Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Rebecca & Daniel | An ‘Autumn in New York’ themed Jewish wedding with Mexican influences, and the bride in a jumpsuit, at Palm Door, Austin, Texas, USA

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… And the bride wore a jumpsuit! Oh yes. I’m so excited to feature a bride wearing such an iconic, sassy, fashion statement. Move over Solange Knowles!

And why not? Rebecca wasn’t having a trad day — after all it was her second wedding to Daniel (more on that later) — and she decided she wanted to wear what she felt most spectacular in. And that was an elegant Alice & Olivia white, wide leg, cut out at the back jumpsuit with beautiful lines and the required bridal magic to make a big entrance.

In the imitable words of Rebecca “I realised that since this is my wedding … I could wear whatever I wanted”. You go girl! This is such a great reminder to all brides out there planning your day — try not to get bogged down in the “should’s” — it is after all your day!

The courage of this couple’s conviction rings strongly throughout. Undaunted by the fact that they couldn’t have the dream Central Park wedding, Rebecca and Daniel simply picked up the idea and brought the New York wedding to Austin, Texas. Complete with a Big Apple in the Fall theme. Check out those flowers, and the autumnal foliage winding round the chuppah!

Unsurprisingly the invitations came with a very creative and modern twist – which is completely STG. They both designed and customised Paperless Post save the date cards and invitations, splicing old photo booth pictures together — gorgeously personal and fun – and emailed them to their guests.. A great tip for saving money as well as adding a classy, individual touch.

There was one family tradition however that they certainly kept up with – Friday night dinner at the Tex Mex. The night before the wedding Rabbi Robbi lead them all in the Tex Mex Shabbat prayers over tortilla chips and margaritas. Upstaged only by Daniel’s uber romantic proposal.

Elissa R Photography captures the day …

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An ‘Autumn in New York’ themed wedding in Austin, Texas

Rebecca, the Bride: We got married at the Palm Door on Sabine, an event space in downtown Austin. There was no real significance to the space, and since we live in New York we decided to have our wedding there based entirely on the recommendation of my parents who had seen a concert there during SXSW. It ended up being the perfect space though, with a homey but refined feel that really fit in with the entire character of the wedding.

Our general theme was “Autumn in New York.” We live in New York, and it had been a dream of mine in high school to get married in Central Park in the fall. Coming back to Austin for a November wedding, we decided to bring the New York Autumn back to Texas with us. The colour scheme was Autumn colours. We worked with Emily Leach of Bird Dog Wedding
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How much does wedding photography cost – and other such quandaries

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Image: John Nassari

After several requests from readers for such a piece, I asked the wonderful Anna MacDougall from Bride & Glory to educate us all about indicative pricing for each aspect of your wedding to give you an idea of what to expect budget-wise whilst you’re in the planning stages. I know it ranges hugely but for example, many new brides-to-be have no idea if a professional photographer costs £50 or £5000! 

Anna has put together this really helpful (and very readable!) post on pricing and why services/products cost what they do. She covers every aspect from photography to videography to the ceremony, the venue, catering, transport, wedding cake, hair + make up and more. Over to the lovely Anna…

And today, my Ducks, I shall talk to you about all things wedding budgeting — albeit not in my usual capacity of stressing the importance of setting, prioritising and (mostly) sticking to a budget. Instead, I’m venturing into the rather treacle-y and controversial terrain of trying to provide guide prices for some of the most common wedding suppliers you’ll be ticking off as you move through your wedding to-do list.

The reason why this is such a tricksy and much debated topic is the fact that it is the proverbial example of the ‘how long is a piece of string’ question. You’ll probably have seen a plethora of price guides in wedding magazines and, at the risk of alienating all editors collectively now, you’ll find that a lot of us wedding suppliers aren’t the biggest fans of their breakdowns. Not always but pretty often, they paint an unrealistic picture of average costs to expect, which leaves both you and the supplier feeling frustrated.

I honestly believe that there is no such thing as a representative ‘average cost’. Last year, I worked with one couple who spent £12,000 on their wedding day and another who spent £97,000. They both had the same main elements: ceremony, venue, catering, photographer, hair & make-up artists, florist, cake, DJ, transport — they were just very different in style and cost. Do you see why an average price is about as hard to find as a unicorn?

So rather than average costs, I’ll look at realistic starting points for professional services, and there’s a reason why I emphasise the word professional (and twice, no less).

