Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Graces Loves Lace Bride for a Rustic Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Acacia Ridge Winery, Yarra Glen, Yarra Valley, Australia

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Today’s super cool couple dreamed of a destination Jewish wedding at a winery in South Africa. When logistics got in the way, Lori, a medical student, and Josh, an accountant, found the next best thing: a venue in their home country of Australia that feels a world away from bustling Melbourne.

Lori and Josh knew from the beginning that they wanted a pared-down day with the focus on only the things that mattered most to them: a fun, chill day with the people they love the most, great food and drinks to keep the party flowing, and, above all, the ceremony.

Fun as the reception was, there’s no question that the highlight of the couple’s day was looking out from under their chuppah and seeing all the people they love supporting them in their marriage. As Lori says, “It’s the people that make the wedding, not the things.”

That’s not to say the duo skimped on the details. In honor of their love of Japanese and Mediterranean food, their day boasted sushi and sashimi stations, plus a souvlaki bar — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of their foodie fantasy!

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jeremy Blode Photography did such a fabulous job capturing the raw emotion of the day. He made Lori and Josh feel totally comfortable, both in the lead-up to the wedding and on the day itself, and they’re in awe of not only his passion for his work and uncanny ability to capture authentic moments but also his people-wrangling skills!

And even better, wonderful Jeremy, who works in both Australia and Italy, is also offering a 10% discount on any package to members of our  VIB [Very Important Bride] Club!

He’s just one of many handpicked vendors offering discounts or free gifts to members of our Club (who also receive around-the-clock support and advice from my team and me, plus all kinds of cool bridal extras and goodies.) If you haven’t joined yet, don’t delay as we’ll be closing membership for this quarter shortly!

Beautiful bride Lori claims to have hated wedding dress shopping, but it’s hard to believe given how effortlessly lovely she looks in her Grace Loves Lace gown, don’t you think?! Now over to her…

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How we met

Lori, the bride: We met through a mutual friend at a nightclub in Melbourne six years ago.

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Real Jewish Brides – Charlotte: Choosing The Groom’s Outfit At The Wedding Gallery

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Charlotte will be marrying James on 26th August 2018 at The Brewery, in London, UK. Click here to read all Charlotte’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) James proposed to Charlotte in Florence… on her parent’s 36th wedding anniversary (aaaah – we love that!)  (2) They are planning a Jewish urban-rustic wedding in East London (3) They have already decided on their wedding hashtags — it’s #dropitlikeitshart !

London’s The Wedding Gallery, a one stop department store for all things wedding is seriously amazing when you first start planning, but at this late stage I had to find an excuse to go, this is where James comes in!

James was thinking about suits, and had been going back and forth knowing he didn’t want just any off the rack number. He wanted custom made. There are so many places around London that do this, but having looked into the appointments they have at The Wedding Gallery* I knew this would be right for him.

James had done some minor research, the words “James Bond in Sky Fall” or “Leonardo Di Caprio in The Great Gatsby” came to his mind when looking at suits. So at least we had an idea for style when we went.

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Smashing The Glass LOVES The Wedding Gallery!

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A Pronovias Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding at the Corinthian Yacht Club, Tiburon, California, USA

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Talk about a venue with a view! Today’s couple, Maggie and Keith, got married at the Corinthian Yacht Club, in beautiful Tiburon, California, just north of San Francisco.

As if the location right on the water weren’t enough, their venue has THE most stunning view of San Francisco. Especially at night, with all of the city lights, it’s really something to behold. For maximum impact, they opted to hold their Jewish wedding during the full moon!

One very cool way Maggie and Keith made the most of being surrounded by the people they love is by opting to set their chuppah up in the middle of the ceremony room, rather than at the front as is common. They felt this was a more intimate setup, and we totally agree! Always love to see couples making traditions their own like this.

And Maggie and Keith give their amazing planner, Cassy Anderson of Cassy Rose Events, full credit for helping them make their vision for the day a reality. They wanted their wedding to be fresh, classic, and elegant, but not totally traditional — and, most of all, they wanted it to reflect who they are as a couple. Cassy totally nailed it.

The pair were thrilled with their photographer, Robin Jolin too, not only for her incredible eye but also for how comfortable she made them feel on the day. And Maggie looked so elegant in her chic Pronovias gown — can you believe she found it at a sample sale, her very first (and, as it turned out, last) dress shopping stop?! Now over to the bride herself…

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A Venue with a View

Maggie, the bride: we got married at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon. The water and spending time together on the Bay is a huge part of our lives, and we loved that we could share that with our guests. The view of San Francisco was a big part of why we picked the location. My dad helped us set the date by selecting a full moon evening. We are so glad we did.

Both of us grew up in the Bay Area and the majority of our friends and family live in San Francisco or elsewhere nearby. We wanted to have an inclusive event that our guests could could make a weekend out of, or alternatively just take a cab over and enjoy the evening.

Not the most romantic theme of all time, but we wanted to day to feel easy, fun, and special for our guests! We selected a location that would be beautiful and interesting for those coming into town and also allow them to easily walk from their hotel to the rehearsal dinner to the hotel to the venue the next day. Our goal was to allow people to fully enjoy the weekend, without having to get in a car.

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A Suzanne Neville Bride for a Super Chic Seaside Jewish Wedding at Rosh Hashanah, Bait al Hayam, Jaffa, Israel

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Can you believe it’s Erev Passover this evening? How did that happen already?! And what are you doing for seder night tonight? I’m on holiday and we’re having our Seder in Tel Aviv, celebrating with my family in Israel, so it seems appropriate to post a gorgeous Israeli wedding today!

And today’s real  Jewish destination wedding fully embraced another beautiful Jewish holiday: Rosh Hashanah.

London-based bride Jamie, a PR and marketing manager for a cancer charity, and groom Joel, who works in finance, opted for a chic outdoor destination wedding in sunny Jaffa, Israel, during the High Holiday season.

Opting to marry at gorgeous seaside venue Bait al Hayam, the couple had an outdoor rooftop chuppah overlooking the city of Jaffa and the sea, with the party in a beautiful air conditioned room beneath — a big deal given the Israeli climate!

In honor of Rosh Hashanah, Jamie and Joel had mini honey pots and apples at each place setting — isn’t that sweet?! We love that this couple incorporated Jewish tradition into their day in ways that were totally authentic to them.

For instance, even though, as Ashkenazi Jews it would have been customary for them to have their badeken separately from the chuppah, they chose to do it on the aisle, because that’s what spoke to them.

And the pair opted to follow the Jewish tradition of not seeing each other in the week leading up to the wedding… that takes some real dedication!

Their wedding also had some incredibly cool touches inspired by sources other than Jewish tradition: for one, as part of their entertainment they had a flower stall where guests could have flower wreaths, bracelets, hair slides, and boutonnieres made! Isn’t that lovely? And a great alternative activity if you’re not into some of the more standard options like photo booths.

Photographer Ronen Boidek captured the day in all its effortless elegance and the insanely talented STG Recommended Vendor Portnoy Brothers brought emotion out of all of the guest through their incredible acoustic sound and beautiful traditional songs. We can’t recommend the Portnoy Brothers enough, one of our absolute favourites! Jamie, who looked super glam in her old Hollywood-style silk Suzanne Neville gown (seriously, we’re all a little bit obsessed with it at STG Towers), will fill you in on the rest.

Hag Sameach – enjoy your matzoh ball soup wherever you’re celebrating this evening!

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How we met

Jamie, the bride: I always knew of Joel… I lived with his brother at university, but I met Joel properly once I moved to London, at a friend’s birthday. He carried me out of the bar over his shoulder and we’ve never looked back! 😉

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Facebook Live Catch Up: Luxe Wedding Dress Trends for 2018/19 – Live from Mirror Mirror London

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Back in January we filmed our first big Facebook Live of 2018, and boy, was it one for the records!

Live-broadcasting from one of the world’s most gorgeous bridal boutiques, London’s Mirror Mirror (a much-loved Recommended Vendor), I was lucky enough to meet with co-founders Maria and Jane, sisters-in-law who started their business 29 years ago out of a shared passion for artisan bridal fashion.

These two inspirational ladies, who I got to know after noticing that so many of our STG Real Brides bought their gowns from Mirror Mirror, are both designers and stockists of some of the hottest international bridal designers, including Nurit Hen, Hayley Paige, YolanCris, Gemy Maalouf, and Atelier Pronovias. So who better to talk us through the top luxury wedding dress trends for 2018/19?

We had the amazing Roberta Facchini Photography on hand to sneak some behind-the-scenes photos. She was a joy to work with, and I’m absolutely delighted to share the images she snapped with you!

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