Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A fun festival Masorti Jewish wedding with a bride in an Alice Temperley dress at South Farm, Hertfordshire, UK

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Every now and then, one of those real weddings lands in the STG inbox that just genuinely looks like so much fun that we wish we would have been invited too!

Between the vintage funfair games, pink flamingos, glamping, bouncy castle, ice cream truck (in that order, we hope) and photobooth, as well as providing a crà¨che for their friends’ kids, this conscientious couple could not have put more effort into keeping their guests entertained.

Charlotte and Dan’s fun-filled, laid-back, festival-style wedding took place at South Farm in Royston, Hertfordshire and was shot by photographer Kristian Leven.

Bride, Charlotte, wowed with fresh flowers in her hair and an an Alice Temperley dress fit for a boho bride (and for a quick go on the bouncy castle!).

Charlotte and Dan didn’t let the disappointment of their outdoor ceremony being rained off spoil their big day. Instead, they ran with their plan B, moving the ceremony to the barn. Forget crying babies, this couple had to contend with oinking pigs and crowing cockerels, making their Masorti ceremony all the more interesting.

Equality was also an important factor in the planning of the day. The Masorti ceremony was chosen due to its inclusivity and Charlotte delivered a speech, as did her close, female friends. Who runs the world?

In true festival style, the party went on until the early hours — a roaring success all round. Let’s hand over to Charlotte to tell us more about her and Dan’s special day.

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How we met

Charlotte, the bride: Dan is my big brother Paul’s best friend. Naughty naughty…

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A quirky, outdoorsy venue at South Farm in Royston, UK

We chose to get married at South Farm in Royston due to its laid-back style and country feel. It was the only venue we looked at because we knew exactly what we wanted. We aren’t into fussy formal weddings and we wanted everyone to feel relaxed and happy.

The venue is quirky yet beautiful and we had free range to personalise it which was really important to us. I grew up in the country and am quite outdoorsy and so wanted the venue to reflect that.

South Farm is not too far from London (50 minutes) but still has that rural feel. We wanted to make the wedding as stress free as possible for everyone especially seeing as were married on a Monday.

Everyone that worked at South Farm was so passionate about the venue, in particular the incredible chef Matt and our beyond amazing event organizer Becky. I could not have asked for more helpful, dedicated and lovely people to help plan the day with.

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Facebook Live Catch Up: Jewish Wedding Q&A

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Last night we went LIVE for the very first episode of our exciting new monthly show especially for the STG worldwide community, and it was so much fun!

We talked about everything from the best high street bridal designers to my new pink shoes (?) to our exciting upcoming collaboration with The Savoy to how to make your friends and family feel included at your wedding to why we smash the glass to… you get the idea — we talked about everything under the ‘wedding’ sun!

It was fantastic to feel the warmth of the STG community around the world — a BIG thank you to all of you who joined! The replay is above in case you couldn’t join us live.

This was the first in a monthly episode of STG shows that will be aired live on the last Wednesday of every month on Facebook at 8pm GMT(that’s 3pm EST, 12pm PST, and 10pm in Israel) to coincide with #WeddingWednesday.

Next month’s show is going out on Wednesday 22nd February 2017, and I’ll be joined by one of my favourite wedding photographers, the magnificent Blake Ezra, for a ‘Get All Your Wedding Photography Questions Answered’ live show. More details nearer the time… but you can be sure that the ‘halo effect’ in  yesterday’s show will not be making a reappearance when a photography expert is involved!

I’ll leave you with some useful links relating to some of the topics I talked about in yesterday’s show:

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Create an epic wedding with Israeli event organiser Danny Marx

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Montana & Justin’s real Israeli wedding, planned by Danny Marx, blogged on Smashing The Glass

Today I am SO excited to feature one of the most impressive wedding planners and producers that I’ve come across — Danny Marx. He’s a born and bred Jerusalemite who specialises in creating destination weddings in Israel AND Israeli-style weddings all over the world.

I’ve got a serious soft spot for Israeli weddings — I just love a chuppah under the stars and an all-night party vibe. Not to mention the boundless amounts of food, colour and absolute JOY. But we can’t all get to Israel for our big day. So if you want the Israeli spirit for your wedding, without the travel, Danny Marx really can bring the party to you.

