By now we’ve heard lots of incredible pandemic wedding stories, but we’re pretty sure Brides Club member Rafaela, and Dan’s takes the (wedding) cake. These two had originally planned a big black-tie wedding at another venue for April 2020 – until COVID got in the way. They initially deciding to postpone for a year, but with Dan’s dad being terminally ill and his health declining, Rafaela and Dan ended up pushing their date forward by three months – and planning their intimate December 2020 wedding with just two weeks’ notice!
You might think that’s enough drama for one wedding – but it doesn’t stop there! With just 48 hours to go, the couple’s original venue had to cancel on them due to changes to the UK’s regional tiering system. Several frantic phone calls later, Rafaela and Dan secured a new venue, Down Hall Hotel & Spa, located in an area with lighter COVID restrictions, just 24 hours before the chuppah!
It was a tight turnaround, but the hotel’s incredible staff and the couple’s vendor team made it happen – you’d never know from Joab Smith’s absolutely stunning photos that it all happened at the very last minute!
There were a few hiccups along the way – not the least of which being that on the morning of her wedding, Rafaela was left without a hair stylist and makeup artist! Luckily, as a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club, Rafaela was able to muster Brides Club’s collective resources to secure the perfect last-minute booking. And as Rafaela transitioned her wedding from spring to winter, a fellow Brides Club member lent out her bridal fur shawl to keep Rafaela warm and in style during the outside photos – how incredible is that?! Don’t miss the ultra-emotional trailer from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion, who is so beloved by our Brides Club members – and for very good reason!
Speaking of which… if you’re feeling in need of a little guidance as you navigate your big day, reserve your spot for Smashing The Glass’s virtual Jewish Wedding Planning Party today! There’ll be partying, presents, and music, plus our founder Karen Cinnamon will be on hand to help you figure out everything from making the most of your budget to dealing with challenging family dynamics and beyond – and to answer any and every question you might have.
There’s so much more we could say about this unbelievable wedding – like, how amazing is Rafaela and Dan’s chuppah? And how exquisite does Rafaela look in her Suzanne Neville gown?! – but we’ll let the bride take it from here…
How we Met
Rafaela, the bride: I am from Brazil and moved to the UK around 15 years ago, where we met! We have been together around 4 years and despite having grown up in different parts of the world, we are both very similar and have many mutual interests! Dan proposed from a helicopter in the summer of 2018 and we were wedding planning ever since!
Last-Minute Venue
We got married at Down Hall Hotel & Spa in Essex, a venue we secured 24 hours before the Chuppah. Our original plan was to have a large black-tie wedding at a five-star hotel in Hampshire, with our family and friends flying in from all over the world, but it’s a long story!
Unfortunately, Covid scuppered all our plans, as our guests were prevented from travelling to UK two weeks prior to our original wedding date in April 2020 and we decided to postpone a year. In addition to this, Dan’s dad was terminally ill, and we were uncertain whether he would make the postponed wedding date in 2021 as time went by.
Because it was important for us to have him present and see us get married, we decided to bring it forward another 3 months and planned an intimate ceremony with 2 weeks’ notice in December 2020. However, with 48 hours to go, our original venue in Hampshire cancelled on us due to the regional tiering system of Covid restrictions in the UK and the wedding was off! Despite the challenges, I am a true believer that love always finds a way and several phone calls later we found Down Hall Hotel & Spa: a new venue outside of the regional covid tier restrictions. Downhall is a beautiful hotel in the English countryside and allowed us to have the most gorgeous photos.
In addition to this, I could not have asked more of the staff who were just fantastic, as they managed to turn it around for us with such short notice. Due to the last-minute rollercoaster some of our vendors had a little over 6 hours’ notice to prepare before the wedding was finally re-confirmed at a new location. Even though our original plans did not go ahead, we feel that we had the most magical evening under exceptional circumstances!
What ‘Smashing The Glass Brides Club’ Did For Us
I was a member of Brides Club for almost 2 years, and it helped me identify several key vendors and discuss creative ideas with other brides. I never thought I would use the Bridal Emergency Helpline at the beginning of my wedding planning journey but when I was left with no hairdresser and make-up artist on the morning of the wedding, I knew exactly who to turn to. In addition to this, I won an Instagram competition for our wedding invitations through EYI Love Studio , they designed and made the invitations for our original wedding date.
Candlelit Elegance
Our vision for the original wedding was to keep it elegant. I have always been obsessed by having lots of fresh flowers and Dan by the mood good lighting creates. When the plans changed, we decided to keep the original Chuppah design with candles and white flowers.
Hair + Make-up
I had three different trials for hair and make-up but due to the last-minute change of venues, my chosen hairdresser and make-up artist was not able to make it and I was left with no one. Karen and Katy Cresner, our wedding planner, helped me find the lovely Grace Hayward who came to the rescue, having never met me before with a little over 5 hours’ notice.
