We’re super psyched to be featuring our very first Jewish wedding with the amazing acoustic roaming band and Smashing The Glass RecommendedVendor Balagan! This incredible group – formed by another beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, Sensation Band (who also performed, keeping the dance floor packed all night long in their signature style) – is the UK’s first and only roaming band to offer Jewish sets, and we can’t get enough of the fun, personalized vibe they bring to any big day.
STG Brides Club member Ella, a project manager at a branding and digital agency, and Matt, head of data at a life insurance start-up, say booking Balagan was the best wedding planning decision they made, and we’re not at all surprised – they are a truly incredible group!
And until February 7, you have the chance to enter to win an epic performance from Balagan for your very own wedding! Head over to this post for full details.
So obviously the music at this wedding earns top marks… but believe it or not, that’s only the tip of the iceberg of this wonderful day. First off, we can’t get over the fact that Matt built the couple’s birch wood chuppah as a tribute to his late grandfather who taught him about woodwork (and how sweet is it that after the wedding the pair donated it to a nearby synagogue for other couples who may need it?).
And then there’s Ella’s impeccable bridal style. She found her gorgeous dress at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Morgan Davies, who worked with her to combine two Jesus Peiro dresses into the style of her dreams. Ella’s got nothing but rave reviews about the team at Morgan Davies – and the result could not have been any more perfect. We’re also obsessed with the tulle Savannah Miller cape the bride wore to cover her shoulders during the Orthodox ceremony.
Photographer Barney Walters (who the couple found right here on Smashing the Glass) and videographer Ben Foster captured this beautiful wedding so perfectly – it’s really not to be missed. Do read on for Ella’s full writeup – there’s far more good stuff going on than we have room to mention here!
How We Met
Ella, the bride: Matt and I met on none other than Tinder. When I came across Matt back in 2015, Tinder said we had around 90 friends in common which I assumed was a glitch with the app. It turned out we grew up around a mile away from each other and did have many friends in common. We must have both been at various parties in the past but had never met.
When we matched I messaged two close friends to ask what they thought of him and they both said he was a real mensch. One week later we’d been on our first date and that was that! Because of all of our mutual friends there were definitely more than a few people walking around our wedding claiming that they’d made the shidduch.
A Synagogue Wedding
Long before we were engaged, Matt and I agreed we wanted to get married in London and for our ceremony to be held in a synagogue. It was important to us that we were married in a spiritual space that was meaningful to us, and we liked the idea of our wedding ceremony being timeless, just like our grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ weddings. We also wanted our wedding to be fun and hassle-free for our guests; right from the start my goal was to find a London venue which our guests could easily cab home from.
Our chuppah was at the incredibly beautiful New West End Synagogue in Bayswater. When we first went to visit we were blown away by how fabulously ornate the 19th century synagogue is, and we immediately knew it was where we wanted to get married. The New West End community was so welcoming and we visited quite a few times in the run up to the wedding so once the day arrived it felt like a very familiar and special place to us.
Following the ceremony our guests were taken to the reception venue in classic London buses. Finding the party venue was a much tougher challenge than the search for our shul. We wanted somewhere within a relatively close distance to New West End so the move from one location to another was kept to a minimum, but we also needed a space big enough to hold all of our guests and we didn’t want to go down the hotel route.
Finally, after a lot of searching, we decided to go with One Marylebone in Great Portland Street. One Marylebone was big enough to hold the number of people we were inviting, was a blank canvas for us to dress and most importantly it felt like somewhere we could host a really great party.
Planning by the Couple
Matt and I planned the wedding ourselves. Putting together such a big wedding between the two of us was definitely testing at times but it showed us what a strong team we were and where our different skills lied. Whilst Matt was the official schmoozer of all wedding vendors, my project management skills were put to use in the various spreadsheets and logistical plans needed to keep the wedding run-up and day running smoothly.
Luckily we agreed on almost everything and had the same vision for our big day.
