Ok, is this #chuppahgoals or what?! We’re positively obsessed with the floral masterpiece Deanna and Elliott dreamed up for their big day.
Inspired by the glorious wildflowers the pair saw on a hiking trip to the Dolomites, these two worked with their florist to concoct an absolutely stunning structure that really does look as if it was just airdropped in from a magical field in the Italian countryside. Don’t miss the exquisite photos from Nadine van Biljon – who did an absolutely masterful job capturing not only the luxe details, but all the love and emotion of the day too.
We’re not sure what’s got us feeling more FOMO, that chuppah or the mouthwatering menu from the incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Feast by Ed Shaerf. Ed and his team dream up kosher wedding food like you’ve never seen before – we’re salivating over Deanna and Elliott’s dessert, which involved spiced ginger cake, strawberry daiquiri ice cream and candy floss! – and the couple reports that Ed was a delight to work with every step of the day, and made dealing with allergies and special diets a breeze. They’re still dreaming about his fresh, innovative food – and at this point, so are we!
We’ll let Deanna take it from here…
A Hometown Venue
Deanna, the bride: We got married at The Queens Hotel in Leeds. I grew up in Leeds and always knew I wanted to get married there. The space was exactly what we were after and the venue was located right in the centre of town next to the train station. We had been to weddings there before and seen how the space could be magically transformed. We had several guests from out of town so having our venue next door to the train station was super convenient for them.
Planned to Perfection
Our wedding planners were Leeds-based company Smooth Operator. Nicola and Janice worked closely with us and all of our suppliers both ahead of and on the day of the wedding to make sure that everything ran seamlessly.
My brother chaired our wedding, and he surprised us by writing the whole thing in verse!
Invitation
Our invitation design was very unique and personal to us. I had a vision of a silhouette of a couple dancing, and Elliott wanted a monogram and lots of colourful flowers. So we incorporated both ideas into our design! We designed the logo and monogram ourselves, and then sent them to Purple Piranha Invites who worked with us to make sure they invitations came out exactly how we had envisaged them. Red Floral also used this bright floral motif to design our florals.
Hair + Makeup
I used mother and daughter team Kate and Harriet Innes-Smith for hair and makeup. For makeup, I went for a natural look. I had my hair down in loose waves, with the front pinned back to keep it out of my face during the dancing and festivities.
Dress
I tried on a LOT of dresses before I found ‘the one’. Luckily I really enjoyed wedding dress shopping! I fell in love with my dress because of the beautiful and intricate detailing on the back, coupled with the clean simplicity of the front. The dress was originally sleeveless but I had some beaded floral capped sleeves added, which ended up being my favourite part of the dress.
The staff at Wedding Atelier were fantastic – from helping me practice walking in all those layers of skirt, to calming my Mum’s pre-wedding nerves, they really went above and beyond!
Accessories
I wasn’t planning on wearing anything in my hair, as my dress was so detailed I didn’t feel it was necessary. But when I went to pick up the bridesmaids’ dresses from Boutique and Co I fell in love with a tiny sparkly hair slide that had been repurposed from a vintage brooch, and couldn’t resist buying it.
I didn’t wear any jewellery for the ceremony but I chose to wear some items that were incredibly meaningful to me after the ceremony – simple pearl studs that were a wedding present from Elliott, and a bracelet borrowed from my Mum.
Shoes
I am a UK size 2, which means that finding shoes is always a challenge. I usually get away with wearing children’s shoes but I knew I wanted to wear high heels on my wedding day. After a LOT of searching I discovered that Charlotte Mills made some shoes in a size 2, and I ordered them straight away. I chose a block heel and ankle straps for comfort, with big sparkly bows on the front.
The handsome groom
Elliott wore a Paul Costello tuxedo. He made it pop with a lovely floral print bowtie and matching pocket handkerchief that matched the wedding colour theme and flowers. Neither of us saw the other’s outfit before the day!
Chuppah
We were initially inspired by the colourful wildflowers we saw on a hiking trip to the Dolomites in Italy. We used these ideas as the basis for a lot of Pinterest and Google searches for floral arrangements/weddings with similar themes! We then sent our ideas to our incredible florist Red Floral who brought our ideas to life – the chuppah design they came up with was beyond our wildest dreams!
