Online dating success story Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Vera Wang Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding in the Hamptons, Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa, New York, USA

09/04/2018 by Karen Cinnamon 1 Comment

We see a lot of beach weddings at Smashing The Glass, but this one really goes all out with the seaside theme! NYC-based Jessica (@jessschein) and Evan (@evanschein) wanted to get married in Montauk in the Hamptons, their go-to weekend getaway from their hectic lives in the city. They chose Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa for its extraordinary views of the ocean – and the stunning sunsets over the water. Totally stunning, right?!

Jessica and Evan wanted to keep their day open, airy, and focused on the gorgeous setting. To complement their surroundings, the pair opted for a very nautical white and navy blue color scheme.

You’ve got to check out their out-of-this-world” blooms all in white – there’s something so dramatic about keeping the flowers to a single color.

And Jessica and Evan’s chuppah for their outdoor ceremony continued the theme – light and airy, it was adorned with the most beautiful white flowers – hydrangeas, orchids, and more – with sheer white side panels, so as not to interfere with the ocean view in the background. Doesn’t it look romantic against that backdrop?

Photographer A Day of Bliss did a wonderful job documenting the day, and the couple sing their photographers’ praises not only for their flawless shots but also for being fantastic to work with on the day. Videographer Keith Brady Media captured the feel of the day perfectly too!

Jessica looked so elegant in her lace fit-and-flare Vera Wang gown, with an exquisite long train. She and Evan wanted their day to be sophisticated and chic with modern flair, and it really was. Now over to the bride…

How we met

Jessica, the bride: “I am so happy my teacher is going to be my Aunt!” – (Evan’s 8-year-old niece, and yes, Jessica’s former preschool student) said, the night Jessica and Evan got engaged.

Our story began in October 2012, on a little known dating site, called JDate. However, I was already part of Evan’s family – he just did not know it yet!

Let’s rewind…

I came across Evan’s profile, and after going back and forth with the usual 21 questions, we realized it was a very small world. It turned out that I was a preschool teacher at the school Evan’s niece attended. But wait, there’s more… Evan’s niece did not just go to the preschool where I taught, I was actually Evan’s niece’s teacher – 2 years earlier!

Evan told me that he needed to get his niece’s approval before committing to a date. (I thought to myself that the chance of going on their first date lay in the hands of a 4-year-old!) As it turns out, I got an A+ rating, his niece saying, “Miss Jessica was the best teacher ever!” This was a fact confirmed by Evan’s brother and sister-in-law, who later admitted they always wanted to set me up with Evan. The rest is history!

Real Jewish Brides – Mel: Top Tips for a Jewish Wedding… and my wedding is this Sunday!

13/03/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Mel will be marrying Mitch this Sunday 18 March 2018, in a Jewish wedding at Warren Weir at Luton Hoo, UK.

THREE FACTS: (1) Mel and Mitch met online on JDate (2) Their Jewish wedding will be classy and traditional with plenty of modern touches (3) Mel is a member of Smashing The Glass’s private members club VIB Club. Not yet a member? Come join us here!

The final countdown

As I write this it is two weeks until the big day. 2 weeks! 73 weeks ago we got engaged and now there’s just a fortnight until I’m married. Cannot. Believe. It.

Everyone said to me when we set the date that time would go quickly. It was well over a year away so felt like plenty of time. They were right. Time has disappeared. Brides – cherish your planning time; it will be over in a flash.

How am I feeling?

For the last few months everyone has asked me the same question; “Not long now until the big day. How are you feeling?”

I’ve lost count the number of times I’ve been asked this. And every time I say the same thing; I get flutters of excitement, anticipation, nerves and fear. It hasn’t quite dawned on me yet that I’m getting married. I’m not sure when it will feel real – I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

Image by Daniel Clements from Laura and Steve‘s Jew-ish wedding

A Martina Liana Bride for a Beachy Jewish Wedding in Delray Beach, Florida, USA

28/02/2018 by Karen

It’s always a pleasure to write up the wedding of one of our Real Jewish Brides, and today’s is no exception! We love that Dawn and Harley made their Jewish wedding all about family and friends. With a “basketball team-sized” wedding party, friendors aplenty, a delicious kosher pareve cake from Smashing The Glass Recommend Vendor Ana Paz Cakes to include kosher-keeping guests, and plenty of family participation in the ceremony, the couple’s day was truly centered around the people they love.

