Today on the blog we’re introducing our 4th gorgeous bride from our crop of 2020 Real Jewish Brides! Please give a warm welcome to Janine, who will be marrying Paul on 26th July 2020 at Fasque Castle, Scotland, UK.
THREE FACTS: (1) Janine and fiance Paul met on Bumble. (2) The two of them are planning an interfaith Jew-ish wedfest weekend, to include everything from a whiskey tasting to mini highland games! (3) Janine is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!
How We Met
Paul and I met “the modern way” via the Bumble dating app – it’s a romance that nearly never happened! When we were due to have our first date, I accidentally locked myself out of my flat, and had to wait for my landlord to bring spare keys so I was forced to cancel on Paul at the last-minute when he was already on his way!
Fortunately, he saw the funny side; both of us were pretty flexible and met the next day. I’ll never forget the beaming smile on his face as I walked into the pub in Greenwich – it’s forever etched in my mind, and really epitomises the person that he is – a smiley, lovely man.
On the other hand Paul will never forget (and often reminds me), of me eating mountains of French Bread with the baked camembert we shared, because I was too embarrassed to tell him that I’m gluten intolerant; at the time we met it wasn’t really ‘a thing’ and more for hipsters – a hipster I am not!
Our dating days
Paul and I share a love of travel and adventure. The early days of our dating were spent in the conventional way – drinks, cinema, eating out etcetera, but we also enjoy/ed venturing off to different parts of the country and abroad.
Our first weekend away was to Eastbourne at Easter time, which was super special – it’s a place that Paul spent many Christmas breaks with his family as a child – it’s a special feeling seeing places that have meant so much to him.
We cosied up in a room in the Grand Hotel, walked along the beach and ate mountains from the delectable cheese plates in the hotel lounge.
From our early days of dating together we have also discovered a love of wine; we’ve since visited vineyards around the world including but not exclusively the English vineyards, Napa Valley, Montenegro and Italy. We’ve made so many special memories together!
The Proposal
Our engagement happened in a way that was really perfect for Paul and I – romantic, discreet and just us!
On Sunday 9th December 2018 we went for a walk on Chipperfield Common, which was one of the first places we had visited together and another of the special places from Paul’s childhood.
We were walking through the woods and we reached a clearing, Paul paused and pulled from his coat pocket a “treat token” I had previously made him for a day out of his choosing.
I thought that it was very sweet, as it was the first time he had used one of the tokens since I had made them for his birthday the year before. He then said: “that’s not it” and drew a very well-hidden black box from his coat, he lowered to one knee and asked me to marry him with a beautiful emerald and diamond ring.
I of course cried and said yes. We hugged and, in my excitement, I asked if I could call my best friend Tom! We waited a little while and shared the moment between the two of us before the calls were made.
We enjoyed a Sunday roast in the local pub accompanied by a celebratory glass of fizz. The most bizarre part of our proposal is that I had a vivid dream the night before that Paul had proposed at a clearing in the woods!
The big day
Paul and I are set to marry on 26th July 2020 at the historic and beautiful Fasque Castle, Scotland which we chose as a homage to my Scottish – Wallace roots and in memory of my wee Granny.
We’re making the most of the celebrations and having what I guess will be a “Wed Fest” with celebrations across a long- weekend from the Saturday to the Monday – including activities like whisky-tasting and a mini Highland Games!
We are planning a fun, relaxed, beautiful and fairly intimate Interfaith/Jew-ish wedding with no real “pomp and ceremony” (aside from the ceremony!) which will share elements of both our backgrounds.
We just a want it to be a lovely time with our nearest and dearest in our castle estate setting which we’re lucky enough to have exclusively for us and our guests for the long weekend; it will be a time to celebrate us, and the people that mean the most in both of our lives.
Our Vendors Booked So Far
We’re both super organised people – to the extent that we have a Trello board to project manage the wedding! We’ve booked most of the big vendors and have made a conscious decision to book local vendors where we can.
As a super excited bride, the first vendor I booked was my dressmaker the lovely Lisa Carrington Couture – and what a magical experience it has, and continues to be.
Lisa completely understands my vision and is coupled with her passion and drive to create my dream dress which has been heart-warming and has made me a very happy bride!
After the dress we booked our photographer and interfaith minister and it’s been a steady stream of bookings since then; including my fabulous hairdresser Athina who has kindly offered to style the bridal party’s hair as her wedding gift!
The latest vendor we have booked is Rebecca Barnett, who will be our on the day coordinator. It’s difficult to put into words how happy we are that we have found her – as we decided to change from our original wedding planner quite late into the process.
Rebecca is friendly and knowledgeable, and she has worked at our venue over fifty times, so it was just meant to be!
Up next for us is booking our reception musicians and printing the wedding invites – oh, I am a stationery designer which definitely comes in handy!
What Marriage Means To Us
We see marriage as a continuation of our lives together and, an affirmation of our love and commitment to each other; we look forward to a partnership lasting our lifetimes and to sharing both our backgrounds and experiences when we have children.
Click here to read all Janine’s planning posts to date.
Janine and Paul’s Wedding Vendors booked so far:
Venue – Fasque Castle
Bride’s dress – Lisa Carrington Couture
On the Day Coordinator – Rebecca Barnett
Photographer – Allister Freeman
Hair + Makeup – Athina Gregoriades and Samantha Cardno
Event childcare – The Event Nanny
Bagpiper – Rich Gordon
Ceremony music – The Aberdeen Wedding Pianist
Interfaith minister – Angie Alexandra
Flowers – Hay’s Flowers
Catering – Sinclairs
Cake – Laura Lane
Band – Highway
Highland games – Jomm Events
Stationery – London Paper Crafts
