Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Carolina Herrera bride for a destination Jewish Wedding in a castle at Castello di Vincigliata, Florence, Italy.

by

Jewish-wedding-Florence
Today’s gorgeous bride first made contact with me back in 2014, when she was looking for supplier recommendations for her destination wedding in Florence. I immediately noticed that her email signature read ‘Head Scientist at playdohlab.tumblr.com‘ and I thought, WOW, I really do have the coolest readers in the universe!

And her wedding does not disappoint. Whilst it isn’t play doh-themed (which I was secretly hoping for!) it’s a delicious destination set in an astonishing castle in Florence, and the crazy thing is, I attended a wedding in the very same venue last summer!

Anna and Chaim enlisted the help of SposiamoVi (one of my much-loved Smashing Suppliers) to plan their big day, and what a great choice they made. Their fabulous wedding included two bridal gowns (a Carolina Herrera and a MaxMara Bridal), lace-adorned Jimmy Choo’s, exquisite Louis Purple tailoring (with some wonderful embroidered personalisation), Chaim’s father officiating the wedding, a brilliant band that included the bride’s uncle, as well as some glorious Tuscan candle favours (Anna says she wanted to create a memory of the wedding through smell), and an unplugged chuppah ceremony — something that I’m a really big fan of. Anna said:

We requested no cameras, smartphones, or iPad use by any of the guest during the chuppah — we wanted everyone to be in the moment. The only people taking pictures and videos were our photographer and videographer.

And what a fabulous pair they were: Edoardo Agresti captured all the stills, and Marco Caputo‘s film is simply a must-see at the end of the post.

A gorgeous couple in fabulous attire having their day their way. Perfect.

Jewish Wedding FlorenceJewish Wedding Florence
An orthodox Jewish wedding in Florence

Anna, the Bride: My parents actually met in Florence and live there part of the year. I also have a large extended family that lives in Europe, so Florence was convenient destination for many guests. For those that would have to travel, I knew that a long weekend in Florence would be the most irresistible magical getaway.

Originally, I wanted to get married in the Great Synagogue of Florence, as it just takes your breath away, but then we saw Castello di Vincigliata, a castle in the Tuscan hills- how could we not pick it? We contemplated having the chuppah in the synagogue and then transporting guests to the castle, but ultimately we thought the schlep to and from would disrupt the atmosphere. Chaim had his Shabbat Chatan at the synagogue so guests that attended were able to experience the beautiful Sephardi service and architecture.

Jewish Wedding Florence

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

“My best Jewish wedding photo” by Andrew Billington

by

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  Andrew Billington.

Andrew-Billington-Photography

‘A  small moment in a big  day’ by  Andrew Billington

This is a really tough choice because the wedding day is usually so energetic, emotional and full of animation that I could pick any stunning photo from the dancing, or speeches, or prayers, or Badeken and it would really sell me as a photographer. But my approach to photographing weddings is all about storytelling so as well as all those moments mentioned above (which are a delight to photograph and always deliver great results) I’m looking for those subtle, quieter moments that tell you about the couple as well as the ritual.

I’ve chosen this very small moment from Sally & Joe’s wedding ceremony at The Priory Barn, Little Wymondley. I think the expressions are perfect as they listen to an important part of the ceremony. It’s not a big show stopping photograph but it is one that tells me something about the couple. It’s a small moment in a huge day – and those small moments add up.”

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Best of Bridal Week: Mira Zwillinger Wedding Dress 2017 Collection

by

As New York Bridal Fashion Week heads off to an exciting start, it is with great pleasure that we share with you our very first look at Mira Zwillinger‘s breathtaking new collection.

With the upscale exclusivity of the Harmonie Club setting the scene for the show, beaded vines and branches, leaves, flowers and petal appliquà©s adorn the luxurious fabrics, every detail transporting us to the beauty of nature. As the name suggests, ‘Whisper of Blossom’ is a tantalising collection of luxurious, à¼ber-feminine creations evocative of the whimsical energy of winter turning to spring. Mira Zwillinger’s signature silhouettes, graced with textured silk organza, the softest of sheer tulle and Chantilly lace, all made for the bride to feel at her most sensual and intriguing.

A WORD FROM THE DESIGNER

After every long winter comes a spring, inspiring new life in its wake. First buds appear on base branches and he magic of nature unfolds. Our Spring 2017 Collection is a nod to that magic. From fabric springs art and handmade creation blossoms with ornate beading and hand-cut ivory and blush flower appliquà©s. Spun from sheer illusion silk tulle, the collection came together in a symphony of luxurious femininity.

