We could not be more delighted to be featuring the gorgeous Jewish wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Chloe to groom Eli! They crafted the most gorgeous summer garden party celebration – and did it all while Chloe moved halfway across the world from Singapore back to the couple’s shared hometown of Southend in the UK!
They followed their ceremony at Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation, where both families have deep roots, with the most fabulous garden party reception at Rankins Cricket Club, featuring colorful florals, lush green foliage, tons of paper lanterns, and delectable kosher-style cuisine by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Adam Nathan Catering.
The day was captured so exquisitely by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Liam Collard Photography. Chloe and Eli wanted a photographer who could capture all the fun, love, and energy of their big day, and did Liam ever deliver!
We’ll let the bride – who looked so glam in her vintage-style beaded gown by Eliza Jane Howell – fill you in on the rest…
How We Met
Chloe, the bride: I’d been living in Singapore since 2012 and was back in the UK for my cousin’s wedding, my first visit for 2 years thanks to Covid. Montine, Eli’s younger sister, slid into my sister, Fiona’s, Instagram DM’s to see if I’d be interested in going on a date with her eldest brother. I was hesitant at first because I wasn’t living in the same country, but you can’t expect different results from doing the same things, so I took the plunge and responded back with my number to Montine.
Right from the start, I knew Eli was different, his opening text was a great one, a massive attention grabber and so we planned our first date, then another…and on our 3rd date, Eli asked when I was moving home. At the time I felt it was a bit presumptuous, but after 15 months of flying between Singapore and Westcliff, I was making my final descent into Heathrow to start our new life together. On a visit home last summer, 2022, Eli booked us a short getaway to the Isle of Skye.
We spent a wonderful few days foraging, dolphin and puffin spotting, sampling some delicious Scottish fare and generally getting to know each other. On our second to last morning, whilst getting ready for a rainy stroll, he stubbed his toe on the bed, and fell to his knees. The next thing I knew he rummaged in his pocket and whipped out the most gorgeous ring, and before he could even finish proposing, it was a massive YES from me!
A Family Venue
It was a no-brainer to choose the synagogue we both grew up in for our ceremony, Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation. Both our families have been heavily involved with our synagogue since they moved to the town. My grandfather was a former President and Honorary Life President and my grandma was president of the Ladies Guild and former Woman of the Year.
What really sealed the deal was when an old film from the 60’s about our synagogue was shared round Facebook and featured so many recognisable faces including many family members. Our reception venue chose us, with such a big guest list, our town didn’t have many options, but fortunately, a customer of Eli’s suggested the cricket club he was a trustee of, Rankins Cricket Club. Thanks to their flexibility and open mindedness, we were able to plan the day of our dreams.
The Wedding date was 28th May 2023 – we chose that date because it’s the earliest we could plan for. The first date after the Omer, not peak travel season so that overseas friends and family wouldn’t be bankrupt trying to make it and far enough away that I had time to move back home.
Summer Garden Party
Our theme was a classic and chic Summer Garden Party, the whole day was centred around the most fun possible at a wedding for us and for our guests, we kept everything crossed for a beautiful summers day to complement the marquee and the weather did not disappoint! It was exactly how we imagined. Being on a cricket field we wanted to let the beautiful green countryside do most of the work for us and keep the marquee simple.
However, we both love colour so although we toyed with the idea of greens and whites, we couldn’t resist a pop of colour and I couldn’t have a party without some sparkle, so disco balls and coloured paper lanterns were the perfect match! We separated the marquee into 3 distinct areas, a party end with black star cloth and black and white chequered dance floor, a reception area which had a clear roof with fairy lights, disco balls over the bar and a lantern display in the centre and a dining area, hidden by a reveal curtain draped with coloured fabric, a few hundred paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, with more fairy lights.
To keep groups together we had a variety of lengths of long tables, each decorated with small glass vases and multicoloured flowers and lush green foliage complementing the colours of the lanterns above. On our top table we repurposed the floral displays from the Chuppah and the bridal party bouquets so we could keep enjoying them through dinner. It looked exactly how we both imagined! Very different from weddings we’d been to before and so very us!
An Eliza Jane Howell Dress
I’ve never been one to go take the traditional route, I didn’t think I really wanted to wear white to start with, but since it’s not every day you get to wear a big white dress I opted for the more traditional option. I was quite disappointed with the selections the first time I went shopping. the next boutique was more promising, but still nothing was sparking enough joy. At the 3rd boutique, I decided to try more styles and that included a few options from Eliza Jane Howell‘s range. I was in love!!
