Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Vera Wang Bride for a Magical Outdoor Jewish Wedding at The Vineyards in Simi Valley, California, USA

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Jewish wedding The Vineyards in Simi Valley, California, USA_0012
We are absolutely and unequivocally in love with today’s gorgeous outdoor Jewish wedding. The garden chuppah, the California vibes, the perfect summer light… just WOW. Miki and Sonja Photography captured it all SO perfectly, and videographer Stavro Productions made such a moving recording.

But this awesome celebration was about so much more than the magnificent surroundings. Lisa, a therapist who works with Holocaust survivors in addition to running her own concierge practice, FeelingConfidential, and Alexander, a personal injury attorney, also made sure their big day was full of unique personal touches.

For instance, we love how the duo designed their ceremony programs to be folded into fans, so that guests could use them to keep cool during the outdoor ceremony.

And how sweet is it that Lisa recorded herself reciting a blessing, and then arranged to have it played while guests (and the groom, of course) were waiting for her to walk down the aisle?!

Now over to beautiful Lisa, who looked like an absolute modern day princess in her gorgeous Vera Wang… 

Jewish wedding The Vineyards in Simi Valley, California, USA_0012 

Jewish wedding The Vineyards in Simi Valley, California, USA_0012

Jewish wedding The Vineyards in Simi Valley, California, USA_0012
How We Met

Lisa, the bride: Although we both lived in NYC at the same time, lived in Israel at the same time, and attended various parties and events over the last 10 years, we had never met.

3 years ago Lisa was living in Los Angeles, and Alex in his hometown of Las Vegas. My best friend and Alex’s best friend set us up the old fashioned way. We went on our first date in Las Vegas on the strip… the date lasted 7 hours 🙂

Flash forward a few months later, Alex knew he couldn’t take the LA girl out of LA, so he quit his job, passed the CA state bar, and started anew in LA to be with me. The ultimate sacrifice for love 🙂

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Real Jewish Brides: Jay’s Getting Married in Less Than a Month!

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Jay will be marrying Tom on 24th November 2018 at Hyatt Churchill, London, UK. Click here to read all Jay’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: Jay and Tom met on Tinder (Tinder For The Win!) (2) These two are planning a big fat Jew-ish wedding (Jay is Jewish, Tom is not) but in Jay’s words: “Tom was brought up in Edgware and has more of a love for chopped liver and bagels than I do!” (3) Jay is a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor and Tom works at Facebook.


The End is in Sight 

As the big day gets closer, I have been feeling every different emotion under the sun! I have loved every minute of planning this day and will be quite sad when it is all over, but at the same time I have been overwhelmed by it all. The wedmin doesn’t seem to end, every day there is something else to tick off my to do list. As I have mentioned previously, I am a bit of a perfectionist and sometimes make things harder for myself!

That being said, there may have been a few sleepless nights but now everything is coming together, and I am looking forward to passing it all over to the Function Band, who will be coordinating the day in addition to performing.

Jewish Wedding Thornton Manor UK
Image by Jon Bird from Haley and Boston‘s wedding

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A Same-Sex Air Travel-Themed Jew-ish Wedding at Kings Place, London, UK

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Jewish wedding Battlebridge room at Kings Place, London, UK_0051

We are totally and utterly obsessed with today’s air travel-themed Jew-ish wedding. It’s really like nothing we’ve ever seen before, from the departure board seating charts to the drag act dressed up as cabin crew! (Yes it’s THAT good!)

Unusual? Absolutely. But when you find out that Ewan and Greg were in a trans-Atlantic long-distance relationship for 7 (!) years, with all the shuttling back and forth between Ewan’s home in London and Greg’s in New York that entails, it all makes sense. (Greg, an HR manager for a public relations firm, eventually made the big move across the pond to be with Ewan, a solicitor who works in-house for a Hollywood studio.)

We love how much effort Ewan and Greg went to with all the details, from the place cards — folded paper airplanes made from New York and London street maps — to the monogrammed air sickness bags (in case the wedding speeches got too nauseating!), beautifully captured by Ross Willsher Photography.

But there’s no question that the piece de resistance was the elaborate in-flight safety video the duo filmed as a surprise for their guests during the reception — they even hired out a real plane for a few hours for the filming! Yes, it’s EXACTLY as hilarious as it sounds — make sure you check it out below!

There’s so much more to say about this awesome day, from the way the couple worked to combine Ewan’s Scottish and Greg’s Jewish heritage to the lovely (and STG-inspired!) chuppah, but the time has come for us to hand you over to the grooms to hear the rest!

