Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

An Intimate Farm-to-Table Jewish Wedding with Pacific Northwest Vibes at Christianson’s Nursery, La Conner, Washington, USA

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When Isabel, who’s completing her PHD in clinical psychology, and Kyle, who works in tech, set out to plan their Jewish wedding, they knew they wanted to focus on keeping things local. Taking their inspiration from the glorious Pacific Northwest surroundings of the bride’s hometown, the duo planned a local, natural, intimate farm-to-table Jewish wedding, and we are all about it!

Christianson’s Nursery in La Conner, Washington, was the perfect setting for the day, which featured tones of cream, green, and terracotta for a smoky late summer Pacific Northwest wedding vibe. They opted for natural flowers to complement the nursery setting – and incorporated lots of the nursery’s own potted plants into the décor, including potted herbs in terracotta pots as table centers!

Photographer Madison Bay and videographer Kyle Olthoff were the perfect fit for the natural feel of the day – read on for the full story in Isabel’s own words!

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How We Met

Isabel, the bride: We met on Tinder many years back! It was unexpected but we clicked instantly and the rest is history. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Spend Your Honeymoon in Caribbean Paradise at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, the Caribbean’s Ultimate Kosher Travel Destination

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If you’re looking for a positively swoon-worthy honeymoon destination that combines luxury, romance, fine kosher dining, and adventure, let us introduce you to Grand Hyatt Baha Mar.

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is not only one of the most stunning properties in the Bahamas but is also the only luxury hotel in the Caribbean offering a full range of in-house kosher dining options. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Jenny Yoo Bride for a Romantic Winter Jewish Wedding at Danversport Yacht Club, Danvers, Massachusetts, USA

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We’re obsessed with all the personal touches Massachusetts couple Madeline, who manages an academic research program focused on traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases, and Adam, an emergency room physician, put into their very special Jewish wedding.

Madeline and her mother planned the wedding themselves, Madeline’s college friend Shelby hand crafted all of the signage to match the theme and flowers, and, best of all, the couple put together a fabulous wedding program including fun touches like a bingo card providing unique details about guests so that people would feel more comfortable mingling and getting to know each other while filling in their cards! Such a clever idea.

We also love that Madeline and Adam, realizing that their winter wedding would include lots of indoor photos and difficult lighting, specifically sought out a photographer who they knew could excel in these conditions – and they found the absolute perfect fit in Eric McCallister.

There’s so much more to say about this beautiful Jewish wedding, but we’ll turn you over to Madeline, who looked so glam in Jenny Yoo, for the rest…

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Bringing Jewish Joy to the Wedding Industry with the UK’s First-Ever Jewish Wedding Industry Lunch at Manchester’s Kimpton Clocktower

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Last month, I was honored to co-host the UK’s first-ever Jewish wedding industry lunch with beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kimpton Clocktower Hotel Manchester. The day featured incredible kosher catering by another wonderful #STGvendor Feast by Ed, plus so much more from some of the North of England’s top wedding professionals. 

While I’ve been to some wonderful wedding industry events in my time running Smashing The Glass, none has ever made me feel totally seen as a Jewish woman in the business – and I was lucky to find wonderful partners who are just as committed to inclusivity and representation as we are here at Smashing The Glass. 

With the event taking place in Manchester, we decided to focus on the UK’s Northern Jewish wedding scene, and it was so special to be able to bring some of the biggest names in Jewish weddings from Manchester and beyond together in one (totally breathtaking!) room.

We worked with an extraordinary team of vendors who made it a day to remember: Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kate Swerdlow Photography captured the beautiful images in this post; Giraffe Flowers was the mastermind behind the gorgeous florals; wonderful live calligraphy by Inkspiration Artist; and String Infusion provided the soundtrack.

Let me walk you through the whole wonderful day – which was truly a celebration of Jewish joy, made possible by such an incredible team of Jewish and non-Jewish wedding vendors alike.

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A Stella York Bride for a Winter Jewish Wedding Filled with Warmth at The Grove, Chandler’s Cross, UK

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Sophie & Josh, The Grove, UK

We love it when a couple assembles a fabulous team of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to make their Jewish wedding the day of their dreams – and that’s exactly what today’s couple did.

Sophie, who works in account management for a marketing agency, and Josh, a chartered accountant working at a fintech company, made it official at The Grove in Hertfordshire, a local spot that was truly the perfect fit for their glam winter wedding.  

Their overarching goal was “a stylish wedding with a room filled with love and warmth” – and judging by the moving photos by Paul Toeman and video by #STGvendor Denee Motion – both of whom Sophie and Josh adored working with – they achieved it and then some.

#STGvendor Big Day Designs “were so helpful and produced the most stylish and beautiful stationery and invitations,” and two fabulous #STGvendors came together for an epic night of music: Eitan Freilich served as Sophie and Josh’s chazzan, and The Function Band handled the rest. Both were “absolutely incredible.”

In Sophie’s words, “Eitan helped us with options as we were not sure beforehand what we would like, although we did know we wanted to have the songs to tunes of songs that we know.”

As for The Function Band – the lead singer of which happens to be Josh’s first cousin – “they really went over and above what we were expecting for us both and our families,” not only providing the kind of music that kept guests on the dancefloor all night long but also helping in coordinating the day.

There’s so much more to say about this beautiful wedding, but we’ll turn you over to Sophie – who looked so elegant in Stella York – for the rest…

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How we Met

Sophie, the bride: We met in our first year of uni (Nottingham Trent) and started going out in second year. We have been together for 8 and a half years and bought our first home together in January 2021.Continue ReadingContinue Reading