Today’s fab Jewish wedding is giving us serious travel FOMO! Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Hannah, the head of weddings at Jimmy Garcia Catering in London, and Darren, the general manager of a bar in Chancery Lane, chose to wed in the groom’s home country of South Africa in no small part thanks to the nation’s positively breathtaking scenery.
And their decision to wed at a vineyard in Cape Town’s magnificent wine region did not disappoint! As an events professional in London, the bride felt strongly that she wanted her own wedding to be very different than the ones she works on – and we’re pretty sure this stunner of a big day fits that bill. Where else can you have your chuppah overlooking lush valleys of grapes amidst rugged mountain ranges?! We’re obsessed with the captivating imagery from photographer Gavin Casey and videographer Josh Hundermark.
Naturally, we love all the personal touches these two put into their big day – there’s WAY too many to list here, but we’re especially enamored with the tequila bar (with a neon sign that read “Until death do us party”)!
Now over to Hannah, who has the kindest words to say about her time in Brides Club:“I was surrounded by like-minded ladies, each creating their own unique weddings all around the world, and it was hugely comforting.” Doesn’t get much better than that!
How we met
Hannah, the bride: We were invited to a charity dinner hosted by one of our mutual friends. We had never met, and this all changed when Darren asked this friend of ours to point out one girl at the event, that knows how to have fun. Our friend pointed me out and with such confidence, he made a beeline in my direction and captivated me with his South African accent and charm.
A South African Wedding
Our venue was Eureka Estate in Durbanville, Cape Town. Having worked in the events and wedding industry, I always wanted to do something a little different than what I have seen and created in London. Darren’s family is from South Africa, so Cape Town seemed the perfect setting for our wedding. A year before, I went on a ‘site visit’ trip with my mother and mother in law (our only trip before the wedding!), and in 4 days held a number of meetings with a number of suppliers. I wanted to ensure I had answers to the big questions for the wedding in such a limited time.
One thing we knew for sure was that we wanted to be married at a vineyard as the wine region on the outskirts of Cape Town promise magnificent panoramic views of contrasting lush valleys against rugged mountain ranges. I had booked in meetings with 9 venues throughout the course of one day. Driving for a total of 12 hours, we saw venue after venue, each promising gorgeous views and spaces, but all missing that certain ‘Je ne sais quoi’.
When we pulled up to the last venue, we were exhausted and ready to go home. Low and behold, we were greeted by the amazing Mieke, venue manager and all-round events extraordinaire to her family-owned wine farm/ wedding venue. With the jaw dropping scenery, beautiful interior with modern finishes, all we had to do was look at each other and know that this would be our venue. Every box was ticked, and as they say – cliché but true – ‘when you know, you know’.
What ‘Smashing The Glass Brides Club’ Did For Us
I joined Brides Club quite early on in my planning journey. I was excited to be a part of STG, and to meet lots of other ladies in the same situation as me, asking the same questions that I had asked myself. I was surrounded by like-minded ladies, each creating their own unique weddings all around the world, and it was hugely comforting.
With the input of Karen, I was supported, given answers, comforted on one or two occasions, and was also able to offer out advice too. Sadly South Africa isn’t (yet!) on the STG vendor list, however I did take a few tips and tricks from the ladies in the group, and benefitted hugely from a number of the documents in the members only area.
Making It Personal
There were elements where we knew exactly what we wanted, and others where as long as there was a mood board or visual guide, we could leave it to our vendors to create. All we did know is that it had to be different, and for us different meant that it should reflect us.
We wanted to ensure maximum guest experience from start to finish, and to curate the perfect day for not only us but more importantly our guests, whom for the most part had travelled to be there.
Being in the events industry, I turned down the wedding planner option, but with Mieke from Eureka Estate on hand, we asked her to be our ‘on-the-day’ co-ordinator and knew that we could trust in her 100% to manage our perfect day from start to finish.
Invitations / stationery
Having previously worked with the fantastic Naomi from Dilly & Dilly on a number of events, it was a no brainer to ask her help to create our wedding invitation. We wanted something simple, classy and a piece of both of us. Without saying much, she pulled together the perfect copy, typography & matching info card.
We had both paper and electronic versions to send to all of our guests around the world. For our benschers, we sent our invitations to the team at Kisharon designs and told them that we wanted to incorporate succulents into our designs and were quickly returned with beautiful double sided a5 cards that we could bring out to South Africa.
When it came to stationary for the wedding day itself, we used Fleur Design Studio (Cape Town based). I wanted to incorporate a few fun elements – they sourced us brown paper bags for our place names, where we would place individual bread rolls in for each guest. We replaced all guest names with nicknames to give that added personal touch. We also sourced our table plan and tequila bar menu from them, which we co-designed with them and printed on large acrylic sheets.
