Here at Team STG, we’re no strangers to cool and unusual bridal bouquets. But just when we think we’ve seen it all, something totally new comes along. Like beautiful London-based bride Jenna’s carrot bouquet in today’s gorgeous Jewish wedding. Jenna’s a nutritionist, so it’s only fitting that she’d want to incorporate some fruit and veg into her breathtaking destination wedding to Adrian, a management consultant.
Although Jenna had planned on including some edible florals into her day – the table decorations included lemons and limes – the carrot bouquet started out as a jokey surprise from the bride’s mother, who figured she’d take a few pictures and be done with it. But turns out Jenna loved it so much she opted to carry it down the aisle – and we are so glad she did! You’ve GOT to check it out in Ronen Boidek’s exquisite photos.
And speaking of exquisite – how much do we love Jenna’s Jesus Peiro gown, which she found at beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Morgan Davies Bridal in Farringdon, London. Jenna knew she wanted to wear something ultra-memorable for her big day, and for that you can’t do much better than Jesus Peiro’s statement-making modern styles.
Take it away, Jenna!
How we Met
Jenna, the bride: We met at university. We ended up living together with a group of our friends and things began to blossom. We were actually friends for about 3 years before that though!
Destination Wedding
We got married in Caesarea in Israel at a venue called Cochav Ha Yam. I have been going to Israel regularly since I was a child, and last year I went to a wedding there and absolutely fell in love. Adrian was onboard straight away and we were really happy with the decision.
The thing with a destination wedding is that you have to accept that not everyone will be able to come and we completely understood that before the invitations went out which meant we really didn’t have any expectations of people.
Fresh Produce
We had Nikki Fenton as our wedding planner who was absolutely amazing! She really got us and what we wanted instantly. My dad was also a major player in the wedding organisation as he’s great at event planning. We went for a more natural vibe. As the wedding was by the sea we very much wanted lots of fresh produce (we had lemons, limes and vegetables on the table).
We used wooden name places with a wooden table plan to give the wedding more of a rustic edge. Alona the wedding designer was also fantastic and she too picked up on the style very quickly. Whilst we both had a style in mind neither of us had a vision as such and so we were very happy to be guided from everyone else involved.
Paperless Invitations
We had informed most people about the date in advance as they had to book flights etc so we just used Paperless Post. We thought that this would be the best way for people to be able to retrieve information about the wedding whilst they were out there. It was a small problem with some people forgetting to reply or deleting the email etc but nothing major.
Hair + Makeup
My hairdresser was AMAZING. I’ve never been so happy with a hairdresser – he got it from day one. Nikki was amazing at finding the right people to match my style. I went for beach waves (as we were by the sea) with half up half down. I was going to put it up into a ponytail after the chuppah due to the heat but decided not to waste valuable wedding time faffing with my hair.
The hairdresser was Roy Daniel who I’d highly recommend. He made us all feel very relaxed on the day and I just trusted exactly what he was going to do.
As for make-up I had had a trial with Karin Cohen. She too totally got the natural look, she put plenty of make up on (as I was so worried about all the crying and the sweating in the heat) but made it look very natural. I was super happy with Karin too!
A Jesus Peiro Dress
My dress was from Morgan Davies Bridal in Farringdon and the designer was Jesus Peiro. I had no idea what I wanted before I went dress shopping although it quickly became apparent the style of dress that suited me – very plain. I wanted a dress which I would never be able to wear to anyone else’s function (not that I’d wear my wedding dress again but if it was black for example I didn’t want it to just merge in).
That’s why I went for the big skirt. The dress looked very different to when I first tried it on as we added the skirt and changed the neckline – initially I wasn’t blown away but by the time we had finished with it I didn’t want to take it off!
Accessories
I had a very plain veil, some earrings and a bracelet and that was it. I never usually wear a lot of jewellery so I didn’t want to end up dressing up and not feeling like myself. I decided against a tiara/ headdress for the same reason – I wanted to keep to my naturally very simple style.
Shoes
I originally wanted to wear basic wedges but my mum suggested that I look for something a little more dainty for the day. So I ended up with a pair or crystallised white heels with a platform at the front. After the Israeli dancing I changed into a pair of gold wedges which were super comfy and a similar height – that’s something to consider especially if you have a big dress you don’t want to be tripping over it when you change your shoes.
I did have wedged trainers for later on in the evening but I didn’t need them in the end. I’d definitely recommend breaking in your shoes before you wear them.
The handsome groom
Adrian was wearing a gorgeous bespoke three-piece Harry Brown London suit. All the groomsmen, my dad and Adrian’s dad were in matching suits that Adrian had designed along with the Harry Brown team. He really enjoyed the whole process of designing the suit and found the guidance from the team really helpful! The suit was a navy blue colour to match the sea. I hadn’t seen the suit beforehand and so was completely blow away by how gorgeous he looked in it!
