When London couple Rachel, who works as a programme manager in the social impact sector, and Jason, a product manager in the technology sector, got engaged, they knew their top wedding planning priority would be to blend their two backgrounds into an authentic and meaningful interfaith wedding.
Rachel is Jewish, while Jason is Catholic, with Portuguese roots – and it was important to both that their religion and traditions were represented in the day. The pair worked with their officiant to craft a bespoke ceremony combining aspects of traditional Jewish and Catholic ceremonies, and they wrote their own ketubah text (which they then translated into both Hebrew and Portuguese!). Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush turned it into a gorgeous piece of art, adorned with the most stunning florals and metallics.
Music was another way Rachel and Jason showcased their backgrounds, and their choice of Matzoh Boys as their band could not have been more perfect. In addition to their Jewish music prowess and fab Israeli singers (one of whom is Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jonny Mosesson), the Matzoh Boys also have Latin and Gospel singers – so in addition to a stellar Israeli dancing set, Rachel and Jason also got Portuguese tunes and a hymn for their ceremony.
The pair chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Liam Smith as their photographer, and we could not be any more in love with his ultra-moving documentary images. They loved Liam’s natural style – and can’t rave enough about what a wonderful and calming presence he was on the big day!
We can’t turn you over to Rachel without mentioning how timelessly elegant she looked in her classic Pronovias dress, which she found at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Mirror Mirror in Islington, and where she adored working with the wonderfully attentive team.
Now over to Rachel!
How We Met
Rachel, the bride: We were set up on a blind date by Rachel’s cousin, who worked in the same company as Jason. Given that Rachel is Jewish and Jason is Catholic (both brought up in practicing households), we didn’t envisage that a blind date would turn into a serious relationship, let alone a marriage. However, we quickly realised that we wanted to be with one another, which meant a lot of pretty serious conversations about how we could blend our different backgrounds together early on. Now, seven years later, we’re married!
A Countryside Venue
We got married at Offley Place in Hertfordshire. The location was perfect for us: in the countryside but still close enough to London that guests could travel there and back easily. Offley Place was also big enough to fit our 200 guests, with plenty of room for dancing too. We had looked at other venues with a 200 person capacity as well, however we sometimes found that the space fit 200 at a squeeze, rather than comfortably.
In terms of aesthetics, Offley Place has a lovely charm to it and we felt this as soon as we looked round. Part of the venue is an old manor house with fireplaces and traditional furnishings, while the ballroom (where we had our ceremony, dinner and dancing) has beautiful wooden flooring, a chandelier and lots of light pouring in from a big skylight. The ballroom is ornate yet simple, making it the perfect canvas to add our own unique stamp onto.
An Interfaith Wedding
The most important element of making our wedding about us was finding a way to blend our religious and cultural backgrounds together, in a way that felt authentic but also respectful. This influenced a number of our decisions throughout the wedding, in particular with regards to our ceremony, music and entertainment. In some respects this was challenging, especially when it came to planning an interfaith ceremony, but we are so glad we lent into our respective cultures and traditions rather than ending up with something more neutral.
Both of us wanted a wedding that looked beautiful (of course!) but ultimately, making our wedding about us was a case of being ourselves, embracing our interfaith relationship and sharing that with all our family and friends.
We planned everything ourselves, but we had a wedding coordinator, MA Events, who helped us in the few weeks before and on the day. We are really glad we hired a coordinator, because although we felt confident in our own planning skills, it was really beneficial to have a neutral person to give opinions on things like our schedule and room layout. Having a coordinator also means that on the day you aren’t worrying about things being set up properly, you know everything is being taken care of.
Invitations + Stationery
We used the With Joy website for our invitations. All of our on the day stationery was done by the incredible Written By Emily, who made the whole process so seamless. The stationery was a big part of adding our own personal touch to the day, tying our colour scheme together and providing information in a beautiful way.
A Pronovias Dress
I bought my Pronovias dress in Mirror Mirror – an amazing bridal boutique in Islington with a lovely team.
I knew the type of dress I wanted early on – simple, elegant, a-line. Everyone advised that I try on lots of different styles just to see, but ultimately I never really questioned the style I thought I would end up going for. Sometimes you just know and can trust your gut! I had tried on quite a few dresses in the style I liked, and to be honest there were a few that I could have ended up choosing. I went for the Pronovias dress because I felt the most comfortable in it, and because my sister cried so I took that as a sign!