Hair + Make-up
In the short amount of time we had on our ‘site visit’ trip, I had booked in 2 make up & hair trials. The first, based on a recommendation, unfortunately wasn’t the right look at all, but the second was perfect! I came across Juliette Carrol on Instagram and was blown away by the looks she had created – enhancing the natural beauty of so many gorgeous brides.
It started with a very natural foundation, with subtle pinks going into a more smoky shadow on the eye. I had a light pink gloss on my lips and a touch of blush to define my cheek bones.
For my hair, Juliette created a low teased up-do with a few relaxed curls in the front.
The Dress
When it came to my dress, I knew EXACTLY what I was looking for; high neck, simple satin, no beads, no lace, no frills. As you’ll see from our photos, boy was I wrong! I went wedding dress shopping with my mum – first stop, Brides of Berkhamstead. After spinning around the shop like a Tazmanian devil and trying on all of the beautiful dresses that I thought fit my ‘perfect’ vision, I hated every single one.
Each one felt more restrictive and heavier than the one before. I wanted to feel like me, and I wanted to be able to dance and enjoy our special day in its entirety (mostly on the dancefloor!) My mum had picked out a dress when we were looking, that I had said was ‘terrible’ and needed to be put back. After no after no from the ‘wonderful’ dresses that I put on, I agreed to try on the one mum picked out.
Of course, it was perfect, of course it felt amazing, and of course it was absolutely nothing like my checklist. Hesitant to commit to a dress we’d found on our first trip, we went to a few other shops, but nothing could compare. The dress that was so ‘terrible’ and that was so nothing like what I’d imagined was the one, was perfect and it was me. Mums are always right – and she hasn’t let me forget it!
Accessories
My veil came from Brides of Berkhamstead too. I went for a simple elbow length style to match my elegant dress, so as not to take away from the intricacy of it. Instagram also helped me find my personalised hair clip which absolutely made my look complete. I took the plunge and bought my personalised ‘Lurie’ Crown & Glory hair clip.
After a long 6 week wait, it finally arrived – it was perfect. It was a surprise to Darren, that he told me after was an incredibly impactful touch. I gave my diamond necklace, bracelet and earrings to my unmarried bridesmaids to wear under the chuppah, which is a Jewish tradition for good luck to get married. After which that was the only jewellery I wore, which I preferred, as it was more understated and more about my dress.
Shoes
I’m a tad shoe crazy, so wedding shoes were always going to be something of a talking point. Especially now with the slit in my dress, my shoes would be on show. I searched high and low for a pair that had the wow-factor, but after all that I ended up with a £15.00 mink simple block heel from New Look. I know right, on the one day to really splurge on those dream shoes, I fell for something completely different. This seemed to be the theme of my fashion process.
At the end of the day, we all knew that they would be swapped during dancing to a pair of brand-new white Adidas Stan Smiths, with textured animal print on the back for my new South African husband.
The handsome groom
Darren has a degree in fashion and prior to working in the hospitality industry, he worked in men’s fashion, more specifically bespoke men’s suits. I didn’t really know what to expect because he made it clear that he wanted a black-tie wedding in order “to ensure a timelessness that we could look back on, that wouldn’t get lost by wearing current trends.” He arrived at the badeken with a white, broad, peak lapel tuxedo jacket, white double-breasted waist coat and black trousers. He wore a pressed white tuxedo shirt, with gold trimmed, black pearl buttons.
Smartly Darren had two shirts made up, as he knew he would sweat through the first one after horas. His entire look was custom made by one of his close friends and groomsmen Daniel from House of Crouse. There were so many beautiful custom details, with his initials embroidered on the cuff of his shirt, to a secret message under his collar for me. Darren’s accessories followed suit as he wore black, derby dress shoes from Grenson.
He had a custom oversized, self-tying bow tie and a crystal, black and gold lapel pin with gold chain to his breast pocket. I bought him some gold cufflinks that he received as a gift on the morning of the wedding which were coupled with sentimental pieces from his late grandparents. When I saw how much effort he put into the way he looked, it absolutely floored me.
Bridesmaids
From the get-go, I knew I wanted dusty pink for my favourite girls. I also wanted to make sure that they all felt a million dollars in dresses they loved. I gave them all a colour swatch to get as close to as possible and told them that the only other requirement was that the dresses should be floor length. Otherwise, I let them have free reign (within reason). I knew that if they felt their best, they would look their best, and with all of the different textures and personalities they really did look beautiful together.
