Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Jessie & Craig | Spectacular book-themed Jewish wedding at the New York Public Library, New York, USA

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I’m not sure you can get much cooler than Jessie and Craig’s New York City nuptials. Their Jewish wedding has it all. The glamour, the style, the chic, and the unique. I almost died when I first clapped eyes on their chuppah design — I’m telling you, it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen, and you’ll have to excuse me for including so many pictures of it.

Prepare to be green eyed folks as I cannot possibly deny that this W-Day may cause some serious wedding envy, namely because of the exquisite fashion that bride Jessie sported on the day itself. Firstly there are her Christian Louboutin clear heels with silver studs, swiftly followed by her divine Reem Acra dress. Honestly Jessie has the most wonderful sartorial taste.

And what with getting married in the iconic New York Public Library, I haven’t even begun to tell you about how well-executed their literary bookish theme is. I’m talking real-life librarians helping guests find their seats, library card catalogue escort cards, and a chuppah made entirely out of antique books! But wait, it gets better. Their chuppah was topped with hundreds of lightbulbs, so when it came to smashing the glass at the end of the ceremony, the groom picked out a light bulb from their chuppah to smash, and swiftly stamped on it. Have you ever?

So if you want to take a page from Jessie and Craig’s wedding (see what I did there?!), now’s the time, as I’m handing over to the beautiful bride for the story behind her big day. All of the fantastic photography is by the wonderfully talented Dave Robbins, and design is by AaB Creates.

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Intimate and Joyful Israeli Wedding Organised in Just 3 Months at Lawrence Gallery, Old Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel

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I have a real sweet treat of a Jewish wedding for you this afternoon folks. Set amidst the boats and charm of Old Jaffa in Tel Aviv, today’s W-Day was planned in just 3 months (nope, I’m not even kidding!) and is bursting at the seams with lots of personal and thoughtful touches.

Rachel and Moshe both come from Modern Orthodox backgrounds, yet it was important for them to make their ceremony as egalitarian and personal as possible. For example, for the Sheva Brachot part of their Jewish wedding ceremony, they invited couples to come up to the chuppah together. The man said the traditional blessing, whilst the woman wrote a personal blessing. Rachel says, “hearing the personal blessings written by the closest women in our lives was so moving and special. They are words that will accompany me throughout my life.”

They also loved the concept of having a procession with klezmer musicians parading through the alleys of Jaffa, leading them to their chuppah in a park overlooking the city and the sea. To them, it felt very timeless, reconnecting to a special tradition that doesn’t happen so much anymore.

Today, not only do I have the usual dose of W-day eye candy for you, taken by the super talented Noa Magger (in particular I am loving the Jaffa harbour images, and the ‘party faces’ of the guests – you have to check them out!) but for those of you that may be stressing over every minute detail in the run up to the big day, Rachel’s words are both wise and super helpful. I particularly love what she says at the end of the post: “I think the biggest piece of advice is to find ways to incorporate friends and family in a meaningful way —  I think it makes for the best memories.”

So true… Let’s hear more from Rachel and Moshe, a smashingly creative, fun and outgoing couple.

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Win a luxury overnight stay at The Hospital Club, London’s coolest private members’ club and wedding venue

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Hospital-Club
The Hospital Club in London’s Covent Garden is the only private members’ club designed specifically for those in creative industries,  and as a  member since 2009, it’s been my ‘home from home’ for many years.

Founded by musician Dave Stewart, of Eurythmics fame,  and Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, the Hospital Club opened  in 2004, as a hub where creative types could create, connect, and collaborate. Spread over seven floors with stunning interiors including  cocktail bars, lounges, a restaurant, 36-seater cinema, TV studio, art gallery, and 15 extraordinary  bedrooms, it  caters  for creative  professionals  who are looking for something super cool, friendly and collaborative.

As well as being London’s hippest  private  members’ club, it’s also the perfect space for couples looking for somewhere really stylish  and different for their wedding venue.

It  boasts a range of versatile spaces each with its own unique style and flavour, as well as  a team of chefs and mixologists who can tailor-make and prepare the perfect menu (kosher or just  Jewish-friendly!) whatever your theme and budget.

A couple of months ago in  January 2015, fifteen  sumptuous  bedrooms were added to the mix which means that  for the first time ever the Hospital Club is  opening it’s doors to non-members. The rooms are luxuriously appointed with leathers, velvets, sumptuous woods and  jaw-dropping works of  contemporary art,  and I’m giving one lucky reader and their companion  the  chance to sneak in, party hard, and crash out in comfort in the Hospital Club’s top suite, complete with  dinner in the club restaurant, and breakfast the following morning.

