Real Jewish Bride Archives - Smashing the Glass

Planning A Wedding Without My Mom

13/03/2019 by Smashing The Glass Leave a Comment

Nargiz will be marrying Ryan on 9th November 2019 at Farmington Hills Manor, in Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA. Click here to read all Nargiz’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Nargiz was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, and the wedding will combine her family’s traditions – they are Mountain Jews, or Gorski, and their culture is a mix of Persian and Middle Eastern influences – and Ryan’s American Ashkenazi background. (2) Nargiz’s mother tragically passed away last summer, so she has been facing wedding planning without her mom by her side. (3) Nargiz is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

Thank you, Mom!

Being engaged is overwhelming as it is, but being engaged and not having your mom by your side adds a whole other layer of emotions to the overall experience. It has only been a year and a half since my mom passed away, and sometimes my siblings and I still forget that she’s not here with us anymore.

I am thankful I had 28 years with my mom and I know there are others who’ve had less time or no time with their mother. Still, I can’t help but wish I had more time with mine, and the time we had together wasn’t enough.

She was looking forward to the day I got engaged. She loved Ryan and she was excited to watch us take the next steps in our relationship. Even on her last day on this earth, she thought about our engagement and our wedding. I know this because the morning of the day that she passed away, she gave me money for my wedding dress.

Despite the pain and the suffering, she was thinking about me and about my wedding dress. I didn’t think it would be her last day but I guess she felt it. We weren’t even engaged but she wanted to make sure that she would be part of the process even if she couldn’t physically be there for it.

Real Jewish Brides: Jaime Has Finally Got Engaged!

07/03/2019 by Smashing The Glass Leave a Comment

Jaime will be marrying Varun on 26th October 2019 at Hummingbird Nest Ranch, California, USA. Click here to read all Jaime’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Jaime and Varun will be having a Jewish ceremony AND a Hindu ceremony – on the same day! (2) They’re planning a swanky but not stuffy wedding at one of our fave California venues, Hummingbird Nest Ranch! (3) Jaime is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

So much has happened since the last time I blogged and I cannot wait to share it with you guys!

In December Varun and I went to California for the holidays and to spend time with family. Our first stop was LA where we had a chance to relax and restore. We also had both sides of parents meet in Los Angeles where we could take them to see our wedding venue and meet our awesome wedding planner Jenny!

We then headed to San Francisco to spend time at Varun’s parents’ house before leaving for Hawaii for a little R&R.

Real Jewish Brides: Lindsay Talks About Her Dress, Save The Dates and Her Next Trip To Israel

27/02/2019 by Smashing The Glass Leave a Comment

Lindsay, a member of Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club, will be marrying Dan on 25th August 2019 at Kochav Hayam in Caesarea, Israel. Click here to read all Lindsay’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Lindsay and Dan were set up by Lindsay’s cousin! (2) They are planning an English-style destination wedding with a few modern twists in Caesarea, Israel. (3) Even though they are both Jewish, Lindsay is more interested in the religious element of the day than Dan, so they are working to balance tradition with their personal style – our favorite!

Finding the perfect dress…

The moment had finally arrived. The one I had been waiting for. Basically the main reason why I said yes – dress shopping! I could finally see all my Pinterest boards and pictures ripped out of magazines come to life.

In total, I went to five different dress shops. I had been told by many people not to visit too many, otherwise the choice is too overwhelming – which is absolutely true! After trying on what felt like 17,000 dresses in a hundred different shops, I finally found the one at Angelica Bridal in Islington.

Yes, the choice is overwhelming but I also absolutely loved the experience and really do wish I could just keep trying wedding dresses on forever – who doesn’t love sashaying round like a princess?!

Real Jewish Brides: Tragedy and Triumphs on Rebekkah’s Wedding Planning Journey

20/02/2019 by Smashing The Glass

Rebekkah will be marrying Jakob on 11th July 2019 at The Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada. Click here to read all Rebekkah’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Rebekkah and Jakob were introduced by mutual friends while Jakob, who is from Germany, was in Rebekkah’s hometown of Calgary on a specialized work visa. (2) They are getting married at a beautiful mountain resort in a national park in Alberta, Canada! (3) Rebekkah is a “very satisfied member” (her words) of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

Coping With Wedding Planning Stress

Five months till my fiancÃ© and I smash our glass! Crazy how these major life events are a whirlwind of thinking and planning and anxiety and stress only to be over in 12 hours. That’s what I keep telling myself anyway, “It’s just one day, Bekkah you got this”, “You’re A type enough to pull this off properly!”

Image by Lilly Photography from Jane and Adam’s wedding

Real Jewish Brides: Mimi Finds Her Perfect Dress

12/02/2019 by Smashing The Glass

Mimi will be marrying Andrew on 7th July 2019 at Hazel Gap Barn in Welbeck, Nottinghamshire, UK. Click here to read all Mimi’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: THREE FACTS: (1) Mimi and Andrew met online in 2013. (2) Mimi is a flight attendant and writes her own travel and beauty blog on the side (3) Andrew proposed to Mimi, who at the time was nearing the completion of her conversion to Judaism, at the top of Masada – wow!

Not as easy as I thought

I’m going to put it out there – finding ‘the dress’ may have been harder than finding the man I’m marrying. I’d always looked forward to the day I could officially admire all of the dresses in Brides magazine with a purpose (rather than sneakily flicking through it pre-engagement) and the host of happy boutique appointments that would surely follow.

However, post-engagement I found that wedding dress shopping was not as fun as shows such as Say Yes to The Dress make out. There was no ‘THIS IS THE ONE’ moment surrounded by a gaggle or crying bridesmaids or total joy when I tried on the dress of my dreams. I had imagined my closest friends and family, all sinking into a velvet sofa, glass of champagne in hand and teary eyed as I emerged from the dressing room looking like Kate Middleton.

Instead, it was 3 months of back to back appointments, 18 different store visits, and what felt like 1000 teeny tiny sample sized dresses. At one point, I remember being stood on a box in the most ridiculous dress I had ever seen, only to learn that the price – should I want to buy such a hideous dress – was just short of Â£11K. Wow.