Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

An Allison Webb Bride for a Gluten-Free Jewish Wedding at El Caribe, Brooklyn, NY, USA

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We’re so excited to be blogging the beautiful Jewish wedding of STG’s very own features writer, Sam Levitz! We got to know Sam as a beloved member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club, and based on her talent for writing, wise words of advice, and great sense of humor, we realized she was just the person to join Team STG.

Sam, who in addition to serving as STG’s features writer works in publishing, and Ethan, a patient coordinator, had a totally gorgeous, 100% heartfelt wedding that also happens to have been 99% gluten free! Both bride and groom are GF – and Sam, who’s been allergic to wheat her whole life, never thought she’d be able to eat cake at her own wedding. But thanks to the baking wizardry of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor By the Way Bakery, the pair were able to have their (gluten-free, dairy-free, and kosher pareve) cake and eat it too! They can’t stop raving about what a delight By the Way’s owner Helene was to work with – or how scrumptious the cake was! Plus, how cute is that rubber duck cake topper, which now sits proudly in Sam’s prized rubber duck collection?!

Lest you think this wedding was all about the food, Sam and Ethan also had an exceptionally moving ceremony. The two incorporated lots of personal touches: they wrote and read their own vows, were wrapped in the groom’s late father’s tallis under the chuppah, and instead of Sam circling Ethan seven times per tradition they each circled each other three times and then simultaneously did a circle together – symbolizing their equal partnership. We also love the beautiful Lori Loebelsohn ketubah they ordered from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com.

We’ll leave it to Sam, who looked positively ravishing in her Allison Webb gown, to fill you in on the rest…

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How we met

Sam, the bride: We met on OkCupid right before New Year’s Eve going into 2017. We were a 98% match, but because of different traveling obligations we couldn’t meet up for almost 3 weeks after meeting. After that first date we were pretty much inseparable.

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An Enzoani Bride for a Forest Garden Jewish Wedding at Hacienda Del Alamo, Malaga, Spain

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Remember when we were able to do things like go on getaways to Spain (and, er, leave the house)? Until we’re able to get back at it, let us invite you on a quick virtual getaway to sunny Malaga, for the beautiful Jewish wedding of Kimi and Richard.

This one really is a stunner – Kimi and Richard took full advantage of the rustic forest garden vibes of their venue, complete with the most exquisite outdoor chuppah featuring birch poles, white flowers, and greenery. 

We’re also obsessed with the bride’s Enzoani gown, which she found at wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ann Louise Bridal in London. The minute Kimi stepped inside the shop and met with owner Cheryll, she knew Ann Louise was the place for her – and we’re not surprised to hear that she was super impressed with the selection and service throughout her dress fitting process.

Now over to Kimi, who’ll fill you in on the rest…

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How We Met

Kimi, the bride: We met when we were 16 as I was on FZY tour with lots of his friends and the Essex boys’ and North London girls’ worlds collided! We were friends for years, regularly speaking and catching up but on a purely friendship level.

However, 9 years after meeting and a couple of years without seeing each other, a big group of 30 of us from North London and Essex all attended a music festival in Malta where Richard and I spent the whole weekend inseparable and the rest is history! We had loads of mutual friends, had met each other parents’ years earlier and everything just clicked.  

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How to Stay Calm in an Era of Uncertainty {Tips from Psychotherapist Pam Custers}

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If you’ve got a wedding in the works, chances are you’re pretty worked up right now. Even if you’re not facing the possibility (or reality) of having to postpone the day you’ve spent months or years planning for, this is a rough time for everyone.

Because a lot of us are struggling with anxiety right now, last week we brought amazing psychotherapist Pam Custers into our Brides Club to talk us through navigating the Coronavirus crisis as an engaged couple. She and I went live on Facebook and talked about why the current situation is so frightening and what we can do to stay calm. Pam’s generous advice was so helpful I didn’t want to limit it to just our Brides Club members, so I’m sharing her plan of action in this post.

Read on for an action plan from Pam. 

