Online dating success story Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Pronovias Bride for a Glam Garden Party Jewish-inspired Wedding at Laura Ashley The Manor in Elstree, Hertfordshire, UK

19/11/2018 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Squeal! Proud mom moment… yes, another one of my beautiful blogging brides is married! I’m so sad to say goodbye to lovely Clare, but also delighted to share her GORGEOUS Jew-ish wedding with you today…. and my goodness doesn’t she look gorgeous?!

Clare, a nursery school teacher, and Chris, a planning manager for a property developer in London (#onclouddeeks), started off their Smashing The Glass journey with a session with me as part of my wedding consultancy service. We worked together to to help bring her vision to life for what would eventually become her spring garden-themed day, and Clare reports that gained some incredible vendor recommendations from this session too – awww – that’s the best news!

Neither Clare nor Chris is Jewish, but the couple have Jewish family and opted to incorporate some traditions they found especially meaningful. I love the modernized, personal rewriting of the seven blessings their friends and family read to them (some of the blessings guests came up with are pretty hilarious!) and, of course, the magical birch chuppah with lanterns and candles strewn around the base.

Speaking of candles… the couple made liberal use of luxe scented candles throughout the day, which not only made their venue smell amazing but also made for wonderful memories: Clare reports that every time she smells, say, Jo Malone’s ‘wild fig and cassis’ (one of her picks), it immediately brings her back to the big day. Such a clever idea!

Photographer Catherine Carter and videographer Jeff Woods captured all the emotion – not to mention the fab creative touches – to perfection, and Clare looked beyond stunning in the exquisitely beaded fishtail-style Pronovias dress she purchased from STG Recommended Vendor The Wedding Club in South Kensington (where she had “the most amazing experience” – not that we’re surprised).

Okay, enough from us… take it away, Clare!

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How We Met

Clare, the bride: We met in 2014 by swiping right!

Real Jewish Brides: Jay’s Getting Married in Less Than a Month!

30/10/2018 by Smashing The Glass Leave a Comment

Jay will be marrying Tom on 24th November 2018 at Hyatt Churchill, London, UK. Click here to read all Jay’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: Jay and Tom met on Tinder (Tinder For The Win!) (2) These two are planning a big fat Jew-ish wedding (Jay is Jewish, Tom is not) but in Jay’s words: “Tom was brought up in Edgware and has more of a love for chopped liver and bagels than I do!” (3) Jay is a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor and Tom works at Facebook.

The End is in Sight

As the big day gets closer, I have been feeling every different emotion under the sun! I have loved every minute of planning this day and will be quite sad when it is all over, but at the same time I have been overwhelmed by it all. The wedmin doesn’t seem to end, every day there is something else to tick off my to do list. As I have mentioned previously, I am a bit of a perfectionist and sometimes make things harder for myself!

That being said, there may have been a few sleepless nights but now everything is coming together, and I am looking forward to passing it all over to the Function Band, who will be coordinating the day in addition to performing.

Image by Jon Bird from Haley and Boston‘s wedding

A Rosa Clara Bride for a Secret Garden Destination Jewish Wedding with a Willow Chuppah at The Q in Herzliya, Israel

22/10/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Okay, HOW gorgeous is Hannah and Josh’s willow branch chuppah? Covered in the most exquisite, airy little blooms of baby’s breath and delphinium, it’s just so adorable we. can’t. even.

Hannah, a makeup artist and beautician, and Josh, a business development manager, knew the secret garden theme they chose for their Jewish wedding called for a very special chuppah.

Floral, obvs. Delicate, but distinctive. Impressive, but not overwhelming. Natural, but supremely artful at the same time. We think they knocked it out of the ballpark, don’t you? And photographer Haim Afriat captured it all so beautifully.

The secret garden theme extended way beyond the chuppah, too, and we love all the sweet details Hannah and Josh added in to make it come to life. While Hannah waited with her mother and soon-to-be MIL for Josh to come in for the badeken, the three ladies sat on a swing covered in roses. SWOON. And the place cards were keys, hanging by the entrance so that everyone took their own key to the garden as they entered the reception – so clever!

As if we needed another reason to be just a little bit jealous we didn’t get to attend this fab wedding ourselves, some of our all-time favorite wedding musicians, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Boutique Chupah Music (who Hannah just happens to have grown up with!).

Though the act is best known for their phenomenal chuppah music, Hannah and Josh opted to use Boutique Chupah Music all night long (well, technically until midnight when their venue banned live music…), and we’re totally not surprised to hear that they absolutely rocked the party.

And before we hand you over to beautiful bride, Hannah (who looked SO elegant in her Rosa Clara gown) make sure you sign up to our FREE online event: ‘How to create an unforgettable Jewish wedding with our founder and editor, Karen, happening on Monday November 12.

How We Met

Hannah, the bride: Josh and I started speaking on MySpace when we were 15 years old, after a year, one Saturday night we decided to meet up. We went to the same school, and at the age of 17 Josh asked if I fancied trying out a relationship. We have been together ever since.

We have stayed together through thick and thin. I went on a year out to Israel for 9 months, while Josh travelled the world. Josh then went to Leeds University for 3 years, and after 10 years of being ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ Josh popped the question on my birthday.

He surprised me with a trip to Amsterdam, took me to a Michelin restaurant and got down on one knee. We definitely are childhood sweethearts!

Real Jewish Brides: What’s Most Important to Rebecca for her Wedding

16/10/2018 by Smashing The Glass

Rebecca will be marrying Danny on 1st September 2019 in London, UK. Click here to read all Rebecca’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Rebecca and Danny met on JSwipe (2) Rebecca is a Senior Event Planner at Food Story (who just so happen to be our favorite kosher caterers!) and plans other people’s weddings for a living (3) Rebecca and Danny are planning a “Marbella meets Tuscany” themed wedding in the heart of London!

What Really Matters

Working for Food Story I get to see so many beautiful weddings; stunning centrepieces, bespoke stages, dancefloors, bars, the list can go on. But when working on an event I am very much into the logistics and don’t often step back to take it all in.

During the busy wedding season just gone, I tried to find moments to think about:

What is most important during a wedding?
What is important for guests to feel at a wedding?
What’s most important for the couple at a wedding?

I am not sure I have the answers for everyone, however for me I know that the answer to all three questions is… LOVE. Most people who know me will tell you I am not very sentimental, so this answer was a little surprising. But, when I think about our wedding day all I can think about is surrounding myself with the people I love most.

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for an Old New York Wedding at Cipriani 25 Broadway, New York City, USA

15/10/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

We are totally obsessed with today’s couple’s TREE CHUPPAH. With four carefully constructed “trees” – white roses lovingly hand-placed on each for the most beautiful blossoms – whose canopies meet at the top, it’s unlike any we’ve seen before. You don’t want to miss Brian Marcus’s glorious photos of it.

We’re also crazy about bride Alison’s mega-glam Monique Lhuillier dress, inspired by the wedding theme of old New York – we just love the simple, architectural lines and the hint of ‘40s glam. Such a perfect match for the vintage vibes.

Plus, Alison, a doctor and Michael, who works in finance, had a beautiful ketubah, brilliantly designed by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Stephanie Caplan of The Ketubah.

Oh, and Alison said the absolute sweetest things about what it was like listening to Michael’s wedding speech – we’re totally melting just reading it – sure you will be too…