Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Real Jewish Brides: Janine Has Designed Her Own Stationery

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Janine will be marrying Paul on 26th July 2020 at Fasque Castle, Scotland, UK. Click here to read all Janine’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Janine and fiance Paul met on Bumble. (2) The two of them are planning an interfaith Jew-ish wedfest weekend, to include everything from a whiskey tasting to mini highland games! (3) Janine is a member of  Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

Designing my own stationery and other ways I’ve put creativity into my wedding

I’ve always been one to make social norms and traditions my own and I’m fortunate that Paul thinks in a similar way to me. In planning our wedding, we want the celebrations to show our personalities, and involve our guests in the ideas, to create an enjoyable weekend for us AND our guests. The last thing we want to do is to have an identikit London hotel wedding which was most definitely expected of us!

Fortunately, I run London Paper Crafts – a wedding and event stationery studio – so we’ve been able to design and print our own stationery. We wanted our stationery to reflect where we’re getting married as well as being able to have our guests’ input into the wedding.

In terms of design, the blue thistle (which will be part of our wedding flowers) has been a continued design feature from our Save The Dates and invitation suite and will continue in our On the Day stationery too. 

Our Save The Date featured the blue thistles on a base layer fastened with an eyelet and a vellum overlay with the two fonts we’ve used throughout our stationery design. I especially love the italic-calligraphy style font which features leaves – it ties together the floral elements we’ve featured on our stationery design.

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A Sassi Holford Bride for a Glitzy Winter Jewish Wedding at The Brewery, London, UK

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Whenever a wedding at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Brewery comes our way, we know it’s going to be something special. From the perfect location in the center of London to the stunning exposed brickwork and breathtaking wooden beam ceiling, the wide array of spaces to use for different elements of the wedding day to the helpful staff, The Brewery just ticks all our boxes – and then some.

And the beautiful Jewish wedding of Emma, who works in PR and also runs a lifestyling business, and Daniel, who has his own personal training business, does not disappoint. Their stunning photos from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Blake Ezra capture the splendid setting so perfectly – not to mention all the love and emotion between the couple on their big day.

We’re also obsessed with Emma and Daniel’s beautiful nature-inspired ketubah, designed by Adriana at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink With Intent.

Now over to the bride, who looked beautiful in Sassi Holford…

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Emma, the bride: It’s not often six people are left speechless looking at a wedding venue. That is exactly what happened when me, Daniel, and our parents saw The Brewery for the first time. From the stunning exposed brickwork to the breath-taking wooden beam ceiling, the setting for our wedding was picture perfect.

The Brewery was simply the perfect venue for our wedding. From the helpful staff to the gorgeous rooms our special day took place in, it really made the day truly unforgettable.

As the party started, located under the exquisite carpet of fairy lights draped from the ceiling and amongst the eye-catching flowers surrounding each table, The Brewery came to life. The dance floor made everyone feel welcome as everyone, young and old, danced and sang the night away.

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A Maggie Sottero Bride for a Dog Lovers’ Barnyard Jewish Wedding at Red Gate Farms, Savannah, Georgia, USA

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We love a good barn wedding. And a wedding with pets. AND a Jewish wedding where the couple goes the extra mile to personalize their ceremony. Put all those things together, and you’ve got one incredible day.

Jacqui and James pulled off the perfect laid-back barn wedding – the bride wanted all the guests to feel “like they were hanging out in their own backyard,” and based on the gorgeous photos from  Sarah Diller, we’d say she definitely succeeded.

And how cute is it that the couple got their beloved dogs in on the fun? We’re obsessed with the pics of the pair walking back down the aisle with their sweet pups in tow.

Although Jacqui and James’ wedding was not religious – they were married by a friend, not a rabbi – we love the way they incorporated Jewish traditions in a way that was authentic and meaningful to them as a couple, opting to wed under a chuppah and sign a gorgeous ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com, while forgoing the traditional ceremony in favor of one the bride wrote herself!

There’s so much more we could say, but we’ll let the bride, who looked lovely in Maggie Sottero, take it from here..

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Jacqui, the bride: I have always dreamed of an outdoor, barn yard, casual wedding. Red Gate Farms located in the beautiful, historic city of Savannah, GA was the absolute perfect location!

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Meet Some of Our Favourite Vendors at De Vere Wokefield Estate’s Multi-Cultural Wedding Fair

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Jennifer and Charlie‘s Wedding  | Chuppah: The Happy Chuppah People | Photo: Paul Toeman

We know it’s not always easy finding the perfect vendors for your Jewish wedding. You want people who know their stuff – and who know Jewish weddings – but you also want to make sure you surround yourself with people you and your partner just click with when it comes to planning your big day.


Chloe and Danny‘s Wedding | Planning: Elegante by Michelle J | Photo: David Bastianoni

And if you’re in the midst of planning your Jewish or Jew-ish wedding in the UK, we’ve got just the thing for you: a fantastic multicultural wedding fair by De Vere Wokefield Estate, in partnership with Berkshire Wedding Fairs, where you can meet in person with some of the best names in the business, includingbeloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors Elegante by Michelle J and the Happy Chuppah People!


Miri and Jon‘s Wedding  | Chuppah: The Happy Chuppah People | Photo: Marianne Chua

On Sunday, February 2, over 60 top-notch wedding suppliers from the Jewish, British, Asian, and Afro-Caribbean communities are coming together on the lush Berkshire grounds of De Vere Wokefield Estate to showcase their work and meet with engaged couples.

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Jasmin and Brett’s Wedding | Planning: Elegante by Michelle J | Photo: Claudine Hartzel

This unmissable event will include:

  • Interactive activities and live demonstrations from a variety of suppliers from each culture
  • Dressed rooms showcasing both civil and religious ceremonies and banquets
  • Catwalk fashion shows showcasing bridal and groomswear from each culture
  • Wedding planners’ lounge coordinated and hosted by SW Events, featuring master Jewish wedding planner Elegante by Michelle J
  • Complimentary refreshments available throughout the day
  • Pop-up restaurant featuring food from each culture – including kosher catering from Cohen’s Caterers
  • Free entry and parking
  • The first 50 couples through the door will receive a VIP goody bag

Sound good? All you need to do to register is RSVP here!

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Real Jewish Brides: Jos on Finding Her Place in Judaism

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Jos will be marrying Daniel on 28th June 2020 at Hackney Town Hall, London, UK. Click here to read all Jos’ planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Before meeting Daniel, Jos was known for her torrid dating tales – so much so that her friends used to call her Bridget Jonestein! (2) Daniel proposed to Jos in the Greek island of Naxos! (3) Jos is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!


When I Was 21

On my 21st birthday my synagogue sent me a card. In the card, they wished me a very happy birthday, and explained that I was no longer a member on my parent’s membership and that I’d have to start paying for my own membership.

As a second year student at Birmingham University, I wasn’t particularly flush with money although, in truth, this is probably because I spent most of my student loan on M&S ready meals – this Jewish Princess wasn’t up for slumming it.

However, I can’t really blame my penchant for indulgent convenience for my decision not to pay for a shul membership.

Image by STG Recommended Vendor The Crawleys from Nicola and Dave‘s wedding
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