Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Create an epic wedding with Israeli event organiser Danny Marx

by

Danny-Marx-Events-Weddings
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.

Danny Marx Events Weddings_1532 Danny Marx Events Weddings_1536 Danny Marx Events Weddings_1542 Planning a wedding in Israel — or an Israeli-style wedding anywhere in the world

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.

Danny Marx Events Weddings_1581  Danny Marx Events Weddings_1553 Danny Marx Events Weddings_1545

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

by

Karen-Cinnamon-Smashing-The-Glass
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.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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

by

destination-jewish-wedding-cote-dazur-france_0030

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.

destination-jewish-wedding-cote-dazur-france_0031 destination-jewish-wedding-cote-dazur-france_0028destination-jewish-wedding-cote-dazur-france_0012
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.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Texas-meets-Jewish knees up wedding with pie on Pi Day at Hyatt Regency La Jolla, San Diego, California, USA

by

jewish-wedding-san-diego
Yeeehaw! Get ready for a cool cultural collision you just don’t see every day.

Taylor and David were best friends for several years before a fateful kiss after a West Wing marathon prompted them to realise what had been right in front of them all along.

Their Texas-meets-Jewish wedding, captured by husband-and-wife photography team, Shane and Lauren Photography, was planned specifically to fall on March 14th, a.k.a. Pi Day.

Pi, a number that goes on indefinitely, was the perfect choice to echo Jewish wedding traditions, such as the breaking of the glass under the Chuppah with the sentiment “may your marriage last as long as it would take to repair this glass” (forever). We reckon the idea is a must-steal for math-loving Jewish couples everywhere!

In keeping with the Pi theme, the couple served… you guessed it — pie! Mini pies in mason jars were served for dessert and the couple cut an apple pie instead of a wedding cake. In fact, good luck reading this entire post without getting hungry — if you manage it, you’ve done better than the Smashing the Glass team.

To honour San Diego’s growing craft beer scene, they also had an epic beer bar and gave out koozies (fabric sleeves designed to keep a drink warm, for any non-Texan natives out there) as favours.

Over to Taylor to take us through all the details of her and David’s big day…

jewish-wedding-san-diego-california_0005jewish-wedding-san-diego-california_0034jewish-wedding-san-diego-california_0023
From best friends to husband and wife 

Taylor, the bride: David and I met in law school. We were both student representatives for Kaplan Bar Review and got to know each other better by working there. I graduated school and then came back two years later to work in San Diego for Kaplan Bar Review in a full-time position. He was in his last year of school and was still a student representative and we reconnected.

We were best friends for over a year and a half with no romantic involvement. I dated other guys (that he knew), he dated other girls (that I knew) but no spark was there. 

Then, eventually, something changed.  A few days after Valentine’s Day in 2013, we were both single (him very newly so having just broken up with a long-distance girlfriend) and hanging out at his house watching The West Wing and we kissed. 

We became even more inseparable after that day, got a dog named Bartlett (named after the president on The West Wing), and got married a little over two years later.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Five ways to wear personalised wedding Converse

by

personalized converse
My much-loved ‘Smashing’ personalised Converse  

We all love a bit of wedding glam – but skyscraper heels aren’t always for everyone, or even for every part of a wedding. If the idea of burning up the dancefloor (and your poor feet) in your Jimmy Choo’s seems a little impractical, if you’re a tall bride who doesn’t want the extra inches, or if you simply want something comfortable and alternative to wear on your big day, then Converse are the perfect low-key wedding shoes. 

But just because you’re in flats doesn’t mean you can’t look fabulous – quite the opposite, in fact. Did you know that Converse can be personalised for your big day, and in the cutest ways. In fact, when I first came across the idea, I loved it so much that I just had to get a Smashing the Glass branded pair for myself (see above pic — I don’t only talk the talk, I walk the walk!)

Over the years, we’ve had the pleasure of featuring many real weddings starring these casual-chic beauties, and we’ve put together a little digest of the very best ways past brides and grooms have personalised their wedding Converse. 

1. And the bride changed into Converse

converse-wedding-white
Real bride Sarah’s white wedding Converse

It’s the bride’s prerogative to wear the comfiest shoes. If you’re set on heels then one option is to have your Converse as a second pair of shoes to change into for the reception. There are so many options – go for white for a twist on the traditional, or a pop of colour to make your Converse a standout feature. You can personalise them however you like: opt for your own name, the word “bride” or even a nickname or an in joke. 

2. Couples’ Converse

personalised-wedding-converse-2
Dana and Jacob went for a marvellous Mr. and Mrs. combo

Matching couples’ Converse will look adorable in your wedding photos. Whether you choose to adorn them with your names, your initials or you go for Mr. & Mrs., Mr. and Mr. or Mrs. and Mrs., it’s just one more adorable way to personalise your wedding and show your unity as a married couple on your happy day.

personalised-wedding-converse-3
Bride and groom, Rachel and Robert, signed off their Converse with their shared initials

3. Embroider them with meaning

personalised-wedding-converse
Love won out at Melody and Michael’s arty wedding celebration

Do you have a particular saying, ethos, political statement, lyric, line of poetry, an in joke or anything else that is symbolic to you as a couple? Your personalised Converse can be a lovely, subtle nod to something meaningful that you share together, and something you plan to take into your married life with you. Plus, with a personalised slogan, you can wear your Converse again and again, evoking fond wedding memories every time you put them on. 

4. Kit out your wedding party with Converse

converse5
Smashing couple, Madalyn and Aaron, made the groomsmen’s Converse a part of their creative theme

Continue ReadingContinue Reading