Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

10 Bridesmaid Dresses We Can’t Get Enough Of for 2018/19

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Image by Jeremy Blode from Lori and Josh’s wedding

Happy Thursday! I’m Emily, Smashing The Glass’s new(-ish) features writer, and I’m so excited to be officially introducing myself to all you lovely readers. I’m a New York City-based writer, editor, and food blogger with a passion for baking, books, and barre class. I’ve been a fan of Smashing The Glass since 2015, when I was planning my own Jewish wedding (which ended up getting called off, but that’s a story for another time – if you know any eligible 30-something NJBs, hit me up!).

Since February, I’ve been working with Karen behind the scenes on blog content, planning some exciting projects in NYC, and hanging out in STG’s Brides Club where Team STG offers round the clock support and advice on any and all things wedding.

Speaking of all things wedding – bridal fashion is one of my absolute favorite wedding topics, so I’m thrilled to share some of my top bridesmaid dress picks for 2018/19.

We get so many brides asking for bridesmaid inspo, so we wanted to share some of our favorites with you.

These days we’re lucky to have nearly infinite options when it comes to our ‘maids attire, from long and romantic to short and sassy, with a pantsuit thrown in for good measure!

Read on for some fresh looks that your best girls really will like enough to wear again (yes, I’m going there).Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Membership Intake to VIB Club (our Members Club for Jewish and Jew-ish Brides) closes today!

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Are you engaged and planning your Jewish or Jew-ish wedding? If you’re hanging out on Smashing The Glass, chances are you are – yay !!! Well first of all BIG MAZALS(!), and second of all you may very well want IN on my Members Club for Jewish + Jew-ish Brides before the doors close today, Thursday April 26!

If you sometimes feel overwhelmed or stressed by all the decisions to make, or are in any way time-poor whilst planning your W Day, or you just want to take advantage of the 100’s of vendor discounts and gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars (or pounds!), and all handpicked by me to meet my rigorous standards, the VIB Club is for you.

Day or night, pick my brains, receive instant expert advice, personalized vendor recommendations, epic bridal masterclasses and ‘Ask The (non-judgemental) Rabbi’ sessions, plus the unconditional support we all need when organizing the biggest day of our lives (whether or not you’re using a wedding planner).

I have to be honest, I’m absolutely obsessed with VIB Club (VIB stands for Very Important Bride) as I LOVE diving deep with brides and assisting in a more personal way, but don’t just take my word for it, here’s what Catherine, one of our members planning a Jewish wedding in New York City, has to say about how VIB Club has transformed her wedding planning:


And have a listen to another much-loved member, Yael (below) planning her Jew-ish destination wedding to her gorgeous non-Jewish fiancà© this coming summer. Here’s what she has to say about VIB Club and ALL the benefits!


Inside VIB Club you really can say  goodbye to wedding overwhelm and stress. It’s a safe (in-law free!) space where I’m always on hand to advise you personally with your wedding plans — however and whenever you need assistance.

I’m closing the doors tomorrow to ensure a bespoke service and would LOVE to see you in there to empower you to have your wedding your way.

Find out more, and join up here – I can’t wait to help you plan the wedding of your dreams – let’s do it!

PS Every member gets one of these gorgeous Smash Glass Pouches (below) for under the chuppah too… just one of the many VIB perks!

A Vera Wang Bride for an Urban Chic NYC Foodie Jewish Wedding with a Tequila Bar at Weylin, Brooklyn, NYC, USA

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This has got to be the ultimate NYC foodie dream Jewish wedding! Rachel and Dan got married at Weylin, an iconic 19th-century former bank space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As New Yorkers, it was important to the couple to wed in their home city — and to showcase some of its finest food offerings.

For starters, there was the cake: supercool bakery Momofuku’s rainbow layered birthday cake. Then, for the afterparty, a late-night snack from NYC pizza joint Lil Frankies. And guests even got a little taste of the city to take home with them at the end of the night, in the form of cookie favors from beloved bakery Levain, a neighborhood favorite for the Upper West Side couple. These are truly some of the most delicious cookies NYC has to offer — good going, guys!

