Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog - Page 67 of 404

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…

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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

A Pioneering Modern Orthodox Same Sex Wedding at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, New York, USA

10/02/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

We are so in love with today’s stunning same sex Jewish wedding! New Yorkers Max, Director of Startup Ecosystem Development at SAP, and Zach, Director of Artist Relations + Partnerships at Great Bowery’s Trunk Archive, crafted a day that perfectly blended Jewish tradition with impeccable contemporary style.

Same sex Orthodox weddings are still in their early years, and we love that Max and Zach – along with their officiant, Rabbi Avram Mlotek – are at the forefront. The pair worked with their rabbi to craft a ceremony that aligned with their values as Modern Orthodox Jews AND as members of the LGBTQ+ community.

While much of the ceremony looked like any traditional Jewish wedding, one difference is that instead of a traditional ketubah, Max and Zach opted to use a Shtar Shutafut, a Halachic Partnership Contract, to formalize their marriage. The couple worked with Rabbi Mlotek on the text. They also exchanged rings under the chuppah, and each smashed a glass.

It’s so heartwarming to see how Max and Zach were able to craft the wedding of their dreams, without having to compromise on any aspect of their identities – and you can really see the joy in each and every shot by photographer David Perlman.

There’s so much more to say – like how much we love that the duo named their signature cocktail the Goldie Spritz, after their rescue dog! – but we’ll turn you over to the grooms for the rest…

How we Met

Max and Zach, the grooms: We first matched in November 2018 when we were both home visiting our families on Long Island, NY for Thanksgiving. We instantly clicked on our first date in December 2018, which coincided with the second night of Chanukah. We were engaged on March 13, 2022 and the rest is history.Continue Reading

Meet Calleo, a New Kind of Guest Book for Your Jewish Wedding

09/02/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Ah, the wedding guest book… one of those classic wedding traditions that sounds beautiful in theory – keeping a memento of all the loved ones who joined you to celebrate your big day! – but in reality all too often feels a little tired.

Happily, these days there’s a great new alternative to the old-school guest book, one that lets you capture those precious well-wishes and words of wisdom in a fun, contemporary way that isn’t the least bit stodgy: a Calleo Audio Guest Book.

Vintage Voice Notes

A Calleo Audio Guest Book phone is a vintage-style telephone where your guests can record voicemails – think voice notes for your wedding.

Jewish weddings are ALL about the emotion, and there’s something about hearing a loved one’s voice that conveys all their love, hopes, and dreams for you on your wedding day in a way the written word might not.

Plus, while old-fashioned guest books tend to bring out standard wedding greetings, a Calleo Audio Guest Book is the perfect thing to set your guests at ease to let loose – so you may end up with anything from an embarrassing story to a song from your oldest school pals!

After the wedding, every voicemail left is compiled into your very own Audio Guest Book, which can be presented in various ways, from an engraved USB to a vinyl record!

Being able to not only read the words but hear the emotion your guests felt on your special day makes the most wonderful memento to cherish in the years to come.

Choose Your Color

And while obviously we’re all about substance over style, it doesn’t hurt that Calleo does, in fact, let you capture those precious memories in an aesthetically pleasing way that won’t clash with your wedding décor.

Your guests will record their messages on picturesque vintage-style telephones available in a range of shades to match any color scheme, from Lily (cream) to Fern (green) to Poppy (bright red).

Treasured Memories

At Jewish weddings, it’s always such a privilege when grandparents are able to attend – and a Calleo Audio Guest Book is an especially poignant way to capture the voices and happiness of beloved elderly relatives.

One Calleo client couple, Corrine and Greg, lost their grandfather just a few days after their wedding. And while of course nothing can take away from the sadness of their lost, they’ve found a lot of comfort in listening to the message he’d left on their Calleo phone, hearing his voice and the great joy he clearly felt celebrating their marriage.

Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained – The Seven Blessings (Sheva Brachot)

08/02/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

All imagery by Blake Ezra Photography. This is part 5 of the 8-part Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained series.

We’ve made it through from waking up on the morning of the wedding to standing under the chuppah. One key part of the ceremony are The Seven Blessings, or as they’re known in Hebrew the Sheva Brachot.

Seven blessings are said (or sung) over a cup of wine, which the couple then drink from, giving them these blessings for the rest of their life together. Sometimes the Rabbi, or Chazan, will sing these blessings to the couple under the chuppah.

If you’re planning a wedding, an incredible way to make your service more personal and interactive, whilst also honouring those who are most important in your relationship, whether that’s a grandparent or the person who set you up on your first date, is to invite seven people each to give a blessing. Each one will come up to the chuppah, one-by-one, hold the cup of wine and say or sing their piece.

One other really beautiful touch is to invite those people bestowing the blessings upon the couple to also write their own blessing, something personal which can be read out after the official blessing in whatever language is understood by most guests, which may or may not be Hebrew or Aramaic!

A Jewish Wedding in Blue and Purple at Stock Brook Country Club, Essex, UK

06/02/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

When Becca, who works in a Jewish secondary school, and, Ellis, a pharmacist, started planning their UK Jewish wedding, they knew they wanted it to be a combination of both of their personalities and tastes.

That started with their color scheme: Ellis’s favorite color is purple, while Becca’s is blue, and so that became the basis for their wedding look – with some dashes of white interspersed.

Flowers were a key part of tying it all together, and the couple – who describe themselves as “completely clueless” about flowers – turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Alexandra’s Florist, who brought their vision to life (including decorating their gorgeous floral chuppah!) and spent lots of time going over different flower types and colors until they were 100% happy. Don’t miss the lush florals in Megan Donati Photography’s wonderful images of the day!

We loved hearing about Becca’s wedding dress shopping experience as a plus size bride – she began her search with trepidation, and while there were some bumps along the road we’re happy to report a very happy ending in the form of the traditional A-line gown of her dreams AND a fabulous boutique that made her feel totally at ease all through the process.

There’s so much more to this wonderful Jewish wedding, but we’ll turn you over to the couple for the rest…

How we Met

Becca, the bride and Ellis, the groom: Hello! Becca and Ellis here, together known as Bellis! We had our Big Fat Jewish Wedding on the 30th of May 2022.

The story of us officially getting together is a 21st Century type of romance! We were both due to be going on Macnoar Israel tour in July 2011 and we already had a few mutual friends. Prior to going on tour, one of Becca’s friends broadcasted her pin over Blackberry messenger (lol trendsetters). Ellis was already one of our mutual friends’ contacts, and he decided to add Becca.

We began talking over BBM as well as skyping regularly and decided to meet up before going away – we felt there may be something romantic there. We officially met in person and had our first date on the 25th of June, 2011 (many moons ago) and have been together ever since – the rest is history! Continue Reading

VENUE

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How we Met

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Vintage Voice Notes

Choose Your Color

Treasured Memories

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All imagery by Blake Ezra Photography. This is part 5 of the 8-part Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained series.

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How we Met

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