They linked the chuppah design to an amazing huge floral hoop over the dancefloor, as well as the centrepieces, buttonholes and bouquets.
Our music choice
Elliott walked up the aisle to ‘Mehera’ (Shwekey tune), and I walked up to ‘Boi Veshalom’ to the tune of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’. Our first dance was to ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’ by Elton John, and our band Pure Showband also learnt ‘You Make My Dreams’ by Hall and Oates for us, which really got the party started.
We had some dance lessons for our first dance in the run up to the wedding which I would really recommend! They were good fun and a nice break from all the last minute minutiae and stress of wedding planning.
Photographer
We were looking for someone who would be able to capture all of the emotion of the day. In addition, as we knew we were having an indoor and winter wedding, it was really important to us that our photographer was great in low/non natural light. Nadine van Biljon did both of these perfectly and we couldn’t be more delighted at the way she captured the day.
Nadine’s photography style is amazing, capturing all the memories, beauty, and natural emotions of the day. When we look back through our photos, nothing feels staged, it really feels like we are back there! She spoke to us to get to know us and our wedding plans ahead of the big day, and answer any questions we had.
Nadine also designed our wedding album, and was really helpful in guiding us to choose which photos to include, as well as placement and layout of the photos. The final product is stunning.
We were slightly on the fence about having a wedding video but we are so pleased we did! Rebecca Reville‘s video really encapsulates all the joy and emotion we felt and having the video is a wonderful way to relive the memories.
Food and cake
Our wedding was catered by the incredible Feast by Ed Shaerf! We still dream about his food regularly, which looked and tasted amazing. Ed was an absolute pleasure to work with and was great with special dietary requirements and allergies. From the moment we stepped into Ed’s professional kitchen for our tasting we knew we were in for a treat. His ideas are fresh, fun and exciting and executed to absolute perfection.
The canapes were all incredible and whet the appetite for the even more creative mains – starter was a ‘beetroot’, a salmon mousse surrounded by beetroot gel and sat on olive ‘soil’ with avocado mousse and a leaf to top it all off. The main was a modern take on traditional roast chicken dinner and the dessert followed in the same innovative streak including spiced ginger cake, strawberry daiquiri ice cream and candy floss! A feast for the eyes and the mouth!
Zest Mixology kept everyone hydrated all day and night with their fantastic drinks and creative cocktails.
Entertainment
This was one of the easiest wedding decisions we made! Pure Showband played at Elliott’s sister’s wedding a few years ago and were absolutely amazing. As soon as we started wedding planning we knew we had to ask them! And they were absolutely on form on the day, from playing during the ceremony to keeping the dancefloor filled until the end of the night.
Honeymoon
We went to New Zealand on honeymoon straight after the wedding. We aren’t particularly into beach holidays and we love hiking and nature – New Zealand was the perfect place to get away from it all after the hectic run up to the wedding. Our absolute highlight was Milford Sound – being on a boat in a bay surrounded by Jurassic Park-esque hills, huge snow-capped peaks, with dolphins and seals in the turquoise water beside us is an experience we’ll never forget.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Whenever you start to feel stressed, try to take a step back and remember why you’re doing all this – you’re marrying the love of your life! The details are of course personal and important to you and you’ve likely spent months choosing every last detail but it’s important to remember on the big day that you’re celebrating your marriage, and not to get worked up if some of the small things don’t go according to plan.
We were both equally involved in planning the wedding – it was important that this was a shared experience and planning it together with each other and our families made it a lot more enjoyable and less stressful.
DEANNA AND ELLIOTT’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Nadine van Biljon
Videography – Rebecca Reville
Catering – Feast by Ed Shaerf {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Wedding planner – Smooth Operator
Venue – The Queens Hotel
Bride’s dress – Wedding Atelier
Bride’s shoes – Charlotte Mills
Bridesmaids – The Boutique & Co
Groom – Paul Costello
Flowers – Red Floral
Band – Pure Showband
Stationery/Invitation – Purple Piranha Invites
Bar – Zest Mixology
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.