Jason bought a custom made suit from Edit Suits in Bond Street (they have a small number of showrooms around the UK). You can book a series of 1:1 appointments with a stylist who takes the time to understand the suit that you’re looking for, goes through all of the customisation options and takes the all important measurements. You can really get down to the minute detail of different pocket types (yes, they exist!) and special additions like personalised embroidery inside the jacket.
Overall the experience was very enjoyable, and I’ve never had anything fit me so well. They also create your own digital profile during the process saved with your measurements, so it’s easy to order different suits from them again.
Ceremony & Chuppah
We crafted our interfaith ceremony together with the support and wisdom of our officiant, Kohenet Rachel Rose Reid. Our ceremony drew from the traditional Jewish and Catholic ceremonies and blended them into something new, which felt authentic for us while remaining respectful and inclusive to our guests.
We started by writing up the traditional Catholic and Jewish ceremonies, and then discussing each element and what they represent, before deciding which parts were most important for us. We wanted the ceremony to feel balanced: a true interfaith ceremony, rather than a Jewish ceremony with a sprinkle of Catholicism, or vice versa. Even though our officiant is Jewish, she held both of our traditions with equal importance and focused on how to create the right ceremony for us as a couple.
In the end, our ceremony contained the traditional Jewish circling, seven blessings and smashing of the glass, as well as a reading from the new testament, a hymn and the priestly blessing. Rachel Rose Reid helped us to make sure all of the elements of our ceremony served a purpose and were meaningful for us. For instance, instead of doing the Hebrew Sheva Brachot (seven blessings), we asked seven family members from both sides to write their own blessing to offer us.
The best bit of the ceremony was sharing something that we had poured a lot of time and energy into with our loved ones, and seeing their incredible response to it.
Ketubah
Our officiant, Kohenet Rachel Rose Reid, encouraged us to write our own ketubah. Given that a ketubah is a written contract, it is important that the words hold meaning and provide an anchor for the couple long into the future. Rachel Rose Reid provided example ketubot and questions for us to consider, and then we went away and drafted the text.
We then translated the English into Hebrew and Portuguese (as Jason is Portuguese). Our ketubah therefore contains the three significant languages to us. It was beautifully designed and painted by Rachelle Tchiprout of The Delicate Brush.
Our music choice
The music at our wedding was another essential feature that enabled us to blend our background and traditions together. Our band, the Matzoh Boys, are what you might at first see as a typical Jewish wedding band… but as well as having Israeli singers, they also have Latin specialist singers and even a gospel singer. This meant that our band could sing Israeli dancing tunes, as well as Portuguese bangers and expertly lead the hymn in our ceremony too.
This band had something for everyone to enjoy, and as a result everyone was on the dancefloor from start to finish. Being able to blend our cultures through music felt incredible and really amplified the proud interfaith atmosphere that we wanted to create.
Flowers
We worked with Table Dressers to create our beautiful wedding floral arrangements. Our colour scheme for the wedding was white, forest green, sage and burnt orange, and our floral arrangements helped bring this to life. Table Dressers used a combination of eucalyptus, Pavifolia, Waxflowers, as well as faux white and burnt orange flowers. These flowers were used across centerpieces, chuppah design, bouquets, and buttonholes.
Photographer and videographer
Our Photographer was Liam Smith, an excellent documentary style photographer. We chose Liam because his photos speak for themselves – they are beautiful and feel natural, capturing the moment rather than curating lots of posed pictures. On top of this, Liam is a very calming presence and so is a good person to have around on the day.
We weren’t going to have a videographer, but after some persuasion from a few friends and family we decided to go for it. We are so glad we did, especially as we put a lot of effort into our unique ceremony, and now we can watch this back when we like. Our videographer was Leor Melehi and he provided us with a highlights film as well as four hours of footage!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
– Remember that you are the guests of honour, not the hosts. Focus on your enjoyment of the day and everything else will follow
– Do not sweat the small stuff on the day – let others take care of little hiccups and (as per above point) focus on your enjoyment of your own wedding!
– Where you are is where guests will be, so if you want a full dancefloor, you’ve got to be on the dancefloor yourselves
– If you are being lifted up on chairs then hold onto the chair sideways, with your arm hooked around the back of the chair. Way less likelihood of slipping off that way!
RACHEL & JASON’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Liam Smith {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Ketubah – The Delicate Brush {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Bridal Boutique – Mirror Mirror {offers £200.00 for accessory purchases over £400 to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Offley Place
Videography – Leor Melehi
Day Coordinator – MA Events
Bride’s dress – Pronovias
Groom’s attire – Edit Suits
Flowers – Table Dressers
Band – Matzoh Boys
Day of Stationery – Written By Emily
Officiant – Kohenet Rachel Rose Reid
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.