We didn’t have a particular theme but we wanted to keep everything as classic and timeless as possible but most importantly fun. Essentially we tried to put together the ultimate wedding we would want to go to; a meaningful ceremony, great food and drinks and a brilliant party. Unlike the usual Jewish stereotype, our parents were incredibly laid back about everything and we kept them in the loop with email updates over our year of planning.
Although we didn’t have a wedding planner throughout, we did have an on the day planner. If possible, I would strongly recommend having someone who can help run the day that isn’t a family member or someone in the bridal party. We worked with Jessie Schlagman who we could not recommend enough. Jessie also helped coordinate all of the vendors in the final few weeks and provided a much needed calm voice of reason during the incredibly hectic last month or so. Her amazing organisational skills and ability to keep things moving like clockwork meant we could completely relax and truly enjoy the day.
What ‘Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club’ Did For Us
STG was such a great help during our wedding planning. I was already a fan of the blog before we were engaged so becoming a member was one of the first things I did once we started planning. The resources, vendor lists and especially Karen’s incredible, personal support was so appreciated.
When we first started to plan our wedding, STG’s guidance helped us identify what was important to us but also gave us practical advice on what is needed to plan a wedding (wedding insurance is a thing, who knew?). Once the big ticket items were booked in, the community of other brides were amazing. Everyone is so positive and seem to have the answer to every question, however big or small. Any question or issue that we had during the planning process was met with my response, ‘let me ask the group’.
Invitation
Whilst we were planning our wedding, Matt’s company was located in a co-working space. The company next to his was the amazing Two Boys graphic design agency who designed and printed our stationery. We worked closely with Jamie from Two Boys to create all of our print collateral and we received so many comments on our classic but modern invites. Working with Jamie was brilliant. He was so good at bringing our ideas to life and brought his extensive experience to the table to make sure we’d considered everything and thought through every option in detail.
Hair + Makeup
My makeup and hair was all done by the wonderful Emma Kingsman, who is part of Spence and Oliver. Emma is a family friend but is also an incredibly accomplished makeup artist. It was great to have someone I knew with us as we got ready, and her calm and professional approach was so appreciated on the day. Emma and her colleague Natasha did my hair and makeup, plus my mum’s and my four bridesmaids.
I had two makeup trials with Emma. In my first trial I had a vision for a classic bridal updo, but when we tried it didn’t stay in my hair because it’s so thick and it just didn’t look how I imagined. The second look worked a lot better and looked so much more like ‘me’. If you have a trial and it doesn’t look right don’t be discouraged, it’s good to get that look out of the way so you can land on the right one before the wedding.
A Jesus Peiro Dress
The search for my dress was pretty extensive, I must have tried around 90+ dresses in total. I had a clear idea of what I wanted; a square neck and very classic with no beading or lace. As our wedding was black tie I imagined lots of people may wear sequined dresses so wanted something plain but with a strong silhouette to contrast against the ornate interior of the synagogue and to stand out during the party.
I finally found my dress at Morgan Davies in Clerkenwell. They were so great to work with and I ended up combining two Jesus Peiro dresses which were adjusted to make a one of a kind dress. I took the skirt of one dress, matched it with the top of another dress and worked with the team at Morgan Davies and Jesus Piero to design a lower, square neck. It was slightly nerve-wracking to buy a dress that didn’t actually exist but I was so happy when it came together, as once it was finished it was exactly the dress I’d had in my mind’s eye. Morgan Davies made all of the alterations and were so close to my office, I ended up popping back quite a few times in the final weeks to make sure everything was perfect!
Accessories
As our ceremony was Orthodox and in a synagogue I wore a tulle Savannah Miller cape to cover my shoulders. The material was just the right weight to add some covering but without obscuring the line of the dress, and it was the same material and similar length to my veil so the full look tied together nicely. I actually bought two veils before the wedding.
A tip if you are wearing fake eyelashes or eyelash extensions on your wedding day – do a test run with your veil and lashes! When I tried my first veil with eyelash extensions in the material was too heavy and hurt my eyes. I couldn’t keep my eyes open with the veil on and I was so relieved to realise this before the ceremony as it would have completely ruined the day.
