Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog - Page 65 of 402

A Rustic Jewish Wedding all about Travel and Music at Offley Place, Hitchin, UK

17/02/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s couple are lucky to have careers they’re passionate about: Ekaterina is a live events producer, and Richard is a VP of sales working for a travel company. So it was only natural that music and travel played a big role in their fabulous Jewish wedding – as did the pair’s shared love of all things rustic.

They found the perfect spot to combine all the things they love in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Offley Place in Hertfordshire. It ticked ALL their boxes for a countryside feel and easy access from their home in North West London, and provided the perfect backdrop for their gorgeous rustic florals and birch chuppah. Check it out in the wonderful photos by Steven Porridge ad Julie Kim Photography.

With Ekaterina working in live events, and she and Richard being music lovers, a top-tier band was always going to be a priority. And Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Sensation Band was the absolute perfect fit. From the chuppah to the dinner to the party, “they were incredibly engaging and really delivered a phenomenal performance.” Ekaterina reports that guests kept commenting on the performance and asking the duo where they’d found such an awesome band!

Realizing it’s easy to make a wedding all about the bride, Ekaterina knew she wanted to incorporate Richard’s love for travel into the wedding too – and we’re obsessed with the creative details like “wedding passports” as wedding brochures, a departures board as the table plan, and boarding passes for place cards.

Read on for more from the bride…

How we Met

Ekaterina, the bride: A friend of ours introduced us during lock down and we knew pretty much straight away that this was a soul connection. The truth is, this was actually the second time we met – just a more successful rendez-vous than the first one. After a few romantic walks in the park, I had told him that he “felt like home”, that’s when I knew he was my soulmate as he made me feel whole.

We got engaged in April 2022 and decided to get married before the chagim that year (September 2022), which didn’t leave us much time for preparations! We also bought a house that summer and had some changes at work. A very turbulent year! But it is these bumps that made me even more sure of my choice in partner as we held each other’s hand through it all.Continue Reading

Going Pear-Shaped: Why Pear Is THE Diamond Shape of 2023 for Engagement Rings {with Keyzar Jewelry}

16/02/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Alright, hands up – how many of you out there are sneaking peeks at STG while waiting to get engaged? No worries, we’ve all been there – and we’ve got you covered when it comes to picking 2023’s hottest diamond shape.

Move over, round cuts and emeralds – pear-shaped engagement rings are having a serious moment, and we are here for it! This elegant and unexpected shape has so much going for it – and we were so thrilled to be able to chat all about pears with the experts at Keyzar Jewelry.

Keyzar is a fabulous jewelry company on a mission to revolutionize online jewelry shopping. Their goal is to make you a co-designer of your own heirloom jewelry, using their website to create exactly the piece you want.

We love Keyzar’s commitment to using state-of-the-art technology to make each and every piece to order as much as we love their seriously gorgeous selection of engagement rings. Plus, did we mention that Keyzar is Israel-founded and Jewish-owned? Doesn’t get much better than that!

But back to those pears – pear-shaped engagement rings are sparkly, stunning, and so in this year. If that’s not enough, these brilliant stones look larger carat for carat than round diamonds, making them the perfect pick for anyone who wants to size up their sparkle – and pears are generally more affordable, too. Plus, the versatility of the shape means pear cuts look great in vintage or modern settings.

Read on for some of our very favorite pear-shaped engagement ring options from Keyzar Jewelry – whether you want something simple or ornate, classic or contemporary, we’re pretty sure you’ll find something to love.

The Naomi

We love the juxtaposition between Naomi’s simple band and elegantly decorated shoulders, beautifully paired with round and pear-cut side stones connecting to an opulent hidden halo.

The Lindsey

Lindsey is another gorgeous hidden halo-style engagement ring, and what a stunner it is! Half of the band features marquise and round cut diamonds packed in shared prongs, and this heirloom-quality piece epitomizes modern timelessness.

The Crown Kamellie

There’s something about a solitaire engagement ring. The impact of that one central stone is modest and exuberant all at once. The Crown Kamellie is an especially great choice to match with eternity rings and wedding bands.

Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained – Breaking The Glass

15/02/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

All imagery by Blake Ezra Photography. This is part 6 of the 8-part Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained series.

This is it, the time has come. With so much preparation carried out for this very moment, the ring placed upon the finger, every guest in the room hurriedly preparing their iPhones to take a shot, and clearing their vocal chords to shout “Mazal Tov”, it’s time to break the glass!

Such is the synonymy between Jewish weddings and smashing a glass, that we hear the most uber-cool Jewish wedding blog has been named after this very tradition. This site wasn’t named ‘Dancing the Hora’ or ‘Eating the Canapes’, but Smashing The Glass, as this is THE moment of the Jewish wedding. We hear time and time again from members of our Brides Club community that smashing the glass is one of the most memorable traditions of the whole beautiful day.

The glass, usually wrapped up in a cloth or napkin, is placed on the floor in front of the groom. However before it is smashed, it’s traditional at most Jewish weddings for the Rabbi or Chazan (Cantor) to sing a Hebrew song called Im Eshkakech Yerushalayim, or in English… ‘If I forget you, Jerusalem’. This commemorates the falling of Jerusalem and destruction of the two Jewish temples that once stood there.

It’s said that whenever Jewish people experience immense joy, they should also remember the less joyous times in their ancestry. With celebration comes commemoration. So once the less beautiful times have been remembered, the time comes for the groom to break the glass. Why is this done? Great question.

There are many reasons that Jewish grooms break a glass at the end of their ceremony, sealing the marriage to their bride. The first being, in keeping with the song that had just been sung, to commemorate the destruction faced by Jewish people over the past two thousand years, a nod to the suffering that had come before. After all, if you can remember the dark times even on the brightest of days, you’ll never allow them to be forgotten.

BIG NEWS: Announcing Smashing The Glass’s FREE unmissable event for Jewish + Jew-ish brides this Sunday Feb 19!

14/02/2023 by Karen

If you’re planning a Jewish or Jew-ish wedding, I’ve got some really exciting news for you! Yes — for the first time in two years I’m running a FREE online event where I’ll share the seven secrets to an unforgettable Jewish wedding this Sunday February 19!

During this interactive session, you’ll learn:

The one ingredient every memorable wedding must have
How to easily create a meaningful and inclusive ceremony
How to nail your guest list
How to maximize your wedding budget (whether it’s $ or $$$$$)
Plus, I’ll be around to answer your questions and offer support

Whether you’re planning a small budget wedding, a big super luxe party, or a destination dream , I’m excited to help you get plan your Jewish wedding your way.

Date: Sunday, February 19th, 2023 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET / 8 p.m UK

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE AND GET A REMINDER

Can’t wait to see you there!

During Bootcamp, I’ll be showing you exactly how to:

♥ Deal with any awkward family members

♥ Come up with creative wedding ideas for an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind wedding

♥ Maximize your wedding budge

♥ Nail your guest list

♥ Have a unique, modern ceremony with all the Jewish wedding traditions

♥ Find your perfect venue, and your ideal wedding vendors

♥ Make non-Jewish guests and family members feel included

And I’ll be answering every single one of your questions (however big or small!)

During Jewish Wedding Bootcamp, I’ll be answering all of these questions and more – and most importantly, I’ll be ready and waiting to help you out with every single one of your own wedding planning questions, no matter how big or small.

(And by the way you’ll benefit from Jewish Wedding Planning Bootcamp whether you’re using a planner or not — this is an absolute must-attend for every Jewish / Jew-ish bride-to-be!)

An Eisen Stein Bride for a Jew-ish Wedding with Old-World Flair at Noor Gallery in Jaffa, Israel

13/02/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

When today’s couple started planning their Jewish wedding in Israel, they knew they wanted something different than the norm. Lin, who sets up sales centers, and Matt, who manages a video crew, knew they wanted a cozy, old-world vibe for their big day – and though they weren’t sure how to bring their wedding dreams to life, they found the absolute perfect partners in making their vision a reality.

Lin and Matt’s planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Bebke, was key to crafting a truly unforgettable wedding with tons of atmosphere and the European hotel feel the couple craved. Inbar and Gev of Bebke went all out transforming the pair’s venue, Noor Gallery in Jaffa, into the chicest hideaway that would’ve blended right in in Paris, London, or Rome. Inbar took charge of design, while Gev oversaw logistics – and everything ran smoothly down to the very last detail.

And we do mean the VERY last detail. In Lin’s words, “I didn’t recognize the venue when we arrived on the day of the wedding. Inbar changed the floor and added black and white ‘tiles’ for the European hotel style that we wanted, and it was wild. We didn’t have the budget for it, but Inbar found people to do it for a price that we could afford. We’ve never met people like Inbar and Gev.”

There’s so much to love about this anything-but-standard Israeli wedding – do have a scroll through the wonderful photos by Matan to see all the fab details for yourself…

VENUE

Lin, the bride and Matt, the groom: We got married at Noor Gallery in Jaffa. We wanted something that had a classy old-world vibe similar to that of an upscale European hotel. We had only about 60 guests and we wanted something intimate. The Noor Gallery is an ancient building with lots of history and this venue met all of our demands.Continue Reading

How we Met

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All imagery by Blake Ezra Photography. This is part 6 of the 8-part Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained series.

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During Bootcamp, I’ll be showing you exactly how to:

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VENUE

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