The suite (a.k.a. the crash pad of your dreams) comes complete with a  private terrace, separate lounge area,  erotic minibar by Holloway Smith Noir, brain power tool kits by the School of Life, insider guides to London,  and a 7pm cocktail trolley with your own personal bartender!

For the duration of your stay, you’ll  also be able to make full use of all member privileges including the club’s 3D cinema, pool room, cocktails bars, and the enviable schedule of member events.

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My interview with Bruce Russell, the internationally renowned luxury wedding planner

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Image: John Nassari

I first met high-end W-day  planner, and ‘wedding whizz kid’ Bruce Russell last September at the launch of his  latest project,  The Bridal Room, Britain’s first ever online luxury bridal destination. I was bowled over by his ideas, creativity and charm, and we have since connected many  times, at the Wedding Blog Awards  and  Brides The Show;  over breakfast  in Marylebone, and through his work at London’s iconic  Savoy where he is the hotel’s resident wedding expert.

Being quite the ‘wedding entrepreneur’, I wanted  to get the inside scoop on Bruce, and find out about the man behind the brand.  I discovered that he treasures his  end-of-day swims at The Four Seasons Hampshire, he greatly admires  Anna Wintour, Hilary Clinton and The Duke of Cambridge, and that being over the top à  la Kim and Kanye can sometimes be  just fabulous! Let’s get the full story…

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Images left to right: Amara /  John Nassari

So Bruce, what’s the ‘Bruce Russell’ story? How did you build up your business, and what made you become a wedding planner in the first place?

I have always wanted to build a business – and a brand – working in the events sector, but from a very personal perspective. Given my love of the bridal industry, this naturally led to weddings, the By Bruce Russell brand and, ultimately, the launch of The Bridal Room.

The Bridal Room is a partnership with my good friend – global luxury brand and marketing specialist – Jo James, who has a great deal of experience in the travel, hospitality, events and bridal industries. The two of us met during our time working at COMO Hotels and Resorts, and it was during a business trip to Cocoa Island in the Maldives that ‘By Bruce Russell’ and this exciting new venture were first discussed. Serenaded by the sounds of the Indian Ocean we scoped out the bare bones for the project on paper napkins – international entrepreneurialism at its best!

Having noticed a gap in the industry as to how top London venues managed their wedding clients, I approached The Savoy with a proposal to manage their wedding enquiries. This ultimately led to the ‘By Bruce Russell’ brand and the growth of a brilliant team at The Savoy that I still manage today.

The Savoy partnership has undoubtedly helped raise my profile in the industry and led me to work with some of the industry’s best suppliers, experts, artists and craftsmen — most of which form part of The Bridal Room. From my early days at The Savoy, the ‘By Bruce Russell’ brand has expanded internationally and I am delighted to have a wide-reaching global client base.

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Sarah & Ben | Jewish Muslim Bangladeshi Wedding at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

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I hope you are ready for elegance, sophistication and a touch of magic this Tuesday afternoon. Sarah and Ben’s’s gorgeous wedding embraces four vastly different cultures (Judaism, Islam, USA, Bangladesh) and has more than a touch of class about it.

It’s a vibrant fusion of culture, tradition and romance, and they absolutely nailed it when it came to creating the perfect balance of rituals. They chose to have two wedding ceremonies back to back so that they could incorporate all their separate traditions and still have one unified moment when they could walk out together as husband and wife. They also tried to incorporate little touches that reflected their personalities, such as having their ring “bear” be a giant stuffed panda that Sarah had given to Ben when they first started dating. What a super cute idea!

Aside from all the wonderfully rich cultural details, I love that their wedding cake and petit fours came from the same bakery that had created Ben’s parents’ wedding cake thirty-seven years ago…

It’s also so lovely to see a non-white wedding dress on STG this afternoon. Sarah really is  the most breathtakingly beautiful bride, don’t you think?

Images come from the fabulous Joy Marie, back with a bang to Smashing The Glass with this wedding. As always, she captured every last detail beautifully — I really struggled to chose the images for this post! Joy Marie is a Smashing Supplier, so can always be relied upon for beautiful images. And at the end of the post there’s the wedding film from Matt Giesler too – watch out for a magical sparkler exit followed by a horse-drawn carriage. Oh my!

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