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Real Jewish Brides: Choosing a Kosher Wedding Venue (or not?)… and a brutally honest ‘congratulations’

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It’s My Wedding, And I’ll Cry If I Want To…

About a week after returning from Spain, I had overcome the jet lag, gotten used to calling Harley my fiancà©, and told our engagement story about 163548 times. It was such an exciting time, and we were grateful for the support we received, but I have to admit that I considered changing the voice mail greeting on my phone to “how we got engaged” more than once that week! It wasn’t until a meeting at work the following week, when I saw a friend from another department, that I got the most authentic response from a recent bride. The conversation went a little like this…

Christa: “Is that new?!” (pointing at my ring)
Me: “It is!!!”
Christa: “Oh my gosh, congratulations! When’s the big day?!”
Me: “We’re not sure yet. My sister is getting married in May, so we’re trying not to do too much planning before then…we’ll probably just lock down the venue.”
Christa: “Just remember, all the tears you cry while planning your wedding will all be worth it the day after.”
Me:  yikes-emoji

Although I was caught off guard because I was in engagement bliss and hadn’t started the planning process yet, I completely understand now that we’re five months in. Luckily the only tears so far were associated with the stress of deciding on the where and when of our wedding, and we can now laugh about it and share the details of our dream venue!

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Dawn + Harley’s engagement story — you can read all about it here

Let The Planning Begin!

As I mentioned in the conversation with my colleague, Harley and I got engaged about two and a half months before my sister and new brother-in-law’s wedding. Since I was still in full “Maid of Honor Mode” and wanted to let them have their time to shine, we decided to only focus on the main attraction until after their wedding…the venue.

Of course, being a normal bride (or at least one who was paranoid about having her favorite vendors book up), there may have been a few exceptions…like when my wedding dress basically fell into my lap months before I even planned on shopping for one. I will happily blog about that experience in a future post!

Operation: Find A Kosher Hotel Venue

Writing this blog on the heels of a camping trip for work in the Florida Keys IN THE SUMMER, I can honestly say I’d be perfectly happy with any venue that has air conditioning. Fortunately, I was not deprived of cold air or water when searching for venues, so my standards were a bit higher. Harley and I agreed from the start that we wanted both the ceremony and reception to take place in a hotel for a number of reasons:

  1. About three quarters of our guest list is made up of out-of-towners, ranging from various parts of Florida to different countries, so we would definitely have to coordinate transportation if we didn’t go with a hotel.
  2. I love the idea of waking up at the venue the morning of the wedding, as well as ending the night there.
  3. Our guests who take advantage of the open bar can safely stumble up to their rooms at the end of the night; and
  4. There will be 15 girls getting ready for the wedding together, so a nice, comfy Bridal Suite is a must!

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8 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Wedding Photography

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This is a guest post by Rob Clayton

A good wedding photographer should be able to take great photographs at any event, whatever the light, and whatever the circumstances. However, there are things that you, as the bride and groom, to help ensure you get the best possible images from your day

1. Do your research

Find a photographer whose work you love (not just like, but love!), meet up with him or her and make sure you’re the right fit for each other. And then trust them! If you love the photographer’s work, it will be much easier to trust them when they start taking unusual angles, or making seemingly peculiar requests, rather than you having to worry, ‘why are they doing that? Is that the best way to take this photograph or that? Etc’.

2. Discuss things with your photographer

Talk to your photographer about what you do and don’t like, and allow him or her to explain their methodology. This should give you reassurance on the day that there is a method and a purpose behind all their actions (which may not always be obvious).

3. Prepare a shot list

What you really don’t want to happen on your wedding day is to have to stand around thinking about exactly which combinations of people you want in the formal photographs (especially with all your guests stood around you!). A shot-list prepared in advance will not just take the worry away, but will ensure that the formal photographs can proceed smoothly without delay.

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4. Manage your expectations

Unrealistic expectations can only ever lead to disappointment. Your photographer should be able to help guide you in this respect, but just don’t expect the impossible. For example, if you only set aside a small window of opportunity in which to take the formal family photographs, and then produce a gigantic list to get through, it may just not be possible to do them all without re-arranging the timeline (not something the chef will be prepared to do, I can tell you now!).

An example I have had personally, was a request prior to the wedding to take some pictures of the bride and groom on a beach at sunset. The wedding was in Liverpool city centre. Some expectations are just harder to achieve than others.

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A Sassi Holford bride for a Destination Interfaith Jewish wedding at Les Mas des Oules, Provence, South of France

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Oh what a treat I have for you today! A super gorgeous couple, and my goodness, where do I start with their delicious destination Jew-ish destination wedding?

