• About
  • Find a Vendor
  • Submit
  • Advertise
  • Brides Club
  • Your Jewish Life
  • Contact

Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

  • Real Jewish Weddings
    • City Chic
    • Fashion Forward
    • Outdoor
    • Destination
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • France
      • Beach Weddings
    • Super Luxe
    • Budget
    • DIY
    • Same Sex
    • Covid Weddings
  • Jew-ish Weddings
    • Real Jew-ish Weddings
    • Jewish-Catholic Weddings
    • Jewish-Chinese Weddings
    • Jewish-Christian Weddings
    • Jewish-Greek Weddings
    • Jewish-Hindu Weddings
    • Jewish-Humanist Weddings
    • Jewish-Irish Weddings
    • Jewish Japanese Weddings
    • Jewish-Muslim Weddings
    • Same Sex Jew-ish Weddings
  • Inspiration + Guidance
    • Engaged? Start Here
    • Ceremony
      • Chuppah ideas
      • Jewish ceremony music
      • Jewish wedding ceremony 101
      • Jewish ceremony traditions
      • Ketubah Ideas
      • Jewish wedding legalities
      • Jew-ish ceremony ideas
    • Reception
      • Music
      • Speeches
      • Entertainment
      • Venues
    • Food & Drink
      • Kosher catering
      • Wedding cakes
      • Drinks
    • Decor
      • Decorations
      • Favours
      • Floristry
      • Guestbooks
      • Stationery
    • Style
      • Brides dresses
      • Shoes & accessories
      • Grooms
      • Bridesmaids
    • Advice
      • Converting to Judaism
      • Real blogging brides
      • Dear Karen…
    • Honeymoons
    • STG Live
    • Five Minutes With
    • Wedding Must-Haves
    • Wedding Consultancy
  • Jewish Brides Club
  • Find a Wedding Vendor
Home > You searched for ceremony > Page 241

Search Results for: ceremony

My Top 5 Dos and Don’ts for a Super-Cool Jewish Wedding

23/01/2014 by Karen

THE HORA
[ Image: Heather Kincaid ]

This is an article of mine that appeared  in the December issue of  Pulse Magazine  and  received its fair share of love so here it is in it’s online glory!

TOP 5 DO’S FOR A GREAT JEWISH WEDDING

DO  expect to kick up a storm, and have your face glisten with glee (and sweat) during the ‘hora’, the joyous tradition of Jewish dancing. Just be careful not to fall off the chair, and make sure that those with a penchant for booze are not the ones nominated to lift you!

DO  try to experience the pure and sacred side of a Jewish wedding as much as possible, as the spiritual significance is often lost in all the madness of putting it together.

DO  create a Pinterest board to store all your wedding ideas in one place. Pinterest is your best friend when it comes to planning your big day as you can collect beautiful images and wedding design tips and paste them all in one place. Not only useful for you, your boards will also help give guidance to your suppliers. If you don’t want your whole social network to see the details of your wedding before the big day, use one of your private boards for your favourite ideas.

DO  incorporate things into your wedding  that are important to you. eg. A nostalgic song that brings back memories of when you first got together, favours made by you or a family member, table centres incorporating things that are personal to you as a couple, messages from guests woven into your chuppah design – the more individuality you stamp on your wedding, the better.

DO  take time to be calm and in the moment of your day. Hand over the reigns, don’t think about any of the details and enjoy your wedding for what it is: a joyous celebration!
chuppah
[ Image: Mi Belle Inc. ]


TOP 5 DON’TS FOR A GREAT JEWISH WEDDING

DON’T  try to please everyone, meaning all the generations and the rabbi. You cannot and you should not. This is your opportunity to do things as you want and it’s a time to be making decisions without having to justify them or fit expectations. Real friends and family will understand and those that don’t aren’t worth losing any sleep over.

DON’T  expect local guests to adhere to a black tie dress code if you’re getting married in Israel. They will show up in shorts, with a couple of unexpected extra kids in tow. That’s how they roll in the land of milk & honey! And another word of advice if you’re getting married in Israel, expect guests that confirmed attendance not to show up, and guests that were not invited to make an appearance instead. It happens!

DON’T  think that you necessarily need a large bridal party of groomsmen and bridesmaids if that’s not your bag. What you do need is a circle of a few close friends to rely on for support, help, mini-errands and such-like on the day. Have a think on whom you’d like to enlist in the months or weeks leading up to your wedding – close friends and family will feel honoured and be only too happy to help.

DON’T  invite too many people. Fewer and closely connected is better than inviting a cast of unknowns, and makes for a far more meaningful, intimate atmosphere.

DON’T  follow the crowd. Be true to yourself and have the confidence to do things your way, whether that means incorporating something non-traditional into your ceremony, picking a weird theme or wearing a gown so impractical you can barely move. Go for it, this is your day!