Ceremony
The ceremony was the perfect balance of feeling part of nature whilst having protection from the African elements. (Brits don’t do too well in the sun, especially not in black tie.) It was set on the veranda, surrounded in glass with 360 views for the rolling hills of grapes, mountains and valleys. We opted for a backing track, playing some of our perfect songs for the moment.
Darren said his favourite part was finding a meditative state from looking out into the beautiful view whilst I circled him. For me it was when his pinkie magically reached out and found mine, we shared this electricity throughout the ceremony, that seemed to be anchored from this small touch.
Ketubah
We were keen to get a gorgeous looking ketubah, that wasn’t too crazy out of our price range (which proved difficult for a while). The ketubah we settled on was from an Israeli company on Etsy.
Chuppah
From the early stages of planning I found my chuppah inspiration on Pinterest. The venue, which had never held a Jewish wedding before, had a chuppah structure onsite. We then brought in draping to match the runners on the tables and tied in additional floral clusters either side at the front, as well as lanterns and candles. I didn’t have much to do with this – I gave my inspiration pic to the wonderful Ro (my florist) and she worked her magic!
Our Music Choice
Music was one of our top priorities. We had 3 separate music acts to set the scene for each stage of our special day. After the chuppah we had a 4-piece, local reggae band, The Rivertones, that played covers of Bob Marley as people enjoyed sundowners and canapes. The band was so engaging that they had all of our guests dancing and primed for what was to come. After that we had a DJ (DJ Ricky H) play horas and Israeli dancing music, which proved to be a wild, sweaty blur of adrenaline for us both.
After speeches we had a 6-piece band with brass section, Level Up, that played everything from pop music to wedding classics all with a jazzy, Motown feel. Both bands were found through using an entertainment agency (Angelo from Shake and Bake Entertainment). Darren’s cousin who is a jazz singer studying her final year at the acclaimed Berklee College of Music, performed ‘Me & Mrs Jones’ for our first dance.
It hit all the feels as we were surrounded by everyone we loved and shared in that special moment. It was all topped off with DJ Ricky H returning with a late-night set which left our feet in pieces after a 2am finish. We can’t stress enough how the music and entertainment can make your wedding day so memorable!
Flowers
When it came to the florals, we weren’t entirely set on what we wanted. We really love succulents and wanted to tie in both the succulent greens and purples with the muted pinks that we went for in the chuppah & table draping and bridesmaid colours. The florist who we initially booked had decided to move with her family to another location in South Africa and was unable to do my wedding. Eek!
Being the gem that she is, before she let me know, she had found and checked availability with another florist (Ro from Botanica Flowers) who she knew would deliver our brief perfectly. After a handover Facetime between the 3 of us, and run through of my thoughts and ideas, Ro put together her mood board with her visions for the day. It was perfect, and I knew we were in more than safe hands!! She created our chuppah florals, hanging installation above our top table, the garland on our top table, table florals (different heighted jars), bridesmaid bouquets, and of course mine too.
As a special extra, she also threw in smaller tied arrangements for the wooden high tables during reception. She put my mind at ease, and I knew were in expert hands.
Photographer and videographer
Time and time again I saw Gavin Casey’s magnificent work and was drawn to his captivating images. He had an extensive portfolio of diverse weddings in every possible setting and the main feature that stood out was his ability to focus on natural/ candid shots, and less of the staged and posed images. He was a perfect fit as his approach is to be invisible and avoid getting in the way of us being in the moment and enjoying our wedding day.
Bar one initial Skype chat, and a Whatsapp here and there, we didn’t meet until the day itself. His unique ability to put you at ease and show the care needed in helping us feel important, went a long way in providing a professional service that delivered the dream shots we will one day share with our children.
Josh Hundermark was our videographer, he came recommended by Gavin as they have worked together before. He was affordable and followed the brief to capture candid moments between us and our guests. His teaser video was nothing short of spectacular, finding the perfect moments to share in a way that showed cinematic skill and creativity. He managed to truly portray the energy we felt at each moment.
Food and Cake
Kosher catering is limited in Cape Town and only after our wedding did we find out why. It’s because Merle Rubin cannot be competed with. It started with a lavish grazing table of fresh fish, sashimi, sushi, salads and more. It was then followed by a grand selection of meats including lamb, steak and chicken, accompanied by 8 different salads, rice, potatoes and more. People went back for more helpings and everyone was able to balance out the boozy start.
Dessert was a decadent balance of chocolate, fruits, pastries, cakes and other sweet dreams. An amazing addition was a midnight snack served to guests who were feeling the drunken munchies, which was hot pastrami on rye and chips.
Entertainment
Aside from the music, our entertainment was limited to a select few things to keep guests engaged. We had a photobooth, which proved to be a big hit. We had lawn sports after the ceremony including croquet and giant Jenga.