My first veil was from a shop in Minchinhampton in The Cotswolds which is a place very close to mine and my mum’s hearts, but the veil just didn’t work for me. I ended up buying a second, last minute veil from the same shop as my dress. I would recommend looking for local Jewish charities looking for veil donations if you end up with a veil you don’t want to keep. You can sometimes donate them to the ladies who hire out wedding shtick, which I’m planning to do.
I didn’t wear any jewellery during our ceremony except for my mum’s diamond studs. During the party (and after the crazy Israeli dancing) I put on some statement earrings from the incredible Christie Nicolaides, an Australian jewellery designer I found on Instagram. I also put on a beautiful rainbow gem tennis bracelet that had belonged to my grandma. I’d always admired it as a child so it was so special to wear it on our wedding day.
Lastly I decided to buy a tiny, slightly kitsch, white handbag to hold my phone, lipstick, speech, party jewellery and gift for my husband. It was reassuring to know that everything was in one place and to hand.
Dior Shoes
I always knew I didn’t want to wear white heels because I wanted something I could wear again, and I’m tall so I was happy to wear something slightly lower and comfortable. I found a fab pair of pointed, very pale pink Dior kitten heels in Bicester Village which matched my earrings for the evening. I would definitely recommend having a look at Bicester if you have a clear idea of what you’re looking for. I almost got sidetracked by a pair of chunky gold Gucci platforms but had to remind myself of the the look I was going for…
The handsome groom
As the son of a tailor, there was only one place for Matt to find his suit: his family’s business, 40 Savile Row, located on the famous tailoring street. Matt wore a bespoke three-piece dinner suit with a dark navy velvet jacket, completing the look with a navy paisley bow tie. The groomsmen wore the same bow tie and had their own bespoke 40 Savile Row shirts made. Our dads and nephews also wore the same bow tie so the whole bridal party matched, plus it was a nice gift for those involved in the wedding. A couple of Matt’s friends are now having their wedding suits made at 40 Savile Row after seeing how sharp Matt looked on the day.
We purchased our navy blue kippot through Hebrewear which tied everything together nicely.
Bridesmaids
Four of my best friends were my bridesmaids. They all wore different style, navy dresses from the bridesmaids range at Ghost. They all looked so beautiful and the navy matched Matt’s jacket, the groomsmen’s bow ties and the kippot.
Our nephews and niece were our page boys and flower girl. The boys all wore mini Vans and looked like little versions of Matt and our flower girl wore a Monsoon dress with a navy ribbon that we added, with a faux flower crown I found on eBay.
Chuppah
I am so proud to say that Matt built our chuppah. It was one of the most amazing details of our wedding (I think it was mentioned in almost every speech). Matt is brilliant at DIY and building the chuppah was a tribute to his late grandfather who had taught him everything he knew about woodwork in his workshop in Caesarea. Matt built the chuppah from birch wood and we bought a tallis to drape over the top. We have donated the chuppah to a nearby synagogue for other couples who may need it.
Ceremony
We were so lucky to have a good friend officiate our wedding, Rabbi Sam Fromson. Matt met Sam through work and when we got engaged one of the first things we did was ask Sam to officiate our wedding. It was so lovely to have someone who really knows us speak about us under the chuppah and so many people commented on how personal the ceremony felt.
It was very important to me to have my stepfather under the chuppah as well as my mum and dad. We also had uncles, cousins, and our brother-in-law say the Sheva Brachot under the chuppah which was lovely. We also used the kiddush cup that my grandparents used during their wedding ceremony, which was very meaningful but bittersweet for our family as we had lost them both in the year before the wedding.
We put together a ceremony booklet which were given out as our guests entered the shul. I have a lot of friends who aren’t Jewish so I wanted to explain the ceremony in some detail so they knew what was going on. The process of writing was a lovely chance to reflect on the symbolism of the ceremony and what we were about to undertake and I had a few comments about how helpful it was for people, plus it’s a nice keepsake for close family and for us.