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Emma & Simon | Intimate and Enchanting Garden Jewish Wedding at Home in London

09/01/2014 by Karen

28AT HOME LONDON WEDDING 2Denis from Denee Motion Boutique Wedding Cinema, one of our Smashing Suppliers, recently contacted me to share one of his favourite wedding films from 2013 and I had to share it with you. It’s an ‘At Home’ wedding, and is full of warmth and lovely intimate creative touches.

As Emma, the bride says, “When it came to the venue for our wedding, we didn’t even look anywhere else but the family home. I knew I wanted my wedding to be a bit different and so being able to have it at home was the perfect way, and made it even more personal.”

“My mum and I spent a lot of time looking for ideas. She is very creative anyway and likes to add her own personal touches to things. We had a shared Pinterest account so we could both save images of things we found that we liked or could use as inspiration.”

“For the tables, rather than having people’s names printed on cards at their places, we wrote everyones names on fresh ivy leaves and placed them on the napkins which were tied with a ribbon which had the wording ‘live, love, laugh’ on. We were going to just use a coloured ribbon that tied into the colour scheme, but when I found the ribbon with the wording on, I felt it really summed up what I thought was important in life and it became a bit of a theme of the wedding as I had it engraved on my husband’s wedding ring and my mum used the wording in her speech.”

“My mum did a lot of the flowers outside of the marquee herself as she has a flower business and she even integrated pictures of myself and my husband growing up into some of the displays.”

“The wedding itself was a traditional Jewish wedding, but it was lovely again to be able to add personal touches into the ceremony by having our brother’s hold the poles of the chuppah, with one of my husband’s brothers actually taking part in the ceremony, as he is a Rabbi.”

1AT HOME LONDON WEDDING 2 0AT HOME LONDON WEDDING 2

6AT HOME LONDON WEDDING 2

 

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Valeria & Orrie | Spring Theme Jewish Wedding at Lafayette Club, Lake Minnetonka, USA

08/01/2014 by Karen

Spring theme wedding 15 Well I don’t know about you but I’m already getting a little weary of winter and looking forward to sunnier days and warmer weddings. Here’s a cute, gem of a wedding with a strong spring theme to get us in the mood.

As you’d expect from a spring theme wedding, the florals are gorgeous, but what’s more, the creative bride put feathers in her bouquet (LOVE!). We’ve also got birdcages, a big band orchestra, rain boots and paint brushes in the mix! Let’s hand over to our lovely bride,  Valeria for all the details.
Spring theme wedding A
VENUE + LOCATION
Valeria, the Bride: We got married on a beautiful May day in Minnesota, at the Lafayette Club by Lake Minnetonka. Where to get married was the first decision we made. Our families are split between Israel and Minnesota, and we ourselves currently reside in Portland, Maine. We considered Israel, Maine, or a neutral destination wedding, but we chose Minnesota as our location because our immediate families live there, and this made some of the transportation aspect more convenient.

We did not have the time to fly to Minnesota  and physically look at venues, but we were familiar with the Lake Minnetonka area and knew that we can’t go wrong with a pick around this location. Our only “must have” requirements were that there will be room for both ceremony and reception at the same place, and that there will be a view of the lake. Many couples would think it is risky, but we actually chose our venue  based on online photos and reviews! When I saw a photo of the high  vaulted ceiling, the wooden floors and the long  chandeliers, I fell in love with this place and could really imagine our wedding happening there. I contacted the event manager at the location, Brenda, to make sure that there is someone who I can  work  with from a long distance, and she was wonderful in her responsiveness.

We sent our parents to check the venue out and when they told us it was like in the photos, our decision was final. When we actually  saw the Lafayette Club for the first time, thankfully it was exactly as we imagined it!
Spring theme wedding B

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Natalie & Oren | Spectacular Jewish wedding at The Great Synagogue + Villa Cora, Florence, Italy

03/01/2014 by Karen

florence-wedding
I kid you not. The moment I laid my eyes on this magnificent wedding captured by David Bastianoni, I was speechless. As in, my mouth was unable to form words and my brain was unable to make sentences. And as a wedding blogger, that can be kind of a problem. But stare for even one minute at the array of images in this post, by the amazing David Bastianoni, and you’ll be doing the  exact same thing.

So let’s hand over to our gorgeous bride, Natalie, to provide you with all the delicious detail of the day.
Florence Villa Cora Wedding 95 Florence Villa Cora Wedding 37
VENUE
Natalie, the Bride: We had our ceremony at The Great Synagogue of Florence.  I lived in Florence for 9 months in 2002 and I always remembered the synagogue being remarkable. Upon re-visiting the synagogue I knew I wanted to get married there. We even decided to keep the ceremony at the synagogue despite it being an open house day where the synagogue was open to visitors throughout the day. Needless to say we had a lot of bystanders and ”extra” guests at our ceremony but we didn’t mind.
Florence Great Synagogue Wedding
The reception was held at Villa Cora.  The hotel was redone a few years ago and the main salon is breathtaking. As soon as I saw the main salon at Villa Cora my mind was made up. As you can see in the photos, the room speaks for itself. We ended up having more people than we expected and we used an adjoining room which was equally as gorgeous but with a totally different style (Moroccan).
Florence Villa Cora Wedding A
AN ELEGANT WEDDING DRESS
I chose a dress by Marisa,  New York. I knew I wanted something lace and I wasn’t looking for white. The material underneath the lace was a champagne color. When I saw my dress I knew it was the one as it had the perfect bustle (which we added to a bit) and an elegant lace overlay.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Gaby & Mike | Urban Chic Jewish Wedding at ARIA Warehouse, Minneapolis, USA