Bridesmaids
I did have bridesmaids, my three best friends and Adrian’s sister. They wore a pale blue plain dress from Maids To Measure. I was so happy with these as all the girls loved them. I really wanted to ensure that they all felt comfortable. It worked out really nicely as they matched really well with the groomsmen’s suits.
We went for the pale blue in the end to match the setting. I was also conscious about ensuring that their dresses didn’t look out of place next to mine which is why we all had something rather plain with no glitz.
Ceremony
As the wedding was in September just before Rosh Hashanna we blew the shofar under the chuppah just before Im Eshkakech Yerushalayim. It was a really lovely touch to the ceremony. Our ketubah was pretty basic as we were guided by the rabbi on this one. We didn’t want to risk any mistakes and so let him take the lead.
Chuppah
We gave Alona some ideas about what we wanted and how we wanted it to look dressed but we didn’t want it to look over the top. She took the lead and matched it to our overall style. I’m also not a massive fan of big flowers which is why we went for the baby’s breath as they’re really small and together create a beautiful picture.
Our music choice
For the procession we had lots of the traditional Israeli wedding songs. Adrian is far more into music than I am so we also had some Spanish/ Brazilian music (that’s more his thing – whereas I’m just happy if I can dance to it!)
For our first dance we played John Mayer ‘XO’. We didn’t want a typical first dance and we both just loved the song.
Carrot Bouquet
We had the flowers organised by the designer Aylona Mazar who designed the whole wedding, my bouquet and all the flowers. I wanted a bit of a focus on fruit and vegetables at the wedding and so we did have flowers but we also incorporated lemons and limes into the table decorations.
My mum had surprised me with a bouquet made from carrots. I had no idea about this but carrots are my favourite vegetable and my branding for my business was a carrot (it’s actually not anymore). Originally, these were a joke bouquet which I was meant to have pictures with but I ended up taking them down the aisle and it was a really personal touch.
Photographer and videographer
We used Ronen Boidek who was really great, he made us feel at ease and the pictures came out beautifully. Ronen won’t mind me saying that I was unsure of the artistic effects initially but he really listened to what we wanted and executed the photos perfectly. With regards to our videographer we used Uri from Uri & Tamar. He used drones and all kinds to get the shots!
Food and cake
Our catering was provided by the venue as that’s the most common way of doing it in Israel. Although, I didn’t eat much on the night I made up for it in the tasting! We really wanted to focus on fresh ingredients, lots of meat, fish and a long vegetable market. Israelis are amazing at making vegetables different and taste amazing and so this was really important to us. We decided against a cake as we had enough dessert and we couldn’t take the rest back to England so we just decided not to have one.
Entertainment
Daniel Ben Haim from Teta was singing at the chuppah and throughout the party – his voice is just incredible and brings me to tears every time I watch him on Youtube. We were very lucky to have him and he really made the event extra special.
Favours
We sent out Israeli gin and whiskey sets with a bottle of tonic to the guests staying in the hotels, this was our way of introducing them to Israel, getting them into the party mode and to say thank you for making such a huge effort for joining us
Honeymoon
We went on a minimoon to the north of Israel and stayed at the Setai by the Sea of Galilee. It was absolutely gorgeous and the perfect getaway after a crazy but amazing week. We hadn’t booked a honeymoon as we were moving in together and it was Rosh Hashanna when we got back so we wanted to be with our families and settle in to our new home together. We had also just been away for 10 days so we didn’t feel the need to go away instantly again.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Trust the process. It’s meant to be the most exciting and special day of your life. I’d say really try and rise above any arguments or stress. The most important thing is that you’re marrying the person you love and if that’s happening nothing else really matters. There’s a chance things will go wrong but you just have to laugh it off.
As I approached the aisle my veil blew off and it took a good minute or so to catch it and put it back on. I just laughed it off as I think if you get stressed over these small things then it can taint the day and you really don’t want anything to do that!
What ‘Smashing The Glass’ Did For Us
I found it really interesting reading other peoples advice on the group and top tips for shopping!
JENNA & ADRIAN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Ronen Boidek
Videography – Uri & Tamar
Bride’s dress – Jesus Peiro found and fitted at Morgan Davies Bridal {offers £100 off accessories on Morgan Davies Bridal to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Cochav Ha Yam
Wedding planner – Nikki Fenton
Wedding Designer – Yado and Aylona
Groom’s attire – Harry Brown London
Bridesmaids – Maids To Measure
Hair + Makeup – Roy Daniel, Karin Cohen
Flowers – Yado and Aylona
Band – Teta
Catering – Cochav Ha Yam
Invitation – Paperless Post
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.
