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Home > Facebook Live

Facebook Live Recap: Jewish Wedding Checklist Essentials {with JScreen and FAB Styling}

23/11/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

I’m delighted to share with you my latest Facebook Live, all about two elements that I think are absolute wedding planning essentials: finding a gown you feel great in, and genetic carrier screening.

Last month, I chatted with Hillary Kener Regelman, Director of National Outreach at JScreen, a US-based not-for-profit at-home education and carrier screening program for Jewish genetic diseases, and New York-based bridal stylist Farrah Arrenson of FAB Styling, who specializes in helping busy brides find the dress of their dreams, stress-free. These two topics – dress shopping and genetic screening – are the ones I get the most questions about from brides, so I thought it made sense to bring them together into one fabulous session!

Hillary and Farrah are both incredibly knowledgeable in their respective fields, and they both care so much about keeping couples happy – with Farrah focusing on the big day, and Hillary focusing on the years to come after you make it official. 

I’ll start by summing up some of the bridal fashion wisdom Farrah shared with us!

ABOUT FAB STYLING

FAB Styling‘s Farrah Arrenson is devoted to providing brides with a custom-tailored dress shopping experience so that they can find their dream gown with minimum stress. She brings her own Jewish background plus work experience at some of NYC’s leading bridal salons (including Kleinfeld – yes, she’s been on Say Yes to the Dress!) to the table, and her full-service approach carries through to the wedding day itself, when she’s on hand to tend to your every need, keeping you happy, calm, and photo-ready throughout. No one knows bridal fashion like Farrah does.

Wedding planning is overwhelming, but finding your dress shouldn’t be. 

What should every bride know about before she starts looking for her dress?

First of all, Farrah wants brides to know that there’s a dress for everyone! That said, in order to find it, it’s important to be open-minded: what you think you want isn’t always what you’re going to end up with (in fact, Farrah reports this is the case for a whopping 9 out of 10 of her clients!). So don’t pigeonhole yourself – you might be surprised what dress you’ll fall in love with! 

I also love Farrah’s advice, when considering what styles to try on, to focus on what you love about your body and how you can accentuate that, rather than on the things you don’t like as much.

Ultimately, Farrah says, wedding dress shopping should be fun! Don’t let it stress you out, and trust your instincts.

What bridal fashion trends are coming up for 2022/23?

Reporting live from bridal fashion week, Farrah could not have been better positioned to fill us in on what’s hot and what’s not! She reports that styles are fashion-forward this year, with emphasis on sharp lines; clean, striking silhouettes; and richly detailed fabrics. Farrah’s seeing lots of statement sleeves (and lots of detachable sleeves too – a great option for brides who need to cover up for the chuppah). Modest brides rejoice: high necklines are coming back! And for the edgier brides, crop tops and hi-lo hemlines are in. 

What’s in for chuppah cover-ups?

Farrah’s favorite chuppah cover-up of the moment is something she affectionately refers to as “the doughnut” (love the name!) -basically, tons of tulle wrapped around the bride’s shoulders to provide coverage. She’s also seeing boleros, shawls, fur stoles for winter weddings, and even white leather jackets! She reports that capes – which were having a serious moment a couple years back – are out (but if you love the look, don’t let that stop you! Your Jewish wedding, your way!).

Which designers are great for modest brides?

For brides looking for modest gowns, Farrah especially loves Designers: Sareh Nouri, Rita Vinieris, Ines Di Santo, and Anne Barge – both for their timelessly elegant styling, and the fact that all of them are great when it comes to customizations.

What are some awesome options for affordable bridal attire?

Farrah’s favorites for brides on a budget are BHLDN (Anthropologie’s bridal brand) and Net a Porter’s bridal section (yes, believe it or not, their bridal stuff’s surprisingly reasonably priced – and also a great choice for brides on a tight timeline). 

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Join Our Live Chat on Jewish Wedding Checklist Essentials {with JScreen and FAB Styling}

03/10/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

There’s so much to keep in mind in the midst of planning your wedding. And I’m so excited to tell you about my upcoming Facebook Live, where I’ll take a deep dive into two elements that I think are absolutely essential: finding a gown you feel great in, and genetic carrier screening.

