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How My Wedding Will Be Without My Dad

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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!


My Big Day Without You

Celebrating an exciting time in your life is always bittersweet when it’s peppered with the reality of one of your favourite and most loved people not being here – weather it’s a grandparent, a friend, or in my case, my father.

After losing my dad, I remember vividly imagining future key parts of my life and wondering how I would get through them without him. A huge part of the grieving process was the reality of imagining future life situations where my dad would be missed more than ever. My future wedding day was one of them. I was desperately sad that I’d missed the opportunity to have my father walk me down the aisle, and even more so that he wouldn’t actually meet my future husband or share in the journey with me.


Image by Miki Studios from Abbie and Alistair‘s wedding

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Real Jewish Brides: Gaby And Her 7-Week Countdown

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Gaby will be marrying David on 26th May 2019 at Trinity Buoy Wharf, London, UK. Click here to read all Gaby’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Gaby and David met at work at an advertising agency in London (2) Gaby is Jewish and David is Christian, and they are planning an inclusive ceremony and party that will embrace both of their cultures (3) They are planning an urban luxe wedding in a converted London lighthouse – we LOVE the sound of this!


The 7-week countdown

We’ve reached April (and spring, Hurrah!), which means it is the penultimate month before my wedding, MADNESS! Since January came, it really has been full steam ahead. Time really has flown by.

Juggling a busy work schedule and planning a wedding has presented challenges, which I am sure all brides can relate to this. It is the mental exhaustion of never switching off. After a long day of work, the last thing you want to do is re-open your laptop and mull through multiple spreadsheets. Nevertheless, with a positive mental attitude and the end goal in sight, I have made my way through so many tasks that it has put my fiancé and in a fairly good place.


Image by Mireia Cordomi from Ruthie and Dan’s wedding

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Real Jewish Brides: Juliette Talks How She Found her Photographer and her Engagement Shoot

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Juliette will be marrying Matt on 9th November 2019 at Ashford Estate in Allentown, New Jersey, USA. Click here to read all Juliette’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Juliette and Matt met in Hebrew school when they were 16 – aww! (2) Juliette and Matt are both Jewish, but they are having a Jew-ish wedding – Juliette’s dad’s side of the family is Catholic, and they want to make sure everyone feels included on the day. (3) Juliette is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club – and she calls STG her “secret weapon” in wedding planning!


The importance of the photos

I am an ultra-decisive person. I always know what I am going to eat before the waiter arrives, I pick my outfits out in under 3 minutes each morning, and I never hesitate to tell you I don’t like what you tried on (ask any of my 9 bridesmaids). However, with all the major decisions that wedding planning naturally creates, I find myself hesitating, second guessing, and obsessing. One of my main obsessions took form in the shape of wedding photos.

Every Pinterest page wants to remind you that finding your soulmate is the hardest part of the whole wedding process and you have already done that! These people are obviously not trying to impress and please 250 people whose opinions they trust. I promise I will live in the moment of that day.

However that is not going to stop me from freaking out about the photos. The photos are a huge deal because after it is all over and done and the glitter clears and you can finally eat that chocolate cake your mother told you is off limits (I wish I could tell you I’m kidding) the pictures are the last artefact of the most special day of your life.


All the images of this post are shot by Fred Marcus Studio {offers a free engagement shoot to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}

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Planning A Wedding Without My Mom

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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.

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Real Jewish Brides: Jaime Has Finally Got Engaged!

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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.

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