Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog - Page 262 of 408

Wedding Gift Lists – Yay or Nay?

25/01/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Here at Smashing The Glass, we’re big fans of gift giving (and, if we’re honest, gift receiving), but we know that not everyone feels the same way as us.

Gift lists can feel thorny for some. Couples who have lived together for a while can find themselves stuck on what to ask for, as they already have everything they need to start a life together. Others may find gift lists a bit too traditional, or feel uncomfortable asking for things for themselves. However, we’re so strongly in favor of having a gift list, that we’ve decided to make it our personal mission to change your mind!

Because we’re such huge advocates of the idea, we thought we’d call on some true experts to help make the case for us, our dear friends at Prezola!

Prezola, the UK’s favourite wedding gift list, known for being stylish, on-trend and, great news for the wedding budget, free, are taking over the STG pages with some top tips for creating the perfect wedding gift list.

Remember that people will get you gifts regardless

Even if your invitations specify “no gifts”, it is inevitable that people will want to bring something. Many would feel uncomfortable arriving to a wedding empty handed, while others may assume that you don’t really mean it.

Whatever their reasons, well-meaning people will definitely ignore you. You may as well give them a list full of things you truly want and will cherish forever, instead of being forced to stare at that lovingly given hideous china ornament from great aunt Marion for the rest of your married life.

Get over your discomfort

We totally get it – it can feel uncomfortable to ask guests for gifts on top of their already considerable travel or accommodation expenses, but they will have factored that in and will be really happy to have some guidance when it comes to buying you a present.

If you still feel a bit iffy about it, there’s no harm at all in making it clear in the invitation that you are not expecting anything but the pleasure of your guests’ company, but for anyone who wants some guidance, you have provided a gift list.

Reduce the risk by using a protected gift list

Using Prezola takes away all of the potential risks associated with giving wedding gifts. It prevents potential loss from guests do not turn up with envelopes of cash, or cheques, potentially made out to the wrong name. Everything is insured and 100% guaranteed to be delivered to you, so a gift list really does give you peace of mind.Continue Reading

A Magical and Romantic Destination Jewish Wedding at Bait Al Hayam, Tel Aviv, Israel

24/01/2018 by Karen

What would you do if, at the last minute, your ceremony venue fell through? That’s the scenario that Nicole and Jason found themselves facing. But instead of giving up, the resilient pair recreated their original choice, bringing the amphitheatre they had originally wanted to them. This resourcefulness in the face of a challenge truly shows how ready they are for anything life might throw at them.

It also shows that they had an absolute genius of a planner to bring the whole production together – KBY Designs. Honestly, we are in awe.

New York couple, Nicole and Jason chose to have their Jewish wedding day in Israel, just days away from the groom’s brother’s wedding (Melissa and Alexander’s amazing wedding will be published here on Friday!). Having the two weddings back to back meant that overlapping guests could extend their stay and save on time and money travelling back and forward. What a wonderful idea and such happy time for the family!

The two couples even shared a DJ and a photographer – and given that their photographer was none other than incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, the one and only Ran Bergman. His incredible spread of images really captures the magic of the day.

There’s so much to love about this extraordinarily moving wedding – we especially adore the way that Nicole describes the ceremony. It sounded absolutely spine-chilling, and everything you would want a ceremony to be.

Bride Nicole chose a stunning Amsale gown, with features reminiscent of Kate Middleton’s iconic gown. She is also a freelance writer in her spare time, which is evident in her fabulous writeup below, so without further ado, please welcome Nicole to fill you in on her and Jason’s wedding planning story.

How we met

Nicole, the bride: We met through a mutual friend (the groom’s stepbrother) in Miami, but a lot of people, specifically the stepfather, like to argue on who gets credit for the match.

Both born and bred in New York, Jason is from Manhattan and I grew up in Great Neck, Long Island. After Jason’s internship ended in Shanghai, he moved to Miami to continue his hospitality career while I went to pursue my Master’s degree at the University of Miami for Print Journalism.

We officially met in 2011 and started out as friends (and…co-workers, scandalous!). After a wild night in South Beach (June 25, 2012), we admitted our chemistry was undeniable. I paid a toll by sealing the night with a kiss — an inside joke for us and now, the family – the rest was history.

After a long, romantic night filled with teasing and guessing, Jason popped the question in our Miami Beach home on December 18, 2015. A week after, we celebrated our engagement on holiday in San Francisco.

After five years together, we got married in Tel Aviv on June 29, 2017 (just four days away from our dating anniversary).

