Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Meet Karen Cinnamon and Kick-Start Your Dream Jewish Wedding Gift List at The Wedding Shop London Townhouse

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It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with The Wedding Shop – in my opinion, they’re the ultimate one-stop shop for your Jewish wedding gift list in the UK. Between their unrivalled service, flexibility, and astonishing array of gift options (including not just homeware, honeymoon funds, charity contributions, and personalised funds – not to mention some seriously gorgeous Judaica from beloved brands including Michael Aram, Jonathan Adler, Bernardaud, Christofle, and more!).

And I’m so delighted to announce that on Thursday, 21 April, I’ll be teaming up with The Wedding Shop to host a fabulous evening at their London Townhouse, where you and your partner can chat with members of The Wedding Shop’s fabulous team, other engaged couples, and me – all while kick-starting your dream Jewish wedding gift list!

Photo by Claudine Hartzel

The Experience

One of the very best things about The Wedding Shop is their unique immersive shopping experience – which means that, while you can of course always browse their extensive selection of gifts online, you’ve also got the option of shopping in-person at two fabulous London locations: their flagship Townhouse, where this special event will be hosted, plus their showroom at Selfridges!

The four-storey London Townhouse, in particular, is an absolute dream, and I can’t wait to explore it with you. There are a full 11 rooms, packed with inspiring products to give you lots of ideas for your gift list – and, especially for our event, there’ll be a wonderful selection of Judaica items on display too! You’ll be able to download The Wedding Shop’s app to scan and add gifts to your list as you go – plus there’ll be bubbly and a goody bag for all attendees!

The Event

Come experience The Wedding Shop London Townhouse with me the evening of Thursday, April 21! From 5:00 to 8:00 PM, you’ll be able to explore a gorgeous selection of gifts in a home setting, meet some of The Wedding Shop’s expert Gift Gurus, who will answer your gift list questions throughout the process, and mingle with like-minded engaged couples over bubbles! 

What to expect:

  • Meet and greet with me, Karen Cinnamon
  • Personlised gift list advice from The Wedding Shop’s Gift Gurus
  • Explore over 450 homeware brands in our four-story townhouse
  • Check out a display of gorgeous Judaica offerings
  • Bubbles and a complimentary goody bag

Have I sold you on this fabulous event? Then reserve your spot today – there are only 60 tickets available, and when they’re gone they’re gone, so don’t delay!

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A Casablanca Bride for a Pandemic Jewish Wedding at Indian Trail Club, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA

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Rachel & Ben, Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA

Like so many couples over the past few years, Rachel and Ben’s plans for their Jewish wedding were upended by the pandemic. Rachel, who works in the Senate, and Ben, who runs a tech startup, ended up with a celebration – or rather, two celebrations – that looked a lot different than what they’d initially planned.

But both their March 2021 family-only micro ceremony and their October 2021 reception for a larger crowd were SO full of love and joy, we can’t imagine anything better. We’re in love with the photos by Berit Bizjak (March) and Phillip Van Nostrand (October). And how amazing is it that all eight grandparents were present to witness Rachel and Ben’s marriage?!

And of course we’re totally obsessed with the pair’s beautiful hand papercut ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Attias! Rachel and Ben are thrilled to have such a gorgeous and meaningful piece of art to commemorate their bond, and they loved working with Noa, who was super flexible with their constantly changing wedding date! The duo have become such fans of Noa that they’ve purchased more of her fabulous art since their big day.

Now over to the bride…

Rachel & Ben, Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes, NJ, USARachel & Ben, Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes, NJ, USARachel & Ben, Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes, NJ, USARachel & Ben, Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA
How we Met

Rachel, the bride: We met as undergraduate students in NYC when Rachel was set up with Ben to accompany him to a dance in the spring of 2013, and we started dating that fall. The rest is history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Dreamy Oceanside Jewish Wedding at Al Hayam in Caesarea, Israel

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May & Benjamin, Al Hayam, Ceaserea, Israel

How gorgeous is the fabulous Israeli Jewish wedding of May, a pilot, lawyer, and CEO of two organizations (talk about a busy bride!) and Benjy, the cofounder and CEO of a recruitment software company?!

These two chose to make it official at one of Israel’s most stunning seaside venues, Al Hayam in Caesarea. Al Hayam is totally swoonworthy in its own right, with its fabulous outdoor spaces and serene ocean views, but for this couple it also had tons of sentimental value since May grew up nearby – and the couple even visited the first time they came up to Caesarea to visit May’s family together!

And of course we’re absolutely obsessed with May and Benjy’s incredible photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jossef Si. His photos look like they came straight from the pages of the chicest glossy magazine – each image is a true work of art. Not only that, but the couple also report that Jossef and his team were an absolute delight to work with and made them feel super comfortable on the day.

