Today’s wedding is a special one for me to feature is it’s at the Wallace Collection where I got married!
And I love that when Daniella, a Lagree instructor, and Adam, who works in finance consulting, set out to plan their Jewish wedding, their top priority was for it to feel relaxed, like a big party.
And with the help of their amazing wedding planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Elegante by Michelle J, the couple were able to make their big day at London’s Wallace Collection feel like exactly that! In Daniella’s words, Michelle “not only understood exactly what we wanted from our wedding but also managed to pull everything together in a very short time frame” – plus she helped make the less formal setup of the day (Daniella and Adam opted not to have a formal seated dinner and instead to have food stations and seating areas) flow perfectly.
Also key to those party vibes was the pair’s band, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Totem. Daniella and Adam opted for their DJ live offering, which kept everyone on the dance floor until the very end! As evidenced by Paulo Santos stunning photography, a fabulous time was indeed had by all.
Oh, and did I mention Daniella’s Galia Lahav gown yet? Read on for full details about it, and so much more…
How we Met
Daniella, the bride: We met over six years ago both working on the same consulting project in Manchester and two years later we moved together out to Hong Kong where we live now.
A Museum Wedding
Our original plan was to get married in Tel Aviv in 2021 which then got postponed to May 2022 once Covid started. Then in February this year we made the decision to keep the same date but move the wedding to London due to restrictions around travel.
Luckily our rabbi had held the date at our synagogue, so we at least had a venue for the chuppah with 3 months to go! It was actually our rabbi who suggested we look at the Wallace Collection for the reception as he knew we wanted somewhere that felt different, and as a bonus it was walking distance from the synagogue.
At this point we were stuck in Hong Kong, which meant viewing the Wallace took place over Facetime at 1am HKT with the help of my family. Wallace Collection was so beautiful, and we loved the idea of having our reception in an art gallery in Central London, that even on a tiny iPhone screen Adam and I both fell in love and knew we had to get married there!
Party Vibes
All we both knew was that we wanted our wedding to feel relaxed and to be a big party. So, we decided to not do a formal seated dinner but instead have food stations and seating areas. Living in Hong Kong during Covid had made travelling back to the UK over the last 2 years very difficult due to quarantine restrictions, so more than anything we were just excited to have everyone we loved in a room together and to celebrate!
It is safe to say we could have not done anything without our amazing wedding planner Elegante by Michelle J, who not only understood exactly what we wanted from our wedding but also managed to pull everything together in a very short time frame. We were worried that without doing a classic sit down the day wouldn’t flow but she had our timeline planned perfectly and every detail covered.
Hair + Make-up
My hair was done by one of my mum’s friends Marian Clancy who was also a guest at the wedding, and who I’ve known for years. I wanted a very simple sleek bun which felt comfortable and meant I didn’t have to worry about my hair holding all day.
I hardly ever wear make-up day to day so I really wanted to find a make-up artist who could create a natural look and I was so lucky when one of my bridesmaids sent me to Rachel Singer Clark. Rachel is an editorial make-up artist and rarely does bridal so I’m so grateful she was there on the day to create a beyond amazing look for me.
A Galia Lahav Dress
Planning on getting married in Israel I went straight to Galia Lahav in Tel Aviv back in Oct 2019 with my bridesmaids a few months after Adam and I got engaged, I had always loved her dresses and didn’t even consider going to look anywhere else first. The dress I chose ended up being one I had actually picked out before my first appointment! I loved the flower detailing on the body, the open back and the flowy sheer skirt.
When the wedding got moved to London I got to go and spend 10 days in Tel Aviv at the beginning of May having my final fittings and making the last few tweaks for the dress. Definitely one of the best decisions I made was going straight to the GL flagship as every small alteration was done by the in-house team and the dress turned out better than I could have imagined.
Wedding Choos
I had two pairs of Jimmy Choos, one super high gold pair embellished pair and then another lower block heel that I changed into after the ceremony before we walked from the synagogue over to the Wallace.
