We always love seeing what choices Jewish wedding pros make when it comes to planning their own big day – so naturally we’re thrilled to be featuring the wedding of Lara, the wedding planner behind Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Uptown Events! She and Grant, a data analyst, had the most fabulous London Jewish wedding at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Langham, one of the city’s most iconic venues.
Having worked on so many incredible weddings, Lara had lots of time to think about what she’d want to do for her own – which was honoring tradition while bringing in some original twists. One of these twists was the color scheme: rather than leaning into classic white, Lara opted for a palette focused on soft pinks with touches of green – and was it ever gorgeous! We’re especially enamored with Lara and Grant’s stunner of a floral chuppah – don’t miss it in the incredible photos by Katie Rogers!
We also love the fun culinary touches the dessert-loving couple brought to their wedding menu. Instead of a wedding cake, they opted for a giant tiramisu – and there was also a crumble bar, where guests could mix and match between different fruit bases and crumble toppings. How good does that sound?! And if that wasn’t enough, they had not one but two roaming desserts: a chocolate mousse trolley and a doughnut belt!
There are so many more fun details – everything from the way the couple included their beloved dog in the day via an AI cartoon image they used on custom matchboxes to the Picante tower the tequila-loving duo dreamed up instead of the classic Champagne version – but we’ll leave it to Lara, who looked so elegant in her beautiful lace gown by Rosa Clará, to tell you the rest…
How We Met
Lara, the bride: We met at secondary school when we were 18!
A London Wedding
We got married at The Langham in London! We picked it because of the amazing tall ceilings in the Ballroom and also the Courtyard which we hoped to use for the reception but sadly it was a bit too cold on the day for our guests to enjoy.
When the Bride Is a Wedding Planner
As a wedding planner (Uptown Events), I’ve been lucky enough to witness so many incredible weddings, which means I’ve spent a long time imagining what I’d want for my own. I knew I wanted to honour a traditional look and feel, but with a few thoughtful twists. While classic weddings often lean heavily into white florals, details, and finishes, this was the element I wanted to reinterpret. Instead, my colour palette focused mainly on soft pinks with touches of green, complemented by white accents to keep everything feeling bridal.
Invitation/Stationery
We used Invitation London.
Hair + Makeup
My sister Sasha Keene, is the most amazing bridal makeup artist so there was no one else I would trust to do the most important makeup I will ever have!
Gaby Goldring is the queen of bridal hair so there was no one else I could have do my perfect slicked bridal bun!
A Rosa Clará Dress
My dress was a beautiful lace gown by Rosa Clará, an incredible Spanish designer with a boutique in Mayfair. I always knew I wanted lace, much to the surprise of my mum and sister, who had both imagined me in something far more minimal. It was everything I had dreamed of and more.
Ceremony & Chuppah
One of our favourite moments of the ceremony was when our chazan, Moni, sang ‘Im Eshkachech’. Having attended so many weddings over the years, both ones I’ve planned and ones we’ve enjoyed as guests, it felt incredibly surreal that this time it was Grant smashing the glass at the end, not someone else. The design of the chuppah was something I’d been envisioning for a long time, and our florist Sonia from Amber Rose, whom I’ve worked with and trusted for years, brought that vision to life beyond anything I could have imagined.
Ketubah
We didn’t do a design for our ketubah and used the one from our Rabbi as we liked the traditional style.
Our music choice
We had the amazing TOTEM band for our wedding who were out of this world! Our wedding date was 21st September so we knew we wanted our entrance song to be ‘September’ by Earth, Wind & Fire to kick start the night. Our brief to TOTEM was music that makes our guests not want to leave the dancefloor, and that definitely was the case!
Flowers
I’m completely flower-obsessed, so florals are always my favourite part of planning my clients’ weddings. That made it especially exciting to sit down with my florist – Amber Rose Flowers – and share all of my mood boards and ideas. I’ve always loved hydrangeas and, knowing they were in season, they became a key flower in the design. We created a mix of high and low table centres, paired with an abundance of candles running along the long tables, which brought a beautiful warmth to the room. Sonia was incredible throughout the process, she’s endlessly creative and always knows exactly what will elevate a design.
Photographer and videographer
Our photographer was the incredible Katie Rogers, who we booked without even speaking to or meeting beforehand. She had photographed a wedding my sister worked at (she’s a makeup artist), and my sister immediately said ‘she’s exactly the energy you’ll want on the day’. That, combined with how much I loved Katie’s photography style, made it an easy yes.
Our videographer was Steve from Tête-à-Tête Films, whom I’ve worked alongside at weddings for years and whose cinematic style I’ve always admired. Having a familiar face around while getting ready was calming, and most of the time I barely noticed the camera, it just felt like I was chatting to Steve the way I would when I was working.
Food and cake
Our caterer, Eat Me Events, were absolutely outstanding. I love dessert and I wanted to do something a little different from the traditional sit-down dessert. Tiramisu is my all-time favourite, so that was an easy choice. We had our wedding logo turned into a stencil, and on the night Grant and I sprinkled the icing sugar over the giant tiramisus ourselves to reveal the finished logo, such a fun moment! We also had a ‘Crumble Bar’, where guests could choose their fruit base, crumble and extra toppings. To top it all off, we added two roaming desserts: a chocolate mousse trolley and a doughnut belt, with a choice of chocolate or caramel filling.
Extra Details
Although flowers are such a key part of the design in a wedding, tableware also just adds that finishing touch! I worked with the girls at The Social Kitchen along with my caterer to curate the perfect pieces to finish the tables.
Grant and I are completely obsessed with our dog, and while we sadly couldn’t have her at the wedding, we still wanted to include her in a meaningful way, and create a keepsake our guests would actually want to take home. Using AI, I created a cartoon image of our dog Riley, holding a tray of cocktails, which we then turned into custom matchboxes for the bar. It’s safe to say they disappeared very quickly!
We also wanted to put a fun twist on the classic champagne tower. Since we love tequila and one of our signature cocktails was a Picante, we asked our caterer if we could create a Picante Tower moment instead. It ended up being such a fun and memorable part of the night!
Honeymoon
We are going to Thailand! It was quite an easy choice for us as it was a part of the world neither of us have ever been to but both wanted to see. It is the perfect mix of sightseeing but also relaxing – we cant wait!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Don’t worry if anything doesn’t go exactly to plan, the day goes too fast so you need to enjoy every moment!
LARA & GRANT’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Katie Rogers
Videography – Tête-à-Tête Films
Venue – The Langham
Planner – Uptown Events
Bride’s dress – Rosa Clará
Hair – Gaby Goldring
Makeup – Sasha Keene
Flowers – Amber Rose Flowers
DJ – TOTEM
Catering & cake – Eat Me Events
Stationery/Invitation – Invitation London
Tableware – The Social Kitchen
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.
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