Our chazan was Aaron Hass who we couldn’t have been happier to have sing at our wedding. We found him through word of mouth and worked with him on the songs we wanted for the chuppah. His voice is amazing and when he sang ‘Im Eshkachech Yerushalayim’ I couldn’t help but shed a tear.
Matt and I organised gifts for each other to exchange in the yichud room without realising the other had also done the same! Matt gave me a beautiful print of a glass, painted with its refracted shadow, which is by an artist I had mentioned in passing a couple of months before. It was such a thoughtful and apt gift to give after he had just smashed the glass a few minutes before. I work near Hatton Garden and had been searching for a chai necklace for Matt in the months before the wedding. It was a very emotional moment and a chance to breath and reflect before the madness of the party started.
We used the United Synagogue’s ketubah during the ceremony. We are planning to choose a designed ketubah for our first wedding anniversary gift to one another, given the first year is traditionally a paper gift.
Our music choice
We had the fabulous Giardino Strings quartet playing before and during the ceremony. Working with David from Giardino Strings was so easy, no song was a problem for him to play. Matt walked into ‘Katonti’, then I walked into Minnie Riperton’s ‘Les Fleurs’. I circled to ‘Eshet Chayil’ and we had ‘Im Eshkachech Yerushalayim’ before Matt smashed the glass. Our first dance was Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’.
Flowers
Our flowers were put together by the very talented Augustus Bloom, otherwise known as Gus. He is so creative, open minded and has excellent vision to bring ideas to life.
Our chuppah flowers were simple white roses and dahlias with foliage to soften the structure but to keep Matt’s handiwork visible. My bouquet was similar and my bridesmaids had smaller versions of the same and included white and blush roses, plus sage and foliage.
For the reception venue, we worked with Gus to design flowers that complimented the space’s architecture. As our guests entered One Marylebone they were led up a staircase to the drinks reception. We dressed the staircases with more roses, hydrangeas and lots of hanging foliage. The impactful entrance was a chance to change up the vibe as guests arrived to the reception from the shul.
We had a mix of round and long tables for dinner which Gus dressed with more white and blush flowers but also included fruit in the arrangements and along the long tables. I had a vision of a D&G style, Italian dinner party but with a nod to our love of Israel through the choice of fruit. We had pomegranates, figs, strawberries and persimmons down the tables. Gus brought all these ideas together and it looked fab. Plus some of our friends ended up eating the fruit after they did shots at the tables which as an unintentional bonus!
Photographer and videographer
Our photographer was Barney Walters. We’d seen his work on Smashing the Glass and had really liked how the lighting and subjects of his images looked so natural and beautiful.
We decided to do a pre-shoot with Barney a few weeks before which was really helpful and meant that we knew what to expect on the big day. Barney and his team did a great job in getting lots of photos of Matt and I together, plus official photos with our extended family without it feeling like we missed much of the day.
Barney works with Ben Foster who made our wonderful wedding video. If you are unsure about going for a video I would say if you can, do it. His seven minute video captured our day so brilliantly. It was nice to also have the long version for posterity and we were able to send this to family members who couldn’t make it on the day.
Food
All of our catering was done by the brilliant Zeitlin & Co. Sadly ours was Adam Zeitlin’s final event! We had eaten Zeitlin’s food at another wedding and were very impressed by his delicious, modern take on kosher food. We worked closely with Adam, organising food and drink from the tisch all the way to shots on the dance floor. Adam even let us have a second tasting to make sure we were completely happy with everything! We wanted to design a menu around food that we loved. All of our friends and family commented on the shawarma station during the reception, we had margaritas all night (our favourite cocktail) and our guests loved the G&T ice lollies and churros on the dance floor.
We didn’t bother with a cake as our wedding was kosher and people had eaten so much from the reception and dinner, plus there was no time for a cake as everyone was dancing pretty much from the starters until the end of the night!
