7 Beautiful Ways to Turn Your Broken Wedding Glass Into a Keepsake
Breaking glass as part of a Jewish (or Jew-ish) marriage ceremony is undeniably a high point of the wedding. It is exciting, it means something, and it makes a loud noise - but it is such a brief moment in time. The standard treatment of the post-smash glass shards has been to throw them out or keep them buried in a sock drawer for years and years. Over the last 30 years or so, a number of artists began toying with other possibilities that would give the shards new purpose and offer a memento for couples to come back to that impactful half-second of their lives again and again. The result is a vibrant marketplace of possibilities for turning wedding shards into a meaningful keepsake, and we have broken out some of the best options here.
Glass blowers turn solid glass into molten liquid and then shape the material into functional objects and sculptures by shaping it while it's hot. BGOLD Glass offers wedding glass packages in which the shards can be incorporated into a honey jar, vase, decanter, mezuzah, kiddush cup, or water pitcher. One important thing to note is that if you're working with a glass blower, the artist typically needs to use shards from a glass that they made themselves because of the science behind glass compatibility. For that reason, we offer full kits that cover the entire end-to-end process.
Many mosaic artists work with glass, and you can commission a tile or decorative item made with your shards. Some artists, such as Danielle Brief of HamsaMade Gifts, specialize in working with wedding shards.
If you are located in the vicinity of an artist who works with glass, you may be able to schedule an in-person workshop to collaborate with the artist on a wedding glass keepsake. For those located in Colorado, BGOLD Glass offers wedding shard re-melt experiences that are fun, exciting, and deeply hands-on. It will go on the record for your hottest date.
In Philadelphia, try reaching out to Danielle Brief of HamsaMade Gifts for a mosaic workshop.
Fused glass artists lay out pieces of glass while they are cool, and then put them in a kiln so that the glass melds together into a new shape. Marcela Rosemberg is located in Toronto and offers a wide variety of Judaica and decorative items made with wedding shards. There is a little more flexibility with fused glass than there is with blown, so an artist who does fusing may be more able to use shards that come from a different studio.
There are a few options for Judaica made with wedding glass shards, but not many for making them into something you can wear. Talia C in Tel Aviv makes jewelry and keychains by suspending the shards in resin.
Encase the shards in a display
If you prefer to keep the broken pieces broken but have a way to enjoy looking at them, consider a lucite cube or a shadow box. Treasured Collection and Shalom Shards Designs are two options for creating a display of the shards suspended in resin or lucite.
Encased shards as Judaica
Some artists who work in other media have come up with ways to incorporate wedding glass shards into their work. Joy Stember is a metal artist who builds Judaica designs around the broken glass, and Glenn Grubard makes wooden mezuzahs that have a tube of shard glass connected to them.
These ideas made it onto our curated list based on our knowledge of the industry. For more inspiration, check out ModernTribe's wedding glass page, or search Etsy for wedding glass keepsakes. Whether you do something with your shards right after the wedding or you are finding them at the back of your sock drawer after 15 years of marriage, there is an option out there to suit your needs and aesthetic.
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