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How to Choose Your Ketubah {with Danny Azoulay}

12/01/2023 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

The absolutely enormous variety of ketubahs out there can overwhelm even the most know-what they-want, self-assured kind of couple—let alone the rest of us. But choosing your ketubah doesn’t have to stressful – and with a few helpful tips, it can be one of the most meaningful and enjoyable parts of your planning process.

We asked internationally acclaimed Israel-based ketubah artist Danny Azoulay, who has been designing ketubahs for years, for some guidance on how to choose the right ketubah, one that reflects your shared vision and aesthetics as a couple and speaks to all the hopes and dreams you bring to your married life. Danny shared some truly great advice, so if you’ve yet to select your ketubah, do read on!

Get Started

As a first step, Danny suggests narrowing the field. Limiting your search from the beginning by asking yourself these basic questions can help you avoid getting overwhelmed. You’ll probably find you have a good idea what you like and what you don’t care for as much, so a try to not get waylaid with choices that will utterly throw you off course.

First off, think about the style you prefer. Are you looking for:

  1. Something classic
  2. A traditional design
  3. Contemporary
  4. Eclectic

Then, figure out your color scheme:

  1. Soft palette: pastels
  2. Whites and off-whites
  3. Bold colors
  4. Metallic embellishments; gold or silver

Stay on Budget

First, the good news: there are beautiful ketubahs available to suit all budgets, so no matter how much or little you have to spend, you can find something beautiful and meaningful.

But, if ketubahs are your thing and you have a little wiggle room in your budget, Danny suggests that this might be an area where you’ll want to splurge a little. After all, your ketubah is one of the few things from your wedding that you’ll get to take home with you after the celebrations are over—and so many STG couples proudly display their ketubah as a piece of art in a prominent place in their home.

Narrow It Down

Another suggestion of Danny’s is, after you have narrowed your search, to place your 3-4 semi-finalists side by side—either as printouts or on the screen. Seeing one next to the other really can prove helpful in being able to reach a decision, or at least at narrowing it down to the finalists.

Now, you need to ask yourself, which one do you want to live with and look at for the rest of your life (Sounds familiar, right?).  After a day or two, return to that question with fresh eyes one more time to be sure of your decision.

Work Together

When you make your choice, it’s not just the final result that matters; you’ll also want to think about what the process of creating your dream ketubah will be like. Remember to pick a company or artist that is professional; one you’ll be able to work with easily and who has good lines of communication. Danny Azoulay says this is a major consideration:  “The process of text and personalization requires that your ketubah maker be aware of all the possible pitfalls involved with different text requirements, and especially about timeline.” He also encourages couples to contact the artist they’re considering and feel them out before committing.

Choose Your Text

Now to the most important part: the text. When figuring out your ketubah text, the first thing you’ll need to do is check with your rabbi or officiant. They may have a set text they require to use.

If that’s not the case for you, you’ll have some choices to make. You can search for a text that is representative of their beliefs, values and view of the life you will create together as a couple. You could also consider writing your own text.

Regardless, if you’ve found an artist you like, be sure to check out the texts that artist can provide, and how flexible they are when it comes to using custom text. No matter how gorgeous their art, if they can’t work with the text you need it’s not a fit.

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Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained – The Ketubah

11/01/2023 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Ketubah
All imagery by Blake Ezra Photography. 

Welcome to the first post in our 8-part series of Jewish Wedding Traditions explained.

This week it’s all about the Ketubah. The Ketubah is the name of the traditional Jewish marriage certificate; in Hebrew the word Ketubah literally means ‘something written’.

The content of a Ketubah has always traditionally been a one-way document detailing what the groom must provide to the bride in their married lives together, which includes three main things — clothing, food and physical relations.

This ancient document used to deal with concepts such as payments for marriage, which in today’s modern world simply aren’t applicable to most of us. One passage says, “All my property, real and personal, even the shirt from my back, shall be mortgaged to secure the payment of this marriage contract.” We can understand it not as a way to “secure the payment” of the marriage, but as the groom saying to his bride, ‘everything I have is also yours, down to the shirt on my back’.

The Ketubah - Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained
If you’re planning a wedding the Ketubah can be a great thing to personalise to make it more relevant to you. A Ketubah can be decorated in many different ways, with illustrations around the text or colours that represent something about you, indeed there are many artists who custom-make Ketubot, all with a presence on the internet.

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Giveaway: Win a Custom Jewish Wedding Monogram to Brand Your Big Day

10/01/2023 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

To celebrate a simply smashing engagement session, we’ve teamed up with Jewish Wedding Monogram over on Instagram to give one lucky couple a unique emblem of your love to illustrate your wedding day and beyond.

Mega-talented artist Elise Lerner of Jewish Wedding Monogram specializes in helping couples brand their Jewish weddings with bespoke monograms – in Hebrew or English – that tell your one-of-a-kind love story.


We are such fans of the way Jewish Wedding Monogram beautifully ties together the spiritual and aesthetic elements of your special day, and one of her custom monograms is the perfect touch to personalize your stationery, benchers, kippot, and more.

Why Get a Custom Jewish Wedding Monogram?

When you choose to work on a custom Jewish wedding monogram with Elise, she’ll get to know the two of you so she can create a monogram that speaks to your personalities, styles, and relationship – this is so much more than a simple initial monogram like you’d get embroidered on a towel or tote bag!

