Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Save The Day with John Lewis

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John-Lewis-Wedding
John Lewis  has always been close to my heart, in fact to most Brits  it’s  pretty much an institution upon which we’ve always relied on. From picking up my first pair of knitting needles for a school project, to getting those navy, leather Mary-Jane school shoes we all wore, and in more recent years bulk-buying cotton sleep suits for my own children, John Lewis has always been there for me.

Apart from that familial reliability – and those heart-wrenching Christmas ads – the other major association most people make with John Lewis has to be the infamous you-can’t-go-wrong wedding gift list.  And again, trusty JL was there for me at one of life’s most important milestones.

But what you may not realise is just how much “wedding” they actually have within those beautifully curated floors.

It really is a bridal cornucopia, an Aladdin’s cave. From occasion wear, gifts, stationery, haberdashery, decorations, fizz and make up, there’s no doubt about it — when it comes to weddings – John Lewis is ALL  over it.

And because it’s so trustworthy and established, it manages to keep everybody happy.  There’s something for every kind of couple, whether you’re seeking classical big day perfection or  a quirkier, more offbeat feel.

John Lewis Wedding
Haberdashery / Wedding Craft

For me, where John Lewis really stands out is as THE home of haberdashery.  And for those who think haberdashery is just a few different types of buttons, think again.

John Lewis has an unmatched range of ribbons, silks, embroidery, braids, fabrics, zips and, yes, buttons.  But also an incredible range of wedding craft and accessories  — its the place where you can pick up the floral corsages, buntings and all the add-ons to bring your big day vision to life, no matter how creative.

And  they also have really cool decorative bits and pieces that can totally liven up your home long after your big day is over. How gorgeous is the East of India range? And take a look at these Rico Alphabet Decor letters  — they’d be just as fab on a shelf in your hallway, as they would be placed next to a guest book at the  wedding.

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Smashing Wedding Consultancy is here!

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Today I’m so very  excited to introduce Smashing  Wedding Consultancy. Designed in response to the many and varied calls for help I receive  on a daily basis, I felt it was time to take Jewish (and Jew-ish!) wedding advice and inspiration to the next level with exclusive consultancy sessions.

It’s an entirely fresh concept, and combines expertise drawn from both my time at Smashing the Glass, and more than a decade in award-winning creative design and branding. Wherever you are on your wedding planning journey, I’ll give you all the advice, inspiration and direction you need via a unique one-on-one two hour session — so you’re free to create a wedding that’s totally, utterly, wonderfully you.

You can read all about my Wedding Consultancy service  here  (or by clicking on the image below),  and don’t  miss a special launch day introductory discount for the first three brides or grooms to book. I can’t wait to hear from you!

Smashing-Wedding-Consultancy

 

Art Deco Jewish wedding in an airport museum and hangar, at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum, Houston, Texas, USA

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 Airport-Museum-Wedding
It goes without saying that your choice of venue is one of the most important pieces of your wedding puzzle. I personally love unusual wedding venues so when Elisheva Golani‘s submission dropped into my inbox, and I saw a wedding that took place in an Airplane Museum and hanger, I literally squealed with joy!

And it gets better — one of Talia’s bridesmaids was Balushka of the incredible Balushka Paper Floral Artistry who created an abundance of paper flowers to adorn the chuppah as well as decor for the entire space. Her work is totally and utterly gorgeous, and the paper floristry fills the space brilliantly.

There’s also a blush-coloured wedding gown, a surprise bottle dance choreographed by the groom and his friends, a sparkly confetti canon, and a bride and groom entrance from a vintage airplane to the sound of Rocky’s Theme Tune!

Talia and Barry are one super cool, super creative couple and I cannot wait to show your their W Day. Fasten your seat belts folks!

paper decor flowersAirport Museum Weddingpaper flower decorFiddler on the Roof bottle dance
How we met

Talia, the Bride: Ours is an interesting story – we were first set up 10 years prior to our engagement, by my dad and his tennis partner in 2005. We went on our first date and Barry took me to an Ethiopian restaurant, opened doors, brought me flowers… the whole 9. He was a total gentleman, but alas I was just beginning to explore life as an adult and so was he – needless to say we were both very different people back then. After one date, he called, but I wasn’t interested. Of course, years later, he stuck in my mind as being the kind of guy I needed to date,  we reached out to each other on a few occasions- but we were never able to meet up. Finally, we were able to meet for coffee and we were together ever since… He proposed 10 years to the day of our first date- we even went to that same Ethiopian Restaurant! (good thing about engineers is that they keep EVERYTHING).

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“My best Jewish wedding photo” by Rhapsody Road

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A weekly series where  I ask some of the world’s best wedding photographers to pick out their favourite shot from their Jewish wedding portfolio. This week it’s the turn of Em from  Rhapsody Road Photography.

Rhapsody-Road

‘Elation by Rhapsody Road Photography

Look at all these faces, all these joyful expressions! Aren’t they wonderful? Look at the bride, Jemma. She’s emotional, she’s both tired and wide awake, she’s so bloomin’ happy! Don’t you just want to jump up and dance, to wave your arms around and feel the same? That’s what I think every time I look at this image. I remember each and every person in that room, each friend and family member there to share this huge day, to offer their support to the commitment of love and friendship that Jemma & John have just made. What an amazing moment. Thank you Jemma & John for sharing it with me.“

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An Ossie Clark Bride for a Super Cool Afternoon Tea Interfaith Jew-ish wedding at Home House, London, UK

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Home-House-London-wedding
I am whole-heartedly in love with this super sassy, achingly chic wedding set in the magnificent  Home House, one of my favourite places  in London (and the place  I chose to get ready for  my wedding  and spend the  first night  of married life!).

Think sophisticated fashion and an abundance of green and white  blooms mixed in  with some brilliant creative details, a vintage Rolls Royce, so much love and warmth, and a wonderfully intimate Jew-ish wedding ceremony, complete with a beautiful chuppah and of course the  smashing of the glass!

I first heard from the bride two years ago when she emailed me  looking for ideas for her interfaith  ceremony, and I was so flattered to hear how the blog had helped her in the planning of her Jewish-Catholic  wedding.

I just wanted to say thank you for Smashing The Glass  —  I’ve found it massively helpful! I am Catholic and my fiancà©  is Jewish, so we really want to combine the best of both religions, and as the planning has fallen to me I’ve found it a really helpful resource to refer to.”

These kind of emails are the sort of thing that I thrive on so thank you so much Jess!

And  isn’t she  just the  most stunning Bride? She has that natural, thrown together look we all long for, but somehow never achieve (or maybe that’s just me).  She wears the most astonishing vintage Ossie Clark dress paired with Bionda Castana courts. Simply divine.

And the groom rocks the fashion stakes too with a very sharp suit, and you won’t want to miss the brilliant message sewn on the inside of his  collar which is revealed right at the bottom of the post. It’s a MUST SEE — it  will definitely make you chuckle!

I want to also  single out the couple’s exquisite stationery designed by the super lovely and talented  Ruth Kaye Design  and calligraphed by the ludicrously talented  Paul Antonio Scribe. I know these suppliers  very well and it’s so good to see  their work  at the epicentre of this wedding.

Of course it’s not just the decor and creative details that make a wedding awesome, it’s how much of a good time everyone is having and this lot  are having A REALLY GOOD time, all captured  by the wonderfully talented Rebecca Goddard whose work I’m  thrilled to be featuring on the blog today. Enjoy this one folks…

Home House London Wedding

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