I had asked Grace to create something with my hair up, but just as I was ready to go, I changed my mind and asked her to recreate something else with my hair down! For my make-up, I wanted a natural look, and I was delighted with the finish. Grace did a great job and kept me relaxed.
A Suzanne Neville Dress
My dress was a Suzanne Neville from Ellie Sanderson. I didn’t really have a style in mind and found ‘the one’ as soon as I stepped out of the changing room, as my bridesmaids, mother and sister-in-law looked at me with astonishment in their eyes!
Accessories
I wore a diamond tennis bracelet gifted by Dan and leaf diamond earrings, which matched my hair piece. I picked a satin ribbon veil from Ellie Sanderson when I purchased the dress. Another Brides Club member, Mel, lent me her bridal fur shawl, to help me with the change from a spring to a winter wedding!
Shoes
My shoes were a mother of pearl block heel from Freya Rose. They had a very subtle shimmer to them and suited my dress well.
The handsome groom
Dan wore a timeless tuxedo from Hugo Boss, it was the first one he tried on and it was perfect. His shoes were also from Hugo Boss in patent leather. He decided to wear a navy jacket rather than the traditional black and I presented him with Salvatore Ferragamo cufflinks to complete the outfit! He looked gorgeous!
Bridesmaids
I had one bridesmaid and she chose a beautiful dusty rose dress. We also had matching bouquets.
Ceremony
We had an intimate ceremony with lots of personal touches. Dan walked in escorted by his two sons Rees and Jayden. I walked down the aisle with my son Lucas and remember how emotional I was seeing Dan with tears in his eyes at the other end of the aisle. The smashing of the glass was also very special, as I could see joy and relief in everyone’s faces to see us finally married.
Having Dan’s dad present and his blessing meant so much to both of us, he sadly passed away 2 months after our wedding. We also wrote our own vows for each other. We treasure every moment and cannot pick a single favourite part!
Ketubah
Our ketubah was from Ketubata in Israel.
Chuppah
We wanted our Chuppah with lots of blossom and fairy lights. It was designed and custom built by the Event Décor Hire team and we were blown away with how beautiful it looked.
Our Music Choice
One Entertainment provided our music, a pianist and violinist for the ceremony. We chose ‘Say you won’t let go’ by James Arthur for the processional and I walked down the aisle to ‘All of me’ by John Legend. I circled Dan to ‘A thousand years’ by Christina Perri and at the end we had the traditional Mazel Tov Siman Tov. All our ceremony music was instrumental.
Flowers
Event Décor Hire provided all the flowers, lighting and production. I wanted a classic decor, and they did an incredible job, especially when we hadn’t been to the venue before! The flowers were beautifully arranged, and the candles added to our intimate atmosphere.
Photographer and videographer
We worked with Joab Smith for our photos and Denee Motion for video. Joab captured all the emotions, and we have some beautiful portraits, he was a lovely guy and a pleasure to deal with. The Denee Motion team is extremely talented, and we chose them based on all the raving recommendations from other brides club brides, and we were not left disappointed.
We felt at ease with Joab, Denis and Max throughout the evening and had lots of fun walking around the venue after the ceremony. We will never forget how Dan left everyone soaked by spraying champagne everywhere, while Joab and Denee Motion were searching for the perfect shot.
Food and Cake
Our cake was made by Cakes by Liane to match our colour scheme. It was delicious! Catering was supplied by the hotel.
Favours
We had personalised kippot with our initials and our original wedding date. We also had personalised flipflops made for the original date with our names. Sadly, we were never able to use the flipflops and haven’t yet decided what to do with them!
Honeymoon
We postponed our honeymoon to the end of the year and are going to the Maldives if Covid allows!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Wedding planning in a pandemic taught us perspective. Find a wedding planner, vendors that you can trust and everything else falls into place. However much planning we undertook, we loved our spontaneous wedding and the memories that came from it.
RAFAELA & DAN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Joab Smith
Videography – Denee Motion {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Wedding planner – Katy Cresner
Venue – Down Hall Hotel & Spa
Bride’s dress – Suzanne Neville found and fitted at Ellie Sanderson
Bride’s shoes – Freya Rose
Groom’s attire – Hugo Boss and Salvatore Ferragamo
Hair + Makeup – Grace Hayward
Flowers – Event Décor Hire
Production – Event Décor Hire
Band – One Entertainment
Catering – Down Hall Hotel & Spa
Cake – Cakes by Liane
Ketubah – Ketubata
Stationery/Invitation – EYI Love Studio
Rabbi – Rabbi Guy Hall
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.
This is absolutely beautiful. They were a wonderful couple and we absolutely enjoyed this wedding.
Very sorry to hear about Dan’s father.x