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Real Blogging Brides: Clare – My Prediction for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Royal Wedding

23/01/2018 by Smashing The Glass

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{Clare will be marrying Chris on 5th May 2018 at Laura Ashley The Manor in Elstree, UK — Click here to read all Clare’s planning posts to date}

Speculating On The Royal Wedding…

Since the announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement I have been watching with extremely keen interest. For a while there, whilst we waited to find out when this Spring wedding would actually take place I panicked that Meghan and I would be wedding twins. This was far from ideal. I need to be watching that wedding live. I will be waiting with bated breath to find out every fine detail. That, and the fact that I really would have liked to have seen what Meghan went for, in case I could pick up any last minute inspo, meant that I was keeping it all crossed that the big day would fall before my own on May 5th 2018.

Well, as luck would have it, Meghan and I are not sharing the same wedding day, so I will at least be able to enjoy hers live; but I do sadly have to go first and will not be stealing any of the royal wedding plans for myself!

So, as I get into my final stages (eeeekkk) of wedding planning, I have been speculating (with a little bit of help from some questionable sources of research) on what the (second!) wedding of the year is going to include!

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A Super-Glam Jewish Wedding Fit for a Princess at La Cabane Los Monteros, Spa and Golf Resort, Marbella, Spain

22/01/2018 by Karen

If we could make sure that couples take away any one message from reading Smashing The Glass, it would be this: have your wedding your way. We go on about it a lot, but it’s simply the most important thing – and that’s exactly what Lisa and Joey did with their super-glam Jewish destination wedding in Marbella.

Since childhood, bride Lisa had dreamed of having a real princess dress, and she turned that dream into a reality with a dress so big it needed its own seat on the plane! We definitely approve of those priorities. Lisa pulled the regal look together with perfectly pitched hair and makeup and a beautiful bouquet in her wedding colors of pastel pinks.

There’s no beating a chuppah with a sea view, and Los Monteros Spa and Golf Resort provided the perfect backdrop for the pair’s moving Jewish ceremony.

Planning a destination wedding can have its challenges, but fortunately wedding planner, Sunshine Weddings Spain, was on hand to ensure the planning went smoothly, and to introduce the couple to fabulous vendors, such as much-loved incredibly talented STG Recommended vendor, photographer Jeremy Standley.

Live music brought the party to life, with performances from a violinist, saxophonist and drummer keeping the energy high after the Israeli dancing.

We’ll pass you over to Lisa for her highly animated and engaging wedding writeup – please give her a warm, Smashing The Glass welcome

How we met

Lisa, the bride: Joey and I met nearly 10 years ago… I know, ‘wow’, right?! Soon, we will have been with each other longer than without! We met through friends and haven’t looked back since… apart from to reminisce about how we met and hit it off!

We are definitely two peas in a pod, even to the point where our answers are exactly the same in our Mr and Mrs questions! We definitely could not be without each other and are so excited to spend the rest of our lives together!
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A Blush and Rose Gold Color Scheme for a Romantic Jew-ish Wedding at The Ballroom at Ellis Preserve, Philadelphia, USA

19/01/2018 by Karen

Today’s real wedding is a very special one – and not just because it’s an absolute beauty (which it TOTALLY is) but because dear Gillian is one of our much-loved real blogging brides of 2017! It’s such an honor and a privilege to finally be able to share her and Pete’s Jew-ish wedding day.

We love a Jew-ish wedding where both cultures and backgrounds are represented, and Gillian and Pete’s mixed-faith ceremony saw their priest and rabbi working together to create something that truly represented them – too beautiful!

Beautiful bride Gillian looked a million bucks in her Tara Keely gown, which she paired with meaningful and custom-made accessories, with a little help from her dad, who is a tailor, and also made Pete’s midnight suit.

A color scheme of blush shades and rose gold is, of course, the ideal excuse to rock that mismatched bridesmaids look, and the overall effect was absolutely stunning.

The couple had so many unique and borrow-able ideas, such as cute-as-a-button custom acrylic signs and the most adorable postcard guest book idea. Guests wrote their good wishes for the couple on postcards, which are still being posted on to them by family to this day. What an excellent way to make your big day last!

The story of the day was captured by the brilliant Blaise Szallasi, whose spread of images you can see below, and the totally stunning cinematic videography is by Wise Films.

We’ll leave you in Gillian’s capable hands for her brilliant writeup. We’ve loved having Gillian’s upbeat voice on the blog, so please give her a standing ovation. Take it away, Gillian!