Review: Creating my wedding centerpiece at Hollywood Hot Glass
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Talk about a hot date. Photo: Marta Oliver Craviotto
For our wedding, my wife Marta and I decided to have a sand ceremony symbolizing our union.
- We gathered sand from my hometown of Miami Beach and her hometown of Adra, Spain, and poured it into a vase we made together at Hollywood Hot Glass.
Why it matters: We're already creating a life together, so it felt fitting to create a physical representation.
- Plus, this ended up being a fun date activity.
State of play: Brenna Baker, the founder of Hollywood Hot Glass, competed on the Netflix glassblowing competition show "Blown Away."
- Her studio offers hands-on classes where you can make your own creations. You can also buy finished pieces in the gallery.
How it works: Glassblowing involves inflating molten glass with a metal blow pipe and molding it into different shapes.
The experience: Classes are held in an open-air studio lined with red-hot furnaces and public seating for curious onlookers.
- We booked a two-person class and chose to create a vase for $128. (There are other options at varying price points.)
- First, we chose the colors we wanted: blue and white. Then, with our instructor's help, we took turns blowing and manipulating the glass on the end of our stick.
- Luckily, it wasn't too hot outside (it was April) and we booked an evening class, so the heat from the furnaces didn't bother us.
The class takes about 20 minutes, and you can pick up your creation the next day.
- We took our vase with us to Spain, and it was the perfect centerpiece for our sand ceremony.
If you go: Hollywood Hot Glass is located at ArtsPark at Young Circle.
- Open Wednesday-Sunday, 1pm-9pm.