Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

A Suzanne Neville Bride for an Enchanted Garden Backyard Jewish Wedding in London, UK

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We could not be more thrilled to be featuring the gorgeous Jewish wedding of our beloved Brides Club member Orli! Like so many 2020 couples, she and Ben ended up with a very different wedding from the one they first planned – but in the end, they adored their ultra-personal wedding in Orli’s parents’ garden, calling it “the best and most special decision that we made.” And scrolling through the beautiful images from Promise Photography, you can see why!

We were delighted to hear that Orli and Ben found a number of their fabulous vendors through Smashing The Glass – including Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Function Band, who the pair were set on booking from the moment they got engaged, so much so that they booked The Function Band before they even had a venue. Needless to say, The Function Band created an epic party atmosphere and kept the dance floor packed all night long.

Orli and Ben also found wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Blue Sky Flowers tight here. From the moment the couple met with founder Liz, they knew they wanted her as their florist – and she brought their enchanted garden dreams to life.

There’s so much more to say about this wedding, but we’ll leave the rest to Orli – who looked so chic in her dress from Suzanne Neville…

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Change of Plans

Orli, the bride: We got married in my parent’s garden and it was by far the best and most special decision that we made. Before the pandemic we had planned to get married at St Pancras Renaissance but with all the uncertainty we wanted a venue that we knew we could definitely have regardless of if the numbers were 15 or unlimited. Moving the wedding to my parent’s garden whilst caused more logistics and stress at the time was hand on heart the best decision that we made.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Instagram Live Recap: Handbags to Hold Your Jewish Life {with Designer Sharon Wilkes}

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I’m delighted to share with you my latest Instagram Live with the wonderful Sharon Wilkes, an incredibly talented handbag designer with awesome new line of bridal handbags – plus some truly fabulous Jewish-themed bags!

https://sharonwilkes.com/collections/allbagsview/products/jerusalem-marilyn

Jerusalem Marilyn Bag | Photo © Tony Powell

She’s filling a much-needed gap with her show-stopping bags with a personal touch.

Tel Aviv Tote (email or DM Sharon to order) | Photo © Tony Powell

A committed Zionist, Sharon’s a longtime supporter of Shenkar College in Israel, and she’s worked with some up-and-coming young talents from Shenkar on some of her designs.

Gold Brocade Marian Bag | Photo © Andrew Werner

A Smashing Beginning

Sharon and I first connected when we featured her daughter Micaela’s wedding on Smashing The Glass – Sharon designed and sewed Micaela’s beautiful gown, and also crafted this adorable custom bridal bag for her featuring the couple’s beloved beagle Loki recreated in sequins! Though Sharon’s long worked in fashion, it was that Loki bag that inspired her to get into bridal bags in a big way – and I’m so in awe of what she’s accomplished! 

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Micaela and Zac’s Jewish wedding | Photo © David Bastianoni

All in the Family

We chatted about Sharon’s incredible family story working in couture in Vienna before the war – and how her grandparents’ Italian fashion contacts helped them escape Austria in 1939. 

 Tel Aviv Marilyn Bag | © Tony Powell

Quality Construction

Then we got to see some bags! I’m absolutely obsessed with Sharon’s sparkly Tel Aviv evening bag – and the quality and craftsmanship is absolutely exquisite. All of Sharon’s bags are manufactured ethically in Italy, and the level of workmanship is just beyond. 

Jerusalem Tote (email or DM Sharon to order) | Photo © Tony Powell

Sharon showed us some of the details that really show the quality of her bags, and it’s just incredible. I also love her commitment to working with factories that treat their employees well and pay them fairly – such a rare thing in today’s world, but so important.

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An Arava Polak Bride for a Joyful Jewish Wedding at LUCA, Israel

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Elada & Liran, Luca, Israel

From the moment we heard Elada and Liran’s philosophy on planning their Jewish wedding, we knew we were going to love it. In Elada’s words, “The wedding was special not because we had accessories or gorgeous decor or special ideas. The wedding was amazing and special because we were surrounded by people we love who came to celebrate our special day with us.” Yep, bride Elada, who works in system training and management, and groom Liran, who works for a startup, really know what it’s all about.

And all that love and joy come through so strongly throughout the beautiful photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ori Carmi. Elada and Liran loved the great vibes Ori brought to their day – and needless to say, they’re obsessed with the images he captured.

Love and togetherness may have been priority #1, but food was definitely second on the list: the pair chose their venue, LUCA, not only because it’s beautiful, but also because it’s known for delicious food – and it really was so good that to this day Elada and Liran are still getting compliments from guests!

We’ll let the bride take it from here…

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How we Met

Elada, the bride: We met at work. Liran worked in sales and Elada in system training and management.

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A Madi Lane Bride for a Rustic and Relaxed Backyard Jewish Wedding in London, UK

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There’s something so special about a backyard Jewish wedding. That personal touch of making things official in your family home – there’s nothing like it. Even though today’s couple, Sara, a speech and language therapist, and Jason, a payments manager, didn’t initially plan to hold their wedding in the bride’s parent’s garden – their pre-pandemic plan A was Israel – in the end their day turned out to be everything they could’ve hoped for and then some.

Due to the pandemic, Sara and Jason kept the ceremony and dinner to just immediate family, and then invited a handful of close friends to join afterward for dancing and late-night snacks. Working with a fabulous team of vendors, the pair transformed the garden into the perfect rustic retreat, adorned with flowers and candles and all kinds of soft romantic touches.

Sara and Jason’s chuppah, rented from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Happy Chuppah People (who they found right here on STG!), was the perfect cornerstone for their rustically romantic aesthetic. They opted for “The Finchley,” built on natural branches that looked as if they were just growing out of the garden.

The couple report that one of the best decisions they made in their wedding planning was working with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Events with Grace as their on-the-day coordinator. Grace helped keep things organized during the last month of planning, and on the day she made sure everything ran smoothly and took the pressure off Sara and Jason and their families.

Scroll through Megan Donati Photography’s beautiful imagery and you’ll see what an absolute dream of a day this turned out to be. We’ll let Sara take it from here…

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How We Met

Sara, the bride: We first spoke on an Aish trip when were 17. We had actually met a year earlier but I had forgotten on the trip. Jason came up to me and started talking like we were old friends. I wasn’t sure at first but on the trip we became friendly. When we got home, we started a long-distance friendship. The rest is history; we dated for 4 years long distance until Jason made the move to Essex.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

How to Handle Wedding Planning Stress, Anxiety, or Overwhelm {Instagram Live with Michelle Jacobs of Elegante by Michelle J}

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Before you got engaged, you probably figured that wedding planning would be a pretty exciting stage in your life. But what you might not have expected is that it can also be extremely stressful. Between family drama, financial struggles, overflowing to-do lists, and good old decision overwhelm, there’s an awful lot to manage. 

But if wedding planning is starting to feel more like a source of anxiety than anything else, it doesn’t have to be that way! And that’s why I’m thrilled to be going live on Instagram this Tuesday, March 29, at 8 pm BST / 3 pm EDT / 12 pm PDT with one of the very best wedding planners around, Michelle Jacobs of Elegante by Michelle J, who’ll be sharing her best tips and tricks for handling wedding stress and overwhelm and talk us through some of the most common challenges facing engaged couples.

We’ll also be giving away an incredible prize to one lucky viewer tuning in live: a 1-hour inspiration session with Michelle, plus 3 months of complimentary membership in Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club! This is truly an incredible value – so do plan on watching live if you can!

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