The best by far was our tequila bar. We had curated the finest tequila from a recent trip to Mexico and found a multitude of garnishes and ways to enjoy it. We had a neon sign above the Tequila bar that said- “Until death do us party!” Needless to say, things got messy thereafter.
Favours
No real favours as such, but we had fans with printed names and dates, kippot, flip flops for the bridal party, take home photobooth strips and people could take home the succulents on the tables.
Extra details
As it was a destination wedding, we wanted to have a welcome party 2 nights before the wedding to allow guests a chance to get to know each other and kick off the wedding celebrations. We chose The Grand Beach Club, where we traded our shoes for bare feet in the sand, whilst watching the sun set over the ocean’s horizon.
It was amazing to see family & friends from all over getting to know each other, and partying into the night. Shots, shots and more shots, resulted in me walking into what I thought was an open, glass sliding door. I fractured my nose, which caused mass panic two days before the wedding. With loads of ice and a gifted make-up artist, the swelling and bruising was reduced to a non-entity.
Another favourite moment was when Darren’s uncle Mitch (our MC) stripped down to his Liverpool underwear, to ruffle Darren’s feathers as he is a Man Utd fan. The guests didn’t know where to look but everyone was crying with laughter.
Just after the chuppah, Darren’s brother who used to be a drummer, did a drum solo with reggae band that had people going crazy.
The speeches were also a highlight. My mum said a speech that was very heartfelt, people forget that there are rarely occasions for people to share words and have an outlet for their deepest emotion, it was a very touching moment. Darren also said a speech that had people listening to every word and pause, he is such a great speaker, so I’m glad that was a bullet I dodged.
Honeymoon
We had a mini moon where we visited Stellenbosch (wine region just outside Cape Town) and Paternoster, a small fishing town about 2.5 hours outside of Cape Town. We stayed at Banhoek lodge which was a small boutique hotel poised in the middle of a valley in a breath-taking vineyard. Being a boutique hotel, there were 6 rooms which meant they were extremely attentive and pulled out all the stops to ensure we had a relaxed, private and intimate trip.
The best part is that there were maybe 4 other people at the pool, and we could get breakfast on our balcony in our room, with views that were endless. It was the perfect decompression after the wedding. Its location was ideal, within a short drive to the finest restaurants and vineyards in the region. We had wine tastings, fine dining tasting menus and beautiful walks. Our second destination, Paternoster, was a quiet paradise.
There were long stretches of white sand beaches, incredible restaurants (Wolfgat is located here, recently voted as the best restaurant in the world), incredibly rustic and basic with a small number of tourists and the rest being local fisherman. We booked a private villa at Abelone house, which was fitted with our own swimming pool, barbeque, lounge area and a bedroom right on the beach.
Our balcony opened out on to sea views and we were able to truly feel on holiday. The perfect story from this trip was when Darren gave the Heimlich manoeuvre to a choking dinner guest at a restaurant and he was able to bring up a sharp fish bone. Needless to say, we got a bottle of wine on the house that night.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
The biggest piece of advice that I would pass on to other brides would be to have an on the day co-ordinator that they handover with at least 2-3 days before your wedding, in order to fully let go on the day. It let us enjoy the day in its fullest and not worry about anything that might (or probably did!) go ‘off-schedule’.
Another tip that one of our friends reminded me throughout the night was to take a moment to stop and take it all in. It can all go by in a blink of an eye so this one was perfect!
HANNAH & DARREN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Gavin Casey
Videography – Josh Hundermark
Wedding planner – Bride, Mieke from Eureka Estate
Venue – Eureka Estate, Durbanville
Bride’s dress – Brides of Berkhamstead
Bride’s shoes – New Look (Asos) & Adidas Stan Smiths
Bride’s accessories – Clip from Crown & Glory
Groom’s attire – House of Crouse
Hair + Makeup – Juliette Carrol
Flowers – Rowenna @ Botanica Flowers
Reception Band – The Rivertones
Main band – Level Up
DJ – Ricky H
Catering – Merle Rubin
Ketubah – Etsy
Stationery/Invitation – Dilly & Dilly, Fleur Design Studio, Kisharon
Rabbi – Rabbi Oshy Deren
Smash The Glass Pouch – Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}
If you’re a Jewish or Jew-ish bride-to-be, you’ll want to join Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club. Guided by the world’s number 1 Jewish wedding expert, Karen Cinnamon, Brides Club is the private community for Jewish and Jew-ish brides that removes wedstress and indecision and gives you what you need to plan with confidence during these uncertain times. Join our Brides Club here.