This Thursday, October 7, at 5:00 PM GDT / 12:00 PM EST / 9:00 AM PST, join me for an interactive chat on Facebook with Hillary Kener Regelman, Director of National Outreach at JScreen, a US-based not-for-profit at-home education and carrier screening program for Jewish genetic diseases, and New York-based bridal stylist Farrah Arrenson of FAB Styling, who specializes in helping busy brides find the dress of their dreams, stress-free.

These are two of the topics we get the most questions about, and so we’ve decided to put them together in one blockbuster event! Dress shopping is for your fairy tale moment. Genetic carrier screening helps ensure your happily ever after continues through your married life. What happens after you hang the dress up and you’re ready to start your future is where JScreen comes in.

This is going to be an incredible opportunity to get all your questions on both of these topics answered by the experts, so please do join in!

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The Songs You’ll Need for Your Jewish Wedding with Kimpton Fitzroy London and Sensation Band {Facebook Live Recap}

22/07/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

I’m so excited to share my latest Facebook Live from one of London’s very best Jewish wedding venues, the glorious Kimpton Fitzroy London, featuring favorite Jewish wedding songs performed by our friends from Sensation Band, the world-class wedding entertainment outfit beloved by so many Jewish couples in London and beyond. 

We had such a fantastic team come together to make this event happen, including Adam Nathan Catering, who provided delicious canapes for our live audience of Smashing The Glass Brides Club members; Adrian Stone, who provided his videography services; Claudine Hartzel, who took all the gorgeous still shots of the event you’ll see here; LiT, who handled livestreaming and production; JF Styling, who styled the gorgeous chuppah under which Sensation performed; and Dimitria Jordan, who designed personalized stationery gifts for our wonderful Brides Club attendees!

Sensation Band have performed at hundreds of Jewish weddings of all kinds, and what they don’t know about Jewish wedding music isn’t worth knowing – plus, of course, they’re incredibly talented musicians! So it was really a treat to have them here with us, performing and sharing some of the wisdom they’ve gleaned from their many years of Jewish wedding experience. Sensation prepared a set list of classic songs you might consider incorporating into your Jewish ceremony – both traditional versions and some very contemporary twists! (Scroll to the foot of the post for all the names of the tracks and time stamps).

Processional Tracks

With Guy on vocals and Jason on keyboard, we started with a selection of songs that are popular choices for the groom’s processional. First, we heard “Vehi Sheamda,” featuring lyrics from the Passover Haggadah; then Omer Adam’s “Modeh Ani,” a popular Israeli track; next, “Yesimcha Elokim,” a more traditional choice, and finally, “Meheira,” which takes its lyrics from the Sheva Brachot. 

Hebrew or English?

Then we took a break for some audience questions, and a really important one came up: Can you use English (or whatever language) music in your ceremony, or does it all need to be in Hebrew? Sensation and I agree, this one really depends so much on your officiant – so be sure you discuss it with them. Sensation mentioned that they often set traditional Hebrew lyrics to popular contemporary tunes, which can be a great option – especially if you’re required to use Hebrew music but have your heart set on something different.

Welcoming the Bride

Then Guy and Jason performed their next track, the traditional Israeli love song “Erev Shel Shoshanim.” They suggest it as an option for the grandparents’ processional, and it’s also a popular option for brides to walk down to!

Next up was Boi Kallah, sung to the tune of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” – taken from Lecha Dodi, the lyrics are all about welcoming the (Shabbat) bride, so it’s an awesome choice for welcoming a non-metaphorical bride, too!

Then, continuing the theme of setting traditional songs to modern tunes, Sensation performed another version of “Meheira,” this time set to the tune of “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman.

Wrapping Things Up

They followed that up with “Eishet Chayil,” traditionally sung on Friday nights, about the woman of valor. This track is often played during the circling. First, Guy and Jason did a traditional rendition; then they changed things up by performing it to the tune of Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are”!

Then we were treated to “Mi Adir,” a blessing for the newly married couple, to the tune of “You Raise Me Up” by Westlife. Next was “Im Eshkachech,” traditionally sung just before the breaking of the glass, first sung to the tune of popular track “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav,” then the more traditional version. 

Next it was time for “Siman Tov Mazal Tov,” the lively tune that’s usually sung right after the smashing of the glass!

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Win a Stay at the Kimpton Fitzroy London – Just by Watching Today’s Jewish Wedding Music Facebook Live!

22/06/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

Struggling to hit just the right notes when it comes to picking music for your Jewish wedding? Then I’ve got just the Facebook Live for you… and it’s happening TODAY, Tuesday, June 22!

