Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Real Jewish Brides – Hayley: My Conversion to Judaism

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Today on the blog it’s the 2nd post from Hayley who will be marrying Ashley on Sunday 17 September 2017, in a Jewish wedding at  at El Cortijo De Los Caballos in Spain

THREE FACTS: (1) Hayley & Ashley met on Tinder (2) Ashley proposed with a Haribo ring (after which he pulled out the actual engagement gem!) (3) Hayley is converting to Judaism to marry Ashley.

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Converting to Judaism

The next chapter for me was I would need to convert to Judaism before our wedding on 17th September 2017 to make sure we could have the chuppah and the dancing on the chairs*. The process started by trying to locate a synagogue, which proves to be difficult if you live the wrong side of Brentwood! Ashley was told by one of his friends that his sister-in-law converted and the name of the synagogue, what was then called South Woodford Liberal Synagogue but which is now known as ELELS (East London and Essex Liberal Synagogue).

Our first meeting with Rabbi Richard Jacobi was Early February 2016. We met at the South Woodford Synagogue where I was asked a lot of questions including “Why I wanted to convert”? After our long hour and a half meeting I left feeling more puzzled then when I went in, Maybe the conversion wasn’t right for me after all?

We decided to attend shul weekly for about 3 weeks and then once again we met with Rabbi Richard to see how I was getting on attending Shul. Feeling slightly more relieved than last time I was again asked the same question “Why I wanted to convert”? I feel like I had answered the question sufficiently but again I was not given a start date for the Conversion to Judaism class. I felt slightly disheartened at this and kept asking Ashley why? 

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Charlotte from Sex and The City converted for her Jewish wedding to Harry…

Why do I want to convert?

The third and final meeting I was handed a sheet of paper and asked to write down my answer to that very question… “Why I wanted to convert” I wrote down everything I could think of and why this was important to both ashley and I. I completed it and handed it to Rabbi Richard, whom looked over it and next thing I was booked onto the conversion classes which started the following week, by this time it was March 2016. (Later I found out that Rabbi’s have a rule and want you to be completely sure, that’s why they ask you three times!)Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Jewish Outdoor Destination Wedding With a Groom in Suit Shorts at Suikerbossie, Cape Town, South Africa

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Strap in, folks, because we’re about to jet off to Cape Town for an all-inclusive trip to Barbora and Adam’s divine destination wedding. 

Chosen for its stunning outdoor offering, the pair tied the knot in a boho-casual Jewish ceremony at gorgeous Suikerbossie, Hout Bay, Cape Town. The laid-back style was set by groom, Adam, who fulfilled his dream of wearing suit shorts – we do love a groom in suit shorts!

Adam and Barbora proved that nothing is a disaster. From a bridal dress swap, just a fortnight before the wedding, to bridesmaids’ dress dramas, nothing kept these two from their dream day. 

A wedding photo booth is always an amazing thing to have, but we’re particularly enamoured with the cute caravan exterior – what an utterly steal-able idea.

The day was full of fun, heart and personality – by the end of the party, even grandma was out of her wheelchair and swearing enthusiastically into the microphone, singing along to old-school music. What a sight that must have been to behold!

Massive props to Paul Toeman Photographers, for capturing such a big, beautiful production so beautifully and sensitively, and stay tuned for groom Adam’s brilliant and entertaining writeup of his big day with his beloved Babs. Over to Adam!

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An outdoor experience

Adam, the groom: We got married at Suikerbossie, which is a wedding venue in Hout Bay, Cape Town. We loved this venue, mainly because of the location, and our plan was to try and create an outdoor experience, so this place was perfect.

The garden also had a really cool swing that Babs fell in love with from the moment she saw it! On top of that, the venue offer a Kosher menu, and also played a big role in the on-site management of all suppliers.

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A DIY ‘Jew-Bu’ Wedding at The Wildflower Barn, Driftwood, Texas, USA

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There’s no two ways about it, Rachel and Michael’s gorgeous Texas Jew-Bu wedding ticks all of the STG boxes. Creative? Tick. Cool? Tick. Unique? Tick. Emotional? Tick. The couple’s quirky, alternative vibe was evident in every little detail.

With a little help from some very crafty friends, acupuncturist-moonlighting-as-an-office-manager, Rachel and product manager / DJ, Michael put their personalities into all of the DIY touches, from their origami cranes to their Tibetan prayer flag chuppah, their sunflower centerpieces to their gorgeous home baked cakes, courtesy of a friend.

Rachel looked every bit the beautiful bride in her stunning, textured Theia Couture gown, chosen for its immense huggability (totally a word), which we think is just adorable. We also have total style envy over her cute cat-eye makeup look and lashes!

The day was recorded for the ages by fabulous photographer, Caitlin McWeeney, we hope you enjoy the images, and Rachel’s brilliant write up, as much as we did.

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How we met

Rachel, the bride: We met at a party in May of 2008. Michael was DJing. I danced. The rest is history!

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Win a Hebrew-ish Cake Topper from Isralove Design

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We’ve been busy celebrating Smashing The Glass’s 4th Birthday and our rebrand and have been enjoying lots of delicious cake! With cake still on our minds we have a fabulous competition for you in association with our much loved STG Recommended Vendor, the super talented Isralove Design .

We’re giving away 3 of their super stylish ‘Hebrewish’ cake toppers that will make your wedding cake even more special! Isralove designs can be customised to match the style and character of your wedding and are available in natural wood or acrylic black.

Such a gorgeous detail to add to your wedding cake and will look fabulous in photos.  

To enter all you need to do is to like this image on Instagram and tag a friend in a comment at the bottom of the Instagram post. Please note you must also follow both @smashingtheglass and  @isralovedesign on Instagram to be eligible to win.

The competition is open to you wherever you are in the world, so hop on over to Instagram and bag yourself a gorgeous cake topper! 

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15 Top Tips for Couples Planning a Jewish Wedding

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Image: David Morgan Photography

Have you been enjoying  our two minute Jewish wedding tip videos that we’re posting on our Facebook page every day this month?!

We hope you’re finding them useful! Of course you’re going to get a lot of advice in the run up to your wedding — all of it well intentioned, some of it helpful, some… less so!

But if there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that you can count on advice from experts. So as well as our Two Minute Tips, we got in touch with our family of Recommended Vendors to ask them what their top piece of advice would be for Jewish couples who are planning their weddings.

We absolutely love these nuggets, and think they’re extremely helpful, so jot down some notes and take heed of the following words of wisdom!

1. Personalize your chuppah

Michal from Michal K. Events Israel said: “Take your time to plan your chuppah, and personalize it the way you need to around the Jewish requirements. There is a lot you can do to incorporate your friends and family in the service and most rabbis will work with you both to visualize it. This post on Smashing The Glass has hundreds of different chuppah ideas to inspire you”.


See more work by Michal K. Events Israel

2. Be in the moment

Herschel from Herschel Gutman Photography said: “Don’t spend the day getting caught up in the finer details, rather spend the day loving your family and your spouse.”


See more work by Herschel Gutman

3. Incorporate things that are important to you

Debbie from Qube Events & Productions said: “Make sure your wedding reflects you! Think about what is it that you both love, enjoy doing, things that bring you together or even quirks about your personalities and bring these to the wedding. Don’t get carried away with what people tell you should do, make sure its special for you, and what you really want.”Continue ReadingContinue Reading