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Searching for an exceptional wedding planner? It has to be Lamare London

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Liesl-Lamare-London-Wedding-PlannersWow, 1st of February already. How did that happen? 2017 is going so fast but I hope our newly engaged readers are still in that blissful day-dreamy phase.

When you let your mind wander, what would your guests say about your fantasy wedding? Would they say it was chic, smart, brilliant and SO YOU? Will they be talking about those gorgeous, thoughtful touches that brought the whole occasion together?

Please meet Lamare London. These extraordinary wedding planners specialise in getting just that reaction. They plan and craft weddings in the UK that are brimming with style and personality.

And no matter what the size of your wedding, every event gets the same TLC treatment. For Lamare London, this means ‘Touches of Luxury and Character”. I love that.

Lamare London works on a “luxury is in each detail” principle. And that’s got everything to do with it’s founder Liesl Lamare. 

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About Liesl Lamare

Liesl, who’s been organising weddings and events for ten years, is an unshakeable, detail-led and supremely creative, planner. She’s zeitgeisty and brings this to her work. Her influences include emerging interior design trends, fashion, travel and exhibitions. She’s got taste, folks. Lots of it.

Liesl is also actually a good friend of mine. We met through the industry and have spent loads of time together over the last couple of years. She’s amazing — such a lovely person but also so sophisticated, stylish and graceful. You know those people who just ooze understated glamour and are always well put together?

Unsurprisingly, the weddings she plans with her team at Lamare London are as crisp and gorgeous as the woman herself. 

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Why Use a Wedding Planner?

You could SAVE money, gain control over your wedding and take away a whole lot of stress.

For most, your wedding day will probably be the first major event you’ve organised and it’s one hell of a learning curve if you go it alone.

So what can you expect to gain with a GOOD wedding planner like Lamare London?

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Facebook Live Catch Up: Jewish Wedding Q&A

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Last night we went LIVE for the very first episode of our exciting new monthly show especially for the STG worldwide community, and it was so much fun!

We talked about everything from the best high street bridal designers to my new pink shoes (?) to our exciting upcoming collaboration with The Savoy to how to make your friends and family feel included at your wedding to why we smash the glass to… you get the idea — we talked about everything under the ‘wedding’ sun!

It was fantastic to feel the warmth of the STG community around the world — a BIG thank you to all of you who joined! The replay is above in case you couldn’t join us live.

This was the first in a monthly episode of STG shows that will be aired live on the last Wednesday of every month on Facebook at 8pm GMT(that’s 3pm EST, 12pm PST, and 10pm in Israel) to coincide with #WeddingWednesday.

Next month’s show is going out on Wednesday 22nd February 2017, and I’ll be joined by one of my favourite wedding photographers, the magnificent Blake Ezra, for a ‘Get All Your Wedding Photography Questions Answered’ live show. More details nearer the time… but you can be sure that the ‘halo effect’ in  yesterday’s show will not be making a reappearance when a photography expert is involved!

I’ll leave you with some useful links relating to some of the topics I talked about in yesterday’s show:

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Create an epic wedding with Israeli event organiser Danny Marx

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Montana & Justin’s real Israeli wedding, planned by Danny Marx, blogged on Smashing The Glass

Today I am SO excited to feature one of the most impressive wedding planners and producers that I’ve come across — Danny Marx. He’s a born and bred Jerusalemite who specialises in creating destination weddings in Israel AND Israeli-style weddings all over the world.

I’ve got a serious soft spot for Israeli weddings — I just love a chuppah under the stars and an all-night party vibe. Not to mention the boundless amounts of food, colour and absolute JOY. But we can’t all get to Israel for our big day. So if you want the Israeli spirit for your wedding, without the travel, Danny Marx really can bring the party to you.

Danny Marx Events Weddings_1532 Danny Marx Events Weddings_1536 Danny Marx Events Weddings_1542 Planning a wedding in Israel — or an Israeli-style wedding anywhere in the world

Whether in Israel or elsewhere, Danny aims to create an unforgettable day, rammed to the rafters with an authentic feel-good vibe. But with a background in film, he also knows what LOOKS GOOD. He’s got an eye for stagecraft and delivers glamour.

A visionary? Yes. But reasonably priced? Totally.

His past clients have called him honest, patient, organized, professional, tactful, charismatic and positive. I myself had the pleasure of meeting Danny a few months ago in London and he was utterly delightful. He was keen to let STG readers know that he organises weddings for ALL BUDGETS. Bear in mind that this is a man who’s created epic events in some of the most exciting venues — including the iconic Tower of David.

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How it works

After initial contact, Danny and his partner Alon, will meet you, whether it is in Israel or abroad. This is usually after several phone calls and emails. 

The most important thing is your vision – how you’d like your wedding to look and feel. From that point Danny Marx and his team plot a preliminary theme and get going to find the perfect selection of venues, service providers and content suppliers.

The aim is to give total peace of mind throughout and Danny and his team tends to every logistical part of the wedding, especially with very complex, outdoor or unique sites. They are the ultimate safe pair of hands.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Ask Karen anything on Facebook Live, Wednesday 25th January at 8pm

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Smashing the Glass is going live tomorrow… and you’re invited!

Join me for the very first episode of an exciting new monthly show especially for the STG worldwide community! The show will air live from my home, on the last Wednesday of each month on Facebook at 8pm GMT to coincide with #WeddingWednesday.

I’ll be hosting the first episode, a Facebook Live Wedding Q&A tomorrow, Wednesday 25th January, at 8pm GMT (that’s 3pm EST, 12pm PST, and 10pm in Israel).

As well as answering all of your burning wedding planning questions, I’ll also give you the lowdown on what’s been going on behind the scenes at STG this month and let you in on the latest news and gossip from the world of Jewish weddings! 

I’ll also share exclusive details about an incredibly exciting new competition coming soon to STG! It’s a big one so make sure you tune in so you don’t miss out.

We’ll be chatting in real time, so you can ask me anything live during the broadcast, or you can make sure you don’t miss out and submit a question in advance by emailing karen@smashingtheglass.com

Future shows will feature expert guests from the wedding industry, so make sure you put the monthly date in your diary.

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The Pros and Cons of a Destination Wedding

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Having a destination wedding, just like any other choice in life — has it’s long list of pros and cons. When Alex and I first began the conversation of  where  we’d like to tie the knot, we we’re slightly overwhelmed with the possibilities. The world was ours. Would we travel abroad? Stay within the country? East or West Coast? In the end, only three options really made sense for us: Florida – where my parents live, Arizona – where Alex’s parents live, and Washington, DC – where we’ve built our home together.  

Two weeks after we got engaged, we flew out to Tucson, Arizona to visit his parents, as they threw us a lovely engagement party. At that point in the planning (only two weeks in), Alex and I barely had a grasp of what we wanted from the big day. Since we were already in Arizona, we figured we might as well take advantage of that, and explore some venues. The week prior to our trip, I contacted 5 different venues for fall / winter 2016 availability and pricing. Collecting a little binder of information prior to landing in Arizona. And good thing I did, since the moment we landed, wedding talk seemed to be the only conversational topic.

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Image: Julian Wainwright, taken from Melissa & Ishay’s Jew-ish destination wedding in Thailand

The morning of the engagement party, Alex’s dad drove us around the city to various appointments, narrowed down to 4 at that point. Once we stepped foot on Tubac Golf Resort, we knew we had found something really special. We loved the atmosphere, the ranch-style hotel rooms, the layout of the property, the ballrooms, the heated-covered patios, the gorgeous well kept lawns where we’d potentially hold our ceremony — everything.

For various reasons, Florida and DC were ruled out. So Arizona made the next most sense. And after our tour of Tubac, we felt it was the right place for us. We didn’t give it much more thought than that. I signed the contract that very week we returned home to DC. And then, the rest of the planning, booking, and arranging began!

Planning the wedding from 2,500+ miles away hasn’t been the easiest, I will be the first to say that, and in fact it’s caused a reasonable amount of stress. I wanted to share my pros and cons list with any future brides still deciding, or to any brides that have already settled on a destination wedding for them to relate to.

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Image:  Susan Stripling, taken from Natasha & Jez’s Jewish destination wedding in Cap Ferrat, South of France

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