We love it when a couple does their Jewish wedding, their way – and that describes Natasha and Coren’s wedding to a T! Opting to wed at the bride’s family home in Hampstead, London, these two did away with the usual formal seated dinner in favor of a chill evening party featuring comfy sofas, open fires, and big sharing tables for people to sit at between the dancing. Don’t miss the super cool setup in the photos by David Pullum!
In Natasha’s words, structuring their wedding this way “gave a relaxed, organic, authentic energy to the evening, people could move around and speak to who they wanted” – and it was such a hit their friends are now asking to borrow the idea! This is such a great reminder that your wedding can be whatever you want it to be – you don’t need to do things that don’t feel authentic to the two of you, just because they’re “the done thing.”
We also love that Natasha and Coren worked with a number of fabulous Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to make their wedding the smashing success it was. Their planner, Joe of #STGvendor Goodnight Events, perfectly understood the couple’s style and vision, and helped them manage family dynamics and competing priorities throughout the planning process. #STGvendor Dvash handled catering, serving up Ottolenghi-style sharing dishes so utterly delicious that “people were shocked it was kosher!” And #STGvendor Denee Motion was responsible for Natasha and Coren’s exquisite videography.
There’s so much more to say about this beautiful Jewish wedding, but we’ll leave it to Natasha – who looked radiant in Rosa Clara – to fill you in on the rest…
How we Met
Natasha, the bride: In 2017, I was living in Edinburgh after having recently graduated there. Coming home to London one September I wanted to meet someone Jewish so switched on J-Swipe. Coren and I started chatting and arranged to meet when I was next in London. So, that December, Coren asked if I wanted to meet him for a drink on Christmas Eve. Politely declining, because I’d already planned to go to a party at KOKO that night, I told him, I’d be happy to meet him on Boxing Day instead.
Christmas eve rolled around and in the middle of KOKO, we locked eyes 2 metres away from each other on the dance floor. A couple of seconds later, he came up to me and said “Hey Natasha, we’re meant to be going on a date in two days, but why don’t we start now?” And that was it! We still met on Boxing Day, which turned out to be our second date.
A Wedding at Home
We got married in the garden of my family’s home in Hampstead. The house is so special to me, my family and friends who have grown up there too. It was incredibly meaningful to get ready in my childhood bedroom, walking downstairs and out into the garden to marry Coren.
Planned to Perfection
We couldn’t have had the incredible wedding we did, without the help of Goodnight Events. Not only did Joe completely understand our style and vision but he helped us make decisions about the wedding, as a family, managing family dynamics and competing priorities. Being of our generation, we totally trusted him to create an amazing party.
We didn’t have a specific theme but knew that we wanted to create a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. It was a summer wedding and so we really leant into the English country garden aesthetic in terms of floristry and even drink choices inspired by the garden. Some of Coren’s family are from Israel, so they wanted to bring in that classic Israeli laid back feel. Think Hampstead meets Haifa meets Soho House.
A Rosa Clara Dress
My dress was designed by Rosa Clara. Inspired by Audrey Hepburn and Kate Middleton I wanted something elegant, simple and timeless.
Accessories & Shoes
I went barefoot! I tend to go against convention, so given I was in my own home and I don’t care much about shoes, it felt just right!
Ceremony and Chuppah
The chuppah itself was designed by my mum, Joe from Goodnight Events and Alina our florist from Flowers by Alina. We wanted it to be in keeping with the natural beauty of our garden and I’m so pleased with how it turned out. It also featured two family tallitot as part of the canopy, which was really important to Coren.
The ceremony was just magical and the sheer emotion I felt stepping out of my house and walking down the aisle in the middle of the garden was unforgettable. There didn’t seem to be a dry eye in the garden. For people to really feel the emotion and importance of that moment was important to us, so we asked for no-one to film during the ceremony so everyone could really be present. Rabbi Sam Fromson led the ceremony, bringing youth and energy but also wisdom and tradition. Having a close relationship with our rabbi made it all the more special.
The music was another key part of the ceremony for us. Guy Barzili sang us down the aisle, he just has the most magical voice. Later he sang alongside Rabbi Lionel Rosenfeld, who had flown over from Israel. Lionel was the Chazan at my parents wedding many years ago, so to have him there was very meaningful.
Our Music Choice
Music was an important part of the day for us. I walked down to ‘You Raise Me Up’, but in Hebrew, so the words reflected the relationship between bride and groom yet with my parents walking me down, who raised me up in that home, it was the perfect song for the moment. Guy, our singer, really made the chuppah for me. Poignant moments came when he sang ‘Im Eshkachech’, many guests were emotional by the depth and beauty of his voice.
For the evening we had Stylus Live, who were fantastic at knowing which songs to play at which times throughout the evening. We had wandering musicians and singers throughout the reception and dinner to keep things casual, and then an epic DJ live set-up for the rest of the evening. Our first dance was to the song ‘When You Believe’ by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. It’s from the Prince of Egypt. But the version we played was a remix and it turned into a big Israeli track which got the party started.
Flowers
Alina did a superb job with the flowers. She completely understood our vision to keep things simple with just green, white and a hint of blue. The arrangement in our kitchen and living room, quite literally took our breath away. She was a pleasure to work with too. Honest, generous and hard-working throughout.
Videographer
We used Denee Motion for our videography. They captured the wedding beautifully. Wonderful to work with on the day and great when responding to feedback requests for the video.
Food
The food was utterly delicious. So good that people were shocked it was kosher! We would highly recommend Dvash as they understand what young people want. We did Ottolenghi-style sharing dishes. The party in the evening was for our friends and closest family so we kept it cool and young. It was Soho House vibes, big comfy sofas, open fires and big sharing tables for people to sit around in between the dancing.
Extra details
We wanted our wedding to be full of people who really loved us and our families. Everyone there knew us well. I wrote a personalised note to every single guest, including any childhood photos of Coren & I with the guest in question. I think everyone found this really overwhelming! I also printed photos of my grandparents who weren’t with me on the day. Looking at them on my wedding day, added meaning and helped me feel as though they were there in spirit.
The chuppah and reception was the more formal part, so we had lots of family friends present who had watched us grow up. For the evening, we wanted a party with high energy, so we centred it around our friends. What suited us fantastically was that we chose not to do a sit-down – instead we had lots of sofas and open fires for people to sit around.
Our friends LOVED IT, some even asked to take the idea for theirs! It gave a relaxed, organic, authentic energy to the evening, people could move around and speak to who they wanted – it worked a dream for a modern wedding and something I hadn’t seen before!
Advice to other couples planning their wedding
Find what is right for you. For example a wedding cake didn’t have meaning for me, but everyone knows how obsessed I am with sweets, so we went for a pick & mix bar instead. It’s the little things in your wedding which you make it feel your own.
Don’t underestimate your maid of honour! She can be the best thing you decide to do when it comes to the day! My sister made the day flow, from giving me water, fixing my veil, make-up and helping me circle Coren under the chuppah without everything falling apart!
NATASHA & COREN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – David Pullum
Videography – Denee Motion {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Wedding planner – Goodnight Events
Catering – Dvash
Bride’s dress – Rosa Clara
Flowers – Flowers by Alina
Band – Stylus Live
Rabbi – Rabbi Lionel Rosenfeld
Smash The Glass Pouch – Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}
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