London couple Anouska and Ben always dreamed of getting married in Spain… and even though they ended up delaying their fabulous Jewish wedding a whopping 3 times due to Covid, they eventually pulled off one of the most stunning Spanish weddings we’ve EVER seen!
The couple’s venue, El Cortijo San Francisco, was nothing short of magical – don’t miss it in the effortlessly elegant photos by Nora and wonderful video from Michel Maraver.
And the bride herself looked ever so glam in her Nicole Milano dress, which she found at beloved Islington bridal boutique and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Mirror Mirror. Anouska loved working with the wonderful Mirror Mirror team just as much as she adored the luxurious materials and dazzling embroidery on her exquisite gown. She also went for a handmade veil by Mirror Mirror, bespoke to match her gown – and was it ever gorgeous!
Keeping the party vibes going strong was important to Anouska and Ben, and so when it came time to choose a band for they went for the best of the best, flying out Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Sensation Band from London. The 10-piece band got the party started – and kept it going into the early hours of the morning – and Anouska and Ben can’t stop raving about their powerful vocals and awesome range of music.
There’s lots more to say about this very special day, but we’ll let Anouska take it from here…
How we Met
Anouska, the bride: We met when we were in our early teens as we were both from the same place in Hale, Cheshire just outside Manchester. We dated a little in our 20’s here and there in between other relationships but it was very casual. And then in our early 30’s a close friend of Anouska’s started working with Ben at his then company and one day Ben enquired to this friend how I was doing as we hadn’t spoken in a while. This friend told Ben to ask me himself and so he did and the rest is history! We live in London with our 22-month-old little girl Anya and dog Buddy.
A Wedding in Spain
Ever since Anouska was a little girl she had always wanted to get married in Spain as she had grown up going there with her family on summer holidays every year. Her older brother Oliver also lives there with his family so it’s a home away from home. We looked at many venues with our wedding planner Tara from We Do Unique Weddings and none of them seemed right.
Tara then took us to a beautiful Spanish Finca in the hills near Estepona called El Cortijo San Francisco which was like a mini tropical oasis hidden away that was once owned by movie star Stewart Granger, who left his individual mark on the property, adding influences from around the world. It was a magical location with beautiful gardens, courtyards and terraces. We knew immediately that this was the right place for us.
Worth the Wait
Anouska always had a vivid idea about how she wanted the wedding to look and feel. Because of Covid, we had to arrange and cancel our wedding 3 times. We actually ended up having the wedding 2 years later than it was originally meant to be so that gave us a lot of time to plan!
When we met with Tara from We Do Unique Weddings we knew instantly that she was the right wedding planner for us. Tara has such a unique gift of being able to stay calm at all times and she was able to translate our dream into a tangible reality.
Anouska wanted a natural and elegant theme that we would still love in the years and decades to come. The cream, white and pale blush colour scheme was impeccably styled by our planner Tara and by Antonio and his team at Studio 8 Events. They brought Anouska’s vision to life with glittering chandeliers & exquisite flowers and it felt like a real-life fairy tale.
We also added a few of our own personal touches to make it feel like ‘us’. The end result was an ultra-romantic and sophisticated wedding theme that felt elegant, warm and inviting.
Invitations / stationery
Our invitations were designed by the mother and daughter team Aimee & Barbara at Invitation Store in the UK. Our wedding stationery was designed by Anulka at Nulki Nulks in Spain.
Hair + Make-up
My glam squad was amazing. They made me feel like a movie star over the 3 days that we held different celebrations and their talents were sensational! I was a Spanish señorita for our shabbat, a glamorous beach babe for the beach party and then the most romantic, subtly elegant bride.
A Nicole Milano Dress
I actually went wedding dress shopping with my parents on my birthday in 2020. We went to 2 different wedding dress boutiques and I must have tried on about 20 different dresses. I had no idea what style of dress I was looking for so I was quite open-minded about the designer.
When I tried on the dress, that I ended up buying at the bridal boutique Mirror Mirror in Islington, it was my parents who fell in love with it first. It was extremely sparkly with lots of layers and I was worried it was ‘too much dress’.
But both my parents and our wonderful bridal assistant Meb convinced me that if there was one day in my life, that I was allowed to look like a princess then this was the time! Once we made some alterations to the dress and I tried it on in front of 2 of my best friends they both said that it was absolutely beautiful and had tears in their eyes.
At that moment I knew it was ‘the one’. My dress was by the Italian designer Nicole Milano who is renowned for designing breath-taking wedding gowns, cut from luxurious fabrics and adorned with dazzling embroidery.
Accessories & Shoes
My veil was handmade by my bridal boutique Mirror Mirror. I wanted the sheerest of tulle material which was embroidered with lace imported from Italy to match my wedding dress. It was so beautiful.