Before we do, though… if you want some practical tips on crafting a wedding that is just as you as Ewan and Greg’s was them, make sure you sign up to our unmissable FREE online event: ‘The secrets to an unforgettable Jewish wedding with our founder and editor, Karen, happening on Monday November 12.

Jewish wedding Battlebridge room at Kings Place, London, UK_0051

Jewish wedding Battlebridge room at Kings Place, London, UK_0051

Jewish wedding Battlebridge room at Kings Place, London, UK_0051Jewish wedding Battlebridge room at Kings Place, London, UK_0051 Jewish wedding Battlebridge room at Kings Place, London, UK_0051
How We Met

Ewan and Greg, the grooms: We met at a Jewish-Episcopal, black-tie optional/fancy dress lesbian wedding in New York in 2007. The rest is history.

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A Rebecca Schoneveld Bride for a Super Stealth Surprise Jew-ish Wedding at Salvage One in Chicago, Illinois, USA

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Jewish-wedding-Salvage-One-in-the-West-Loop-of-Chicago-Illinois-USA
We’re totally obsessed with this super cool SURPRISE Jew-ish wedding. Ariel and George told guests they were throwing an engagement party, but it turns out the sneaky duo had actually planned a stealth wedding, just three months after getting engaged!

An hour into their “engagement” do, the pair slipped away and changed into their bridal attire while guests were ushered into a previously gated off area that just happened to contain the ceremony setup — chuppah and all!

Ariel, a renewable energy business developer, and George, a software developer, wanted to stay true to their own style in planning their big day — totally our kind of couple — and they knew a long engagement wasn’t for them.

They wanted a fantastic party to celebrate their love with their nearest and dearest, and that’s exactly what they got — once guests got over the shock, everyone seems to have had a pretty epic time, if the photos from Bill Shayaka of Eivan Photography are anything to go by.

Another way this cool couple made their big day totally them? Paperless invitations from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Greenvelope. Ariel and George loved that Greenvelope’s evites helped them keep their big day ecofriendly, not only by avoiding paper but also because Greenvelope donates to help preserve forests. What a great way to incorporate their dedication to the environment into the wedding!

Now over to Ariel, who looked so elegant in her classically bridal gown from Rebecca Schoneveld…

Jewish-wedding-Salvage-One-in-the-West-Loop-of-Chicago-Illinois-USA Jewish-wedding-Salvage-One-in-the-West-Loop-of-Chicago-Illinois-USAJewish-wedding-Salvage-One-in-the-West-Loop-of-Chicago-Illinois-USA Jewish-wedding-Salvage-One-in-the-West-Loop-of-Chicago-Illinois-USA
How We Met

Ariel, the bride: We met at a startup incubator that both our companies were out of. The incubator hosted happy hours regularly so the companies could network with each other. George saw Ariel from across the room and made it his goal to speak to her by the end of the night, and he accomplished that goal and so much more. We have both since moved out of that incubator, but that place will always be dear to both of us.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

We’re In Love With This Meaningful Jewelry for your Jewish Wedding {by Kanarek}

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Custom

When picking out jewelry for your Jewish wedding – whether that means jewelry to wear yourself as the bride, to give as gifts to your bridesmaids, or even cufflinks to give to your groom – of course you want it to be an exquisite piece.

But you probably also want it to be meaningful too. And that’s why I’m so delighted to be sharing one of my favorite sources for wedding jewelry with you, Kanarek Jewelry.

Based in Brooklyn, Yael Kanarek believes that language holds special meaning unique to each individual, and endeavors to capture that beauty in each piece she creates. Her line of fine jewelry based on names, dates, and words – in Hebrew, English, or the language of your choice – brings language to the body in a sophisticated, straddling the line between playful and chic, and she has some great affordable pieces in the lineup.

Any STG grooms who happen to be reading, take note: so many of these pieces would be absolute perfection as gifts to your bride on your wedding day too… 

In addition to the beautiful selection of designs on her site, Yael specializes in custom jewelry – how perfect would it be to get a piece with your wedding date, or your names, or a special location or quote that’s meaningful to you as a couple? The sky is really the limit here, and Yael’s worked with many languages (even Sanskrit), so there are plenty of options beyond Hebrew!

We’re so thrilled to be showcasing some of our favorite Jewish wedding-ready pieces from the collection, as well as a few fantastic custom pieces for inspo. Continue ReadingContinue Reading