Have we got a stunner of a Jewish wedding for you! Rachel, who’s in beauty PR, and Daniel, who works for a bank, had the most breathtakingly gorgeous London Jewish wedding you ever did see.
The duo worked with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor GEN Z Events to plan the day of their dreams, and, in Rachel’s words, “I wouldn’t have been able to do anything without them! Jay and the team bought my vision to life in ways I didn’t even know were possible. The theme of the wedding was fairytale, whimsical and to bring my dream of being a princess for a day come true, and it definitely did!”
Speaking of being a princess for the day – can we talk about Rachel’s gown? Rachel always dreamed of a gown by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Galia Lahav, and true to plan she found the absolute perfect dress (and veil!) in the beloved Israeli designer’s Gia – with some added customization to make it totally, 100% her. Rachel can’t stop raving about her experience at Galia Lahav’s London flagship.
The Landmark London, with its glass ceiling and palm trees, provided the perfect outdoor-indoor atmosphere for the day, and we’re also obsessed with the couple’s divine floral chuppah! Don’t miss it all in the wonderful photos by Rachel Takes Pictures.
Now over to Rachel…
How We Met
Rachel, the bride: We met at JFS secondary school in year 7! We were in the same year, had the same friends and officially got together in year 9!
A London Wedding
We got married at The Landmark London.
Loved the venue from when I walked in and saw the glass ceiling and palm trees! It gave me an outdoor but indoors feeling which was the exact vibe I wanted. Each room we used for chuppa, reception and ballroom were perfect for the theme I wanted to create. It was a dream!
Fairy Tale Whimsy
We used the most incredible team, GEN Z Events. I wouldn’t have been able to do anything without them! Jay and the team bought my vision to life in ways I didn’t even know were possible. The theme of the wedding was fairytale, whimsical and to bring my dream of being a princess for a day come true, and it definitely did!
We designed everything from start to finish, to how the tables were going to look, the backdrop with flowers, bespoke dance floor, flower designs for the chuppa, reception and tables in the ballroom, the lighting in every room – everything! The wedding couldn’t have been more ME if it tried. Attention to detail is extremely important to me, as it was to Jay and it was definitely noticed on the night!
Invitation/Stationery
Invitation London. Darren was THE BEST! We built an amazing relationship over the last 6 months, he brought my visions to life and created the most beautiful stationary! Wouldn’t have been able to do it without him!
Hair + Makeup
Kym Mullem for hair. There was never anyone else for me. Kym is just the best ever, she knew exactly what I wanted for my hair, we created the ultimate princess hair and it bought my whole look together. My hair did not move all night! Kym is the best person to be around, she is the number one expert in her field and that showed throughout my trials, and on the day!
I used the incredible Natasha De Cazalet for make up and I have no words! From my first trial, I was just in shock! Natasha got the vibe, the visions, everything. I have never worn such stunning make up, I was devastated to wash it off after my trail, and even more devastated to wash it off after my wedding!! The make up did not move all night, even with the tears! It still looked just as perfect at the end of the night as it did just before I walked down the aisle. Natasha is incredible!!!
A Galia Lahav Dress
It was always a dream of mine to be a Galia bride, and that dream came true after finding my perfect dress! I found my dress with the Galia Lahav, she took one look at me and said you are Gia. The Gia was the first dress I tried on in the shop! After going to other wedding dress shops, I realised nothing was ever going to compare to the Galia dress. We went back and said yes to the dress!
My dress was a custom Gia, we made the dress totally bespoke to me by changing the colour, neckline, and adding 2 extra bags of embroidery all over the dress which I hand placed with Bernadeta, the most incredible seamstress at Galia Lahav London! Galia herself also designed my custom Gia veil and hand placed each piece onto my veil to make it bespoke.
Shoes
My shoes were Jimmy Choo! They were exactly what I wanted and stunningly complemented my dress.
Bridesmaids
I had 6 bridesmaids and my maid of honour. These are my bestest friends! They wore the most stunning dresses from Anne Louise Boutique and perfectly matched the theme of my whole wedding! They actually couldn’t have been more perfect! I funnily enough found these dresses even before I was engaged, and said when I get married, my bridesmaids are wearing this dress!
Ceremony & Chuppah
I worked with the most insane florist in the world. Leanne at Wild About Flowers went above and beyond to create my perfect chuppa. It blew me away. I was so nervous to walk down the aisle, as soon as the doors opened and I saw my chuppa, I couldn’t do anything but smile! It took my breath away. Leanne and I built the most incredible relationship along the way! Way too many meetings that went on wayyy too long! It was the best experience.
My visions for the wedding stayed the same from the beginning, we had a clear vibe and look which we definitely bought to life! My favourite part of the ceremony was standing under the chuppa about to marry the love of my life, knowing that everyone in the room was there for us.
Ketubah
The shul gifted us our ketubah.
Our music choice
We had the amazing Totem at our wedding who bought the party all night!!
We had a mix of current and old school songs which was perfect for our mixed age group of guests! The dancefloor was full all night!
Flowers
Wild About Flowers – we chose a mix of pastel pinks, greens and soft cream. Leanne brought EVERYTHING to life. I wouldn’t change one thing. She exceeded all expectations as I knew she would! We are both perfectionists and I knew I could trust her with everything straight from the beginning. We bounced off each other with ideas from our very first meeting and we created the most beautiful wedding flowers!
Photographer and videographer
Rachel Takes Pictures was our photographer. Rachel was incredible to work with from the very beginning, we hit it off from our first meeting and couldn’t be more excited to work with her! The photographs Rachel produces were exactly what we wanted for our wedding, the candid, film, natural pictures captured our wedding perfectly! I can’t wait to start putting them all in frames around our home. Rachel’s energy on the day was so calming, fun and electric. She is the best!!!
Steve at Tete a Tete was our videographer and again his energy on the day was what I needed! Steve knows exactly what he is doing, he is there without you even realising! I loved Steve’s work so it was a no brainer to work with him for my wedding. We only have our 1 minute tester back so far, and even that makes us relive the night! We cannot wait to receive our 2 hour! Going to watch on repeat!
Extra Details
I had a 15 page mood board from the day I got engaged which evolved over the course of the whole year! My vendors elevated every single idea on that mood board to make it my perfect wedding! Every single thing about the wedding was designed by me and the incredible team I worked with! Even how we were going to lay the napkins with the menus! I couldn’t have asked for anymore from everyone!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Enjoy every single moment! I absolutely loved the journey and the process of planning my wedding. It was incredible in every way and I am gutted it’s over!! There might be stressful times but just ride the wave and let it go over your head. Don’t let anything ruin your time and your happiness! It will be the best day of your life and it goes WAY too quickly!!!
RACHEL & DANIEL’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Rachel Takes Pictures
Videography – Tete a Tete Films
Venue – The Landmark London
Planner – GEN Z Events
Bride’s dress & veil – Galia Lahav
Bride’s shoes – Jimmy Choo
Bridesmaids’ dresses – Anne Louise Boutique
Hair – Kym Mullem
Makeup – Natasha De Cazalet
Flowers – Wild About Flowers
DJ – Totem
Stationery/Invitation – Invitation London
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.
