Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

How My Wedding Will Be Without My Dad

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Mimi will be marrying Andrew on 7th July 2019 at Hazel Gap Barn in Welbeck, Nottinghamshire, UK. Click here to read all Mimi’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: THREE FACTS: (1) Mimi and Andrew met online in 2013. (2) Mimi is a flight attendant and writes her own travel and beauty blog on the side (3) Andrew proposed to Mimi, who at the time was nearing the completion of her conversion to Judaism, at the top of Masada – wow!


My Big Day Without You

Celebrating an exciting time in your life is always bittersweet when it’s peppered with the reality of one of your favourite and most loved people not being here – weather it’s a grandparent, a friend, or in my case, my father.

After losing my dad, I remember vividly imagining future key parts of my life and wondering how I would get through them without him. A huge part of the grieving process was the reality of imagining future life situations where my dad would be missed more than ever. My future wedding day was one of them. I was desperately sad that I’d missed the opportunity to have my father walk me down the aisle, and even more so that he wouldn’t actually meet my future husband or share in the journey with me.


Image by Miki Studios from Abbie and Alistair‘s wedding

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A Samantha Sleeper Bride for an Enchanted Garden Winter Jewish Wedding at Olmaya in Jerusalem, Israel

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Every so often we come across a Jewish wedding that’s truly unlike any we’ve seen before. And that describes fashion designer Jordana (while she works on launching her own line, Luzhi, she’s running travel-inspired Etsy shop Luzhi Foudre) and IT worker by day, foodie by night Uri’s big day to a tee. We know words like “magical” and “enchanted” get thrown around a lot in the wedding biz, but this one truly is all that and more.

The lucky bride just happens to be the daughter of a phenomenal wedding planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Penny & Co. Events, so it’s no surprise Jordana’s “out of the box” (in her own words) celebration was one for the books.

First off, we’re totally obsessed with the flowers – from the bride’s big, bold, bright bouquet to the show-stopping table centers, the lush, wild vibes are off-the-charts amazing. This wedding took place in the middle of winter, but you’d never know it thanks to mom’s ingenuity – which encompassed everything from hanging greenery to custom green velvet tablecloths.

And the couple’s enchanted garden chuppah is truly like no other we’ve seen (and we love that the couple were seated underneath it during dinner afterward – such a smart way to make the most of this special structure). You’ve simply got to see Sigala Photography’s inimitably stylish snaps and Reouven Photography’s moving trailer for yourself.

As a bona fide fashionista herself, it’s no surprise that Jordana went for something totally unique – and totally gorgeous – for her big day. Mega-talented NYC-based designer Samantha Sleeper created a bespoke two-piece design consisting of a simple slip dress and a detailed overlay, inspired by the bride’s favorite designers, Valentino and Rodarte. We’re obsessed with the cool capelet back – and the couture feathered headband the designer gifted Jordana to complement her wedding day look.

Take it away, Jordana!


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How we met

Jordana, the bride: Uri and I were very close friends for a few years prior to dating. I always saw him as being exceptional in every way and would even often set him up! It took me some time to open up to the idea of us being together, but as soon as I did I knew he was the exact right guy for me. You never know 🙂

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Share the Love and Build a Future with Ohel Sarah’s One Heart Marriage Programme

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I’m so excited to share a wonderful opportunity to share the love and gratitude you’re feeling as you gear up for your big day: giving to the One Heart Marriage Programme, run by Ohel Sarah, one of Israel’s largest providers of services for children and adults with disabilities.

Based on the basic premise that everyone should have the chance to find love — and that people with disabilities deserve access to the same opportunities as everyone else —  Ohel Sarah started the One Heart programme in order to support high-functioning individuals with cognitive disabilities in marrying and establishing a home together.

One Heart helps engaged couples prepare for married life, teaching skills from money management to housekeeping to interpersonal communication and often helps fund their weddings, too. After marriage, the organization continues to provide guidance to couples as they navigate married life and supports them in living independently in the community, in an apartment of their own.

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A Pronovias Bride for a Jewish Wedding with a Wisteria Chuppah at The Midland Hotel, Manchester, UK

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Two words: Wisteria. Chuppah. Katie and Josh’s botanical canopy is truly breathtaking – between the abundant greenery, hanging wisteria, and bunches of red berries, they created the perfect autumnal fantasia. The bride reports that she felt like she was in a botanical garden standing under the chuppah, and we can totally see why!

We also LOVE a creative idea that we’ve never seen before! A deck of Top Trumps cards at every place setting, that told the story of Katie and Josh’s engagement from proposal to tying the knot. LOVE!

And everything about this beautiful Jewish wedding is just so exquisitely elegant, and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rob Clayton could not have done a better job capturing all the lovely details – not to mention the emotion and love that radiates through every single shot! The couple picked Rob especially for his ability to capture the natural, spontaneous moments that make a wedding truly memorable, and they definitely made an awesome choice!

Katie – who looked so elegant in her two bodice-and-skirt pairings from Pronovias – will take it from here…


How we met

Katie, the bride: Josh and I met on J-Swipe within 3 weeks of me moving to London… the epitome of modern day romance. We planned a date for the following week, but coincidentally bumped in to each other in a bar in central London a few days before our planned date – it was beshert (and made the ‘first date’ a lot less nerve-racking)!

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A Nautical New England Jew-ish Wedding at Latitude 41 in Mystic, Connecticut, USA

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It’s always a special day here in STG land when one of our wonderful blogging brides’ weddings shows up in our inbox. Especially when it’s as gorgeous as Alyssa and Colin’s luminous light house-themed Jew-ish wedding.

Seriously, just LOOK at Taylor Dunn Photography’s bright, airy, emotion-filled snaps of the big day.

It doesn’t get much more picturesque than this. Everything from the couple’s sweet, whimsical ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink with Intent to Alyssa and Colin’s adorable lighthouse logo to the fact that they used our very own Smashing The Glass pouch for their smash glass under the chuppah is total wedding goals.

And speaking of that chuppah? First of all, it’s a charmer, with birch poles, a clean green and white color scheme, and just a touch of asymmetrical greenery and florals. But it gets even better when you find out Alyssa and Colin’s fathers – plus Alyssa’s brother – teamed up to build it – using branches taken from trees in the yards of the bride and groom’s childhood homes (!!!). I KNOW.

Now for the rest from Alyssa…

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How we met

Alyssa, the bride: I met Colin at just 13 years old. He was a silly kid in the back of the school bus and to be honest one of the only Jewish people I knew. We spent countless rides to school laughing and teasing each other relentlessly.

Senior year of high school we reconnected and rekindled our friendship. I was drawn to his humor, easy-going demeanor, kind nature, and his ability to be friends with everyone! Our friendship effortlessly evolved into an amazing relationship that I never expected.

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