May & Benjamin, Al Hayam, Ceaserea, IsraelMay & Benjamin, Al Hayam, Ceaserea, IsraelMay & Benjamin, Al Hayam, Ceaserea, Israel
A Seaside Venue 

We got married at Al Hayam in Caesarea, Israel. This venue is outdoors, and over looks the Mediterranean sea. May grew up in Caesarea and spend most her childhood in the sea. It was also the first place May took Benjy to when he came to visit her family for Shabbat. It has great significance to both of us.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Autumn in the Adirondacks Jewel-Tone Jewish Wedding in Lake Placid, New York, USA

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Kelilah-Bobby-Whiteface-Club-Resort-Lake-Placid-New-York-USA

Get ready for a seriously swoonworthy landscape! Today’s couple, Kelilah, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Bobby, a localization and mapping engineer, opted to make things official in New York’s beautiful Adirondacks, near where the bride grew up.

Even better, they held it during the most wonderful time of the year in the Adirondacks: autumn! With an outdoor ceremony on the shores of Lake Placid, Whiteface Mountain in the background, and a fabulous jewel-tone color scheme, there’s so much to love about this fabulous day – don’t miss the wonderful photos by Britt Parr of Parr Photo Co..

We’re also totally obsessed with the couple’s gorgeous ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Tallulah Ketubahs. Kelilah and Bobby knew they wanted a design that reflected their wedding venue and theme, and they found the absolute perfect fit in their

laser-cut design with a watercolor wash background of two love birds in the forest. Needless to say, the couple found artist Rachel of Tallulah Ketubahs an absolute joy to work with – and, despite the couple putting off their ketubah choice until the last minute, Rachel still made sure the finished product arrived ahead of schedule.

And how cool is it that after the ceremony, Kelilah and Bobby opted to spend their yichud on a romantic boat ride on Lake Placid?! Love it!

Now over to Kelilah…

Kelilah-Bobby-Whiteface-Club-Resort-Lake-Placid-New-York-USAKelilah-Bobby-Whiteface-Club-Resort-Lake-Placid-New-York-USAKelilah-Bobby-Whiteface-Club-Resort-Lake-Placid-New-York-USAKelilah-Bobby-Whiteface-Club-Resort-Lake-Placid-New-York-USA
How we Met

Kelilah, the bride: We met while we were in grad school at Penn State in 2014; we are both Mechanical Engineers. We first met, unexpectantly, at a bus stop in October 2012. Apparently, Bobby wanted to meet me but had not had the opportunity previously, so he just began a conversation at the bus stop. After that brief chance meeting, our paths did not cross again until I joined the research lab he was working in, in January 2014. We are both relatively shy, so it took us a few months to really start talking about more than just research.

We are both involved with robotics and controls; his research is focused on autonomous vehicles, mine is focused on assistive and rehabilitative robotics, including designing a robotic wheelchair. Eventually, I asked him to join me for a trivia night I went to every Wednesday with a group of my friends. After that evening, we started spending more time together. By the end of July, we had our first “official” date. That December he told me he loved me at Penn State’s Arboretum; four years later he proposed to me in the same spot.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Ran Zuriel Bride for an International Indoor/Outdoor Jewish Wedding at Gioia Mia, Kibbutz Nahshonim, Israel

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Michelle & Darren, Gioia Mia, Israel

There’s nothing like an international Jewish wedding – so naturally we’re obsessed with today’s! Bride Michelle, who works in HR, hails from Argentina, and Darren, who works at a private security and intelligence firm, is from the UK. They met after both had moved to Israel, and now live in Tel Aviv.

And in planning their day, they strove to mix all three cultures in everything they did, from the speeches (each was delivered in English, Spanish, and Hebrew!) to the food to the music. When it came to the latter, the duo found the perfect partner in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor DJ Naor, who read the crowd perfectly and kept the dance floor full with his mix of Israeli tracks, traditional Jewish music, British classics, Latino, Funk and House, and bangers!

We’ve also got to mention what an absolutely stunning venue Michelle and Darren picked. They loved Gioia Mia, in central Israel, for its space, energy, and indoor/outdoor mix – not to mention the gorgeous outdoor chuppah area. Don’t miss the fabulous pics from photographer Boris of Flea Studio.

There’s so much more to say – like how the couple’s wedding date fell not even a week after Israel opened up to international travelers in November 2021 – but we’ll leave all that to the couple…

Michelle & Darren, Gioia Mia, IsraelMichelle & Darren, Gioia Mia, Israel
How we Met

We met on a dating app called OkCupid – Darren looked for a woman in the Kfar Saba area who speaks Hebrew, Spanish, and English and Michelle appeared like mannah from heaven!Continue ReadingContinue Reading