Dawn, a career counselor, and Harley, an online entrepreneur, chose to hold their elegant beach-themed wedding at the Delray Beach Marriott in Delray Beach, Florida, out of deference to their many out-of-town guests.

Their day was captured beautifully by Jack Bates Photography, which is owned by a friend of the couple. Their videographers were also friends—Shelley, the female half of the husband and wife duo behind Gibson Production, even did double duty as a bridesmaid!

And did we mention that Dawn chose her gorgeous Martina Liana gown a whopping 14 months before the wedding?! She made an appointment on a whim after learning about an end-of-season sale, and, despite having barely begun her search, knew she’d found the one.

We’re sad to say goodbye to Dawn here on STG, but we’re sure you’ll enjoy reading about the day in her own words!

How we met

Dawn, the bride: in the summer of 2013, Harley and I both joined JDate. He was moving to South Florida by himself from Montreal and looking to make a connection, and I may have been a bit bored in graduate school looking for some Jewish romance! Although neither of us actually lived in Palm Beach County at the time (he still had a few more weeks in Montreal, and although I am originally from Palm Beach I had one more year of graduate school in North Florida), we both indicated that we were from the area and showed up in each other’s searches. We began messaging, Facebook-ing, texting, and Skype-ing (to ensure that neither one was a 60-year-old cat lady) every day until we finally met on June 24th, 2013… just hours after he had officially moved to the United States!

Sisters Doing it for Themselves at a Quirky, Converse-Filled Jewish Wedding at Rosewood London, UK

21/02/2018 by Karen

There is no bond like that between sisters and nothing demonstrates that more readily than Megan and Sam’s Jewish wedding. Yes, today’s real wedding is a bit of an unusual one, as it was submitted (and the report was written by) Dani Tucker, the founder of the amazing Social Kitchen, and sister of bride, Megan.

Dani runs one of editor Karen’s favorite Instagram accounts (which is saying something as Karen is a huge Insta-enthusiast) and there is a very moving story behind it all, paying homage to the sisters’ late mother.

Having met Dani several times, Karen absolutely adores her and we are big fans of her here at Smashing The Glass, and even more so after reading today’s touching write up.

Dani’s sister, Megan (the bride), wasn’t really into the whole wedding thing. She just wanted to be married and have fun at the wedding. So Dani planned the party of a lifetime for her dear sister. What an incredible gift, and what a phenomenal job she did all round. Dani organized every detail, with Megan deciding on her shoes (personalized Converse – we love it), the groom and the first dance. Probably not quite in that order.

Dani describes gorgeous bride Megan as “quirky, independent, strong and yet beautiful” – the wedding she planned completely reflected Megan and her new husband, Sam.

With everyone in Converse, even the rabbi, a sweet bar and a Shwarma goodie bag, this unique big day was planned with so much love and attention to detail, and Dani found so many wonderful ways to honor their mother.

Photography was provided by Chiko Photography and the beautiful film by AT Motion is below.

Let’s hand over to Dani to tell Megan and Sam’s story in the lovely and eloquent writeup below. Tissues at the ready, guys.

How they met

Dani Tucker, the sister of the bride: Megan and Sam met on Jcrush. Her work colleagues set up her profile and swiped for her – set up the date for her – he lived in Manchester, came down for the date and then a few months later, she went on holiday. He picked her up from the airport in London and never went back to Manchester other than to collect his things.

Real Jewish Brides – Mel: The Chance To Be Creative

13/02/2018 by Smashing The Glass

Mel will be marrying Mitch on Sunday 18 March 2018, in a Jewish wedding at Warren Weir at Luton Hoo, UK.

THREE FACTS: (1) Mel and Mitch met online on JDate (2) Their Jewish wedding will be classy and traditional with plenty of modern touches (3) Mel is a member of Smashing The Glass’s private Jewish & Jew-ish Brides Facebook Group. Not yet a member? Come join us here!

FAMOUS SIMILARITIES

What do I have in common with Albert Einstein, Ben Stiller, and Lisa Kudrow (aka, Phoebe from Friends)? Other than being Jewish, we are all left-handed.

As well as allegedly being more likely to have a higher IQ, they say left-handed people are more creative than right-handed people. How true this I don’t know. But it does (kind of) set the scene for this blog.