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BIG NEWS: Announcing Smashing The Glass’s FREE Online Event for Jewish and Jew-ish Brides!

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If you’re planning a Jewish or Jew-ish wedding, I’ve got some really exciting news for you! Yes — for the first time in my 5 years as founder and editor of Smashing The Glass, I’m taking to the virtual stage for a FREE private online event  especially for Jewish and Jew-ish brides-to-be, called ‘The Secrets to an Unforgettable Jewish Wedding’ and I’m SO excited!

That’s because I’m a million percent confident you’ll walk away knowing exactly what you need to do to ensure you have an unforgettable wedding — the wedding you really want (whilst keeping everyone around you happy)

The free event is taking place next Monday November 12, 2018 @ 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

Karen Cinnamon Smashing The Glass_1224You’re engaged… and I get it:

  • You want to be different but fulfil certain expectations.
  • You want to be cost efficient without seeming to scrimp.
  • You want to involve friends and family without causing them a ton of work and stress.
  • You want to throw an amazing party that will appeal to quite a disparate group of people… and across the generations.

I know most of these pressures apply to ALL weddings but there are extra levels of pressure for Jewish weddings — how much of the traditional stuff do you do? How do you cater for kosher guests? The chuppah, the ketubah, the glass, kippot, the rituals, the rabbi…

And then there’s the party itself. How do you ensure it’s one to remember without losing your mind in the process of planning it all? (And by the way you’ll benefit from the event whether you’re using a planner or not — this is an absolute must-attend for every Jewish / Jew-ish bride-to-be!)Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Botanical Chic Destination Jewish Wedding with a Flashmob at Gioia Mia in Nashonim, Israel

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Jewish wedding Gioia Mia Nashonim Israel_0066
We first discovered today’s wedding on Instagram when we posted this amazing video… Goosebumps right?

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Jewish Wedding Blog (@smashingtheglass) on

The gorgeous bride, Kim, got in touch with us and here we are, a month later with the whole wedding on Smashing The Glass (and what a stunning W Day it is!)

We LOVE a good Jewish wedding flashmob. Usually they’re planned by the couple as a surprise to their guests, and that’s pretty cool. But you know what’s even cooler? Guests planning a flashmob as a surprise for the couple!

Kim and John’s best friends managed to stealthily gather all the guests’ emails, and before the big day they emailed one and all a video of a dance they were instructed to learn so they could break it out en masse when Happy by Pharrel Williams came on!

We’re obsessed with all the touching surprises the couple’s family and friends planned for them, and the flashmob is just the tip of the iceberg. There was also a time capsule from the couple’s BFFs, a surprise musical performance by the bride’s family, and a sweet video from the families with recordings of good wishes and humorous remarks to the newlyweds. Awww!

Oh, and did we mention Kim, an Israeli-Swiss trader, and John, a Dropbox salesman from Belgium (they currently live in Ireland — how’s that for international?!), also happened to put on a totally gorgeous day?

Full of natural greenery (including some super cool boho wreaths hanging from the ceiling in the reception space), it’s one of those perfectly, effortlessly elegant Israeli celebrations we can’t get enough of. Photographer Jen Sladkov took the most beautiful, natural pictures, capturing everything from the botanical details to the wild dance party!

If you suspect your family and friends may not be quite so creative as Kim and John’s, you and your spouse-to-be might be left to your own devices when it comes to making your wedding super unique and memorable. But no worries, we’ve got you! Just sign up to our FREE online event: ‘The secrets to an unforgettable Jewish wedding with our founder and editor, Karen, happening on Monday November 12. It’s going to be unmissable!

Okay, now over to Kim, who looked absolutely beautiful in her dress from Emanuel Brides…

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How We Met

Kim, the bride: John and I met 7 years ago. I have an aunt who lives in Belgium, and I went to visit my cousin while John was in the Israeli army (he volunteered for one year). It turned out we were in Belgium in the same time, because he had some time off.

We have a friend in common who I was supposed to see, but we had reschedule and it turned out the only day she could see me she’d be with a friend of hers visiting from the army who she couldn’t cancel on. I told her no problem, we could all hang out together. That was John.

We clicked immediately. We spoke on and off for a year. When he finished the army I had a trip planned with friends to Belgium so we agreed to meet (it was January 2013). We met and I came back telling my parents I have a boyfriend.

We dated long-distance for 4 years while he was studying business in Nottingham, and I was studying psychology in Geneva. After 4 years we decided we wanted to move in together and that’s when we ended up in Dublin. He proposed 7 months later, and now we’re married. ☺

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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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