We love a good Manchester wedding – and this is one for the books! Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Tal, a biology teacher, and Solly, a strategy consultant, live in London, but when it came time to plan their wedding Tal was eager to share her hometown up north with all her family and friends. The couple found the perfect spot for their classic winter wedding in Manchester’s Kimpton Clocktower, and we’re so proud that Brides Club helped then source their dream venue!
Part of what Tal and Solly loved about The Kimpton Clocktower was its spacious ballroom, which let them have the big dance floor of their dreams – just check out the exquisite photos by Rob Clayton and trailer by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion for proof that it was put to excellent use!
We also love that Tal opted to wear Israeli designer Galia Lahav for her big day – and she could not have looked more chic! Read on for the rest of the story in her words…
How We Met
Talia, the bride: We met in 2011 when we were flatmates, and best friends at Birmingham University. We got together in second year and then we have had a long and winding history that brought us to our wedding day, finally in 2024.
A Manchester Wedding
The Kimpton Clocktower in Manchester. Tal has been living in London since she finished University but she is a very proud Mancunian and was so excited to have all her London family and friends to celebrate with her in her home town. We really searched Manchester for our perfect venue. We believed that the Kimpton had the traditional, classic, winter wedding vibe that we wanted. It also has a huge space to put our own spin on the ballroom and it allowed us to have a big dance floor and bar which we wanted to prioritise.
What ‘Smashing The Glass Brides Club’ Did For Us
The Smashing The Glass Brides Club was a huge asset to our wedding planning. It firstly enabled us to secure our dream venue of the Kimpton Clocktower. We also used it to find our Chazzan- Eitan Freilich who is simply out of this world and also the most incredible band Club Live. We are so grateful to the Smashing The Glass Brides club!
Classic Vibes
Our theme was very minimal and classic- whites and golds. There were small touches that Tal really valued to make our wedding personal and to add sentiment. These included the table plan cards designed and decorated by her students at school. We also used framed photographs of us through the years for our table numbers. Our wedding coordinator was Sara Basso and she is the absolute best. Our day was a dream thanks to her.
A Galia Lahav Dress
My dress was designed by Galia Lahav and I bought it in Browns Bride in London. I could not have been more proud to wear a dress designed by an Israeli designer. I always wanted a big princess style dress and I altered the dress to make it exactly my style with the boob tube shape and I added lots of lining and puff to make it even bigger. I also designed the veil to have designs from the dress added to it, which I think complemented the dress perfectly.
Ceremony & Chuppah
We really wanted a traditional, classic chuppah which included the traditional songs in the Yaakov Shwekey style and simple florals. A favourite part of the chuppah was entering the room and feeling the warmth and love. It was very special when I saw Solly for the first time, it was as if we were strangers and we were very shy and giggly.
Another favourite part was Eitan Freilich’s Sheva Brachot which he did to a surprise medley of tunes- sensational. The atmosphere at the end of the chuppah was electric and all our friends danced us out of the ceremony all the way to the yicchud room, chanting away!
We used the traditional ketubah from the United Synagogue. We are planning to frame it using the smashed glass from our chuppah with Chuppah Glass Art.
Our music choice
We had Club Live and they were sensational. Tal’s one request was that she wanted everyone dancing on their chairs and they definitely made that happen (even my 93 year old grandma was dancing). Club live sang beautifully whilst the food was being served and they really ramped up the atmosphere for the party.
A highlight for Solly was that they managed to sing our first dance song, Warmness of the Soul, which is a heavy metal song by Avenged Sevenfold (his favourite band) and they sang it better than the original!!
Tal loved Bella Ciao and their rendition of Taylor Swift ‘Love Story’. They also stuck to our playlist of songs and catered for all ages. Once the band had finished we had DJ Jonny Bluestone for our after party until 1am. This was a mega party, we wanted an Israeli club vibe and to really party to some Middle Eastern tunes- Jonny was amazing!
Flowers
I chose classic white roses for my bouquets and button holes. I also wanted to continue with the white theme for the floral decorations. We went with sleek and simple table decorations with longer tables consisting of single bud vases and lots of candles. The other displays had floating candles and heightened arrangements had hanging candle baubles. Florals by Mirelle – she is an angel to work with.
Photographer and videographer
Our videographer was Denee Motion – We are obsessed with his work on Instagram and could not wait for him to capture our day. He was so professional on the day.
Our photographer was Rob Clayton. Rob is such an easy relaxed guy and therefore made the whole experience stress free. He really captured the unique essence of the day. We will value his photographs forever.
Extra Details
My little family Cavapoochon dog, Bobbie Malcolm, arrived as a surprise during my dads speech. He entered to ‘who let the dogs out’ and came running in with a white ribbon- the best addition to our day. My dad also blew icing sugar off his speech as ‘dust’ because he had been waiting 10 years to make it. My brother Adam was the toast master and we really enjoyed having someone close to the family to introduce the speeches, he asked us to describe each person giving a speech in 3 words and it really gave the evening a personal touch.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Do not try to do everything yourselves and take help when people are offering. Have faith in the vendors that you have selected as they are professionals. Enjoy!! it is a day like no other and you will want to relive every second.
TALIA & SOLLY’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Rob Clayton
Videography – Denee Motion {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – The Kimpton Clocktower
Bride’s dress – Galia Lahav found at Browns Bride
Flowers – Florals by Mirelle
Band – Club Live
DJ – DJ Jonny Bluestone
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.
Beautiful photos! Love them!