Jewish Wedding Ceremony Music Archives - Smashing the Glass

Facebook Live Catch Up: Jewish Wedding music with Jonny Mosesson

01/07/2017 by Karen

On Wednesday evening we were privileged to host the BEST Facebook Live yet when we went live with the ridiculously talented Jonny Mosesson, the chazan who I had at my own wedding!

It was essentially a Smashing The Glass Unplugged for the June episode of our monthly STG show live from my apartment in London – Mr STG made Aperol Spritz’s for everyone, we had friends over at our place watching, singing and dancing in the background, and the neighbors even joined in!

It was was a ‘Jewish Wedding Music’ special and we were bowled over by Jonny’s musical talents and his wonderful accompanist, Jamie Noar. The live audience, from all corners of the world, expressed their love for the show with loads of hearts, likes and comments. Thank you for being such a great audience – we love the live interaction!

There were so many great songs played including the Hora medley with Siman Tov Mazal Tov (45 mins in), Yerushalayim Shel Zahav (9 mins in) Katonti (13 mins in), Shuvi Nafshi (22 mins in) Boi Beshalom (26 mins 30 secs in), Im Eshka’hekh (42 mins in), Eshet Chayil (38 mins in), and Erev Shel Shoshanim (57 mins in).

The show was absolutely brilliant and if you missed it, you can still catch up by watching the replay above. Jonny and Jamie were just fantastic and it’s an absolute must-watch if you’re still thinking of ideas for your Jewish wedding ceremony music

Our monthly STG shows air live on the last Wednesday of every month on the Smashing The Glass Facebook page at 8pm GMT (that’s 3pm EST, 12pm PST, and 9pm in Europe) to coincide with #WeddingWednesday. The next monthly show airs on Wednesday 26 July 2017.

Make sure you like the Smashing The Glass Facebook page to be notified of all future shows.

Image: Danielle Manson

Facebook Live Catch Up: Best Songs for your Wedding with DJ Knight

29/04/2017 by Karen

On Wednesday evening DJ Knight and I had SO much fun when went live for the April episode of our monthly STG show live from my apartment in London!

This month is was a ‘Wedding Songs’ special and we were bowled over by DJ Knight’s (otherwise known as Kwamé’s) fantastic recommendations for First Dance Songs, Smashing The Glass songs, Last Dance songs, and everything in between! There were so many good tunes mentioned (and played – DJ Knight brought along his decks!) that we’ve created a playlist below of every song brought up.

There’s a Spotify playlist for you to listen to and import directly, as well as YouTube links of every song. That’s how much we love you – and it’s all below!

The show was absolutely brilliant and if you missed it, you can still catch up by watching the replay above. Kwamé was just fantastic and it’s an absolute must-watch if you’re still thinking of ideas for your wedding songs!

We had SUCH a great reaction to this that we are going to follow up in June’s STG Live show with a ‘Best Hebrew Songs for Jewish Weddings’ special with chazan Jonny Mosesson – keep your eyes peeled for that one!

Make sure you like the Smashing The Glass Facebook page to be notified of all future shows.

Top 20 songs to play immediately after smashing the glass at a Jewish wedding!

22/01/2015 by Karen

Image by Dave & Charlotte

There’s no doubt about it, one of the theatrical highlights of any Jewish wedding is when the groom stamps his foot and smashes that glass (is it any surprise that it’s the Jewish wedding tradition this blog is named after?!).

For me, the breaking of the glass is THE moment of a Jewish wedding. With cries of ‘mazal tov’, cheering, clapping and hollering, it’s a great time to play your favourite party song to kickstart the celebrations, smooch your beloved for the first time as man and wife, and joyously embrace your loved ones.

You may want to choose a tune that’s personal to you as a couple, or perhaps something brilliantly traditional like Siman Tov U Mazal Tov or Hava Nagila, but if you want to pump up the party atmosphere, choose any one of following 20 songs.

The first 10 tunes are my top picks, whilst the following 10 come courtesy of Maya Bechor from Zebra Music, who’s an expert at gently encouraging couples to step out of their comfort zone of ordinary “wedding music”.

All 20 tunes are also handily compiled in this Spotify playlist for your entertainment pleasure.

Oh… and for the perfect accessory for smashing the glass, you’ll want one of our own-brand smash glass pouches!

Are there any other ‘breaking the glass songs’ you’ve you heard that really got the party started? Let me know in the comments section below!

1. Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder

Top 50 Songs To Walk Down The Aisle To at a Jewish Wedding

25/07/2014 by Karen

Image: Robert Shack taken from Georgia & Sam’s Jewish Wedding

With every one of our Real Jewish Weddings we ask the bride or groom, “what song did you walk into and how was the song choice significant to you?”. We receive so many awesome song choices that we thought it was high time we collated them into a Top 50 list for your benefit! So here it is – click on the songs to listen to them and let us know if you have any to add. Click on the playlist, and scroll down, to see the full catalogue in Spotify. This playlist will be constantly updated with new tracks. Enjoy!

How much time do we allow for the Jewish Dancing section of our wedding?

11/09/2013 by Karen

Hi MeLena

The hora is one of my favourite parts of a Jewish wedding – everyone that you love and care about dances around you, participating in your joy and celebration as you try not to fall off your flying thrones! I say live it up but I think the answer to how long for, depends on the type of guests that you’ve invited.

If it’s a predominantly Jewish crowd who have been to many Jewish weddings before your big day, they are going to throw themselves into it and probably want 30 minutes worth to work up a huge sweat and go wild! That could either be encompassed into all one set, or split into two sets of 15 minutes.

However, if there are going to be quite a few non-Jews who may have never experienced the Hora before than I think that a shorter set of approximately 10 minutes is better as there won’t be quite the same vigour from every guest, and not everyone will have the confidence to throw themselves into the Jewish dancing the first time they experience it.

The great thing about an iPod playlist is that you can arrange say 30 minutes worth of hora dance music and just wind it down at any point if you feel the momentum is dropping or people are ready for a break. It’s definitely better to allow for more and give the ‘cut’ signal to the DJ if you feel like it’s time to stop.

In terms of your iPod Jewish music playlist, get the party rocking by checking out these cool alternative versions of Hava Nagila, the Hora and other Jewish Wedding music and this one that collates the best versions and remixes of Hava Nagila. There are loads of non-traditional versions to choose from that maybe better match your personality as a couple, or your wedding theme, than the traditional ‘fiddler on the roof’ style versions. Listen to them all , take your pick, and have a wonderful Jewish wedding music set!

Karen x

Do you have a wedding-related question that you’d like me to answer in Dear Karen? Either email me or leave it in the comments section below. I look forward to hearing from you!