Every dress from Mira Zwillinger’s Spring 2017 collection is pictured below. You can read more about Mira Zwillinger and other Israeli wedding designers taking the world by storm here, and if you want to take a peek at exquisite Mira Zwillinger being worn by real brides on Smashing The Glass, head over here.
Mira Zwillinger 2017 Wedding Dress Collection Mira Zwillinger Wedding Dress Collection_0002 Mira Zwillinger Wedding Dress Collection_0003 Mira Zwillinger Wedding Dress Collection_0004 Continue ReadingContinue Reading

My dream gift list from Prezola…. What would you choose?

by

Prezola-gift-list
From experience, creating a gift list can often be a  daunting part of wedding planning when really it should be one of the most fun. Wandering the aisle with a scanner gun whilst navigating a department store can cause serious headaches, and quite frankly the technology  is more than a little outdated. Plus, what happens if you’re already living together and don’t need another cutlery set, or you have taste that’s a little cooler than your average department store?

Enter  Prezola, a trailblazer of a service who are taking gift list-ing to a whole new level and are re-inventing the experience for modern couples. Of course they offer all the gift list essentials (and 30,000 of them at that) but they also cater to your personal taste and unique story. Not only will you find items that reflect your interests from tech to travel to wine and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, there’s also gorgeous home decor from over 300 of the best homeware brands, and if it appeals, you can also ask your guests to contribute to your honeymoon fund, favourite charity, or even cash to put towards something special. Added to that, you can add in any product from any retailer if it’s not part of their own curation. As personal as it gets, right?!

And because choice is at the very core of  Prezola’s user experience, Mr STG and I were asked  to to go fantasy gift list shopping for our own apartment, and for anything else that appealed to  our exceedingly good taste! Reason no. 18342 why I love my job…

Prezola-gift-list-Karen-Cinnamon

Choosing items for our apartment

Some of you may have seen pictures of our  apartment already on  Instagram. It’s a former piano factory with urban  views over London and has  a  ‘warehouse’ feel (you can see a glimpse of it up there at the top of the post). Our interiors style is a combination of  minimalism, pop art, a love of design and typography, and an urban yet cosy feel – a real mix I know!

Our list is filled  with some interiors  decor that I  frankly have to have  for  our flat, as well as some amazing cookware (for suppers à  deux  and dinner parties), some fun bar accessories (we are partial to an Aperol Spritz or three), our favourite board games, art, books, some sailing action… the list goes on!  Have a look at  my page to see all our choices or have a  quick glimpse of our absolute faves below.

Does your taste match ours? What are your favourite products on Prezola? I hope I’ve inspired you to hop on over to Prezola  to start visualising your future home together. There really is no place like…  Prezola!

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Reem Acra bride for a whimsical Jewish wedding at 632 on Hudson, West Village, New York City, USA

by

Jewish-wedding-at-632-on-Hudson-West-Village-New-York
Get ready to gasp! I genuinely struggled to keep my chin off the floor whilst putting this post together as Sabrina and Nick’s Jewish wedding just exudes SO much style and originality.

For starters their choice of venue is 632 on Hudson — a private home in the West Village and an artful renovation of an 1847 townhouse. By combining the best of several eras, the venue literally sparkles with style and imagination and makes for an astonishing ceremony backdrop — certainly one of the most original I’ve ever seen. The ceremony took place in the 40-foot Atrium (topped with an Italian Renaissance ceiling) with their guests lining the spiral staircase, looking down through the cleverly designed chuppah by Chuppah Studio.

There is so much to swoon over and take in, including of course our utterly adorable bride and groom who look super stylish in their attire (Sabrina in breathtaking Reem Acra, Nick in bespoke Doyle Mueser).

There are some genius (but brilliantly simple) favours, fabulous jewel-coloured flowers, and the sleekest letterpress stationery with a wonderful melding of elegance and pizzazz.

There’s also a generous helping of advice by French-American Sabrina in her brilliant wedding report, in particular where she talks about the importance of  finding chemistry with your vendors. On another note I just have to single out this line of Sabrina describing how she wanted her make up to look: ‘I just wanted to look like myself, but slightly Photoshopped!”. Love it!

Mademoiselle Fiona has captured each and every moment to sheer perfection and she just may have taken the best group shot in the history of Smashing The Glass. This wedding is definitely one to be bookmarked so you can enjoy swooning over it time and time again. I know I will be!

Jewish wedding at 632 on Hudson West Village New York
how we met

Sabrina, the Bride: Nick and I met in college when we were 18 but didn’t start dating until after graduation when we moved to Bangkok together to teach English for a year. He was certainly more gifted than I was as a teacher but you get to know someone really well when you’re living in a country 5000miles away and don’t speak the language.

Jewish wedding at 632 on Hudson West Village New YorkJewish wedding at 632 on Hudson West Village New York

Continue ReadingContinue Reading