At 7:15 pm GMT (2:15 pm EST/12:15 pm PST), I’ll be going live (click here to watch it) at one of my very favourite London venues, Kimpton Fitzroy London, with the fabulous Sensation Band, the world-class wedding entertainment outfit beloved by so many Jewish couples in London and beyond, and incredible catering by Adam Nathan Catering!

What’s more, one lucky person watching the Facebook Live will also win a FREE overnight stay at the Kimpton Fitzroy London for themselves and a guest! It’s super easy to enter but you’ve got to be watching live to find out what to do – and you have to enter whilst I’m live too!

A firm favourite with STG brides, Sensation Band is truly the very best (their version of Boi Kallah below has had more than 100,000 views on YouTube – you have to listen to it if you haven’t already!) – they’ll be not only performing some favorite pieces from their vast repertoire of Jewish music but also helping you choose the right tracks for YOUR Jewish wedding.

There’ll also be delectable nibbles on hand from Adam Nathan Catering, Kimpton’s preferred partner for kosher-style catering!

Interspersed with Sensation Band’s unforgettable Jewish music will be a live Q&A, where you can ask me,  Sensation, and the Kimpton Fitzroy London weddings team anything you’ve ever wanted to know about either Jewish wedding music OR this in-demand Jewish wedding venue. Definitely not to be missed!

But that’s not all! Once we’ve wrapped up with Sensation, we’ll be launching straight in to Facebook Live #2 of the evening, a venue tour of the Kimpton Fitzroy London starting at 8:00 pm GMT / 3:00 pm EST / 12:00 PM PST.

And then, after the venue tour, I’ll announce the details of what you need to do to be entered in our competition to win a night’s stay at the Kimpton Fitzroy London for you and a guest!

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The Songs You’ll Need for Your Jewish Wedding {Facebook Live with Kimpton Fitzroy London and Sensation Band}

15/06/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, June 22, at 7:15 pm GMT (3:15 pm EST/12:15 pm PST), I’m so as excited as I’ll be going live at one of my very favourite London venues, Kimpton Fitzroy London, with the fabulous Sensation Band, the world-class wedding entertainment outfit beloved by so many Jewish couples in London and beyond, and incredible catering by Adam Nathan Catering!

A firm favourite with STG brides, Sensation Band is truly the very best (their version of Boi Kallah below has had more than 100,000 views on YouTube – you have to listen to it if you haven’t already!) – and when it comes to Jewish wedding music, their knowledge is positively encyclopedic. And they’ll be sharing it all with us, as they perform a multitude of songs from different traditions that you may consider including at various points on your big day. Sensation is here to help you choose the right music for your Jewish wedding, so this is your chance to ask away!

There’ll also be delectable nibbles on hand from Adam Nathan Catering, Kimpton’s preferred partner for kosher-style catering – Adam Nathan is truly one of the best in the business, and we’re consistently blown away by both the quality and the creativity of everything he and his team cook up.

Kimpton-Fitzroy

Interspersed with Sensation Band’s unforgettable Jewish music will be a live Q&A, where you can ask me,  Sensation, and the Kimpton Fitzroy London weddings team anything you’ve ever wanted to know about either Jewish wedding music OR this in-demand Jewish wedding venue. Definitely not to be missed!

We’ll be filming live from Kimpton Fitzroy London’s magical Palm Court, complete with a soaring glass ceiling that floods the room with light, comfortable clusters of seating, and lots of gorgeous greenery — the vibe is conservatory meets lounge meets members club, and it is exactly as fabulous as it sounds. Intimate yet fun, hip yet classic.

But that’s not all! Once we’ve wrapped up with Sensation, we’ll be launching straight in to Facebook Live #2 of the evening, a venue tour of the Kimpton Fitzroy London starting at 8:00 pm GMT / 3:00 pm EST / 12:00 PM PST.

Located oh-so-centrally in Bloomsbury’s Russell Square, the Kimpton Fitzroy London combines historic charm with modern luxury. It’s a mega-luxe, uber-stylish place, with every inch full of the chicest of contemporary details.

There’s no place like it for an urban glam Jewish wedding in London, and I can’t wait to take you along as I tour through all the stunning spaces on offer for your big day.

In between it all, we’ll be enjoying delectable canapés and drinks from Adam Nathan Catering, Kimpton Fitzroy London’s preferred partner for kosher-style catering.

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