I thought I’d found ‘the one’ but decided to take a last minute trip to the flagship store with my sister, Fiona, it was there that I tried on Vionett, she was everything I wanted; vintage style, hand beaded with a sheer back and beaded tassels on the sleeves, on the modest side, yet fun, classic and really sparkly!! Marrying in an orthodox shul, I knew that I had to cover my shoulders and this was the perfect style for me. I tried it on and teared up in the dressing room, when I came out Fiona cried too, and more importantly was speechless, which never happens!!
After an emotional FaceTime to Mum and Dad, the seamstress from across the road came to take my measurements with instructions from Fiona. The team at Eliza Jane Howell were fantastic. At the first fitting I took with a few veils to try on and settled on a short veil, as the dress had to be sent back to India to be shortened and tweaked, they suggested I have a veil made from the same fabric as the dress, and for it to be trimmed with the same beads – such a great touch!
They also shared some videos and photos with us of the team of dressmakers and beaders in action from a previous visit to India. Seeing my dress being made was such a wonderful treat, and not something every bride gets to see!
Ceremony & Chuppah
We built our own chuppah using silver birch and used Eli’s grandfather’s tallis as the cover. Another special touch for us was to have our chuppah on the bimah, it’s not something our shul had done before but as we had so many guests visiting from all corners of the world, any many attending their first Jewish wedding, we wanted to make sure they could see as much as possible.
Sounds soppy, but my favourite part of the ceremony was just being there. Udi, our singer created a magical ambience and the flowers set the scene for the party to come later. Our nephew and groomsman, Remi played to him audience perfectly and pretended to have lost the ring which was hilarious and terrifying – delivered with the perfect comedic timing!
We discussed many ketubah options but our Rabbi showed us the standard United Synagogue ketubah and we felt that it worked with our vibe perfectly, and since we’d gone a little against tradition with most of our day it would be nice to use that one.
Our music choice
Our entertainment started with Udi Ullman‘s incredible voice welcoming us to the chuppah. Mirella, Eli’s mum found him for us and sent over some links, after hearing his voice and seeing his videos we agreed, and his flights were booked from Israel. We’re so grateful he was available and Mirella was able to make all the necessary arrangements for us. There was not a dry eye in the synagogue! He then joined us at the reception for the Hora and really got the party started! Many of our guests didn’t realise it was the same person!
Eli chose our band, Big Yellow Suitcase, the lead singer owns the bar where we had our first date and so it was an easy yes! I’d heard so much about them from friends and family and I loved the significance they had for us as a couple.
To bring the day together we enlisted my sister’s friend as our DJ, I met with him a couple of days before the wedding, gave him some guidelines and requested the night to end with some old skool garage and he SMASHED IT!!!!
Catering
Since Eli and I, our families and our guests were all foodies, we decided on our menu pretty early.
Adam Nathan was one of the first vendors I’d approached but as I wasn’t yet in the UK it took us a while to meet and when we did we knew we’d made the right choice.
We opted out of starters and instead went heavy on the canapés with all the Asian flavours; his Korean cauliflower bites were insane! For mains, we had 2 food stations, a shawarma bar with hummous and salads giving a nod to the Sephard, and an East End Deli bar with salt beef and home cured Salmon for my Ashkenazi roots.
Flowers
The flowers I chose matched the colours of the lanterns that I wanted and reflected the Spring to Summer transition. Supporting local businesses and the local community is very important to me, and I wanted our suppliers to match the vibe we wanted for our Big Day. From the first time I spoke with Simon from Daisies and Lilies I knew he ‘got me’! We had peonies, tulips, roses, alliums, gerberas, sweet william, and some fresh herbs too.
Eli and I had matching ribbon on his boutonniere and my bouquet – peacock blue, his favourite colour. Our bridal parties had bright yellow ribbons, my favourite colour! We kept the chuppah flowers simple with corner pieces only. Our synagogue ladies guild approached my florist for the Shavuout flowers so we were lucky to have extra colour from his earlier displays complementing our installation.
Photographer
Eli and I spoke to a number of photographers and what really struck us about our conversation with Liam Collard Photography was his no nonsense approach and how he seemed to ‘get’ what we were going for. I also really loved the diversity of celebrations that they’d photographed, we wanted our photographs to capture the fun, love, and the importance of tradition in our lives rather than the ordinary mantelpiece formality. We loved the way they captured the energy in their portfolios so it was a fairly easy decision.
CHLOE & ELI’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Liam Collard Photography {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation, Rankins Cricket Club
Bride’s dress – Eliza Jane Howell
Bridesmaids – Needle and Thread
Flowers – Daisies and Lilies
Band – Big Yellow Suitcase
Catering – Adam Nathan Catering
Cake – SW Cakes
Singer – Udi Ullman
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.
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