Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Ralph Lauren AND Gucci Bride for a Surprise Jewish Wedding at Alto, Melbourne, Australia

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Alto Hotel on Bourke, Melbourne, Australia
Imagine being at what you thought was an engagement party, when suddenly a dramatic reveal changes everything!

That’s exactly what happened to the 200 guests at Susannah and Jeremy’s cocktail evening, when, a little way into the evening, the lights fell, save for a single spotlight on three female electric violinists playing a rock melody in front of a gold kabuki curtain, which dropped revealing the chuppah, Rabbi and groom. A surprise Jewish wedding!

Property developer Jeremy and jewelry designer and CEO of global jewelry brand, Fairley (check it out – seriously gorgeous stuff), had their super luxe, contemporary and elegant cocktail party surprise wedding overlooking the twinkling Melbourne skyline at gorgeous rooftop venue, Alto.

Bride Susannah’s ‘night to night’ look saw her change from a sophisticated Ralph Lauren little black dress to a stunning Gucci wedding dress. We don’t know about you guys, but we’re having serious wardrobe envy. 

Groom Jeremy had one more surprise up his sleeve – a heartfelt serenade for his beautiful bride. Someone pass the tissues, we think we have something in our eye!

Of course, a celebration this elaborate requires a truly expert hand when it comes to capturing the magic. Our sensational Recommended Vendor, photographer Jeremy Blode, is responsible for the breathtaking images below. 

We’ll hand you over to Jeremy, the groom, for his writeup of how the day unfolded. We hope you love gushing over this wedding feast for the eyes as much as we did!

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A dreamy rooftop venue

Jeremy, the groom: We chose to get married at Alto in the Melbourne CBD. The venue has an amazing rooftop deck, which showcases Melbourne in lights at night. The configuration of the room perfectly allowed for both the Chuppah ceremony and party afterwards. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Real Jewish Brides – Mel: A Whole New Kind Of Shopping

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Mel  will be marrying Mitch on Sunday 18 March 2018, in a Jewish wedding at Warren Weir at Luton Hoo, UK.

THREE FACTS: (1) Mel and Mitch met online on JDate (2) Their Jewish wedding will be classy and traditional with plenty of modern touches  (3) Mel is a member of Smashing The Glass’s private Jewish & Jew-ish Brides Facebook Group. Not yet a member? Come join us here!


Dresses: ✔

I recently ticked off one of the most stressful tasks so far… finding bridesmaid’s dresses! âœ” A couple of months prior, my mum also found her dress, and I said ‘Yes to the Dress’ earlier this year.

Now that I and the important ladies in my life have found a dress for the wedding, and having been to all the appointments, I have built a good insight into how to approach finding the perfect dress.


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A Yolan Cris Bride for a Wonderfully Quirky Jewish Wedding at Aynhoe Park, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK

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Today’s real wedding comes with two separate, but equally valid, trigger warnings: the first is that it’s incredibly beautiful, and may result in you filling up your living room with Bubblegum Balloons, because they’re just so pretty. The second is that Olivia and Paul’s Jewish wedding day is deeply moving, and you may wish to grab a box of tissues before you read on. 

OK (we’re reaching for the first tissue here), how many childhood sweethearts actually make it to their big day? We’re guessing not that many, which makes Olivia and Paul truly special. The loved-up pair have been together since they were 14 years old. 14 years later, they finally said ‘I do’, which we think is just amazing. To have grown up together and still be just as in love half a lifetime later is something else.

Olivia and Paul were also dealt a devastating blow with the loss of Paul’s mother, Debra, a few months before the wedding. There are no words for the impact of losing someone so loved, and honoring her memory was a huge and vitally important part of the day. Debra managed to be part of the preparations, and had even visited the venue, which was so important to the couple.

And what a venue! We have been waiting to feature an Aynhoe Park wedding in forever! A private residence in Oxfordshire filled with stuffed animals, quirky artwork, sculptures, and an array of curiosities, we are more than obsessed with it for a wedding venue!

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Jewish Wedding Aynhoe Park UK_0011
We also love the Bubblegum Balloons adorning the ceiling, and the sprawling, whimsical floral arrangements throughout (including that chuppah!! WOW!!) to the romantic candlelight clusters. 

The entertainment was also varied, from wonderful musical acts to a snakeskin-clad contortionist and burlesque dancer respectively. There was not a moment of the day that was not utterly unique and special – doing it their way and then some.

Speaking of which, Olivia looked every bit the bridal beauty in her absolutely stunning Yolan Cris gown – absolutely awe-inspiring stuff and, as they say, total goals. 

Not one, but TWO of our beloved Recommended Vendors were a part of this gorgeous wedding, with chazan Jonny Mosesson gracing the ceremony with his beautiful voice and fabulous videographers, Imaginarium Cinematography, capturing the most sweet and gorgeous wedding video.  

We’ve gone on long enough – it’s time for Olivia to take over and take in those exceptional images from the wonderful Chiko Photography.

