Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Real Jewish Brides: Being Engaged to Your Fiancà© vs. Being Engaged With Your Fiancà©

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Don’t get me wrong, I love planning our wedding. I happily spend lunch breaks reading Wedding Wire, Smashing The Glass and The Knot for vendor reviews (and searching for the perfect flower girl dress!), but I can’t help but realize there is a huge difference between being engaged to your significant other and being engaged WITH your significant other, which many people (and internet search engines) seem to ignore.

When searching “being engaged with your partner,” one of the first articles that popped up was a lengthy list of things to do after getting engaged featuring steps like “tell your parents,” “get a manicure,” and “perfect your proposal story.” While I admit to fulfilling most of the suggestions on the list, I wish it included topics like know each other’s love language or schedule pre-marital counseling. Maybe this thought process is influenced by my counseling education/background or my fear of divorce, but I think emotional engagement is something that needs to be fostered and protected at all stages of a relationship to avoid taking each other for granted and focusing on the unimportant.

All that being said, here is my advice for being engaged WITH your significant other while planning your wedding:

Continue date nights and non-wedding related activities.

When we first got engaged, all I could talk about was getting married and how great our wedding is going to be. While I still believe it’s going to be the best day ever, it can’t be the only thing Harley and I talk about for 16-month engagement period.

I think it’s extremely important to remember what you love about each other and your relationship by continuing to enjoy one another’s company through date nights and shared hobbies even when your wedding is not the topic. For Harley and I, this means we still cheer for our hockey team at least once a week, tease each other over our Fantasy Hockey League standings, and take advantage of our Disney Annual Passes as often as possible. Even if it’s a busy time and we’re just chatting about our day while cooking dinner, the time we spend together is always important and a nice break from work and wedding planning activities.

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24 Great Gifts for Brides-to-be & Grooms-to-be

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With the first night of Chanukah and Christmas Eve falling on exactly the same day this year, I thought it might be fun to create some holiday gift guides for every kind of budget! I’ve picked out my current fave picks for you and your groom-to-be / wifey-to-be / newlywed friends across a range of price brackets. I hope this edit helps you find some unique gifts for your loved ones… and don’t forget to buy something special for yourself (I call it self-giftification!)

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1.  Wifey For Lifey beaded cotton clutch by Sophia Webster $945  //  2. ‘Mrs’ necklace by Kate Spade $88  //  3. Shearling Audio Earmuff by Ugg $100  //  4. Wedding Consultancy by Smashing The Glass $440  //  5. Bridal Wine Tote by Kate Spade $88  //  6. Wifey For Lifey sandals by Sophia Webster $750  //  7. Bride Cap by ASOS $15  //  8. Cowshed and Soho House spa experience by Soho Home $350 /

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A New York-style Jewish wedding in Paris, with a customised Junko Yoshioka dress and stunning Louboutins

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We have a super special real wedding on the blog today — one so beautifully designed and executed that you’re definitely going to want to jump into the pictures and live there! This wedding didn’t just marry the happy couple, but also two iconic fashion capitals, so put the kettle on, settle in and let yourself be whisked away…

Style-savvy bride, Krissy, really put her skills from her amazing job as visual merchandising manager for dreamy Anthropologie bridal sister brand, BHLDN, to fantastic use. Her stunning design scheme brought together the urban cool of New York City with chic Parisian style. The colour palette was understated black and white with pops of colour — all captured in stunning detail by Brian Wright at French Grey Photography.

This trà©s chic real wedding took place against the oh-so-romantic backdrop of Paris, France, with a gorgeous ceremony in the outdoor courtyard of the Westin Vendà´me.

The wedding was packed with beautiful little heartfelt details. Krissy and Josh opted for champagne and strawberries instead of wedding cake, and for their favours bought everyone a Ladurà©e cookbook. Their copy doubled as the guest book.

When Krissy bought her Junko Yoshioka dress from Bridal Garden in NYC and customised it so that it would really show off her sublime Christian Louboutin heels (seriously though — just look at them), she never dreamed that mentioning this fact to her doctor would lead to the most amazing coincidence. We won’t ruin the surprise, but the story is absolutely amazing!

Despite Krissy’s parents sadly being unable to make it to the wedding due to her father falling ill, the couple forged ahead with their plans, bravely making the most of their beautiful big day. Enjoy this one folks!

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How we met

Krissy, the bride: We met on a rooftop at a French bistro in Brooklyn. We dated for four years before getting married.

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13 Insanely Fun (and Affordable) Wedding Ideas from Etsy

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It goes without saying that every wedding is special and unique – but one thing that our Smashing the Glass couples tend to have in common is their commitment to making their wedding as individual as they are with some lovely unique dettails. Even after all these years and countless real weddings, we never cease to be surprised by a new and original detail that we haven’t come across before. That ethos is the reason we’re such huge fans of Etsy. 

Etsy is a place of endless imagination. Small businesses and sellers lovingly craft a mixture of fashion-forward and traditional wedding wares, which can often then be personalised by the couple to create a one-off wedding-day treasure. While would never dream of denying you the joy of a long Etsy hunt, we have come across a few gems lately that we just couldn’t keep to ourselves. Here are thirteen of our favourite affordable, creative Etsy wedding finds.

1. Have your wedding logo made into a rubber stamp £12

Have a custom stamp made with your wedding logo and have fun branding all the different details of your big day! It’s amazing how simple this is to do and how much fun you can have doing it (FYI I wrote a whole post on how to brand your big day with a logo here.)

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2. Create a custom slogan veil  £37

Say it loud and proud with a slogan veil. This double layered, shoulder-length veil is handmade to order with the word or phrase of your choice (up to 12 characters). I love the idea of having one with your new married name on it!

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3. Create a personalised cake topper £65

Have your names, your new surname, or any phrase you fancy stop your wedding cake!
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4. Have some fun with your dance floor signs £6

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Make Your Wedding a Work of Art with Paper Anniversary

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How is it possible to make the most memorable of days even more indelible? At  STG we love anything out of the ordinary when it comes to weddings, and  today we are posting something truly unique.

Meet  Paper Anniversary,  the brainchild of artist Candice Hirson, that specialises in hand painted bespoke artwork, inspired by your relationship and love story.

I truly believe that the art in your home tells the story of who you are. Our walls (and shelves) are full of mine and Mr STG’s choices, some pieces we’ve chosen together and some are from before we even met. All of them are meaningful and special to us in one way or another. None more so than a painting of me pregnant with our first child. It’s captured such an exceptional moment in time and anyone who sees it is drawn to it probably for the same reason.

That’s the sentiment Paper Anniversary work on. What could be more personal an expression of you and your husband and tell your story than an authentic piece of art, inspired by your relationship and wedding day? Candice (Ms Paper Anniversary) will immortalise that loved-up shot with amazing intuition and sensitivity  into a piece of art to hang for all to see.

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A great gift for your partner, or the  couple who have everything

You can commission  Paper Anniversary to create a totally extraordinary first wedding anniversary gift (paper anniversary) for your partner or wow a close friend or relative with this unbelievably thoughtful wedding present.

As it’s so subjective, gifting art may normally seem like a tricky business and buying for a couple adds a further challenge of keeping both parties happy, however with such a common interest — namely their wedding day — I think you’re in safer, chartered territory.

And let’s face it paying tribute to a friends relationship  like this will certainly set you on the right path to becoming the most astute and considerate present giver ever!

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