Converse Archives - Page 5 of 8 - Smashing the Glass

A magical, lush outdoor Jewish wedding at Claxton Farm, Weaverville, North Carolina, USA

17/04/2017 by Karen

Hello and a very happy Easter Monday to our non-Jewish and Jewish readers alike. It’s a holiday here in the UK, and hopefully you’ve all got some fabulous plans to enjoy. If, for some reason, you can’t get out today, never fear – you can experience the great outdoors vicariously through Hannah and Harrison’s earthy and sublime real wedding.

There’s an extraordinary amount to feast your eyes, and heart, on. We were blown away by all of the rustic little touches, the phenomenal attention to detail, the lush green hues and foliage accented with pops of rich burgundy and woody tones. The venue was lit with bulb lights in the evening – positively magical!

The outdoor wedding symbolised everything that Hannah and Harrison hold dear as a couple, including the way that they met (spoiler alert: SO romantic) and a heartfelt Jewish ceremony conducted by a rabbi who had known Hannah since she was a child.

Hannah looked positively radiant in her stunning gown, with flowers in her hair – a perfect picture of a bride on the happiest day of her life. Photographer Jill Schwarzkopf of Realities Photography expertly captured all of the emotionally charged, important moments of the day.

We also love Hannah and Harrison’s beautifully steal-able idea of taking the wedding morning to do your favourite, most relaxing thing. Why not start such an important occasion in a way that will make you the most happy?

Well we’ve done just about all the gushing, time to pass you over to beautiful bride, Hannah, for a full recap of the big day.

How we met

Hannah, the bride: Harrison and I met at summer camp and started dating a few years later when we went back to work as staff. We stayed together through four years of long, and very very long, distance and now live together in Athens, Georgia. I’m a graduate student at the University of Georgia and he works for his parents’ software company for wine and spirits wholesalers.

A rustic Jewish wedding with an abundance of flowers and a Sophia Tolli dress at Soho Farmhouse, Oxfordshire, UK

27/02/2017 by Karen

Everyone — stop what you’re doing right now and take a moment to stare at this stunningly floral Chuppah in all its glory. As far as Chuppah game goes, this is seriously top notch: we can’t stop gazing at that abundance of cascading flowers — too beautiful for words!

Now that we’ve got that out of our system: Jade and Adam’s Jewish wedding at the achingly rustic-cool Soho Farmhouse was packed with personalised detail. From the fabulous pink and white floral arrangements that adorned the reception to the incredibly sweet and thoughtful favours created by the couple and their families, no stone was left unturned.

To match the venue, the couple opted for a rustic theme, and this was captured in the stunning photography and incredible wedding video by Andrew James Photography and Gorgeous Films respectively.

We love Jade’s idea of incorporating small, framed photographs of her late grandparents in her bouquet — a wonderfully personal way to honour departed loved ones. We ADORE her personalised Converse (and when we say personalised, these are something else, go and look now now now!). The speeches sweepstake is a fantastic way to keep guests entertained, a late-night greasy spoon van is absurdly clever (pre-empt those hangovers) and the doggy vodka ice luges in the shape of beloved family pets at a vet’s wedding? Bravo.

Oh, and we literally squealed with excitement when we saw the couple had replicated the bottle dance from Fiddler on The Roof — there are not enough adjectives in the world for how enthusiastic we feel about this.

Before we hand over to Jade, one thing she said is really worth highlighting. When it came to makeup, Jade said that she felt like the best version of herself, which is such a beautiful, empowering thing and we just love her for it. Over to Jade for the full story.

How we met

Jade, the bride: Adam and I met through my work. I am a veterinary surgeon and I was his family vet.

An authentic experience at Soho Farmhouse, Oxfordshire

Getting married at 36 years old, I no longer wanted the Scottish castle wedding I had dreamed of at 24. Adam and I knew we wanted something different: more us, less formal, more fun, and so when we saw Soho Farmhouse online we were delighted. It was a new venue at the time and the whole Soho House experience just appealed to us. Even though it was still a work in progress at the time of booking, we loved it and instantly knew that it was the perfect venue for us.

I loved that you left your car at the entrance, the only way to get around was by milk float, bicycle, horse or on foot. It felt like I was in another world and it made me instantly relaxed. The bespoke wellies and bicycles with name tags, the ability to collect your own eggs from the chickens, sitting on hay bales at the Chuppah, the outdoor baths, the endless cowshed shampoo and conditioners in the shower, your own personal farm hand… The list goes on! I wanted something different – I like being a bit different – hence why I have a black engagement ring.

A bespoke Shadive’s Brides dress at a party-it-up-atmosphere wedding at Terra, Caesarea, Israel

20/02/2017 by Karen

It goes without saying that we adore an Israeli wedding — and somehow it’s even more special when the couple have chosen to travel to Israel to say “I do”.

Secondary school teacher, Katie, and business owner, Mark, got married at Terra in Caesarea, Israel. Despite coming down with a horrific stomach flu on the day, love won out and Katie still made the very best of the situation, looking back on her big day with love.

I was particularly moved by Katie’s sincere and heartfelt words about her decision to get married in Israel. She writes so eloquently that I won’t step on her description here, but it’s perfect and definitely worth sitting down with a cuppa and reading.

At 5ft2”, Katie struggled to find the perfect dress until she went bespoke with Shadiye’s Brides in Islington. Seeing the end result, we think it was a match made in heaven — just how gorgeous did she look?