01/01/2014 by Karen

Cool Wedding Venue This may well be one of the coolest and most stylishly decorated venues that I have ever laid my wedding blogger eyes upon! Yes, Gaby and Mike found a venue that reflected the look and feel that they were after – a warehouse venue with original brick walls, cavernous ceilings, crystal chandeliers, whimsical art work (including loads of original Andy Warhol’s), decadent furniture and dramatic lighting. This wedding is full of  fun and creativity, but one of the stand-out ideas for me was the ‘Vodka Social’. Since the groom is Russian,  different flavoured vodkas flowed throughout this wedding and we are talking some really *awesome* flavours such as ginger, spiced pear, raspberry, caramel, tiramisu and horseradish! More on that later on. First of all let me hand you over to our lovely bride on how and why she chose the venue. Minneapolis Jewish Wedding 33 VENUE Gaby, The Bride: Mike and I had several important non-negotiable items as we started our wedding planning, and one of them was the venue. The venue sets the tone and influences the look-and-feel of the wedding, and is the backdrop for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. It’s where we’ll take a majority of our photos, and where our friends and family will celebrate the most special and important symbol of our love and commitment to one another. We knew we wanted something unique, spacious, modern and truly unforgettable for our wedding. We wanted it to be a reflection of us and our taste, and most importantly, we wanted to infuse our vision in the space…rather than the vision of the space taking over the wedding. We’ve been to so many weddings in hotel ballrooms, where the look is always the same: cream colored walls, gold neo-baroque sconces and floral or damask-patterned carpets. While there’s nothing wrong with that, we wanted something unlike anything we’ve seen before. We wanted something modern and sexy, but also understated and simple. We also knew we had our work cut out for us as many venues in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul areas have exclusive relationships with vendors, making it very difficult to work with the vendors we had already picked out and meet our Kosher food requirement. Minneapolis Jewish Wedding 26 Minneapolis Jewish Wedding 30 We looked at no less than two dozen venues and called at least another dozen more…and each time, we came back to ARIA at the Jeune Lune. It was a favourite of ours from the start. In fact, I had my heart set on the Jeune Lune even before we were engaged! While celebrating the 2011-2012 New Year, Mike and I and a few friends went to a New Year’s party hosted at the Jeune Lune. It was the venue’s inaugural debut from being a theatre to becoming a premier venue hall in the Theatre District of downtown Minneapolis. I remember walking in to the Jeune Lune and being completely mesmerized by the space! I leaned in to Mike and whispered in his ear: “This would be the perfect spot for a wedding.”

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 239
  • 240
  • 241
  • 242
  • 243
  • …
  • 251
  • Next Page »

Jewish Weddings by Country

Vendors We Love

Weddings by Colour


Jewish Wedding Gift List


Awesome Jewish Gifts

Vendors We Love

Get posts directly into your inbox

Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

Mr And Mrs Smith Honeymoons
Biscuiteers Baking Company
Monica Vinader
Liberty London
Kate Spade UK Limited

Today’s Top Posts

  • A Jewish Wedding Full of Personal Touches at Mt Princeton Hot Springs Resort, Colorado, USA
    A Jewish Wedding Full of Personal Touches at Mt Princeton Hot Springs Resort, Colorado, USA
  • A guide to the Jewish Wedding Ceremony and Order of Service under the chuppah
    A guide to the Jewish Wedding Ceremony and Order of Service under the chuppah
  • Dates in 2023, 2024 and 2025 to avoid for a Jewish wedding plus a 12 Month Wedding Planning Monthly Checklist
    Dates in 2023, 2024 and 2025 to avoid for a Jewish wedding plus a 12 Month Wedding Planning Monthly Checklist
  • Win a Once-in-a-Lifetime Romantic Getaway at the Glamorous Kimpton Fitzroy London
    Win a Once-in-a-Lifetime Romantic Getaway at the Glamorous Kimpton Fitzroy London
  • Breaking The Glass – Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained #7
    Breaking The Glass – Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained #7

Subscribe by Email

Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

Connect

Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
Pinterest
YouTube
Twitter
Advertise
Mailing List
Email Karen

Receive Smashing The Glass posts via Email

Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

closeClick Here To Get The Ultimate Jewish Wedding Checklist

All content © Smashing The Glass 2023