Ketubah.com Archives - Smashing the Glass

We’re crazy about Ketubot!

17/05/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Artisan I by Ruth Mergi I $795 I Available to buy from Ruth Mergi

Here at Smashing The Glass, we’re totally, insanely, ridiculously crazy about Ketubot! Funnily though, when I got married to Mr STG, I didn’t actually realise there were so many amazingly talented Ketubah artists out there. When our Rabbi asked us if we wanted him to source us a standard Ketubah we just said ‘yes of course’ and didn’t think much of it.

It was only after I started Smashing The Glass that I realised there were SO many beautiful Ketubot available to couples and they literally come in a design that will suit EVERYONE. From luxe, to paper cut, to art deco, to traditional – there really is something for every taste. What’s also super amazing is that the Ketubah text can be customised for every wedding whether you’re having an orthodox, reform, inter-faith or LGBTQ.

We are so thrilled (and lucky) to have some amazingly talented Ketubah designers featured on Smashing The Glass over the years, so we have pulled together some of our favourite designs currently available. Let us know which is your favourite in the comments below and of course happy pinning!

Sasson Papercut Luxe – Indigo Ketubah I By Enya Keshet I $750 I Available to buy at Ketubah.com

Super Luxe

We love this beautiful cut-out design. This ketubah features the quotation from the seventh blessing of the marriage appears in Hebrew in the cut-out design, and in English, in coloured print, around the ketubah text and vows of commitment and love. This Luxe Collection Ketubah is hand adorned with 23K gold leaf and Swarovski crystals making it literally shine. Available at the amazing Ketubah.com

Good Earth Circle Botanical Ketubah I By Adriana Sape I $300 I Available to buy at Ink with Intent

An Inbal Dror Bride for a Fashion-Forward Jewish Wedding at the Edition Hotel, Miami, Florida, USA

14/05/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

There’s so much to love about Katy (@katyilana) and Max’s Jewish wedding at the stunning Art Deco Edition Hotel in Miami – from the Cuban food to the afterparty at a club/bowling alley to the welcome bags designed by the bride (she’s an artist!) – but what we really want to talk about is the fashion.

First off, there’s Katy’s jawdroppingly gorgeous Inbal Dror dress. Katy said she wanted something a bit sexy that would still keep her grandparents happy, and the ivory lace boho stunner she chose definitely fits the bill. With long sleeves to balance out the open back and plunging neckline, it’s just the right combination of edgy and classic. And as a bonus, it was extra meaningful for Katy to buy a dress handmade in Israel, her father’s home country and a place she has lived herself.

Katy’s not the only one making bold fashion choices at this wedding, though. This laidback bride instructed her bridesmaids only to dress in light colors; beyond that, she left them to their own devices when it came to choosing their wedding attire. Risky? Perhaps, but I think you’ll agree with Katy that this was a gamble that paid off: her perfectly mismatched ’maids look so effortlessly cool, and not a single dress looks out of place. As a bonus, Katy reports that this method was way less stressful for all involved.

Photographer Ricky Stern captured the ultra-glam day in all its glory. Now over to Katy to fill you in on the details…

Old Miami

Katy, the bride: We picked the Edition because it was gorgeous. It was also the old Seville Hotel, an old Miami staple. My dad stayed there when he was younger and even has a photo by the same dividing board that is still there today.

An Outdoor Garden Jewish Wedding at Kamesburgh Gardens, Brighton, and Peninsula Docklands, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

02/05/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Today’s real Jewish wedding is pure Aussie garden fantasy. The sunlight, the palm trees, the Jurassic Park-style giant ferns—we’re definitely down under! Bride Issie and groom Adam held their outdoor ceremony amidst the ultra-lush greenery of Kamesburgh Gardens and their reception at Peninsula, chosen as much for its ability to accommodate all 400 (yes, you read that right!) of their guests as for its gorgeous views of Victoria Harbour.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jeremy Blode Photography captured the energy and emotion of the day so well, zeroing in on everything from the breathtaking setting to the spirited Jewish dancing.

Speaking of that Jewish dancing – Issie’s dress, a bespoke gown by Vincenzo Pintaudi Couture, was designed with a super-smart feature: a detachable train. Issie wanted the ultra-dramatic look for her walk down the aisle that only a lovely long train delivers, but she was concerned about managing with it during the reception – especially the dancing. Vincenzo came to the rescue with a train attached to a belt, so that Issie could take it off post-ceremony and transform her glam gown into the perfect party dress.

There are just so many cool things about this wedding, but I think my favorite is the way these two did their badeken. They had a deeply intimate setup, involving their families in a really beautiful way and making for a dramatic reunion between the pair, who followed the traditional Jewish custom of staying apart for a full week (!) leading up to the wedding. Read on for all the juicy details….

How we met

Issie, the bride: Adam is a doctor and I am a nurse, very cliché we know! Much to everyone’s surprise, we didn’t meet in the hospital setting. We had a mutual friend who introduced us while we were still studying our respective degrees and the rest is history!

