Can you believe this gorgeous interfaith Jewish wedding was planned in under two months?! Yes, that’s right – a beautiful wedding in under sixty days!
Jude, a business analyst, and Del, who works in regulation, made it work by keeping the crowd small – they held an intimate celebration with just immediate family and their closest friends – and the day streamlined.
Their venue, the Pergola on Hampstead Heath, not only had a ton of meaning to the couple (it’s where Del proposed to Jude!), it’s also the kind of naturally stunning space that easily stands on its own without any need for additional décor.And given the timeline, the bride opted to shop the high street, endingup with a lovely ‘20s inspired beaded gown from Phase Eight.
We love how these two brought together the bride’s Jewish identity and the groom’s Scottish heritage, too. They made sure traditions from both sides were represented, smashing the glass together and choosing flowers that incorporated Del’s Scottish heritage.
We’re obsessed with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kate Nielen’s soft and dreamy photos of this big day… read on to hear all the rest of the details.
How we met
Jude, the bride: We met on Match.com
A Hampstead Heath Wedding
We married at the Pergola on Hampstead Heath. We picked this as it was one of the first places we went on a date and was also where Del proposed. Other than that we thought it was a beautiful place with a very serene atmosphere.
An Intimate Wedding
We’re both pretty introverted and this was reflected by us just wanting immediate family and close friends. We planned our wedding in under 2 months which really focuses the mind. Our wedding tied Del’s Scottish heritage and my Jewishness.
Online Invites
We got married within 2 months of Del proposing so we didn’t bother with paper invitations except for people who weren’t online. We created a website and sent out the links from there. I did manage to forget the date on the paper invitations, so that’s certainly unique if somewhat embarrassing.
A Phase Eight Dress
I wanted something that could withstand being outside so veered away from anything with a train. As we organised this quickly I went for something from the high street. I tried Oxfam but ended up in Phase Eight. I was really happy with the dress.
Accessories
I used some flowers and used Pinterest quite heavily for inspiration. I liked the idea of including flowers because when else do you get to wear lots of flowers in your hair?
Wedding Wellies
I chose white shoes for the day but white wellies to get to the ceremony. Two days before the ceremony I found out that we were going to be visited by Hurricane Brian. I hated the idea of the hurricane and the fact it would be called Brian didn’t exactly sound glamorous. I had to go down a short stony path and up some stairs. Changing in and out of the wellies didn’t make for the grandest entrance.
For shoes I really wanted colourful shoes that I could wear again, but they really didn’t seem to fit with the dress. In the end I decided that I’d just buy a pair of basic white wedding shoes that would be comfy enough to last the day.
Hair+Makeup
I chose a hair/makeup artist who focuses on making you look like a ‘good’ version of you. I didn’t want to look back at photos and not recognise myself. Louise Heywood offered this and had a superb portfolio. She was really lovely and patient with someone who isn’t so confident at the ‘being glam thing’.
The handsome groom
A blue flecked suit tailed in London a tie with the family tartan (Sutherland) from Lochcarron of Scotland. He wanted something blue but also not a standard blue suit so the flecks made it quirky and different. Some American tourists ignored the signs and walked in on us, which caused him to move and see Jude changing. Del saw me as I changed out of my wellies which wasn’t quite what I had intended. I had wanted him to see me with the proper shoes. Anyway, regardless he was beaming.
A Laid-back Bridesmaid
We had witnesses and I had a kind of bridesmaid. She read something out during the ceremony. They wore their own clothes. I just wanted people to feel comfortable.
An Interfaith Ceremony
We didn’t have a chuppah as such but we did have the period stone covering, protecting us from the elements. We did smash the glass though! A good friend of mine bough a cushion cover and provided the glass. We both stamped on it together.
Jewish traditions
We gave out a small leaflet before the wedding to explain some of the Jewish touches to the ceremony and generally welcome people. It included little facts about our friends to help them interact, some were fun like a friend peeing on a snake.
We tried to do the hora later on. We were pretty clueless but it was fun.
Scottish Flowers
I chose flowers that incorporated my husband’s Scottish heritage. Jennie Mann used astrantia, thistles and white roses. The flowers were really beautiful – a bit rustic, but also smart.
Our music choice
We walked down the aisle together to ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’. We put together our own playlist to play at the reception venue afterwards. We didn’t have a first dance. We used Dynamite Swing and chose tunes for their happiness and quirkiness like playing songs from ‘The Jungle Book’.
Photographer
The venue recommended a list of potential photographers. We picked Kate Nielen because her style really seemed to fit with the venue and we liked her portfolio.
Cake!
We had one cake – one tier baked by my aunt and one by a local baker. It was traditional fruit cake and my aunt’s cake made up the base layer and the one from the baker sat on top. My aunt’s cake was of course the best. We also bought lots of lovely cheese from Neal’s Yard to eat with crackers, grapes and figs.
Acoustic Music
We used a couple of guitarists for the ceremony. There was no sound system so we had to choose an acoustic sound, which seemed to fit. We wanted upbeat music and Dynamite Swing offered jazzy, upbeat covers of songs that people would recognise.
No Favours
We didn’t have any favours. The traditionalist in me had a last minute hankering for sugared almonds but it was too late by then. We lived without.
White wellies
When I realised that there was going to be a Hurricane on, (Hurricane Brian), I purchased some white wellington boots. At such short notice the only ones I could find were white cowboy wellingtons. It wasn’t the sort of thing I had ever envisaged buying for my wedding.
Minion in the UK
We just wanted a mini break for our honeymoon immediately after the wedding. They might not be everyone’s choice but we went to Bristol and Glasgow. We checked out all the art and good restaurants in Bristol and then went walking around Loch Lomond near Glasgow. Much later we went to Madeira for a bigger break.
Jude & Del’s little white book
Photography – Kate Nielen
Venue – The Pergola
Bride’s dress – Phase Eight
Bride’s accessories – Tom Foolery
Groom’s attire – Lochcarron of Scotland
Flowers – Jennie Mann
Cheese – Neal’s Yard
Rings – Mark Nuell
Band – Dynamite Swing
