Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog - Page 263 of 410

The ’Smashing Summit’ (and something new and VERY exciting from Smashing The Glass) is happening today!

31/01/2018 by Karen

You probably won’t be surprised to hear that I’ve been up since 4am preparing for today’s Smashing Summit. I’m just SO ridiculously excited about it!

I can’t wait to, not only help you plan your wedding your way (along with my 12 superstar special guests listed below), but also to reveal something brand new and never-been-seen-before for Jewish (and Jew-ish) brides that I have been working on for months now.

I promise you what we’re launching at the Summit is going to BLOW YOUR MIND!

We’ll also be releasing details of our very limited edition Smash Glass Pouches (below) for under the chuppah. Yes, you can say good bye to the days of your glass wrapped in foil, a napkin, or an old-fashioned velvet pouch — STG Smash Glass Pouches have arrived!!

You can watch the whole Summit from home (or sneakily in the office if it’s not evening in your part of the world!) as the entire Summit will be broadcast live on our Facebook page.

We positively encourage cosy slippers and a hot chocolate (or a large glass of wine!) whilst watching, so whether you’re a bride, groom, relative, friend, or wedding vendor, join me to find out EVERYTHING you need to know to plan your Jewish (or Jew-ish!) wedding your way.

Here’s the essential Summit info:

Date: Today (January 31, 2018)
Time: 5:30pm UK (12:30pm New York, 9:30am Los Angeles)
Watch it at:www.facebook.com/smashingtheglass

>> Click here to get a reminder just before we go live

Speaker Line-Up and Schedule

How amazing is our speaker lineup and schedule for today’s incredible Smashing Summit?! All the details are below:

5:30pm GMT | 12:30pm EST | 9:30am PST
‘Welcome… and introducing something brand new for Brides from Smashing The Glass’
Karen Cinnamon
Real Jew-ish bride and groom
Founder & Editor of Smashing The Glass

5:45pm GMT | 1:15pm EST | 10:15am PST
‘How to create a wedding that reflects who you are and what is important to you’
Bruce Russell
International Luxury Wedding Planner and owner of By Bruce Russell

6:00pm GMT | 1:00pm EST | 10:00am PST
‘How to pick the perfect music for your Jewish wedding’
Jonny Mosesson
Chazan, Musician and Entertainer

6:30pm GMT | 1:30pm EST | 10:30am PST
‘How to personalise your chuppah… and what to do with your smashed glass‘
Lauren Dubell- Beadle
Founder of The Chuppah Design Co + Resident DIY Expert at Smashing The Glass

7:00pm GMT | 2:00pm EST | 11:00am PST
‘Creative food and drink ideas for your Jewish wedding’
Matt Rickard and David Swann
Managing Director at Food Story, and Executive Chef at Food Story

7:30pm GMT | 2:30pm EST | 11:30am PST
‘Style ideas for the Fashion Forward Bride’
Sharon Sever, Chief Designer at Galia Lahav

8:00pm GMT | 3:00pm EST | 12:00pm PST
‘Top 5 Wedding Cake Trends for 2018 / 2019’
Ron Ben-Israel
Executive chef and owner of world-renowned Ron Ben-Israel Cakes

8:30pm GMT | 3:30pm EST | 12:30pm PST
‘Jewish wedding traditions – and how to make them your own’
Blake Ezra
International Wedding Photographer and owner of Blake Ezra Photography

9:00pm GMT | 4:00pm EST | 1:00pm PST
‘How to find the perfect wedding photographer’
Duke Khodaverdian
International Wedding Photographer and owner of world-renowned Duke Images

9:30pm GMT | 4:30pm EST | 1:30pm PST
‘How to come up with the perfect wedding hashtag’
Sara Gibbs
Comedy Writer and Features Writer at Smashing The Glass

10:00pm GMT | 5:00pm EST | 2:00pm PST
‘Top 5 Wedding Dress Trends for 2018 / 2019’
Monique Lhuillier
World-renowned bridal designer, and founder of one of the world’s leading fashion houses

10:30pm GMT | 5:30pm EST | 2:30pm PST
‘5 Amazing Ways To Personalize Your Wedding’
Mindy Weiss
World-renowned international celebrity wedding planner and bestselling author

5 Minutes with… Duke Khodaverdian, International Wedding Photographer and Founder of Duke Photography

30/01/2018 by Karen

In case you haven’t heard (we’ve been shouting it from the rooftops!) our fabulous ‘Your Wedding Your Way’ Smashing Summit is tomorrow, 31st January, and to celebrate, and get you in the mood, we thought we’d treat you to a very special edition of ‘Five Minutes With…’ !

This is a feature where we spend five minutes in the hot seat with one of the wedding industry’s top-ranking movers and shakers, and if you haven’t caught up with the last two editions, featuring the phenomenal Ron Ben-Israel and Mindy Weiss respectively (both headline speakers tomorrow night too, along with Monique Lhuillier and Galia Lahav’s chief designer, Sharon Sever, amongst many others), go check them out after you’ve relished today’s fabulous interview!

