Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog - Page 247 of 293

Create a beautiful ‘Wed-Site’ with Riley & Grey + 50% reader discount

26/02/2015 by Karen

Some of you may be aware that I ran my own graphic and web design business for 10 years, prior to working full time on Smashing The Glass. That explains why I get super excited about gorgeous designs and beautiful graphics and really know a brilliant creative product when I see one, and ‘the one’ that I’m thoroughly obsessed with right now is Riley & Grey.

Their wedding websites are by far the prettiest, and most alluring ones out there, and can be completely customised to your specifications. When I was planning my own wedding I hunted high and low for a cool and stylish wedding website and eventually binned the idea when I couldn’t find one to reflect my tastes. What a shame that Riley & Grey weren’t around then as I would have, without question, used their services.

The best online tool for you and your guests

A wedding website (or ‘wed-site’ as you might have heard them referred to) is a great tool for collecting guest addresses, managing RSVPs and dietary requirements, and informing your guests about your gift list. They’re also eco-friendly, and can incorporate all sorts of extra information and photo and video galleries in a beautifully stylish way.

You can introduce your bridal party, tell everyone the story of how you met, explain directions, and if you’re having a destination or weekend-long wedding, incorporate the full schedule of events, and see who’s coming to what and when. You can also advise your guests on nearby hotels, attractions,and all the relevant transport links in a beautiful, orderly way. And if any specifics change, unlike print, you can instantly update the details in a flash!

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Jennifer & Jessica | Wonderfully joyous Lesbian Jewish Wedding at The Old Manse, Concord, and John Pierce House, Lincoln, Massachusetts, USA

24/02/2015 by Karen

lesbian-Jewish-wedding
It’s not so unusual to feature a wedding with homemade invitations, an extraordinarily meaningful chuppah, and a vegetarian menu… But arriving by canoe, personalised pencil favours, a custom neon sign, and a joint breaking of the glass on the same rock where revolutionists, Henry David Thoreau and Nathanial Hawthorne once sat? Now that is a little more unusual!

Jennifer and Jessica had a very personal wedding like no other. It was so very authentic to them, and they incorporated many wonderful personal and thoughtful details.

I absolutely LOVE their ‘how we met’ story too…

The report today is written by them both, and photography is by the brilliantly talented Prinos Photography.

how we met

Jessica: I was jumping rope in my apartment on the top floor of a high rise in Manhattan overlooking the East River and I was saying to myself, “I just want to meet my own Jen.” My eldest brother is married to a beautiful Jen with curly red hair and my other brother is married to a beautiful Jewish Jen from New Jersey. Two weeks later I met my Jen and she’s Jewish, from New Jersey and has curly red hair!

Jennifer: We met in February 2007 during a cocktail event at the Asia Society in Manhattan. We had less than fifteen minutes together but there was an intrigue about Jessica that made me want to learn more. I gave her my number, and she called three days later. We both lived on 1st Avenue, she was uptown and I was downtown… We fell in love on the 1st Avenue bus.

Smashing Wedding DressÂ Details: Sleeves

23/02/2015 by Karen

Left: The Duchess of Cambridge by Hugo Burnand / Right: Olivia Palermo — Oliviapalermo.com

by Karen Whybro

One of the most common things we are asked for at the boutique is a dress with sleeves. Thank goodness for Kate Middleton who brought sleeves back in a big way! And since Olivia Palermo showed us that covering up doesn’t have to mean dressing down, wedding dresses with sleeves have been a huge hit. With so much choice out there right now, how do you choose a sleeve which will suit you and your wedding?

Think fabric and vary length

There’s more than one type of sleeve and the choice of length and fabric can change the look entirely. From half cap to full length, the length of sleeve can change the feel and appearance of a gown and the bride within. If, like a great deal of women, your arms aren’t the favourite part of your body, where a sleeve ends will affect how you look and feel on the day.

Monique Lhuillier dress by The Chriselle Factor via Bridal Musings

‘Q&A with Karen Cinnamon’ – a return interview with the Save The Date wedding podcast

20/02/2015 by Karen

I had so much fun when I was interviewed last December for the Save The Date Podcast that I jumped at the chance to meet Aleisha, the head honcho of Save The Date, for a sequel.

Aleisha came to my London home last week to record a special Wedding Q&A episode and I answered everything ranging from what’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen at a wedding, to my favourite affordable wedding dress designers, to helping a Jew-ish bride-to-be who felt under pressure from her mother to include too many Jewish traditions in her upcoming wedding.

You can listen to the podcast here or here, or by pressing the play button below. I hope you find it useful and if you’d like me to answer any other questions, feel free to leave a comment below, or email me at karen@smashingtheglass.com

Thanks for having me Aleisha!

Looking for bold, humorous, beautiful Jewish wedding photography?

19/02/2015 by Karen

I might be a little bit obsessed. Like a serious case of wishing-I-was-still-a-bride-because-he-is-that-good obsessed.

Who am I talking about? None other than David Morgan, whose photography I’ve been a fan of as long as I’ve been blogging. Last month I finally got to talk to him in person and not only is he one of the most talented photographers out there, he’s also thoroughly genuine and a joy to be around, which in my books is a must for any wedding professional that I recommend.

I love the way David not only captures couples on their big day, but also the way he documents all the fleeting moments that make up the entire wedding day. He takes the kind of photos you want to frame and hang on your wall for everyone to see. Photos that remind you of exactly how happy, beautiful, silly, or loved you felt on your wedding day.

He approaches wedding photography with a storyteller’s eye, and his work is full of personality, capturing the vibrancy and energy of his subjects. As David says of his work, “my style is completely natural. I shoot the story of what is happening as it unfolds. This means that you will receive completely unique images unlike any you may have seen at other people’s weddings.”