It’s designed and planned to perfection by Lucy Till, and it’s just bursting at the seams with details that will make you squeal. Seriously — it’s that good. Kitty’s Sassi Holford wedding dress, the Provencal blooms,  the lavender theme and the home-made touches… it’s all breathtaking. Oh, and Dexter the dog. Don’t even get me started. Let’s not forget Robbie who looks super dapper in his suit and bow tie too (with a matching one for Dexter too!).

I’m approaching things from a slightly different angle today as it’s actually Kitty and Robbie’s very talented wedding photographer —David Morgan — who will be talking us through the bride and groom’s view of the day.

Enjoy this one folks!

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Choosing to get married in South of France

David Morgan, their photographer: Kitty and Robbie were married at a charming little French estate called Les Mas des Oules. Les Mas des Oules is a family run estate in ‘Gard Provenà§al’ and it was originally the farm and winery of the château of Saint-Victor des Oules.

When Kitty and Robbie first went to see the venue it was quite literally a building site as it was in the process of being sympathetically converted by an English couple into eight houses and apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms. The venue is close to where Robbie’s parents have a home so made a lot of sense from that perspective.

Kitty and Robbie fell in love with the views and it was a snap decision with a deposit there and then!

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Real Jewish Brides: Less then 3 months to go… and I’m still obsessed with lists

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Lists. Emails.  Research. Repeat.  This is my current mantra as I pass the 3 month mark.  The first To-Do List  I wrote was  appropriately  titled “A Big List”.  In it contained tasks, comments and  follow-up actions  of  what I thought, was everything I needed  to  think about  and arrange  in the lead up to the wedding.

Since then,  that list has expanded, contracted and developed appendices.  Why  oh  why did Netflix have to screen Gilmore Girls now? Ddon’t they know how long it takes to proofread addresses and invitation artwork? Why do people tell you once the “big things” are done, the rest falls into place? The  big things are the easy part. It’s the finer details  that  test your decision-making capabilities, ignite  a  creative spark you never knew you had and  challenge  your emotional resistance.

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This month, I’ve ticked off a little bit of everything- invitations, menus, lighting, flowers, religious traditions  and fashion  and it’s been great fun!!  I’ve certainly received an education when it comes to stationery.  I used Etsy, and  Style Me Pretty to kick-start my imagination and quite quickly came up with a modern and elegant design for the main invitation.

Linda Abrahams, the stationery supplier I used, was really enthusiastic and focused on delivering this design and so  I set my objective: let’s get this done  and dusted!  As  numerous  versions of the  design  were emailed back and forth with  comments and  amendments, it became very clear that the only way to reach the final draft stage was to get  specific  with the details.

I had no idea about card weights, types of personalisation and envelopes…surely your guests don’t judge your invitation on the quality of the envelope it comes in? It  goes straight in the bin! But, I confess…I spent at least four hours, avoiding the treadmill, trying to make this decision.  I was guided with beautiful samples of card weights and tutored in the topic of table plan versus escort cards. And so the final draft was approved and I could tick it off the list!  My lesson outcome: Study the options and start stationery early.

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Win your wedding photography (worth £1950) with Soraya Photography

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I love sharing  good news and wonderful prizes with you,  and  today I’m thrilled to be  partnering with  award-winning wedding photographer,  Margaret Soraya  to offer one lucky couple  FREE wedding photography, anywhere in the world!

I’m a huge fan of Margaret’s work and it goes without saying that she’s one of my handpicked  Smashing Suppliers. She  specialises in capturing moments, expressions and emotions in a gentle and unobtrusive manner, and  having  photographed almost 400 weddings she’s  seen a huge variety of wedding styles and worked with all sorts  of gorgeous  couples.

Based in the beautiful highlands of Scotland but shooting weddings all over  the UK and beyond, Margaret regularly photographs weddings in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, and the USA. During the quieter winter months she works as a travel photographer and takes on commissions all over  the world meaning she is no stranger to travel and is  comfortable with photographing your wedding wherever  it may be.

Her  primary focus at any wedding, be it a large lavish wedding at an exclusive high end venue, or a small couples-only shoot, is to record emotions and real expressions and to produce striking images that  are full of love and laughter.  She works in a quiet, unassuming  manner and is continually seeking out special moments.

If you’re getting married between 1st March 2017 and 1st October 2018, I highly  recommend you enter the competition! Margaret would love to shoot your Jewish (or Jew-ish) wedding, so  don’t miss all the giveaway details below.

If you’re not fortunate  enough to win, Margaret  would like to offer you  10% off your  wedding photography if you then decide to go on and hire her.

Thank you so much Margaret! Be sure to check out more of her work at Soraya Photography and on Instagram and Facebook.

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