Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

2018/19 Real Blogging Brides: Introducing Jay + Tom: How They Met To The Present Day…

by

Today on the blog we’re introducing our 6th gorgeous bride from our crop of 2018 and 2019 Real Jewish Brides! Please give a warm welcome to Jay who will be marrying Tom on 24th November 2018 at Hyatt Churchill, London, UK.

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.


How we met

I am 26 and met Tom just over 4 years ago. We met on Tinder – something we tried to keep quiet at first, however, Tom’s first introduction to my family over a Friday night dinner back at my parents house, where anything goes – my sister decided to explain to the whole table of sixteen people about Tinder, so the secret was well and truly out of the bag!

We had our first date at a The Fence in Farringdon, I knew straight away I liked this guy, he made me laugh and we just seemed to click. We spent a lot of time together and things were moving forward pretty quickly, spending many weeknights and weekends together.

About six weeks after we met, I was going away for Christmas with my family skiing, we spoke briefly the first few days of me being away and messaged each other Christmas morning to wish each other a wonderful day, I then never heard from Tom again.

I put on a brave face and pretended it didn’t mean much but I was a little bewildered by it all when I saw an email in my inbox with a long apology. I guess when you meet on Tinder you don’t necessarily think you are going to meet The One…

For me I knew what we had was something special, for him I guess he had to come to that decision himself. I was very reluctant to meet him again, as I wasn’t up for playing games… but the rest is history!

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Ultra-Personal DIY Gay Jewish Wedding in the Hamptons, Amagansett, New York, USA

by

Jewish wedding Hamptons in Amagansett, New York USA_0043
We love a good DIY Jewish wedding here at Smashing The Glass, and Adam and Curtis’s intimate day in the Hamptons ticks ALL of our boxes. NYC couple Adam, a senior news producer for CBS News’ 24/7 live streaming network CBSN, and Curtis, an actor and teaching artist currently performing in Angels In America on Broadway, in search of an affordable place to host a wedding weekend, found a gem of a house (with 17 bedrooms!) in Amagansett, in the Hamptons, via VRBO.

Looking at Libby Christensen’s artistic, emotion-filled photos of the day, you’d never guess this wedding was pulled off on a tight budget. But thanks to plenty of help from family and friends, Adam and Curtis were able to pull off an ultra-chic day without spending a fortune.

One of the biggest labors of love was food. Rather than going for a traditional caterer, the pair ordered food from Fresh Direct. The food was delivered to their NYC apartment the day before the wedding, and friends helped them drive all 70 (!) boxes out to the Hamptons so it would be ready on the day.

The couple’s super-devoted wedding party came through to save the day when some inevitable wedding mishaps occurred, too — you’ve got to see what one of the groomswomen did when the cake topper Adam and Curtis had ordered didn’t arrive on time…

The couple calls their wedding a group effort, and the day was really all about honoring their community. At their super-intimate ceremony Adam and Curtis asked their guests to stand around the chuppah, circling them in support and love.

Now over to the grooms, who looked incredibly handsome in their suits from ASOS, Adam ina tweed and Curt in maroon…

Jewish wedding Hamptons in Amagansett, New York USA_0062 Jewish wedding Hamptons in Amagansett, New York USA_0062Jewish wedding Hamptons in Amagansett, New York USA_0062Jewish wedding Hamptons in Amagansett, New York USA_0062
How we met

Adam and Curtis, the grooms: We met on Tinder.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for an Intimate Last-Minute Jewish-Australian-Danish Wedding at Spring Restaurant, Somerset House, London, UK

by

Jewish Wedding Spring Restaurant, Somerset House, London UK_0087
We dare you to take one look at today’s stunner of a Jew-ish wedding and guess how long the couple spent planning it. Two years? One year? Six months? No, no, and no! Lauren, a travel writer (of Princess with a Backpack fame!) and Christopher, a tax lawyer, planned their wedding in a mere eight weeks! SAY WHAAAAT?!

That’s not a typo – this fab day really did come together in a mere two months, without even a planner to expedite the process. And not only that, the couple planned their ultra-chic London day just shortly after relocating to the city from NYC!

The globetrotting duo (Lauren is Australian, while Christopher hails from Denmark) found a perfect venue in Spring Restaurant.

The elegant space had tons of built-in dà©cor, from hanging foliage to fairy lights; all the couple needed to do was throw in some stylish modern florals in white and green from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Hayford & Rhodes to make their venue was 100% wedding-ready.

You might expect that a Jewish-Australian-Danish wedding would yield some cool cultural fusions — and Lauren and Christopher didn’t disappoint. It just takes one look at Ivan Franchet’s stunning photos to see the energy and the love that went into the day.

The touching ceremony embraced Lauren’s Jewish heritage with touches like a gorgeous pared-down chuppah from The Chuppah Design Co (the creation of our own former blogging bride Lauren Beadle!) as well as Danish tradition, in the form of a beautiful Danish love prayer.

And the couple incorporated some fun Danish traditions into their reception (hint: one involves kissing under the table!). Read on for all the details from lovely Lauren, who looked absolutely model-perfect in her elegant lace Pronovias gown…

Jewish Wedding Spring Restaurant, Somerset House, London UK_0087 Jewish Wedding Spring Restaurant, Somerset House, London UK_0010 Jewish Wedding Spring Restaurant, Somerset House, London UK_0010Jewish Wedding Spring Restaurant, Somerset House, London UK_0087
A London Wedding

Lauren, the bride: We got married at Spring Restaurant, Somerset House, London. We had just recently moved from New York to London a few months before and because our friends and families are based all over the world (my family is based in Australia and my husband’s friends and family are in Denmark), we thought London would be the perfect neutral ground to celebrate our wedding in our new city.