How much does wedding photography cost
Image: Babb Photo taken from Missy & Yoni’s wedding

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Chitter Chatter with Louise Beukes, wedding stylist and blogger

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Louise-Beukes
Image: Anneli Marinovich

Chitter Chatter  is a  series I’m running all about  inspirational women in the wedding industry whom  I greatly admire. These women successfully combine  running their own business with married life and, in a lot of cases, raising a young family.  The ‘Chitter Chatter’  twist is is they have to answer my questions  in just 140 characters or less….

Today I’m chitter chattering  to  Louise Beukes, founder and editor of  B.LOVED, a place where she indulges and shares her passions for weddings, interiors, fashion, travel, family and beauty. Super talented Louise also creates trend-led editorial shoots for  Louise Beukes Styling. This women certainly knows her ‘pretty’!

What was your first job?

My very first job was an assistant in a garden centre — I’ve no idea why this appealed, I’m the least green fingered person you know!

Tell me more about your career before launching b.loved

I worked as a commercial designer in London for 10 years, designing high quality offices for some of the world’s biggest (and smallest!) brands.

What made you start  b.loved  ?

I fell in love with being inspired, so decided to do a little inspiring of my own!

What inspires you to keep growing and developing your business?

I think it’s innate in every business owner — the desire to do and be better drives me on.

What obstacles have you overcome along the way?

Leaving my day job was the biggest psychological barrier, it takes a while to get used to not having a regular income!

Louise Beukes
Images:  CKB Photography

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Rachel & Nikki | Jewish lesbian wedding with a nature-inspired theme, at Temple Emanuel in Kensington, Maryland, USA

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Rachel and Nikki put together a Jewish wedding full of warmth and love with a very personal vibe. Their day was all about sharing, loving and being together, and they designed their entire ceremony so that every part of it was intentional and meaningful.  It was based on a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, with adaptations for their progressive values and the fact that they were two women.

One element I particularly love is that their processional to the chuppah was led by Nikki’s and Rachel’s 97-year-old and 87-year-old (respectively) grandmothers walking hand in hand down the aisle. Apparently there wasn’t a dry eye in the room from that moment on.

Sustainability was also central theme of their big day. For the centrepieces they chose bamboo, orchids, bonsai trees and succulents planted in driftwood. Guests were able to take these home with them and Nikki and Rachel said how wonderful it has since been to visit family and friends after the wedding and see the plants in people’s homes.

Rachel and Nikki are here to tell you more about their special day, along with images from Michael Temchine.

Temple Emanuel wedding
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Chitter Chatter with Anna MacDougall, Wedding Planner and your ‘Go-to Girl’ for all things weddings

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With the latest addition to our family there’ll be a few subtle changes to the schedule of the blog for the coming weeks while I’m adjusting to life with our new baby.

I’ll still be posting the very coolest real Jewish weddings every week, but there’ll also be a brand new feature running where I interview all sorts of inspirational women in the wedding industry whom I greatly admire. These women successfully combine running their own business with married life and in a lot of cases, raising a young family.

The series is called Chitter Chatter and the twist is is they have to answer my questions in just 140 characters or less….

Today I’m chitter chattering to Anna MacDougall, the ‘Go-to Girl’ for all things weddings. Simply put, she plans, preps, and provides the sense of calm you need if planning your wedding day becomes a little stormy. She’s one of the UK’s best wedding co-ordinators and I’m proud to also call her a guest writer for Smashing The Glass.

Anna lives in a small and crumbling (former) Chapel in Buckinghamshire with her husband Calum, and two dogs, Barley and Rufus. She runs her business full time from home, where the doors are always open for visitors.

What was your first job?

I guess my very first job was helping out at my granddad’s apple orchard during harvest. My first ‘real’ job was with an advertising agency.

Tell me more about your career before launching Bride & Glory

I worked in marketing and events for a London agency, mainly in and around Formula One. Lucky me, that also meant living overseas for a while.

What made you start Bride & Glory?

The realisation that today, couples plan their own weddings but have no one to hand over to so they don’t have to project manage the day itself.

What inspires you to keep growing and developing your business?

I can’t say this less cornily: the unwavering belief in the value my service offers and the sheer love I have for my job and my couples.

What obstacles have you overcome along the way?

Launching and running my own business has been the scariest thing I’ve done but what I’ve learnt through it is literally priceless.

Anna Macdougall
Image: CP Photography

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