Friday, March 5, 2010

Creative Approaches to The Breaking of the Glass



Attention Jewish brides... today's post comes from guest blogger Phara, who has found great ideas for the breaking of the glass portion of Jewish wedding ceremonies- one of my favorite wedding traditions!  Read on to learn more about Phara's creative approach to the breaking of the glass...





The breaking of the glass is an important tradition at Jewish wedding ceremonies.  Traditionally, the groom smashes a glass with his foot at the conclusion of the ceremony.  There are two main schools of thought about the meaning of this tradition.  One interpretation is that the broken glass symbolizes "forever" - that the marriage will last as long as the glass is broken.  Another interpretation is that Jews need to remember those who are suffering even during the most joyous occasions, and to remember the destruction of the second temple.  Rather than delve more into the background of this tradition, I would recommend The New Jewish Wedding by Anita Diamant to anyone who is interested.

[caption id="attachment_2305" align="aligncenter" width="162" caption="The New Jewish Wedding by Anita Diamant "]The New Jewish Wedding by Anita Diamant [/caption]

Regardless of its meaning, the breaking of the glass is certainly one of the more "popular" traditions at Jewish ceremonies.  I have heard many terrible stories about errors occurring during the execution of this tradition.  There are stories about the glass not breaking, leading to a lot of embarrassment for the groom and some rumors of bad luck.  There are stories about the glass tearing through the groom's shoe, leading to a night at the Emergency Room.  The list goes on.  I wanted to avoid this at all costs.  Hence, I did a little research.

The best idea is to not rely on the catering facility to provide the glass.  While your caterer should be able to provide a drinking glass wrapped in a cloth napkin, the glass is often too thick, and not easily breakable.  The most common recommendation I received was to bring a light bulb for the groom to break instead.  Light bulbs break very easily, and make a great "popping" sound.  It's an easy, low-cost idea.

But of course, I continued the search to find something a little more special.  I came across Shardz, a company that sells products at most Judaica stores.  Shardz sells "wedding glass" in every color, so you can coordinate the glass color to match your wedding. While their price is a little expensive for a thin glass (approximately $30), I thought it was worth it. 

[caption id="attachment_2307" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Look at these great colors!"]Look at these great colors![/caption]

The glass that I ordered came in a lovely satin pouch.  The most wonderful part of using Shardz is that your broken wedding glass can be made into a wonderful memento of your wedding.  After your wedding, you mail the broken wedding glass (in a sealed, ziploc bag) back to the company.  Shardz will turn put your wedding glass into a mezzuzah, kiddush cup, candle sticks, picture frame or menorah.  I'm very pleased that I can incorporate the remnants of this Jewish wedding tradition into a Judaica item for my home.

[caption id="attachment_2306" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Mezzuzah made from Shardz"]Mezuzah made from Shardz[/caption]

I ordered my Shardz from www.galleryjudaica.com.  Shardz is not the only company that sells this.  www.Judaism.com sells "groom's glass" from various artists.  I'm sure you can find even more options with a little web browsing.  What creative ideas do you have for this great tradition?

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