The handsome groom
Adam is known for having a ‘jazzy’ dress sense, and in particular never wearing socks, so my nerves around not knowing what he had chosen was only made easier by the knowledge he had consulted my bridesmaids along the way! But in the end, I had nothing to worry about he had chosen an amazing dark navy double breasted suit by Dior with a Turnbull & Asser shirt.
Bridesmaids
My three best friends and my stepsister were my bridesmaids, and not forgetting my 7-year-old stepdaughter as our flower girl. I’ve never liked the idea of matching dresses for grownups and most importantly I wanted the closest people to me to feel good with what they were wearing. They chose anything they liked, and all the dresses ended up working perfectly together.
Ceremony
We were lucky to have Rabbi David from West London Synagogue, a place that is very special to us as it is where Adam converted in 2018. We worked with Rabbi David to decide what we wanted to include in our ceremony, and he helped us to create an order of service explaining the ceremony and the meanings behind every part. Many of our guests had not been to a synagogue or a Jewish wedding before so we wanted them to feel included and understand what was going on during our chuppah.
Flowers
Wildabout created the most gorgeous chuppah and florals for us, especially on the staircase at the Wallace. From the beginning I had wanted to feature this as it was the first thing people saw as they got to the gallery, and the stairs looked even better than I could’ve imagined, plus the smell as you walked up and down was amazing. It was also a bonus we happened to get married during peony season!
Photographer and videographer
I came across Paulo Santos‘ work as he had already shot a few weddings at the Wallace Collection, and I loved his aesthetic and also his natural way of capturing amazing photos without looking too staged. We were beyond happy with our photos they capture every moment of day so beautifully and we can’t stop looking at them!
We spent a long time deciding if we wanted a wedding video as we didn’t want multiple cameras in our faces, but after finding Philip White‘s work online it was an easy decision. Philip captured the best moments and emotion of the day (without us ever feeling like we were being filmed) creating a beautiful and cinematic video that we love.
Food and Cake
Rocket did our catering, we chose to have two food stations, one Italian and one Middle Eastern. We loved their presentation using florals and the quality of their food was outstanding. We also had signature cocktails for guests, picantes and espresso martinis, our two favourites!
Entertainment
We wanted our reception to be a big party, so we were so lucky that Totem had had a cancellation and happened to be available on such short notice. Their DJ live option was perfect for us, and they had everyone on the dance floor until the very end at 1am!
Extra details
The main thing about choosing a museum is that you don’t gain access until it closes to the public at 5pm. Our brilliant production supplier, Delta Live online, were able to transform the space in a really short time – building us a stage and installing the most incredible lighting which really helped to create the party atmosphere we were after. We wanted to create a relaxed vibe with as much casual seating as possible, so we hired in sofas which Michelle sourced for us from Options Great Hire.
Although our venues were all close to each other – I got ready at Home House, prior to the chuppah at West London Synagogue and then the party at the Wallace Collection, we still needed transport for the bridal party. Michelle booked a gorgeous vintage white London taxi from The London Wedding Cab Company.
Honeymoon
Before travelling back to Hong Kong, we spent a week on the Amalfi Coast and Capri (before part 2 of honeymoon spent in a quarantine hotel in HK). I love planning trips and decided on Positano and Capri which were both beautiful and we’ve already booked to go back to Capri for our first anniversary next year. My only regret leaving for honeymoon the day after our wedding was seriously underestimating the hangovers en route!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
We were so fortunate to have Michelle working with us with the entire 3 months planning our wedding which I know is such a privilege, however, even to just work with a planner the ‘day of’ means you have nothing to worry about and can enjoy every moment of your wedding.
DANIELLA & ADAM’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Paulo Santos
Videography – Philip White
Wedding planner – Elegante by Michelle J {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Band – Totem {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club when booking a min 10 piece band}
Venue – The Wallace Collection
Pre-wedding venue – Home House
Bride’s dress – Galia Lahav
Bride’s shoes – Jimmy Choo
Groom’s attire – Dior, Turnbull & Asser
Evening Makeup – Rachel Singer Clark
Flowers – Wildabout
Catering – Rocket
Rabbi – Rabbi David Mitchell from West London Synagogue
Wedding Car – The London Wedding Cab Company
Furniture Hire – Options Great Hire
Production – Delta Live
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.