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Whether in Israel or elsewhere, Danny aims to create an unforgettable day, rammed to the rafters with an authentic feel-good vibe. But with a background in film, he also knows what LOOKS GOOD. He’s got an eye for stagecraft and delivers glamour.

A visionary? Yes. But reasonably priced? Totally.

His past clients have called him honest, patient, organized, professional, tactful, charismatic and positive. I myself had the pleasure of meeting Danny a few months ago in London and he was utterly delightful. He was keen to let STG readers know that he organises weddings for ALL BUDGETS. Bear in mind that this is a man who’s created epic events in some of the most exciting venues — including the iconic Tower of David.

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How it works

After initial contact, Danny and his partner Alon, will meet you, whether it is in Israel or abroad. This is usually after several phone calls and emails. 

The most important thing is your vision – how you’d like your wedding to look and feel. From that point Danny Marx and his team plot a preliminary theme and get going to find the perfect selection of venues, service providers and content suppliers.

The aim is to give total peace of mind throughout and Danny and his team tends to every logistical part of the wedding, especially with very complex, outdoor or unique sites. They are the ultimate safe pair of hands.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Ask Karen anything on Facebook Live, Wednesday 25th January at 8pm

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Smashing the Glass is going live tomorrow… and you’re invited!

Join me for the very first episode of an exciting new monthly show especially for the STG worldwide community! The show will air live from my home, on the last Wednesday of each month on Facebook at 8pm GMT to coincide with #WeddingWednesday.

I’ll be hosting the first episode, a Facebook Live Wedding Q&A tomorrow, Wednesday 25th January, at 8pm GMT (that’s 3pm EST, 12pm PST, and 10pm in Israel).

As well as answering all of your burning wedding planning questions, I’ll also give you the lowdown on what’s been going on behind the scenes at STG this month and let you in on the latest news and gossip from the world of Jewish weddings! 

I’ll also share exclusive details about an incredibly exciting new competition coming soon to STG! It’s a big one so make sure you tune in so you don’t miss out.

We’ll be chatting in real time, so you can ask me anything live during the broadcast, or you can make sure you don’t miss out and submit a question in advance by emailing karen@smashingtheglass.com

Future shows will feature expert guests from the wedding industry, so make sure you put the monthly date in your diary.

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A spectacular Jewish destination wedding with a bride in a Howard Green dress at Villefrenche-sur-Mer, Cote d’Azur, France

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There are destination weddings and then there are destination weddings, and Justine & Barry’s dreamy South of France outdoor W Day definitely falls into the latter category.

The couple, whose international background (Justine grew up in South Africa, while Barry is originally from Zimbabwe and has lived all over the world) meant they had their pick of stunning destinations, chose the idyllic Villefrenche-sur-Mer, Cà´te d’Azur — a private chateau on the mountains above Nice overlooking the coastline.

This discerning couple put so much careful thought into each and every detail. There is so much to talk about — from the beautiful way Justine describes her connection to the religious ceremony and its traditions to both family’s own respective sentimental customs, including a ring that has been passed down through generations of the family and used in over 100 weddings.

The couple kept their series of events exciting by including a series of surprises, including an epic first dance that the couple still sneakily re-lives to this day and drip-feeding their guests details about the astounding destination. They also showered their lucky guests with lovely and thoughtful gifts, favours and special treats including luxuriously tempting macarons, a drinks trolley with fine liquors, pashminas, flip flops and kippot. It makes us wish that we’d been invited!

We could go on forever about the amazing attention to detail and the heart and soul that the couple poured into planning their big day, but we think that Justine does such a wonderful job of describing the events that it’s time to hand over to her. Take it away, Justine.

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Stunning views at Villefrenche-sur-Mer, Cà´te d’Azur

We were married at the Domaine du Montleuze in Villefranche-sur-Mer. It’s a private chateau at the top of mountains above Nice, overlooking the entire coastline.

We got engaged in late March 2016 in the Swiss Alps and wanted to contrast our winter engagement with a summer wedding.

It is worth mentioning at this point that I grew up and lived in South Africa before moving to London five years ago. Barry, originally from Zimbabwe, has lived in multiple countries including South Africa, before moving to London eight years ago.

A summer wedding in South Africa was naturally expected. However, we wanted to be different and have something unique, something wildly romantic and intimate, but also a crazy party. Plus, it had to be easily accessible. Europe it was.

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