The handsome groom
Ben looked effortlessly handsome in his black tuxedo from Zegna. When I was walking towards him down the aisle I felt like the luckiest bride in the world to be finally marrying my Mr Right.
Bridesmaids
We had our 4 nieces Phoebe, Demi, Luna, Amber, 3 nephews Milo, Brody and Ezra and our special little daughter Anya as our flower girls and page boys.
Ceremony and Chuppah
We were pretty laid back with the chuppah design as I trusted our florist and event stylist Antonio from Studio 8 Events having seen his previous work. We just gave him the colours and a design brief with some photographs Anouska had created a mood board with.
His design blew us away on the day and it couldn’t have been more perfect. He got the pale blush roses spot on against the creams and whites and it looked so effortlessly beautiful without it being ‘too pink’ and regimented.
The wonderful Rabbi Hall had flown out to Spain from London for our ceremony and he orchestrated the service so handsomely without fault. We wanted a liberal Jewish ceremony as Ben is only half Jewish so we didn’t want anything too traditional and orthodox.
We utilised certain Jewish elements from Anouska walking around Ben 7 times, the blessings and wine as well as smashing the glass!! (The best part)!
Our Music Choice
We chose a traditional Spanish guitar player Luis Fonseca for the ceremony and for walking down the aisle. It was simple and authentic. He beautifully captured the magical emotion that we wanted to make our procession and ceremony unforgettable. During the cocktail reception, we had flamenco dancers who were spectacular! We flew out Sensation Band from London for the main musical event, they were a 10-piece performance band and they were Sensational.
Their performance and music got the party started, and kept the party going until the early hours of the morning! All of our guests were grooving on the dance floor, with their powerful and soulful vocals combined with a huge range of music. Our first dance was to John Legend’s ‘All of Me’ where the band performed a ballad compilation in their signature smooth style.
When the band finished their final set, we were blessed with the incredible DJ John Hobbs to continue the party until there was nobody left standing on the dancefloor. He also dj’d our beach party and so he knew the group well on the wedding day which was a huge advantage!
Flowers
Anouska chose white, cream and pale blush roses for her bouquet, the men’s button holes and table centres. Anouska wanted the palest of blush pinks and Antonio from Studio 8 Events managed to capture this colour scheme perfectly. His design was flawless and as you can see from the photographs his work was breathtaking.
Tara, our wedding planner, guided us throughout the journey and we knew immediately that Antonio was the right florist for us.
Photographer and videographer
Under Tara’s guidance, we chose Nora as our photographer based on her beautiful portfolio that we saw of her work online. Nora’s editorial style of photography is full of emotion combined with natural elegance. Her work is understated and effortless and for us, we wanted to work with someone that wasn’t going to ‘stage’ the photos too much. We are delighted with the results and it was an absolute honour to work with Nora.
Our videographer was Michel Maraver whose work is incredible. We looked at a few different options but nobody stood out like Michel and we are so glad he was available! His work is amazing and he really managed to capture all of those special moments that made our day magical. Having such incredible photographs and video reels to cherish forever is something that we are eternally grateful for.
Extra details
Having to plan our wedding 3 times, and then have it cancelled 3 times over a 2-year period was not easy for either of us. Your hopes get lifted and then disappointment sets in. We genuinely didn’t think that our special day would ever happen. When the day finally arrived, it was even more special for us as we were able to have our little girl Anya with us as part of the celebration.
Honeymoon
We are going to the Maldives for a family holiday with our little one. So needed after such a long time without travel!
Advice to other couples planning their wedding
Tara, our wedding planner, said to me on the morning of the wedding to simply ‘relax’ and let her take care of everything else. I am so grateful that she said that because I was able to simply switch off and soak up every moment and enjoy it.
My advice to future brides is to be flexible in your decisions and trust the suppliers you choose to work with as they are the professionals! The day goes by so quickly so enjoy every single moment.
ANOUSKA & BEN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Nora
Bridal boutique – Mirror Mirror {offers £200.00 for accessory purchases over £400 to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Band – Sensation Band {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Videography – Michel Maraver
Wedding planner – We Do Unique Weddings
Venue – El Cortijo San Francisco
Bride’s dress – Nicole Milano
Bride’s shoes – Valentino
Bride’s accessories – Mirror Mirror
Groom’s attire – Zegna
Hair + Makeup – Flavia Hair Marbella, Nicola Cuddy Makeup
Flowers – Studio 8 Events
Catering – Grupo Goyo
Cake – Grupo Goyo
Guitar – Luis Fonseca
DJ – DJ John Hobbs
On-the-day Stationery – Nulki Nulks
Invitation – Invitation Store
Production – Lit Events
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.