A Super Luxe Laduree-Fuelled Interfaith Jew-ish Wedding at the Shangri-La, Paris, France

20/04/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

There’s SO MUCH to love about today’s stunner of a Jew-ish wedding, but I’m particularly obsessed with how they incorporated one of my all-time favorite patisseries into their day…

New York-based Melissa, who works in luxury marketing, and William, in finance, opted to wed in Paris, where William lived for many years. The city played an important part in the development of their relationship – as did one of its most delicious exports, Laduree.

Known for the tastiest macarons around (seriously, once you try one of theirs you won’t want to bother with any others), as well as exemplary presentations of classic French pastry, Laduree has long been a favorite Parisian haunt of the couple’s. So much so that when William proposed – in the City of Love, naturally – he did so over a bag of Laduree goodies (seriously, we love this guy!).

In a nod to their engagement, the pair opted to forgo cake in favor of something quintessentially French: a croquembouche. But not just any croquembouche. A rose lychee flavored croquembouche from Laduree. I’m positively drooling over here just thinking about it!

Instead of a traditional guest book, Melissa and William asked their guests to sign a Laduree macaron book. Each page featured a different flavor, and guests could choose one to sign. Oh, and the favors? Laduree macarons, in a selection of the bride and groom’s favorite flavors.

Even their venue, the mega-opulent Grand Salon at the Shangri-La Hotel, kind of resembles one of Laduree’s beautiful salons (although unlike my local Laduree, the Shangri-La comes complete with a straight-on view of the Eiffel Tower). The place is just dripping with old-school Parisian glamour.

Claire Morris Photography and videographer Zen Film Works captured the day beautifully – you’ve got to see the portraits of the couple at iconic spots all around Paris.

It was important to Melissa, who is Jewish, and William, raised Catholic, to find a ketubah vendor who offered texts suitable for interfaith couples, and they ended up with a beautiful papercut from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com.

Now I’ll turn you over to Melissa could not have looked more elegant in her showstopper of a gown, custom designed for her by Sharon Wilkes (who we adore, and just happens to her best friend’s mother).

How we met

Melissa, the bride: We originally met in the summer of 2006, while we were both participating in a summer pre-college program at Georgetown University following our junior year of high school. As I was from New York and William was from Paris, seeing each other after the program was quite unlikely, but we were smitten with each other.

We kept in touch on and off for the next 5 years, and resumed speaking after a long hiatus around February 2011 when William, who was working in finance but had retained his teenage passion for writing, had written a short story and asked me for my thoughts.

In May of 2011, I had just graduated early from university and was traveling through Europe, while William was on a summer break from his master’s program in Paris. William asked me to meet him for a spontaneous trip in southern Spain, and I said no at first, nervous about seeing him after all those years.

But in my heart I felt that I should go, and a few weeks later I flew to meet him in Andalusia, where we spent five days traveling together and began to fall in love. After the trip, we decided to give things a real shot and began dating long distance. This lasted for four years, with me in New York and William in Paris and London, before William could finally move to New York in June 2015.

A Justin Alexander Bride for a Desert-Chic Jewish Wedding at Chateau Lux, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

09/10/2017 by Karen

What we love here at Smashing The Glass, are that no two couples Jewish weddings we feature are EVER the same! Some prefer to keep things simple, some fill their weddings with ‘in’ jokes and items that have personal meaning to them, and some, like Sheila and Alex, create stunning aesthetics, with intense attention-to-detail that makes their Jewish wedding look fresh from the pages of Pinterest, or a luxury magazine.

First introduced by their best man, Sheila and Alex have been besotted with one another since they first laid eyes on each other. Their ‘desert chic’-inspired real day paid homage to their home state of Arizona, with a stunning color scheme and gorgeous, succulent (see what we did there?) décor details.

The happy couple had a moving and beautiful outdoor sunset Jewish ceremony under the chuppah and the breathtaking bistro lights at their venue, Chateau Luxe. The rabbi’s touching words can be heard in the cinematic wedding film below, provided by Ryan Blake Films.

We simply LOVE that the wedding’s sweet treats were provided by bride Sheila’s family deli – how incredible is that?

Photographer Ryan Nicole Photography captured every moment, creating a dreamy set of images that you won’t be able to stop yourself from Pinning, while bride Sheila provided the writeup with every detail of the planning process and big day itself. We’ll leave you in their capable hands. Enjoy!

How we met

Sheila, the bride: We were introduced by a mutual friend who had been trying to set us up for years. Our friend, Ari Psez, was visiting AZ staying with Alex. Ari invited me over to catch up with him. Unbeknownst to me, Ari had a ploy to have me meet Alex in hopes of setting us up. We met that night at Alex’s house, and he asked for my phone number. We went on our first date a few days later. Alex proposed in the same house we met in, and we now live there together.