So today, we’re honoring one of the industry’s most incredible photographers, and another of the headline speakers tomorrow night. Ladies and gentlemen, please lose your minds for the one and only Duke Khodaverdian!

Duke is the founder of Duke Images, an international wedding photographer at the top of his game and an absolute photography genius! Don’t take our word for it, check out his incredible work on his website and Instagram.

Duke is, without a doubt, one of the greats. He has been an international wedding photographer for over seventeen years, combining his technical expertise, innovation, and fine art, to create images that have set trends for weddings the world over.

We adore how he brings his eye for fashion photography into the mix, combining it with a second-to-none understand of lighting, composition and a photojournalistic approach. Most importantly, Duke is a big believer in the essential nature of the relationship between client and photographer, and we couldn’t agree more.

We love how invested Duke is in every couple’s special day, and how he takes the time to build an excellent rapport with each client and their families.

Oh, and he has also earned countless accolades and features in leading print and online publications, including Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, Style Me Pretty, Strictly Weddings, People Magazine, Inside Weddings, and The Knot – what a career!

We’re crazy about Duke’s answers. We’re equally obsessed with The Crown and the small SUV for his chocolate lab is beyond! We know you’ll also fall in love with Duke and his work, so don’t forget to tune in to hear him speak tomorrow at 1pm PST / 4pm EST / and 9pm GMT. See you then!

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A Galia Lahav Bride for a Super Luxe White and Gold Jewish Wedding at The Four Seasons Westlake Village, California, USA

29/01/2018 by Karen

Wow, wow, WOW! That’s our unfiltered reaction to Sepi and Omid’s absolutely breathtaking, super luxe Jewish wedding.

Everything about this divine big day is eye-poppingly gorgeous. Dramatic dà©cor details, fashion-forward choices, a perspex and floral showstopper of a chuppah – there is SO much to love about Sepi and Omid’s white and gold-themed wedding that we barely know where to start!

The wedding was held at the very glamorous Four Seasons Westlake Village. A classic venue with such diverse areas — all perfect photography backdrops. The awe-inspiring ballroom with its chandeliers lent itself perfectly to the elegant theme, created by phenomenal wedding planner, Maryam at Delicate Details, who brought the couple’s vision to life with expert skill, and provided the writeup below. We’ve featured Maryam’s work on the blog in the past and we never fail to be blown away by what she does. Absolutely second to none.

We NEED to talk about bride Sepi’s mesmerisingly beautiful Galia Lahav gown. Those beads – that train!! Sepi genuinely looked like a million bucks – just a vision of bridal beauty.

We are HUGE Galia Lahav fans and we’re delighted to have chief designer, Sharon Sever, as one of the headline speakers at our incredible Smashing Summit this Wednesday 31st January. OMG — save your (free!) seat here!

It’s also not often we obsess over the groom’s shoes, but check out Omid’s amazing Christian Louboutin shoes – if you’re going to smash a glass, do it in style.

The ridiculously great photography was provided by another of our Smashing Summit headline speakers (we can’t overemphasise how excited we are about this lineup!) — Duke Photography. We could gush about his work for days, but really the pictures speak for themselves – we know you’ll just fall in love with them.

We’ll pass you over to Maryam now for her writeup of Sepi and Omid’s gorgeous celebration. Prepare yourselves – this one will really take your breath away… adnd enjoy the wonderful film by Wind Productions below too!

A venue to fall in love with

Maryam, the wedding planner: The Four Seasons Westlake Village offered the most glamorous setting. They fell in love the with waterfall backdrop for the ceremony and the gorgeous crystal chandeliers in the ballroom.

A Pnina Tornai Bride for a Family-Oriented Jewish Wedding with a Stunning Chuppah at Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

26/01/2018 by Karen

Brothers Alexander and Jason chose to have their weddings back to back in Israel, so it was only fitting that we should feature their weddings back to back on Smashing The Glass! Jason and Nicole’s big day went live on Wednesday – and Melissa and Alexander’s is featured right now – today!

The decision was made to have the two Jewish weddings in quick succession as the brothers shared many guests and wanted to ensure that they didn’t have to fly to Israel twice. We love that the two brothers shared in each other’s joy in that way – for Jason and Alexander, it really as all about family.

As well as sharing guests, the pair shared an incredible photographer and DJ, but we’ll get to that….

We love the whole aesthetic of this stunning Israeli big day. From the couple’s fashion-forward and elegant outfit choices (that Pnina Tornai dress, though – serious wedding dress envy) to the magnificent floral chuppah, put together by the genius KBY Designs.

We also think the children’s choir is such a moving, and seriously adorable idea – so original and cute!

Melissa and Alexander’s impeccable taste extended, of course, to their choice of photographer Ran Bergman, who we absolutely adore, for reasons which will become obvious as you scroll through his divine set of pictures. We love this wedding!

An Israeli destination venue

Melissa and Alexander were married at Al Hayam in Caesarea.

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

Speaker Line-Up and Schedule

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A venue to fall in love with

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An Israeli destination venue

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Remember that people will get you gifts regardless

Get over your discomfort

Reduce the risk by using a protected gift list

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