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Save The Day with John Lewis

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John-Lewis-Wedding
John Lewis  has always been close to my heart, in fact to most Brits  it’s  pretty much an institution upon which we’ve always relied on. From picking up my first pair of knitting needles for a school project, to getting those navy, leather Mary-Jane school shoes we all wore, and in more recent years bulk-buying cotton sleep suits for my own children, John Lewis has always been there for me.

Apart from that familial reliability – and those heart-wrenching Christmas ads – the other major association most people make with John Lewis has to be the infamous you-can’t-go-wrong wedding gift list.  And again, trusty JL was there for me at one of life’s most important milestones.

But what you may not realise is just how much “wedding” they actually have within those beautifully curated floors.

It really is a bridal cornucopia, an Aladdin’s cave. From occasion wear, gifts, stationery, haberdashery, decorations, fizz and make up, there’s no doubt about it — when it comes to weddings – John Lewis is ALL  over it.

And because it’s so trustworthy and established, it manages to keep everybody happy.  There’s something for every kind of couple, whether you’re seeking classical big day perfection or  a quirkier, more offbeat feel.

John Lewis Wedding
Haberdashery / Wedding Craft

For me, where John Lewis really stands out is as THE home of haberdashery.  And for those who think haberdashery is just a few different types of buttons, think again.

John Lewis has an unmatched range of ribbons, silks, embroidery, braids, fabrics, zips and, yes, buttons.  But also an incredible range of wedding craft and accessories  — its the place where you can pick up the floral corsages, buntings and all the add-ons to bring your big day vision to life, no matter how creative.

And  they also have really cool decorative bits and pieces that can totally liven up your home long after your big day is over. How gorgeous is the East of India range? And take a look at these Rico Alphabet Decor letters  — they’d be just as fab on a shelf in your hallway, as they would be placed next to a guest book at the  wedding.

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Art Deco Jewish wedding in an airport museum and hangar, at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum, Houston, Texas, USA

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 Airport-Museum-Wedding
It goes without saying that your choice of venue is one of the most important pieces of your wedding puzzle. I personally love unusual wedding venues so when Elisheva Golani‘s submission dropped into my inbox, and I saw a wedding that took place in an Airplane Museum and hanger, I literally squealed with joy!

And it gets better — one of Talia’s bridesmaids was Balushka of the incredible Balushka Paper Floral Artistry who created an abundance of paper flowers to adorn the chuppah as well as decor for the entire space. Her work is totally and utterly gorgeous, and the paper floristry fills the space brilliantly.

There’s also a blush-coloured wedding gown, a surprise bottle dance choreographed by the groom and his friends, a sparkly confetti canon, and a bride and groom entrance from a vintage airplane to the sound of Rocky’s Theme Tune!

Talia and Barry are one super cool, super creative couple and I cannot wait to show your their W Day. Fasten your seat belts folks!

paper decor flowersAirport Museum Weddingpaper flower decorFiddler on the Roof bottle dance
How we met

Talia, the Bride: Ours is an interesting story – we were first set up 10 years prior to our engagement, by my dad and his tennis partner in 2005. We went on our first date and Barry took me to an Ethiopian restaurant, opened doors, brought me flowers… the whole 9. He was a total gentleman, but alas I was just beginning to explore life as an adult and so was he – needless to say we were both very different people back then. After one date, he called, but I wasn’t interested. Of course, years later, he stuck in my mind as being the kind of guy I needed to date,  we reached out to each other on a few occasions- but we were never able to meet up. Finally, we were able to meet for coffee and we were together ever since… He proposed 10 years to the day of our first date- we even went to that same Ethiopian Restaurant! (good thing about engineers is that they keep EVERYTHING).

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“My best Jewish wedding photo” by Rhapsody Road

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A weekly series where  I ask some of the world’s best wedding photographers to pick out their favourite shot from their Jewish wedding portfolio. This week it’s the turn of Em from  Rhapsody Road Photography.

Rhapsody-Road

‘Elation by Rhapsody Road Photography

Look at all these faces, all these joyful expressions! Aren’t they wonderful? Look at the bride, Jemma. She’s emotional, she’s both tired and wide awake, she’s so bloomin’ happy! Don’t you just want to jump up and dance, to wave your arms around and feel the same? That’s what I think every time I look at this image. I remember each and every person in that room, each friend and family member there to share this huge day, to offer their support to the commitment of love and friendship that Jemma & John have just made. What an amazing moment. Thank you Jemma & John for sharing it with me.“

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“My best Jewish wedding photo” by Rob Clayton

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A weekly series where  I ask some of the world’s best wedding photographers to pick out their favourite shot from their Jewish wedding portfolio. This week it’s the turn of  Rob Clayton.

Rob-Clayton

‘The Scene’ by Rob Clayton

Deborah and Eden embrace the quirkier side of life. So when I received an email post-wedding, asking if we could go out again for a ‘trash-the-dress’ style shoot (without actually trashing her exquisite dress), my imagination went into over-drive. I made grand plans, even purchased some props at my own expense, and waited for the perfect evening.

When that evening came, we drove for almost an hour to the location (which shall remain a secret for now I’m afraid!), only to be turned away at the door by security. We had known this was a possibility, and had chanced it anyway, but were disappointed nonetheless. However, the evening still had about 10-minutes of sunlight left, so we decided to at least take advantage of that, rather than have completely wasted the journey. I was lucky to find this scene (I had to move my car, and found this on my way back from the car park), and was immediately taken by its beauty. Five minutes later, we were done. As for the secret location, I have not given up hope of a shoot there with Deborah and Eden (it’d really be worth it!)”

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10 Stylish Judaica Pieces For Your Home

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Cool-Judaica
This is a guest post by Andrea Cohen

In 1984, the same year Miami Vice premiered on American TV and Frankie Goes to Hollywood was getting us all to ‘RELAX’, I was a 13 year old Bat Mitzvah. I spent almost every other weekend that year attending another friends’s Bat Mitzvah, and sneaking out of her service to peruse the temple’s Judaica collection. I was a budding artist and designer on a search for objects that were new, clever, modern and inspiring. Would there be anything in those vitrines that I’d like to see on my holiday or Shabbat table?

Uh, no, not really…

Suffice to say I was an unimpressed tween, disappointed by the short range of Judaic styles on display. As far as I could tell back then, modern Judaica fell into three general categories:

1. Chagall inspired colourful designs
2. Brightly colored geometries reminiscent of Agam’s work
3. Cold and severe steel or silver minimalist works

Where were the warm, modern, tasteful menorahs, seder plates, and kiddush cups for design-savvy Jewish girls like me?

32 years later I’m still asking the same question.

Stylish Modern Judaica. Does it really exist?

There are many talented Judaic artists working today, but there is still limited contemporary Judaica available that reflects the tastes of young, modern, urban, assimilated Jews. However, there are a handful of Judaic pieces that would bring me joy to have in my home–works that reflect my personal style and aren’t a throwback to the 1980s (or 1880s). Any of them would also make an excellent wedding gift. So here are my top 10 picks for my favourite modern Judaica, with links to where you can find them.

 

1. Futura Seder Plate by Jonathan Adler $150

Modern-Seder-Plate

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