Smashing Supplier Live Band and DJ, Caliente, created an electric atmosphere until 4.30am and the whole wedding was peppered with brilliant, thoughtful ideas. For example a designated kids’ corner with fun activities to keep little ones entertained, a flower station, bags of sweets for a middle-of-the-night pick me up and so much more. It’s clear that Katie and Mark considered their guests’ feelings and the importance of their experience at every turn.

The magic of the day was captured by STG regular – Ronen Boidek, videographer – Canelà© (don’t miss out on the wonderful wedding video at the bottom of the post) and Katie herself with her fabulously descriptive account. Over to Katie for more on her Israeli wedding day.

How we met

Katie, the bride: We met at university. For the first six months we were together, Mark managed to say ‘this is nothing serious’ on every single date. Charming, I know. Joke’s on him though — this marriage is for life!

Five ways to wear personalised wedding Converse

18/01/2017 by Karen Cinnamon

My much-loved ‘Smashing’ personalised Converse

We all love a bit of wedding glam – but skyscraper heels aren’t always for everyone, or even for every part of a wedding. If the idea of burning up the dancefloor (and your poor feet) in your Jimmy Choo’s seems a little impractical, if you’re a tall bride who doesn’t want the extra inches, or if you simply want something comfortable and alternative to wear on your big day, then Converse are the perfect low-key wedding shoes.

But just because you’re in flats doesn’t mean you can’t look fabulous – quite the opposite, in fact. Did you know that Converse can be personalised for your big day, and in the cutest ways. In fact, when I first came across the idea, I loved it so much that I just had to get a Smashing the Glass branded pair for myself (see above pic — I don’t only talk the talk, I walk the walk!)

Over the years, we’ve had the pleasure of featuring many real weddings starring these casual-chic beauties, and we’ve put together a little digest of the very best ways past brides and grooms have personalised their wedding Converse.

1. And the bride changed into Converse

Real bride Sarah’s white wedding Converse

It’s the bride’s prerogative to wear the comfiest shoes. If you’re set on heels then one option is to have your Converse as a second pair of shoes to change into for the reception. There are so many options – go for white for a twist on the traditional, or a pop of colour to make your Converse a standout feature. You can personalise them however you like: opt for your own name, the word “bride” or even a nickname or an in joke.

2. Couples’ Converse

Dana and Jacob went for a marvellous Mr. and Mrs. combo

Matching couples’ Converse will look adorable in your wedding photos. Whether you choose to adorn them with your names, your initials or you go for Mr. & Mrs., Mr. and Mr. or Mrs. and Mrs., it’s just one more adorable way to personalise your wedding and show your unity as a married couple on your happy day.

Bride and groom, Rachel and Robert, signed off their Converse with their shared initials

3. Embroider them with meaning

Love won out at Melody and Michael’s arty wedding celebration

Do you have a particular saying, ethos, political statement, lyric, line of poetry, an in joke or anything else that is symbolic to you as a couple? Your personalised Converse can be a lovely, subtle nod to something meaningful that you share together, and something you plan to take into your married life with you. Plus, with a personalised slogan, you can wear your Converse again and again, evoking fond wedding memories every time you put them on.

4. Kit out your wedding party with Converse

Smashing couple, Madalyn and Aaron, made the groomsmen’s Converse a part of their creative theme

A Boho bride for a rustic ‘beer garden’ Jewish wedding at Houston Hall, New York City, USA

16/08/2016 by Karen

Apologies for the late posting of this morning’s real Jewish wedding – I’m still recovering from last night’s dazzling Brides Magazine Bloggers Dinner. And when I say recovering, it may just have something to do with the fact that Brides had the genius idea of serving a series of cocktails to accompany every course! The whole do was utterly magical from beginning to end — great company, great food, and an exquisite atmosphere in the private dining room at central London’s Haymarket Hotel.

I snapchatted and Instagram-storied live from the dinner so hurry on over and take a look if you want to see what the wedding bloggerati got up to as all the stories will be wiped after 24 hours!

So on to today’s very special real Jewish wedding… Well, where do I even start? Rachel & Robert somehow managed to incorporate a whole host of personal ideas into their Big Day whilst keeping it chic, stylish and super pretty.

There are so many gorgeous touches that I don’t know what to pick out first; there’s Rachel’s special maid of honour — her 91-year old Grandma Betty, the coolest polaroid picture escort cards (you’ll all be wanting to steal that idea!), oh so pretty floral crowns, Louboutins, personalised Converse, a beautifully flowy Nicole Miller beaded wedding dress (this bride has serious style), and a naked red velvet cake.

And instead of just eating leftover wedding cake on their year anniversary; Rachel and Robert have been eating a piece every month, thereby celebrating their anniversary every four weeks… DEFINITELY my kind of couple

Enjoy this one peeps — the day was captured perfectly by The Markows Photography with a glorious film at the end by NST Pictures.

How we met

Rachel, the Bride: We met on Match.com. What makes it a good story is that Rob emailed me on Match in September 2012 and I waited two months to write him back! I received his email and I was interested but just not ready to meet someone at the time. It was a good thing he was still single and interested in meeting me two months later…

How we met

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How we met

An authentic experience at Soho Farmhouse, Oxfordshire

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How we met

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My much-loved ‘Smashing’ personalised Converse

1. And the bride changed into Converse

Real bride Sarah’s white wedding Converse

2. Couples’ Converse

Dana and Jacob went for a marvellous Mr. and Mrs. combo

Bride and groom, Rachel and Robert, signed off their Converse with their shared initials

3. Embroider them with meaning

Love won out at Melody and Michael’s arty wedding celebration

4. Kit out your wedding party with Converse

Smashing couple, Madalyn and Aaron, made the groomsmen’s Converse a part of their creative theme

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How we met

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