When I was looking for venues in London, I walked into Spring and immediately fell in love with the space. It was perfect: blue pastels on the walls, matched perfectly with the soft pink velvet lounges, tan leather dining chairs, blonde wood floorboards and crisp white tables. 

As it was the end of March, spring had officially begun, and what better place to celebrate than Spring in London. Spring also happens to be run by celebrity chef Skye Gyngell who is originally Australian; her signature style is seasonal and elegant, providing dishes that are unique with a farm-to-table approach. 

Our hotel (Langham London) was perfect for getting ready and staying the night of the wedding. Clearly, they have had many brides stay there before, so nothing was too much to ask, and the service was incredible. We also had a fantastic large suite, which gave 3 of us (mum and sister included) plenty of space to get ready for the big day.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Etsy Wedding Style: Our Favourite Finds for Jewish Weddings + Win a £ 500 Etsy Gift Card!

by


Here at Smashing The Glass, we are massive Etsy fans. Whatever your wedding style and budget, the global online marketplace for unique handmade and creative goods has got something for you. With so many unique items, it’s the perfect place to snag some special touches to help make your day totally you.

From invitations to decorations to favours and so much more, Etsy’s got you covered.

Today, we’re thrilled to be featuring a selection of some of our favourite Etsy products for Jewish (and Jew-ish) weddings that we personally adore. From flip flops to hand out to your guests to the loveliest floral lolly favours to beautiful order of service programs, we can’t wait to share our latest finds with you.

Oh yeah, and did we mention that our very own super stylish Smash Glass Pouches for under the chuppah are now available as a standalone purchase on Etsy, too?! That’s right, the days when your only options for wrapping your smash glass in a napkin or stodgy old velvet pouch are  gone, thanks to this contemporary and oh-so-Instagrammable option!

We’re also delighted to announce that Etsy is running a competition on their Instagram channel, open to all UK STG readers, to win a £500 gift card! For full details, please visit @EtsyUK on Instagram (#EtsyWeddingStyle).

Competition Details

One winner will win a £500 gift card for Etsy.com. To enter, follow @EtsyUK’s Instagram account, like this post, and comment answering the question, “What’s your wedding style?” No purchase necessary. Open to UK residents 18+ only. 1 prize available. Ends June 5th. T&Cs apply.

Order of Service

Order-of-Service-Jewish-WeddingOrder-of-Service-Jewish-Wedding
Order of Service | BeijaFlorStudio

How beautiful is the art on this order of service?! A custom-illustrated order of service is such a special memento of your day. Plus it is so helpful for any non Jewish guests you have at your weddings as you can include explanations of the Jewish wedding traditions they might not be familiar with. 

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Theia Bride for an Intimate Rooftop Destination Jewish Wedding at Sugar, Miami, Florida, USA

by

Jewish Wedding at Sugar on the rooftop of the East Hotel Miami FL USA_0057
Wow – that chuppah! The colors! The smiles! Looking at the fab photos of today’s colorful, laid-back wedding, you’d never guess what a bumpy wedding planning ride Dana, a product manager,, and Alex, who works in corporate strategy, had!

After a venue mishap forced the San Francisco-based couple to cancel their original wedding plans — for a large, traditional event — Dana and Alex decided to take a step back and rethink what really mattered to them on their day. Their “wedding planning reboot” inspired them to start from scratch and create an ultra-personal day reflecting their personalities and values.

Oh, and just three weeks before the wedding, Dana broke her elbow snowboarding — not that you’d be able to tell from how gorgeous she looked in her delicate petal-covered Theia dress.

The silver lining of all this drama was that it made Dana and Alex focus on what really mattered to them — which meant that their fun-filled, close-knit brunch (yes, brunch!) wedding at Sugar on the rooftop of the East Hotel in downtown Miami turned out to be such a wonderful reflection of their personalities. You can really feel the joy shining through Andrea Harborne and Diana Hogan’s vibrant photos of the day.

We love how the duo incorporated their values into the day was by authoring their own ketubah text. Dana reports that writing their own marriage contract was a great way to stay grounded during wedding planning, and what a special memento of this phase of their relationship. It doesn’t hurt that the finished product is stunning, with a lovely modern floral design courtesy of much-loved STG Recommended Vendor Ink With Intent.

And we can’t get enough of the couple’s DIY handheld chuppah. Constructed by Dana’s family (with a gorgeous, colorful tablecloth standing in as the canopy, which Dana and Alex can continue using in their home!) and held up by friends during the ceremony, it added an ultra-meaningful touch to the day. Now over to the bride…

Jewish Wedding at Sugar on the rooftop of the East Hotel Miami FL USA_0004 Jewish Wedding at Sugar on the rooftop of the East Hotel Miami FL USA_0004 Jewish Wedding at Sugar on the rooftop of the East Hotel Miami FL USA_0004
How we met

Dana, the bride: We met around 6 years ago when we were both working at the same company in Manhattan, and we moved out to San Francisco together 3 years ago.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading