Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog - Page 78 of 408

A Jasmine Bridal Bride for a Jewish Wedding with a View at The Venue at Greenbriar Estate, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA

28/11/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

When you choose to get married in a spot with breathtaking natural scenery, it just makes sense to let your setting take the lead as you plan your day. That’s what Madison, who’s pursuing a PhD in social work at the University of Texas at Austin, and Jacob, who works for a tech startup, did in crafting their Jewish wedding at The Venue at Greenbrier Estate outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, overlooking the majestic Smoky Mountains National Park.

When planning their classically elegant day, they took their cues from the magic of the mountains that surrounded them, choosing a blue and green color palette and working with

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Brit Colors to design a custom ketubah depicting a sun rising over the mountains – as a nod do their venue, and also a beautiful symbol of the beginning of their life together as husband and wife. The ketubah turned out, in Madison’s words, “more beautiful than anything we ever imagined” – don’t miss it in the wonderful photos from Mandy Hart!

We also love the emphasis Madison and Jacob put on involving their families in their day. They involved loved ones in their ceremony and rented two cabins across from the venue, where they stayed with their respective families prior to the wedding. Even their choice to marry amidst the Smokies was inspired by Jacob’s family’s deep connections to the national park.

This day was just packed with so much joy – read on for Madison’s recounting of the full wedding…

How We Met

Madison, the bride: We met at The University of Alabama in our first year. After being friends for a year we started dating and have been together ever since!Continue Reading

Thankful for Being Jewish

23/11/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

It’s the day before Thanksgiving and even though I’m British and don’t celebrate myself, I love that the Jewish values of togetherness, connection and gratitude are infused into this holiday.

Gratitude is something that was instilled in me from a young age by my late mother, and I’ve been focusing on it even more so in the last year since she died, as I’ve worked on my new Jewish Joy Journal.

That even when the biggest challenges of your life show up you still can find so many things within yourself to be grateful for.

And it’s not just grieving the loss of my one-in-a-billion mother that has been challenging this last year.

The layer of being Jewish in a non-Jewish world has started to feel more challenging over the past year too.

My Jewishness is such a huge part of my identity, and while I’m committed to fighting Jew hatred, I can’t help feeling it’s more important than ever to make sure we don’t let antisemitism define our Jewish identities.

There’s so much meaning and beauty to be found in Judaism – and the more I focus on all there is to love about being Jewish, the more grateful I feel to be part of this community.

If you’re ready to feel the most contented, calm and resilient you’ve ever felt, despite any challenges facing you, the Jewish Joy Journal is the perfect tool – and, after selling out in the pre sale, it’s now on general sale – the perfect Hanukkah gift for yourself or loved ones!

Part goal planner, part gratitude journal, part non-judgmental Jewish BFF, this journal will fill your life with daily joy, purpose, and nourishing Jewish values – all the things that will help you fall in love with your life – and with being Jewish in ’22 and beyond!

This 6 month journal is designed to help you connect more deeply with your Jewish identity, achieve your goals, and live a more fulfilling, joy-filled life.

The Jewish Joy Journal will help you:

✔ Reconnect with who you truly are – Jewishly, professionally, and personally
✔ Feel happier and more resilient
✔ Plan and track progress towards your biggest goals

An Ava Rose Hamilton Bride for a Rustic Country House Jewish Wedding at Merrydale Manor, Manchester, UK

21/11/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

We’re in love with London couple Lillie and Conor’s rustic country house Jewish wedding! The pair wanted to wed in countryside splendor near the bride’s hometown of Manchester, and did Merrydale Manor ever fit the bill!

The couple decided to keep their décor simple, playing up the rustic greenery of their surroundings, and we especially adore what they did with their chuppah – check it out in the photos by Rob Clayton.

When it came to music, Lillie and Conor knew they needed a knock out band with lots of Jewish wedding experience. In the end, they settled on Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ambassador Band, and they couldn’t be more thrilled with the choice they made. From the chuppah, where Yair from the band sang Lillie and Conor down the aisle with melodious Israeli classics, to the party, where Ambassador Band’s 9-piece kept the dance floor packed, the music set the tone of the day so perfectly.

We were also delighted to hear that Lillie and Conor decided to set up their wedding gift list with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Wedding Shop – but we’ll leave it to the bride herself to share more about that, and all the rest of the details of this fabulous day…

How we Met

Lillie, the bride: We met back in the summer of 2012 where we were both spending the season working at a summer camp in California, but it wasn’t until we both decided to return to the same summer camp the following year that we got together! I am a marketing manager for a charity and Conor is a food taster for Tesco working in their insight team. Continue Reading

A Suzanne Neville Bride for an Enchanted Forest Wedding that Brought the Outdoors In at Battersea Arts Centre, London, UK

18/11/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

Get ready to be wowed by today’s epic London Jewish wedding! Taryn and Louis – both newly qualified doctors who planned their big bash while finishing medical school (!) – put together the most incredible day meshing their two dreams of a chuppah with outdoor enchanted forest vibes and a good old fashioned formal seated dinner in an elegant ballroom.

With their chuppah taking place in a marquee in a family friend’s garden, followed by a reception at the Battersea Art Centre, Taryn and Louis kept their wedding aesthetic consistent throughout the day, bringing those magical woodland vibes to both segments of the day seamlessly – don’t miss the wonderful photos by Blake Ezra!

The pair wanted their wedding invitations to introduce people to the feel of the day, and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Bigday Designs was the perfect partner in doing just that. In Taryn and Louis’s words, they “were a joy to work with – the process was so smooth and fast even though we wanted to see what felt like hundreds of proofs before print” – and incorporated a watercolor-inspired floral design drawn by Taryn’s sister into the invites too!

Taryn and Louis are self-identified foodies, so finding a kosher caterer who could craft a unique and delicious menu for their big day was a top priority. They found the perfect fit in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Dvash, who sat down with the couple and planned the menu from start to finish, catering to their tastes and considering every detail. In the couple’s words, “They were so accommodating in creating dishes based on our experiences and preferences and we ended up with a menu that we were totally in love with.”

There’s so much more to say about this fabulous wedding – for instance, how stunning does Taryn look in her dress from Suzanne Neville?! – but we’ll let the couple take it from here…

Taryn & Louis, Battersea Art Centre, London, UK

How we Met

Taryn, the bride and Louis, the groom: We are Taryn and Louis. We have known each other for over ten years and have been together for the last seven! We met at secondary school and were great friends for several years, before we started dating in our final year of school.

We are now both doctors, we both attended medical school in London – at two different universities and we finished our final exams and graduated one month before our wedding. Finishing medical school and planning a wedding at the same time was a huge task but we are so pleased that everything ran smoothly, giving us the most magical day.Continue Reading

Top Three Israeli Destination Weddings Guaranteed NOT to Be Like Everyone Else’s {with Premium Events Israel}

16/11/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

Photo by LUZ

There are so many things I love about an Israeli destination wedding. There’s no place more spiritually significant – and that’s before we even get into the fact that Israel is a totally stunning country, with a remarkably varied landscape given its small size. Plus, there’s no party like an Israeli party!

Photo by Adi Cohen Zedek

Here at Smashing The Glass, we’re fortunate to blog lots and lots of gorgeous destination weddings in Israel. According to our very scientific data, the most popular spot for couples from abroad making it official in Israel is a beachside location – in Tel Aviv or Caesarea – and for good reason!

Photo by LUZ

But if you’re thinking of getting married in Israel and looking for something a little more unique – but just as stunning – we’ve got you! The country’s got so much variety to offer when it comes to choosing a venue for your destination wedding – and we sat down to chat with Adi Sharfi, founder of luxury event planning company Premium Events Israel, to chat about some of her favorite ideas that are just a little bit different.

Photo by Perry Easy

With over 15 years of experience, Adi and her team at Premium Events Israel specialize in working with their clients to craft unique bespoke experiences your family and friends will remember for years to come (she’s got some truly incredible secret venues up her sleeve!), and we’re so thrilled to hear her three favorite Israeli destination wedding concepts – plus top tips on how to make them truly unforgettable.

Photo by LUZ

Israeli Desert Weddings

The Mediterranean coast may draw more attention, but Israel’s deserts are just as stunning. There’s something about the stark beauty of a desert landscape that hits different – and no landscape evokes the stories of the Torah quite like it.