After the Wedding

And while there’s no limit to the opportunities to use your monogram in branding your big day, having a custom monogram symbolizing your union as a married couple can serve as a wonderful souvenir to take into your married life, too. Put it on a challah cover or etch it onto a wine glass and be reminded of the wonderful memories of your wedding day, and the promises you made to each other. If you’re in the US, you can even have your monogram made into custom postage stamps – perfect for those thank you notes!

The Prize

The lucky winner of our competition will receive one custom designed Hebrew or English monogram incorporating the bride and groom’s initials to be used for wedding invitations & remembrances, valued at $500. Art will be camera ready.

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A Mediterranean Garden Wedding Full of Love, Lemons, and Olive Trees at Beit al Hayam, Jaffa, Israel

09/01/2023 by Karen Cinnamon 1 Comment

Elinor & Daniel, Beit al Hayam, Jaffa, Israel

Some Jewish weddings just make you feel like you’ve stepped into another world. In the case of Elinor, a business manager in LA for people in the show business world, and Daniel, a software engineer, that world is a Mediterranean garden fantasia full of vibrant blue and yellow tones, olive and lemon trees, and, of course, plenty of flowers.

Elinor and Daniel knew they wanted to craft a wedding that would make their friends and family from abroad feel as if they were stepping into the couple’s home – and to make their vision a reality, they opted to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Bebke Productions. Gev and Inbal of Bebke are masters at putting together weddings that transport you, and they were the absolute perfect choice for this very special day.

In Elinor and Daniel’s words, Bebke Productions was “simply amazing,” working closely with the couple and handling every detail of the day with aplomb – as well as creating a killer atmosphere filled with fun touches like signs styled like Mediterranean tiles, an epic cocktail bar with signature drinks, a dining area modeled after an Italian courtyard, and so much more – don’t miss all the wonderful touches in the photos from Jen Sladkov.

There’s so much more to say about this very special Jewish wedding – read on for the whole story!

Elinor & Daniel, Beit al Hayam, Jaffa, Israel   Elinor & Daniel, Beit al Hayam, Jaffa, Israel Elinor & Daniel, Beit al Hayam, Jaffa, Israel Elinor & Daniel, Beit al Hayam, Jaffa, Israel
How we Met

Elinor, the bride and Daniel, the groom: Our moms were in the army together and stayed friends. When I moved to LA, I was invited by Daniel’s mom to a Chanukkah party at her home and there I met Daniel.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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A Family-Focused Jewish Wedding in Teal and Silver at The Prado at Balboa Park, San Diego, California, USA

06/01/2023 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Krystal & Richard, The Prado at Balboa Park, California, USA

We love it when a couple focuses their wedding on the things that really matter – which is exactly what today’s couple, Krystal, a chief in the Navy, and Richard, a construction manager, did. Early on, they decided they wanted to craft an intimate, budget-conscious day centered around family and faith, and their joyous San Diego Jewish wedding at The Prado at Balboa Park was exactly that.

Including family was key to the couple every step of the way. Krystal planned the wedding alongside her mother, mother-in-law, sisters, and sister-in-law, and on the day family members did everything from reading the seven blessings to leading the toasts. Including the memories of relatives who had passed away was also top of mind for Krystal and Richard, and, in addition to a memorial table with 4×6 picture frames with photos and names, during the ceremony the couple’s rabbi read out the names of late loved ones.

Family members also signed the couple’s stunning ketubah, which they found via Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com. They chose the Infinite Love Papercut design for its bright colors, and they loved working with Ketubah.com for their quick response times, variety, and ease of changes for text or delivery dates.

Krystal was a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club throughout her wedding planning, and we’re so touched to hear that she found the group a big source of support in everything from figuring out how to honor loved ones who have passed on, trimming down a guest list, and whether – and how – to manage a successful hora with a smaller crowd.

This was truly an incredible wedding – don’t miss the joy-filled photos by Bruna of Elegance in Frame Photography to see all the love and happiness of the day!

Krystal & Richard, The Prado at Balboa Park, California, USA Krystal & Richard, The Prado at Balboa Park, California, USA Krystal & Richard, The Prado at Balboa Park, California, USA Krystal & Richard, The Prado at Balboa Park, California, USA
How we Met

Krystal, the bride: Picture it, San Diego, 2020. It was Richard’s first time out in years and my first time out since returning from a six-month deployment. It was going to be a much needed ladies night since restaurants and bars were finally open again.

As the ladies were looking for an empty table, Richard was holding one down for the fellas who just stepped away. I asked if we could share his table to finish our drinks, he kindly obliged, and the rest is history. I remember he wore a black t-shirt with a hamster in the pocket (proof he didn’t go out that night looking for a girlfriend) and conversation sparked because we’re both Denver Broncos football fans.

He had such a bright and handsome smile that the first time he laughed, I swooned. Classic story of guy meets girl during a pandemic, right? It’s funny because earlier that week I deleted all the dating apps on my phone and told myself I was going to be single for a while. Well, clearly Hashem had other plans for me. We met on a Saturday night, first date was Tuesday, and by Thursday he asked me to be his girlfriend. 10 months later, he proposed!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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