Get ready for a stunner of a Jewish wedding! Emma, originally from London, UK, and Billy, who hails from Toronto, met while living in Amsterdam. Since they knew guests would be traveling for their wedding no matter what, they figured they might as well pick a very special destination – and their Portuguese countryside venue couldn’t have been any more gorgeous.
Featuring rustic vibes and earthy tones playing off the vineyard setting – and a table plan made from custom Portuguese tiles in a green and cream color scheme – this wedding was just beyond. Don’t miss the luminous photos by The Framers.
We also love the fact that the couple used Emma’s great grandfather’s tallit as their chuppah canopy, along with Billy’s grandmother’s kiddush cup – so meaningful.
We’ll turn you over to Emma – who looked so glam in Sassi Holford – for the rest of the story…
How We Met
Emma, the bride: We met while living and working in Amsterdam in October 2019.
A Wedding in Portugal
We found a beautiful venue in the countryside, 30 mins outside of Lisbon, Portugal. I’m from London UK and Billy is from Toronto, Canada – we knew that people would be travelling to our wedding regardless so we decided to make it somewhere extra beautiful. We had always dreamt of an outdoor summery wedding, and that’s exactly what we got!
Theme + Wedding Planner
We had a strong vision for how we wanted the wedding to be – chic, rustic, earthy. Playing off the vineyard setting, green was always going to be heavily featured. Billy’s suit also did a wonderful job of bringing those earthy tones to life! We had a wedding planner – Tamara and Ana from L’Agence Eventive.
To give guests a truly Portuguese take-away, our table plan was all custom tiles in green/cream. We made a speech together, charting the journey of our relationship since we met five years ago in Amsterdam
A Sassi Holford Dress
My dress was a custom, made to measure dress from Sassi Holford
Shoes
Shoes were Gucci. Very comfortable! Wore them for 13 hours!!
Bridesmaids
Three bridesmaids all in different green/sage tones. Got them from NABBD in London.
Ceremony & Chuppah
The tallit that hung across the top of the chuppah belonged to Emma’s great grandfather Casper (no longer with us), while the kiddush cup used within the ceremony belongs to Billy’s grandmother Nancy. Our ketubah was a green eucalyptus hamza illustration from Ketubata
Our music choice
We had a band, TOTEM Superstars. They were incredible. Moni sung us down the aisle, and Lydia was amazing throughout the evening. Many guests commented on how wonderful the band was. We didn’t want traditional ‘wedding’ music – it was elevated, a little more contemporary. We also had an after-party from 12-2AM, with Harry Sharer (from TOTEM) DJing. He was exceptional! Our First Dance was Daniel Caesar – ‘Best Part’, sung live by Totem.
Flowers
Decofloralia was the florist, based in Lisbon. I wanted ranunculus, roses, eucalyptus. Earthy, pastel tones. I was thrilled with how they brought my vision to life.
Photographer
Our photographer was The Framers – an insanely talented couple, Filipa and Rodrigo. We chose them for their creativity – the fun that translates through their work really captured the essence of what we wanted. Nothing formal or too staged – we wanted to feel the vibe through the photos, and I think they did just that. Our videographer was Fullcut. We have not received the video yet! But I can’t wait to see the magic!
Food and cake
The Mad Kitchen were the most exceptional caterers. The food was delicious and served in a creative, show stopping way. The cocktails were out of this world. Truly fun, unique concepts. Think – smoke bubbles, passion fruit foam, pop rocks on the espresso martini etc. Visually beautiful and so tasty.
Honeymoon
We went to Umbria and Tuscany for a week of relaxation. Stayed at the beautiful Vocabolo Moscatelli design hotel and couldn’t recommend it enough!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Two pieces of advice:
1) Enjoy every single second and take it all in, because it truly flies by. Look around, absorb and try not to get pulled into long conversations with guests so you can be in the moment
2) Stick together by each others side for the entire day and night. Experience everything together!
EMILY & BILLY’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – The Framers
Planner – L’Agence Eventive
Bride’s dress – Sassi Holford
Bride’s shoes – Gucci
Bridesmaids – NABBD
Hair + Makeup – Joana Moreira, Tsousa Hair
Ketubah – Ketubata
Flowers – Decofloralia
Band & DJ – TOTEM Superstars
Catering – The Mad Kitchen
Stationery/Invitation – Molde Designs
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.