1. Accept That Life Throws You Curveballs

The harsh reality this pandemic is awakening some of us to, according to Pam, is that life throws us curveballs. How we manage them is a benchmark for how we manage life. 

The current moment is a real test for us to find out how flexible we can be, and how we can manage, at a time when our lives are so deeply disrupted. Times of uncertainty make us feel incredibly disempowered – and that’s now how anyone wants to feel. 

Under normal circumstances, being a bride- or groom-to-be is often a very empowering experience – we get to make plans to create the day of our dreams, and while all that choice can be overwhelming, it’s also exhilarating. 

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Covid-19 and What To Do If You Have A Wedding Planned in 2020

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Coronavirus-and-your-wedding---what-to-do-if-you-have-a-wedding-booked-in-2020If you’re getting married in 2020, whether your date is set for the coming months, or beyond, you’re no doubt consumed with Coronavirus wedding concerns.

The bottom line is, Coronavirus or no, you’re going to have an amazing wedding – even if it may look a little different than it did prior to the pandemic – and I’m here to help ensure that happens.

I’ve produced a free guide with step-by-step actions for what to do depending on your wedding date, and tomorrow, I’m hosting a free online event – details below, both of which will be invaluable to you if your wedding is planned in 2020 – whether that’s in the coming months, or later on in the year.

If You Have A Wedding Planned in 2020:

Number One: Make sure you download our Coronavirus and your wedding – what to do if you have a wedding booked in 2020 free guide.

Number Two: I’m going live on Thursday April 2 so that I can guide you 1:1 about your situation plus I’ll be covering:

  • The steps you need to take if your wedding is planned in the next 8 weeks
  • The steps you need to take if you decide to postpone your wedding
  • What to do about your ketubah and kippot and other items that may have your previous date already printed on them.
  • What to do if your wedding is planned for June 2020 through to December 2020
  • Deposits – can you get them back?

The free event is taking place this Thursday April 2, 2020 @ 3:00 PM EST (that’s 3pm New York, 12pm Los Angeles, 8pm London, 10pm Israel)

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE AND GET A REMINDER

After you register, keep an eye out for another email from me with your link to join the event.

I’m here for you, and can’t wait to connect, help, and guide you on your journey towards the chuppah. 

Love Karen x

A Berta Bride for a Spiritual Glam Jewish Wedding at the Millennium Biltmore, Los Angeles, CA, USA

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Is this #chuppahgoals, or is this #chuppahgoals? Yep, we’re totally obsessed with the luxe, glam Jewish wedding of Heather, a dermatology resident, and Alex, lawyer who specializes in litigation defense. These two made the wise decision to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Best Bride to bring their divergent tastes and traditions – the Ashkenazi bride wanted enchanted garden vibes, while the Persian groom preferred to keep everything white and sophisticated – together into one seamlessly perfect day.

This incredible chuppah – featuring abundant white flowers and lush greenery – was the stunning compromise Leora, founder of Best Bride, helped the pair settle on. Don’t miss the gorgeous photos from Katie Beverley! And Leora’s also a master when it comes to combining different backgrounds, so needless to say the cross-cultural elements of the wedding went without a hitch.

We also love that these two put as much thought into the spiritual side of their wedding as they did to the aesthetics. Heather was especially moved by the idea of a Jewish bride serving as a source of blessing on her wedding day, and decided she wanted to pray for as many people as she could on the day – so she shared a Google doc on Facebook and let her friends submit prayer requests for anything, anonymously. Such a smart idea! We’re equally obsessed with Heather and Alex’s gorgeous papercut ketubah by Enya Keshet, which they purchased through Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com.

Now over to the bride, who looked simply ravishing in beloved Israeli designer Berta gown…

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How we met

Heather, the bride : I moved from the East coast to Los Angeles in the summer after my third year of medical school to pursue a dermatology research year at USC. I thought that making a Hinge dating ap profile could be a good way to meet people in general. Alex was my first date in Los Angeles! The rest is history.Continue ReadingContinue Reading