Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

Home > Ketubah.com > Page 10

An Anne Barge and Pronovias Bride for a Geeky-Meets-Glam Jewish Wedding at Ashford Estate, Allentown New Jersey, USA

by

Juliette-and-Matt-Ashford-Estate-Allentown-New-Jersey

We’re so excited to be featuring the utterly fabulous Jewish wedding of our beloved blogging bride and Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Juliette! The bride, a consultant specializing in real estate, wed her Hebrew school sweetheart Matt, who works in application security, put together the most wonderfully THEM celebration combining a lot of NYC (where the couple live) glitz with a little geek chic in the form of touches like signature drinks inspired by Dungeons and Dragons. Don’t miss the elegant photos by Fred Marcus Studios and emotion-packed video by Northeast Horizons.

We’re obsessed with Juliette’s bridal style – for the ceremony, she went old Hollywood glam in an Anne Barge stunner found at Kleinfeld Bridal, and then for the reception she changed into a short, danceable dress from Pronovias which she paired with Christian Louboutin sneakers. Two totally different, yet equally awesome, looks – and if you haven’t already, don’t miss the wonderful post Juliette wrote for Smashing The Glass about wedding dress shopping as a plus size bride.

And how gorgeous is the couple’s paper cut Danny Azoulay ketubah, purchased from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com (and with a 10% discount just for Brides Club members!).

Speaking of Brides Club, we’re so touched by Juliette’s kind words about the membership, which she calls: “one of the absolute BEST most amazing fabulous and needed part of my entire experience of being a bride.”

If you’re a Jewish or Jew-ish bride-to-be, you can join Brides Club too here!

We love you, Juliette… over to you!

Juliette-and-Matt-Ashford-Estate-Allentown-New-JerseyJuliette-and-Matt-Ashford-Estate-Allentown-New-JerseyJuliette-and-Matt-Ashford-Estate-Allentown-New-JerseyJuliette-and-Matt-Ashford-Estate-Allentown-New-Jersey
How We Met

Juliette, the bride: Matt and I met 9 years ago at the age of 15 at Hebrew high. My mom made me go and told me I could meet my future husband, I didn’t believe her but went anyways. They say moms always know. Matt and I dated through high school and college (we never were at the same school) and when we graduated we moved to NYC to work at the same company.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Allison Webb Bride for a 1920s Glam Jewish Wedding at the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, Chicago, Illinois, USA

by

Jacklyn-and-Jeffrey-InterContinental-Chicago-Magnificent-Mile
We could not be more excited to be sharing the gorgeous vintage glam Jewish wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Jacklyn, a registered nurse, and Jeffrey, who owns a real estate company!

Taking cues from the old-world luxury vibe of their ca. 1929 venue, the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, Jacklyn and Jeffrey turned the hotel’s already stunning ballroom into an eclectic fantasyland, full of luxe florals and pampas grass, in a neutral color palette with pops of gold – including an absolutely stunning gold chuppah, which the couple covered with the groom’s grandfather’s tallitot. Don’t miss Erin Hoyt’s moody, classic photos and This Charming Heart’s wonderful trailer.

We also love the creative approach Jacklyn and Jeffrey took to structuring their day: Jacklyn wanted to be sure everyone would see her in her dress for the first time as she walked down the aisle, so to help with the flow of the day the pair opted to have their ketubah signing the night before the wedding. This turned into a very special gathering for an intimate group of 20, including family and friends who’d flown in from Poland and Dubai, beautifully photographed by the bride’s friend, fashion photographer Anna Stokland.

And we’re in love with the couple’s ketubah, a replica of an Italian ketubah dating from 1768 which they purchased from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com! (PSA to all history lovers: in addition to their fantastic collection of contemporary designs, Ketubah.com also has a wonderful collection of historical designs based on ketubot from all over the world, some dating back to the 1500s.)

There’s so much more we could say about this exquisite wedding, but we’ll leave it to Jacklyn, who looked like an absolute supermodel in Allison Webb, to share the rest…

Jacklyn-and-Jeffrey-InterContinental-Chicago-Magnificent-Mile

Jacklyn-and-Jeffrey-InterContinental-Chicago-Magnificent-MileJacklyn-and-Jeffrey-InterContinental-Chicago-Magnificent-MileJacklyn-and-Jeffrey-InterContinental-Chicago-Magnificent-Mile
How We Met

Jacklyn, the bride: We met through mutual friends. Went on one date and we instantly knew, that night, we were each other’s “one”.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Eve of Milady Bride for a Magical Jewish Wedding with a Floating Cake at Temple Beth El, Cedarhurst, NY

by

Eliana-and-Eric-Temple-Beth-El-NY
We throw the word “magical” around a lot when talking about the beautiful Jewish wedding we’re privileged to feature… but this one brings it to another level! You see, the groom, Eric Wilzig, is a professional magician and illusionist, and the big day took its cues from his background – with some fun inspired by Eliana’s career as a gymnast, gymnastics coach, and manager at a gymnastics gym.

The couple’s “floating” chuppah (thanks to lucite columns) is pretty cool, but there’s no question that the piece de resistance was the couple’s wedding cake, which was actually levitating – no strings or wires involved.

Not many bakers could pull off a cake like this, but luckily Eric and Eliana found the dream team at Peboryon, lead by Christine and and Phil Jenson, and they worked out a design that would allow the top tier of the cake to float and spin. The couple were so taken with their concept and craftsmanship they ended up flying the Peboryon team out to New York from the UK to make it happen… and 228 (no, that’s not a typo) hours of work later, they did! Don’t miss the incredible pics from White Light Photo!

