Modest wedding dresses Archives - Smashing the Glass

10 Gorgeous Ways to Cover Your Shoulders Under the Chuppah

30/04/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

Splendid cape cover-up from Ella and Matt’s Jewish Wedding. Image by Barney Walters.

What happens when you’ve bought the dress of your dreams, but later realize that you need some sort of coverup for under the chuppah? Maybe your Rabbi requested that your shoulders remain covered during the ceremony, or perhaps there’s a family member that expects certain traditions to be followed through.

Then again, maybe it’s a personal choice, and while you absolutely ADORE the dress you’ve picked out, covering yourself under the chuppah is something that is important to you personally.

I promise you don’t need to run out and return your dress for a long sleeve option—although a long sleeve dress is a great way to have the best of both worlds

A chuppah covering is not a death sentence for your dress! In fact, there are so many ways to use a cover up to your advantage and add a bit of personal flair and style to your bridal look.

Below are my top ten favorite ways and styles to bring modesty and your personality with you under the chuppah. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

Sensational illusion sleeves from Natalie and Edward’s Jewish Wedding. Image by Ran Bergman.

1. Illusion Sleeves

Illusion sleeves seem like such an obvious fix, but it’s a classic for a reason. I love how glamourous adding illusion sleeves to your dress can look. It’s such a great idea to make sure that every detail of your dress shines through, while still maintaining a certain modesty. One of our own Smashing the Glass Bride’s looked sexy and gorgeous in TWO Lee Petra Grebenau gowns with stunning illusion embellishments.

A Boho bride in cowboy boots for a DIY rustic Jewish wedding at Moshav Mevo Modi’im, Israel

22/10/2015 by Karen

Nikki and Gavriel met via the power of Google search (no kidding… read their ‘how we met’ story below!) but their Jewish wedding was far from hi-tech. It was a super cool, relaxed rustic affair set in Gavriel’s home town in Israel with an abundance of lovingly crafted DIY details.

So much of the wedding was DIY’ed straight from the heart, from the stunning florals organised by the couple and their families (no pro florists involved at all!) to the home-made wooden signs, hay bale seating, BBQ menu and the beautiful bride’s jewellery all made by Gavriel’s mother. She also created Nikki’s stunning baby’s breath flower crown. Is she one talented mama or what?

I absolutely love Nikki’s bridal style and how she accessorised her dress with that deep green sash. And she totally rocks those cowboy boots of hers. I’ve always loved a bride in cowboy boots — such a cool look for a country style affair.

The whole W Day is full of natural and rustic details — unfussy and relaxed, but ever so pretty. Perfect for a venue surrounded by wonderful nature.

Enjoy this treat of a Friday wedding with images by one of our ever-talented Smashing Suppliers, Herschel Gutman Photography, who captures the essence of the day perfectly.

How we met

Nikki, the Bride: A friend and I were looking for a new experience and for whatever reason googled “religious farms in Israel”. We found a little family farm on a moshav and helped out a here and there with the farm duties on our stay. The daughter of the family asked if we wanted to hang out with her and her friends. We said yes and through her we met a group of guys. The mother of the family told us, “be careful — moshav boys are dangerous!” But over the course of the weekend I hung out with Gavriel on the moshav.. we talked and I listened to him playing the guitar and singing (as well as admiring his devastatingly good looks!) I couldn’t not give him my number…. Well the rest is history and here we are about two years later…. as husband and wife!

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A Rue de Seine bride for a Jewish Wedding under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Simmer on the Bay, Dawes Point, Australia

20/10/2015 by Karen

Nikki and Jem are just the coolest couple and their big day from the world-famous Sydney Harbour Bridge embraces the most beautiful Jewish wedding traditions whilst maintaining a totally free-spirited, energetic and fun vibe. It’s been sensationally captured by Australian photographer Dan O’Day whose work I adore — I could have filled this feature with every image he sent me and you’ll probably be able to tell I struggled to stop myself from doing just that!

I love pretty much everything about Nikki and Jem’s Jewish wedding but one of my favourite details (that I’ve never seen done before) is the couple choosing to shelve the idea of traditional favours, and instead place custom ribbons with their monogram and date on them at everyone’s place setting. They then invited guests to create their own bouquets from the gorgeous wild flowers that were in front of them, tie them together with the ribbons and take them home. Such a beautiful and thoughtful idea.

Nikki also bought her bride posse (note, Nikki doesn’t call them bridesmaids!) a pair of Converse each, and left them on their seats with “dancing shoes” tags.

Fashion stylist Nikki looks utterly gorgeous in her Rue de Seine gown — the New Zealand designers make the most perfect boho bridal romantic dresses combining rich beading, intricate detailing and sheer draping, and they just seem to design for the coolest, most stylish brides. If you’re looking for a more modest dress they cater for this brilliantly with many of their designs incorporating high necks and long sleeves.

Right, shall we dive into this super cool wedding then? Trust me, you’re going to love it…

how we met

Nikki, the Bride: We met in 2009 through a mutual friend who was trying to help Jem and his buddy get a jeans label off the ground. Our mutual friend suggested that I be their first model (because I was the only person small enough to fit in their teeny tiny samples!) I was interning at Cosmopolitan magazine at the time looking to get a career in fashion so it was a common interest for us both I guess. Jem now works in finance but I’m still in fashion. I was not born Jewish, and as our friendship grew, so did my love for Judaism. Once he found out I was looking into converting he also saw it as an opportunity for us to start dating, and the rest is history.
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Modest Wedding Dresses for Modern Brides

21/11/2014 by Karen

Image: Poetica 2014 collection from Divine Atelier via Bridal Musings

Further to requests from readers for more wedding dress ideas on the blog, and from some in particular who were struggling to find modest (or tznius) wedding dresses that were also fashion forward and bang on—trend, I called upon the expertise of Karen Whybro, owner of the legendary Rock The Frock bridal boutique.

Rock The Frock specialises in British—designed and made wedding dresses for brides who want to wear something that truly reflects their personality, so not surprisingly, Karen really knows her stuff. She’s picked out some styles that you’re going to love, alongside some great tips for what to think about when embracing ‘modest’ for your wedding day.

Oh, and by the way, the real Jewish wedding featured earlier this week with beautiful bride, Magda, is a sensational example of how to nail the ‘modest’ look.

Nothing evokes the regal beauty of Grace Kelly like a modest wedding dress…

High necklines, full length sleeves, feminine lace and rows of ivory buttons conjure images of elegance, style and romance for the ultimate in wedding day attire. And, thanks to Kate Middleton reviving the modest wedding dress with her spectacular Sarah Burton gown, the choice among bridal designs is as broad and breathtaking as ever. Whether you love the traditional vintage style or prefer something more modern, this round-up of beautiful dresses showcases the best in modest masterpieces!

Kate Middleton on her wedding day in her Alexander McQueen ‘modest’ wedding gown. Image: FBStop

Here are my top tips for choosing modest for your wedding day:

Consider fabrics

There’s no doubt that lace is feminine, elegant and graceful but all-over lace isn’t everyone’s preference. If you’re longing for something less fussy and more simplistic, consider a silk or satin skirt with lace detailing to the bodice and sleeve.