Breaking Story: Why We Smash the Glass at Weddings

By Leiba Estrin

May 6, 2019

Let's Talk About This

Breaking a glass seems like an odd way to celebrate an important life event. After all, broken glasses in literally any other setting typically connotes clumsiness, litter, or an unwelcome kitchen accident. Yet at Jewish weddings, the act of breaking a glass instead cues guests to break out in mazal tovs, song, and joyous dancing. So, what's the story behind this strange tradition?

One explanation is that even in our happiest moments of life, breaking the glass is a reminder that we must not forget the destruction of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. The act of breaking a glass is an expression of sadness that we cannot celebrate the marriage with our Temple still standing. In a way though, the broken glass is bittersweet. Building a Jewish home with one’s partner is likened to creating a mini version of the Temple for G-d. Shattering the glass is a token reminder that although the Temple of Jerusalem is destroyed, a marriage is a renewed sacred temple for love and spirituality.

The Fragility of Life

Another reason for this custom is that the glass is a symbol that marriage, and life itself, are fragile like glass. It’s a reminder for the couple to cherish, protect, and actively work on their relationship. More broadly, the glass signifies the fragility of life, and that we truly never know what the next day will bring.

Here’s how to make the most of this meaningful tradition:

1. First, choose a glass:

Beames Designs offers a teardrop shaped glass in a variety of colors. The glass comes in a small velvet drawstring bag to hold it when ready to break, and good for storing the pieces until ready to fill the keepsake of your choice.

Faye Miller Shardz makes a breaking glass in a number of colors. Choose your favorite color to use on your wedding day. A cream satin bag will keep you from injury when it’s time to smash the glass.

Pro Tip: Wrap the glass in a cloth before smashing to avoid injury. There’s never a good time to get hurt, but this is just about the worst timing anyone could have! The wedding glasses at judaica.com come with a bag for just this purpose.

Perhaps the most practical reason for this ritual is that this will certainly not be the last dish broken by one’s spouse and we should not get worked up over broken glass (or spilled milk for that matter). Instead, like the guests at the wedding, we should say “mazel tov!” to admit how utterly human we are, that we make mistakes, and that no one is perfect.

2. Next, choose a keepsake to capture the moment.

Here are 4 of our favorites:

1. Mezuzah - Quest designed an elegant keepsake mezuzah. With its sweet depiction of a bride and groom on their wedding day, it is a wonderful way to preserve your glass shards.

2. Necklace - A necklace provides a unique expression for holding the pieces from a broken wedding glass. This one features a filigree hamsa charm that hangs over a small round pendant that holds the glass. The best part is, you can fill the necklace yourself.

3. Photo Frame - This photo frame keepsake is marked by this Hebrew quote in gold: “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” (Song of Songs 6:3). The designer embellishes the frame with curvy lines and dots of dichroic glass for colorful highlights.

4. Menorah - This keepsake menorah by Tamara Baskin is handmade, so each one comes out looking slightly different. Two lines of black glass are layered with hand-crushed clear rainbow dichroic frosted glass, and fused on a half round circle menorah. An attached glass tube holds your broken wedding glass pieces.

3 best-selling keepsakes

Send in your broken glass shards to be made into one of these popular keepsakes:

Shop all glasses and keepsakes.