But that’s not even the coolest thing about this wedding. What is? The tequila tasting room (!). Rachel and Dan are both tequila fans, and they figured their wedding was the perfect time to share their passion for the drink with their family and friends. They report that it was a massive hit, and I believe it! What a fun way to personalize your wedding, if you and your beloved happen to be connoisseurs of a particular drink — it’s like signature cocktails on steroids!

Photographer Maya Myers took the most elegant shots of the couple’s chic day, and Rachel looked classically elegant in sublime Vera Wang. Take it away Rachel!

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How we met

Rachel, the bride: Dan and I met through jSwipe.

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Real Blogging Brides: Clare – Advice to myself to get me through my final two weeks of wedding planning!

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Clare will be marrying Chris on 5th May 2018 at Laura Ashley The Manor in Elstree, UK.

THREE FACTS: (1) Clare is not Jewish but discovered Smashing The Glass via her Jewish sister-in-law and during her wedding planning journey it has (in her own words!) became her favorite and most useful wedding blog (2) She finds STG refreshing in a sea of wedding blogs as she loves reading stories of couples for whom the ceremony itself is as pivotal as all the other details. (3) Due to falling in love with so many amazing Jewish weddings through the blog, and then booking a wedding consultancy session with STG founder, Karen, it confirmed to her that there were a number of Jewish elements she was going to bring into her wedding that symbolise a lot of things that are very important to her and her fiancà© in their future marriage – she will be having a ‘Jewish-inspired’ wedding!

As I write this it is only a couple of weeks until my wedding day. I cannot believe the time has gone so quickly. Having a near two year engagement I assumed everything would be done really easily, I’d be stress free, have my dream body for my wedding and be totally ready for the big day. 

Oh how wrong I was! 

I’ve definitely been experiencing the stress and pressure in the last few weeks. I’m not sleeping well, every moment is taken up by thinking about weddings and the minutiae of my day. 

So as I considered what I could write about at this stage in the day, when I don’t want to give much away regarding what the actual day will look like; I decided to give myself a bit of a talking to and some good advice to get me through the next couple of weeks as stress free as possible. In doing this I called to mind all the many pieces of wedding advice and wisdom that have been passed on to me by friends, family and anything I have read that has stuck with me. 

So here is a summary of the advice I have come across. The good, the bad, and the bits I might have ignored!


Image by Shane and Lauren Photography from Taylor and David‘s Jewish wedding

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A Corston Couture Bride for a Destination Jewish Wedding with an Orchid Chuppah at Akyra Beach Club, Phuket, Thailand

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An Orchid Chuppah (yes really!) and an unbelievably style-savvy couple make this a very happy Monday on Smashing The Glass

With the help of Luxury Events, today’s bride and groom, Sydney-based Martine and Jarred, got married on the beach in Thailand, and their phenomenal chuppah, draped in boughs of the most beautiful white orchids, could not possibly be better suited to their day at Akyra Beach Club on fabulous Phuket.

It’s so simple and fresh, so elegantly evocative of the tropical setting — and the contrast between the white flowers and the blue, blue ocean in the background is truly a sight to behold.

So is Martine’s gown, from Corston Couture in Sydney. Her ethereally lacey two-piece is wonderfully boho and beachy — and you’ve got to check out the beautiful detailing at the back. That bow!  

Blumenthal Photography and Soda Films captured all the lovely details of the day exquisitely. Seriously, check out their close-up shots of the chuppah — and read on for all the details of the day from Martine.

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How we met

Martine, the bride: Jarred and I have known each other for years. We were at primary school together and even “dated” all those years ago (we were 10!) Of course, “dating” or being “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” back then meant smiling at each other but being petrified to speak to one another! ☺ Fast forward to high school, Jarred and I met up again at a NYE party and were set up by my twin sister. We’ve been together ever since (12 years)! That’s us, high-school sweethearts.

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