Sensational Entertainment
The band and entertainment was one of the most important things for me and Matt and we were so happy that we went with the inimitable Sensation Band. They had everyone dancing from before dinner to midnight and were just as incredible as we knew they’d be.
Sensation’s Israeli set was so high energy and our friends and family kept us dancing from then on until the end of the night. Matt made sure to have a second shirt ready for after the Israeli dancing because he knew how sweaty and out of hand it would get. I didn’t realise quite how sweaty the dancing would be, but by that point we were having so much fun I didn’t really mind.
Balagan Roaming Band – the best wedding decision we made!
The best decision we made, probably about the whole wedding, was to include Sensation’s new roaming band Balagan as part of the evening. We kept this a secret from everyone, including our parents, and Balagan absolutely raised the roof. They came out twice during the meal and sang a mix of songs in Hebrew (all of the tunes we knew and loved from camp) along with some golden oldies. We couldn’t get over the ruach in the room and Balagan played a huge part in creating the electric atmosphere. At one point we had a 100-person conga line dancing between tables which was hilarious and just so much fun.
Speeches
We had quite a few speeches which we dotted throughout the dinner courses. My parents are divorced but they did the welcome speech together which meant so much to me. Matt’s dad also said a few words which was lovely. Matt’s best man gave a speech, as did the groom himself of course. Our siblings announced the toasts to the Royal Family and the State of Israel. We especially wanted to include these as it meant that all of our loved ones had a special role on the day. We worked with Sensation to organise different songs to play whilst each person walked up to the microphone which we’d noticed and liked at a friend’s wedding. It avoided the silent, slightly awkward walk up to the mic and gave some character to each person before they started speaking which was fun.
Bride’s Speech
I also gave a speech before the best man, which is something I had known I wanted to do from the start. The idea of not saying anything all day wasn’t very me, and I had a lot of people to say ‘thank you’ and ‘I love you’ to! If you’re thinking about it, I would say go for it! I all but memorised mine and had prompt notes, but even a few off-the-cuff words are great – people want to hear from the bride. Plus it’s probably the most supportive, ‘rooting-for-you’ audience you will ever speak in front of. Similarly I’d say don’t feel guilty if you don’t want to, as it’s whatever suits you best.
Honeymoon
We went to the Greek island of Naxos for a few days right after the wedding. It was so nice to fully relax in the sun after such a busy, high-octane few weeks. We are planning a longer honeymoon to Costa Rica later this year.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
There are so many pieces of advice I’d give to somebody currently planning their wedding. I was so worried that something wouldn’t go to plan on the day but fretting about it won’t help. Things will go wrong, but your wedding will still be fab and your guests will have the best time. On the day be mindful to take it all in right from the start and take a moment alone with your new husband reflect on the fact it is your wedding day!
More practically, I’d make sure someone, either a bridesmaid, friend or family member is armed with a hairbrush and any touch-up makeup you may need. You will be dancing for hours so it’s good to have a couple of tools on hand to keep your look in place all night.
Most importantly make sure you look after yourself during the planning process. It will inevitably become stressful and there will be tough moments, so find things that can chill you out, whether it’s an early night, a yoga class or a boxset. Watching ‘The Crown’ got me through the manic last few weeks of planning and prep.
Ella & Matt’s little white book
Photography – Barney Walters
Videography – Foster Filming
Bands – Balagan and Sensation Band {both offer 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Bride’s dress – Jesus Peiro found and fitted at Morgan Davies Bridal
Venues – New West End Synagogue and One Marylebone
Bride’s accessories – Savannah Miller and Christie Nicolaides
Bride’s shoes – Dior
Groom’s attire – 40 Savile Row
Hair + Makeup – Spence and Oliver
Bridesmaids – Ghost, Vans, Monsoon and eBay
Flowers – Augustus Bloom
Catering – Zeitlin & Co
Quartet – Giardino Strings
Stationery – Two Boys
Rings – Heming London
Kippot – Hebrewear {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Production – Creative Designsz
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