incorporated Hebrew and Hindi text wherever they could, and used symbols that reflected both cultures throughout their stationery and design. For their rehearsal dinner, they held an Indian sangeet, a musical pre-wedding party, at an Indian restaurant. The couple wore traditional Indian dress and encouraged their guests to follow suit, and they even brought in Indian dancers to help get everyone on the dance floor.

Then, the next day, the pair had the most stunning outdoor chuppah overlooking the Pacific Ocean – seriously, don’t miss the epic imagery from photographer Laurie Bailey and videographer Yours Truly Media – with so many beautiful personal touches, from their cantor, who officiated, including the couple’s own words about their hopes for married life that she’d requested they write in advance, inviting friends and family to read the seven blessings in English after their cantor read them in the original Hebrew, and using Wendy’s great-grandparents’ gold wedding bands.

And did we mention that Wendy looked absolutely stunning in her Romona Keveza gown? Because she most definitely did.

Take it away, STG Brides Club member Wendy! (and if you want to join Brides Club (STG’s members-only community that removes wedstress and indecision, and gives you what you need to plan with confidence, join here. We’re closing the doors to free entry on Thursday so now is the time!).


 Wendy-and-Nagesh-Bel-Air-Bay-Club
How We Met

Wendy, the bride: Nagesh and I met in our MBA program at the University of Maryland in 2015. We hit it off as soon as classes started and the rest is history!

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