There were plenty of other magical touches to this one-of-a-kind wedding, but we’ll let Eliana, who looked ravishing in Eve of Milady, tell you about all of that…

Eliana-and-Eric-Temple-Beth-El-NYEliana-and-Eric-Temple-Beth-El-NYEliana-and-Eric-Temple-Beth-El-NYEliana-and-Eric-Temple-Beth-El-NY
How we met

Eliana, the bride: We met through a mutual friend in NYC. A few minutes after Eric met Eliana, he did a magic trick to get her phone number…true story!

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Spiritual, Magical Florida Backyard Jewish Wedding Reimagined Due to COVID-19

by

Ganga-and-Seth-Mothers-Garden-Florida
Today’s Jewish wedding is so unbelievably, jaw-droppingly, breathtakingly gorgeous, it’s hard to believe it wasn’t the couple’s Plan A all along. But believe it or not, bride Ganga, whose work combines counseling, astrology, ritual, and ecological design to support clients through change and loss, and Seth, a strength and conditioning coach who draws on a similarly interdisciplinary background, pulled together this intimate, impromptu wedding in the bride’s mother’s back garden after their original plans were waylaid by coronavirus.

These two had a bigger wedding at an eco-retreat all lined up – and they still plan to hold that bash, with their original lineup of vendors, next year – but when the pandemic hit, they changed their plans to this pared-down backyard celebration with a focus on spirituality.

The couple, who are both training to be inter-spiritual ministers, poured themselves into developing a ceremony that felt deeply authentic to them both, from their circling around each other to the Adon Olam, to adapting the seven blessings to reflect poems and blessings from many traditions to reciting their own vows.

We also love the thought they put into selecting their gorgeous Gingko Spiral ketubah by Temma Gentles from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com: the ginkgo has been around for over 300 million years, meaning it’s a true adaptor and survivor – just what we all need to be in these uncertain times.

And would you believe these exquisite photos were shot by a first-time wedding photographer? Ganga’s bridesmaid – the only one who was able to make it in the end – just happens to be mega-talented photographer Thais Aquino, who’s clearly a natural at weddings!

Now over to Ganga, the bride…

Ganga-and-Seth-Mothers-Garden-FloridaGanga-and-Seth-Mothers-Garden-FloridaGanga-and-Seth-Mothers-Garden-Florida
How we met

Ganga, the bride: We met through my best friend who had been one of Seth’s students, on New Year’s Eve 2016. The first thing I remember asking Seth was what his intention for 2017 was, to which he replied, “just to be love.” That immediately told me we were on the same page in our approach to life, and within a few weeks we were learning how to be love, together.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Coming Together in the Face of Coronavirus: #STGvendors Helping #STGbrides

by

Mayan and Mola’s micro Jewish wedding in the face of COVID-19 | Photo by Jossef Si

In these uncertain times, one thing we’re finding really comforting is seeing how all strands of the wedding community are coming together to support each other. We see it every single day in our Brides Club, and we’re seeing it in all the new initiatives our wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors have come up with to help couples whose weddings have been affected by the pandemic.

A digital change-of-date design by Liv & Luc

There’s no denying that this is a challenging time, but the outpouring of generosity we’re seeing these days is so heartwarming, and we want to share with you some of the creative ways vendors are working to help couples make the best of this difficult situation.

ongregation Emanuel-el and Presidio Officer's Club Ballroom, San Francisco USA_0014

Kristin and Bryan‘s ketubah by The Ketubah  | Photo by Perfect Circle Photography

Change the Date

A stunning suite of wedding stationery by E.Y.i. LOVE

If coronavirus has forced you to postpone your wedding, you may as well inform your guests in style. And luckily, a bunch of our wonderful stationers agree – and they want to help!

E.Y.i. LOVE – one of the finest bespoke luxury wedding stationers around – are offering a free digital design service to couples who need to let guests know they’ve been forced to postpone their weddings. If that’s you, get in touch at info@eyilove.com.

How cheery is this floral change of date card from Papier?!

Papier has a wonderful range of change-of-date or postponement cards – whatever your style, whether sleek and modern, whimsical, using a photo from your engagement shoot – they’ve really got all tastes catered for.

Liv & Luc are also providing complimentary digital save-the-date designs. They’ll pop your names and date into one of four gorgeous templates, and you can even mix and match your preferred colors and fonts. If you’d like one, get in touch and they’ll get you set up.

Malka Klein has created a free digital file for couples to download to announce that they’re rescheduling or postponing their weddings, and she’ll even add your names in calligraphy.

Dresses at Your Doorstep

A Berta gown from The Wedding Club | Photo by David Pullum from Salena and Stefan’s wedding 

The Wedding Club, one of London and Birmingham’s very finest bridal boutiques – and a favorite among STG brides -have made a selection of sample sale dresses available for delivery right to your doorstep, available to purchase via email – perfect for any bride finding herself in need of a dress ASAP during this time of self-isolation whether it’s due to manufacturing delays or because you’ve had to move your wedding date up. The range of gowns on offer includes pieces from Pronovias, Berta, and many, many more. For more info and to see the styles and sizes currently available, email appointmentsbham@thewedding-club.co.uk

Take Away, but Make It Gourmet

Adam Nathan’s delectable canapés for Bethany and Gavin‘s wedding | Photo by Voyteck

Adam Nathan Catering – one of our very favorite London-based kosher-style caterers – has risen to the present challenge of, in his own words, “having to create new businesses overnight” by temporarily pivoting from events catering to home delivery. Yes, this London-based kosher-style caterer is now bringing his delectable Middle Eastern-inflected dishes right to your (UK) doorstep – at very reasonable prices. And it’s all kosher-style (so no meat+dairy), using kosher meat. Plus, everything’s freezable, so you can buy in bulk and save for later.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading