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Home > Advice + Planning > Creative Jewish Wedding Ideas > Page 12

Top 50 Songs To Walk Down The Aisle To at a Jewish Wedding

25/07/2014 by Karen

SONGS-WALK-DOWN-THE-AISLE
Image: Robert Shack taken from Georgia & Sam’s Jewish Wedding

With every one of our Real Jewish Weddings we ask the bride or groom, “what song did you walk into and how was the song choice significant to you?”. We receive so many awesome song choices that we thought it was high time we collated them into a Top 50 list for your benefit! So here it is – click on the songs to listen to them and let us know if you have any to add. Click on the playlist, and scroll down, to see the full catalogue in Spotify. This playlist will be constantly updated with new tracks. Enjoy!

 

WALK-DOWN-THE-AISLE

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Top Ten Wedding Favour Ideas

21/07/2014 by Karen

WEDDING-FAVOUR-IDEAS
Wedding favours grant  you the  perfect opportunity to bring out  your personality, and they give your  wedding guests a lovely reminder of the  big day that they can take home with them once the festivities are over.  Be as creative and as inventive as you like, or keep it simple and fun! Here are my top ten favourite favour ideas!


FAVOUR IDEA #10
Cheeky  and fun  – give each of your guests a lottery ticket  and  one of them could be quite the  winner on your big day!
wedding_favour_lottery_ticket

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10 of the coolest London wedding venues

16/05/2014 by Karen

cool-london-venues
Image: Vowed & Amazed

UPDATED: September 2016

Today’s post is written by Deirdre from Chic & Boutique Wedding Venues. Deirdre curates only the coolest, hippest and most fabulous wedding venues,  and I’m thrilled that she’s picked out 10 extraordinary London spots covering every kind of style, for capacities of 25 all the way up to 700!

Take your pick from these 10 London gems…


London is filled to the brim with beautiful, elegant and unusual wedding venues, but it can be difficult to make that final decision without a good filter. We’ve vetted and selected these 10 unique, chic and boutique venues, all located in London, and all as eclectic as the brides and grooms to whom we aspire to appeal. Tuck in to our list and find that perfect spot for your wedding!

Kensington Roof Gardens, London W8 (max. capacity 500)
Roof-Gardens-Wedding
Flamingos and Mandarin ducks thrive in an abundance of nature on the roof of number 99 Kensington High Street, – super cool, right?! In the heart of London there’s an oasis of ‘wow’ for when you want to create a wedding with charm, originality and elegance. Have a look at this real wedding at Kensington Roof Gardens as an example!

The Gardens include The Spanish Garden, based on the Alhambra in Granada which has a distinct Moorish flavour; The Tudor Garden which uses red brick walls and four Tudor style arches to take you back to another age, and The English Woodland Garden which blooms with colour when thousands of narcissus, crocus, muscari, snowdrops, and bluebells burst into life every Spring.  The English Woodland is also where the birds live including Mandarin and Carolina Wood Ducks which are native to the Southern hemisphere as well as the star resident Flamingos.

You can tie the civil knot in its stunning indoor wedding venue and then have your religious ceremony in one of the beautiful gardens with a traditional chuppah. The Roof Gardens is also great for small or large weddings as it can host standing receptions for up to 500, sit down dinners for 200 or a more intimate wedding  for only 50.

London’s Kensington Roof Gardens is a venue that gives you the best of both worlds: a garden setting with a convenient central London location.

Kensington Roof Gardens | 99 Kensington High Street | Kensington | London W8 5SA | +44 (0)20 7368 3974



Kew Gardens, Richmond, Surrey
 
(max. capacity 400)
Kew-Gardens-Jewish-wedding
Kew’s Palm House is a vast, light, lofty space that accommodates enormous tropical large palms, boasts 16,000 panes of glass and is considered the most important surviving Victorian iron and glass structure in the world. The Palm House is a truly original backdrop for your wedding that could take place in one of the four following venues on offer at this multi-venue location.

First is Cambridge Cottage, which is the former royal residence of the Duke of Cambridge. Within the cottage grounds is the Duke’s Garden which is perfect for outdoor drinks, photographs, summer barbeques and garden parties. A chuppah would look perfect here too.

The Garden comes with the Drawing Room, licensed for civil ceremonies for up to 80 guests and the adjoining Gallery housing beautiful botanical artwork which can also accommodate 80 guests for a sit down dinner. Alternatively both rooms and the garden can be hired for a standing reception of 150.

There’s also the Nash Conservatory which is licensed for civil ceremonies for up to 200 guests. If desired, the Nash Conservatory and lawn may be used to erect a chuppah for a religious ceremony, followed by pre-dinner drinks before moving on to the Orangery for an evening wedding dinner and dance.

Other venues available for hire at Kew Gardens include The Princess of Wales Conservatory and The Orangery.

Kew Gardens | Royal Botanic Gardens | Kew, Richmond | Surrey, TW9 3AB | +44 (0)20 8332 5641



Courthouse Hotel Shoreditch, London EC1
 
(max. capacity 900)
Courthouse-Hotel-Shoreditch
I’m literally obsessed with this spanking new venue in the the heart of the old East End of London, Shoreditch.

Once the Old Street Magistrates’ Court and Police Station—where notorious East End gangland brothers Ronnie and Reggie Kray were once held, this Grade II listed Baroque styled building has been transformed into a £40million luxury hotel, the Courthouse Hotel Shoreditch.

Steeped in history, the 128-room Courthouse Hotel Shoreditch offers guests a rather more comfortable stay than the cells which held the notorious Kray twins, as well as a heated indoor swimming pool, a 196-seat cinema, a luxury spa, a bowling alley and a sky terrace overlooking London.

Five of the notorious former magistrates’ court’s cramped 5ft x 15ft cells have been transformed into a bar area, and guests can have a tipple in the spot where the Krays appeared at their first criminal hearing in 1965.

The holding areas, three of which are named after local criminals, still have their metal reinforced doors in tact and one even features a hard bench and commode used by prisoners.

With a maximum capacity of 900 and with so many luxury and unique facilities this stunning hotel is the perfect venue for a large wedding, honeymoon or hen/stag weekend; it’s in a great central location to boot.

Courthouse Hotel Shoreditch | 335 – 337 Old St | Shoreditch | London EC1V 9LL | +44 (0)20 3310 5555



Bush Hall, Shepherds Bush, London W12
 
(max. capacity 375)
Bush-Hall-London-wedding
When you think of a Dancehall you think of London and one of its most popular music scenes. And when you check out Bush Hall you know this was, and still is, the most decadent Dance Hall of its day.

Nestled in the heart of Shepherds Bush, the Hall is a jewel in the crown of West London proper. Built in 1904, it was a grand dance hall through the Roaring Twenties, subsequently suiting various purposes thereafter including soup kitchen duty during WWII and a Mod rehearsal space for the likes of The Who. Since then it has been lovingly restored to its former glory as an Edwardian dance hall.

Even more cool is that Bush Hall is still an independent live concert venue boasting Adele, Amy Winehouse and Florence & The Machine as previous performers.

This amazing ‘hall’ doubles up as a unique and elegant wedding reception space offering a wide range of options, allowing you the versatility to tailor the event to your own requirements. This could include wedding receptions of up to 180 seated guests or a fun and funky drinks reception until the early hours…

A wedding licence isn’t held, however blessings, chuppahs, and private ceremonies are welcomed.

Bush Hall | 310 Uxbridge Road | Shepards Bush | London W12 7LJ | +44 (0)20 8222 6955
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My interview with the UK’s most sought-after luxury wedding planner, Mark Niemierko

08/04/2014 by Karen

MARK NIEMIERKO
[ Image: Eddie Judd Photography ]

As both a designer and  wedding blogger, I am thrilled to be interviewing the, quite frankly monumental, luxury wedding planner, Mark Niemierko, for the latest instalment of my  Wedding Smashers  series.

Mark’s utilises a true  ‘Smashing The Glass’ ethos in his work, keeping things super-personal to the couple, and using his wonderful imagination to  reflect their  tastes and vision.

He has a spectacularly creative and meticulous touch. Just look at all the eye candy littering the  page – it’s all his work and artistry. He is fortunate  enough to often work with lavish budgets, on which he styles  the most fantastical celebrity and society  weddings, but recently he’s launched his ‘Made By Niemierko’ brand for couples who still want that WOW wedding and guaranteed peace of mind on their W-day, but without the crazy price tag.

Mark and I have a few ideas brewing and you’re going to be hearing and seeing a lot  more from us collaboratively, but today let’s reveal what he has to to say about Prince George,  pudding rooms, breaking the rules, and  post-wedding day blues…
Jeremy Enness and NiemierkoHELLO Magazine and Niemierko
David Pullum and Niemierko
[ Images top to bottom:  Jeremy Enness :: Hello Magazine  :: David Pullum  ]

So Mark, how did you build up your incredible business, and what made  you become a wedding planner in the first place?
I think a love of events and parties — I had previously organised events for both film and tv and wanted to focus on social events. Weddings are so personal and nothing is more rewarding.

What is a ‘regular’ day for  Mark Niemierko  like?
What makes the job so enjoyable is that there isn’t such a thing as a regular day. It can vary from dress shopping, venue site visits, florist appointments and cake tastings. I do however look forward to the days when I can sit at my desk and achieve plenty of work and put planning into action.

Do you have a signature aesthetic or personal style that you put into the weddings you’ve planned?  
I guess the signature of breaking wedding days up into sections…. So ceremony, drinks reception, dinner, pudding rooms, nightclubs…. Keeping the guests guessing.  But overall we don’t have a signature style as I like to create something that’s personal to the couple.  A reflection of their taste and vision.
Kode Media and NiemierkoNIEMIERKO WEDDINGSJeremy Enness and Niemierko
[ Images clockwise from top:  Kode Media :: Nikole Ramsay  :: Jeremy Enness :: Jeremy Enness :: Kode Media  ]

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Tali & Mo’s Jewish wedding | Art Deco afternoon tea at The Savoy and an evening soirée in Soho, London

12/02/2014 by Karen

afternoon-tea-wedding
Today’s wedding looks like such a fun filled affair – it’s a twist on the traditional hotel wedding: yes, Tali and Mo chose to have the first part of their wedding at The Savoy, but *no*, there wasn’t a sit-down 3 course dinner, or show band in sight.

Instead (partly due to Tali’s pastry chef background) they went for a splendid afternoon tea theme with everything from flowers arranged on cake stands (genius!) to beautiful home made jam favours, to a splendid art deco theme, sprinkled with some lovely DIY details.

Then, to top it off, for the second part of their wedding, they held an  evening soiree at  Kettner’s  in nearby Soho, complete with props and a rocking dance floor, and celebrated their big day with a larger circle of friends.

So let’s partake in some champagne and a macaron or two and be serenaded to The Savoy followed by a night in Soho. What more could you ask for?  Perhaps for the imagery to be by our very own  Wedding Smasher,  Blake Ezra? Oh yes, I’ve got that for you too… we’re in for a treat!
Afternoon Tea Jewish Wedding 98
TWO LONDON VENUES
Tali, the Bride: Our choice of venue came down to a few requirements. First of all we wanted to get married in London. It’s where we met, and we are both great lovers of this beautiful city. We wanted to serve afternoon tea at our reception, and as I am a pastry chef it had to be good so we went with the only London hotel that offered in-house milchik kosher catering — The Savoy. Oh what a hardship! Luckily for us around half of the hotel is Art Deco and as we are massive fans of the Art Deco period it was a no-brainer.

We chose to split the day between two venues, we had the chuppah and afternoon tea at The Savoy, and we then moved on to an evening soiree at Kettner’s in nearby Soho. This allowed us to share our big day with a larger circle of friends.
Savoy Jewish Wedding

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