Get ready to fall in love and steal a million ideas, because we guarantee that’s how this is going to go. 

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How we met

Olivia, the bride: We met through one of my best friends when we were just 13/14. She invited me to a party at Paul’s house and we became really friendly.

We starting going out not long after and never looked back so 14 years later our wedding was a long time coming for our family and friends!
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A Pronovias Bride for an Old-World Glamor Travel-Inspired Jew-ish Wedding at Westmount Country Club, Woodland Park, New Jersey, USA

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Jewish Wedding Westmount Country Club, Woodland Park, New Jersey
If you’re a fan of old-world elegance and you love that chic, vintage-inspired aesthetic, prepare yourself, because Stacey and Chris’s Jew-ish wedding is going to blow you away. 

Bride Stacey describes herself as a type-A personality, which explains the absolutely extraordinary attention to detail, consistency in the beautifully executed wedding theme and fabulous choice of vendors. 

The dreamy color scheme, incorporating dusky purples, pale pinks, ivory and hints of metallic gold, sat perfectly alongside the vintage travel vibe, celebrating the globetrotting couple’s shared love of exploring the world together.

Every last detail, from the tremendous floral-adorned chuppah to the looks-too-good-to-eat (almost, we’d still take a slice) cake, the luggage tag place cards to the personalized globe, was simply stunning. 

Stacey and Chris’s Jew-ish ceremony celebrated the best, and most unique, parts of their relationship, with lots of humor, love and devotion along the way.

Sensational bride, Stacey, genuinely looked like an old Hollywood icon in her glamorous Pronovias gown and breathtaking hair and makeup. 

Photographer Paul Francis Photography captured timelessly beautiful shots, while Stacey provided the eloquent, detailed writeup below. We’ll leave you in their capable hands – we just know you’re going to fall head over heels in love with everything about this beeeeeautiful big day! 

Jewish Wedding Westmount Country Club, Woodland Park, New Jersey

Jewish Wedding Westmount Country Club, Woodland Park, New JerseyJewish Wedding Westmount Country Club, Woodland Park, New JerseyJewish Wedding Westmount Country Club, Woodland Park, New Jersey
How we met

Stacey, the bride: Chris and I met in high school back in 2005. Over the years, we have developed a great love for travel. In April of 2015, Chris and I traveled back to one of our favorite countries, Italy, for the Passover/Easter break.

Little did I know, Chris had tucked away an engagement ring inside of his luggage.

We had an incredible week traveling through Milan, Cinque Terre, and Florence. At the leg of our trip, Chris had arranged for us to visit San Miniato Al Monte, a basilica in Florence, overlooking the city. It was at this magical location that Chris got down on one knee and proposed. The proposal wasn’t the only surprise. Chris had previously contacted an Italian photographer, who was dressed as a tourist, to capture our proposal.
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Facebook Live Catch Up: Jewish Wedding Ceremony Q&A – with Rabbi Paul Glantz

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On Monday evening I went live on our Facebook page with the legend that is Rabbi Paul Glantz – a truly modern inclusive Rabbi, and much-loved STG Vendor who has graced the real Jewish wedding pages of Smashing The Glass many times.

It featured possibly my favorite Facebook Live moment ever (at 4 mins 25 secs) with Rabbi Paul on the phone to his brother on the Live  – go check it out!

We covered so much during the 4o minutes from ways to personalize your ketubah, badeken, chuppah, and sheva brachot, to the best kind of glass to smash to Jewish wedding dress codes – full breakdown below!  If you missed it, you can still catch up by watching the replay above.

4:25 – Rabbi Paul Glantz on the phone to his mother asking her to tune in (classic Live moment!)
8:10 – Do you need to have a registry office wedding as well as a Jewish wedding?
10:06 – Breakdown of the Jewish wedding ceremony
11:20 – How to personalize your ketubah
13:45 – Ways of personalising the Badeken
16:55 – Ways of personalising the Sheva Brachot (Seven Blessings)
18:00 – Egalitarian Jewish wedding ceremony ideas
19:53 – What is the meaning of the circling in the Jewish wedding ceremony
21:25 – Can anyone get married under a chuppah? 
23:20 – What’s the wedding dress code for a Masorti wedding?
24:41 – Music for the Jewish wedding ceremony
28:07 – Are there any parts of an Orthodox Jewish wedding ceremony that cannot be photographed?
28:44 – How many, and what kind of, people can sign the ketubah?
29:58 – As an interfaith Jewish couple can we get married under a chuppah?
32:21 – Can you get married on a Friday?
33:47 – Can you have engraving on your wedding ring?
29:43 – What is the best kind of glass for smashing the glass?
35:10 – Does the wedding band need to be made of silver?
36:08 – How do you know what time to start a Saturday night wedding?
36:59 – How can you make a wedding in a venue with non-kosher catering, with a United Rabbi 

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Image: Rabbi Paul Glantz officiating Laura & Gio’s wedding – coming to STG very soon
photographed by much-loved STG Vendor Paul Rogers Photography

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