Wedding Planning Archives - Page 11 of 12 - Smashing the Glass

How to add WOW to your wedding day

01/10/2015 by Karen

This is a guest post by Aron Schlagman, owner and creative director of WHiTEPAPER event

A friend told me recently that the best part about creating that ‘stand-out moment’ for an event, and especially a wedding, is that it doesn’t have to cost very much at all. In fact, some of the most beautiful moments that are created for weddings are done so by the couple themselves – touching moments of real thought that express love for those attending their most special of days – leaving the longest lasting memories in the process.

So, where do I get me some of that WOW?!

I’m going to share a few top line tips and ideas in the hope that they may spark a flash of light in your own heads to create your own wedding stand out moments.

A traditional Wedding vs. a DIY Wedding

If you are planing a DIY wedding from the off, the opportunity to WOW might be greater, but so will the potential stress given just how much and how far you can go. For my own wedding, created in a very DIY style for 50 of our closest friends at an outside space in North London, everything had to have a personal touch. From ladies parasols to shade them from the sun to hay bales for seating with vintage throws as covers. Multicoloured water in antique crystal decanters as decor for a cheese table, to the herb used for the wrapping of the napkins. Afternoon tea with a twist through to the vintage 1920’s dress my beautiful bride wore on the day (and of course my yellow Converse). We’re also talking about shawls for the ladies (this was England in June after all and not the South of France) and a great selection of Whiskey’s for the gents.

What was one of the nicest elements though? Possibly the one which didn’t even relate to a design aspect of the day. For us, it was important that all of our friends could be there, and still be home in time to bath and put their kids to bed. Our event began at 3pm, was over by 6.30pm, and we said goodbye to our guests before heading up to town (still dressed up) for dinner at J Sheekey and an evening in a 5* hotel. Our guests appreciated it, stayed until the end, and avoided an expensive evening of babysitters and hangovers.

Some, all, or none of this might have worked had the event been in Claridge’s, but the point is that it might not have had to. A wedding recently attended in this very hotel was simply beautiful because tradition was where the WOW beauty was to be found, in of course, an already stunning space.

Images from Aron Schlagman’s weddingContinue Reading

The legal requirements of a Jewish wedding ceremony in the UK

05/08/2015 by Karen

Granted it’s not the most exciting of topics, but one that definitely needs addressing, so thank you, Emily, for highlighting it! I asked Emily to provide me with an exact list of questions that she wanted answering and then called upon the expertise of STG regular, the wonderful Rabbi Paul Glantz to shed light on the the legal requirements of a Jewish wedding ceremony in England, and the UK.

For any American readers, or brides holding a destination Jewish wedding in the USA, a post detailing the legal requirements of a Jewish wedding in the USA will be up on the blog in he coming weeks too.

Deborah & Hernan’s Jewish wedding in a farmhouse. See the full wedding here :: Image by York Place Studios

How to find your ideal wedding venue

22/07/2015 by Karen

Finding a wedding venue is, I’m guessing, right at the top of your to-do list (as well as finding a phenomenal dress of course!) Aleisha McCormack, author of the wedding planning guide Smart Wedding, and host of the Save The Date wedding podcast, is here to tell you how to find and secure your ideal wedding venue in a stress-free, easy-peasy and super-productive way.

The ‘Perfect’ Wedding Venue doesn’t exist…

Your idea of a ‘perfect’ wedding venue (if there is such a thing) is, most likely, vastly different to mine. I’d say besides deciding that the person that you are marrying is ‘the one’, your wedding venue is the biggest choice that you will make when it comes to wedding planning… a big decision in which many smaller decisions rely and revolve around…so no pressure then!

Thanks to the magic of the interwebs, some fabulous new specialty apps and lateral thinking, the search for the venue that fits you is super easy.

Image: Oval Space wedding venue, London

Ciao bella! Super stylish Italian weddings with the Italian Wedding Company

21/05/2015 by Karen

Is there any place more instantly connected with romance than Italy? The land of enchanting lakes, rolling green vine-covered hills and azure-blue sea. It’s certainly a country of contrasts, from its cosmopolitan historic cities, up to the majestic snow-topped Alps and back down to stunning heat-seared coastlines… with, of course, peerless cuisine and wines to make them the envy of the world.

I’ve blogged my fair share of Jewish Italian weddings on Smashing The Glass already, and in a couple of weeks time there’s another gem coming that was planned by the Italian Wedding Company – I can’t wait for you to see it! The Italian Wedding Company are really something special. I snapped them up as Smashing Suppliers, and today I want to tell you a little bit more about why I’m so fond of them.

My interview with Bruce Russell, the internationally renowned luxury wedding planner

25/03/2015 by Karen

Image: John Nassari

I first met high-end W-day planner, and ‘wedding whizz kid’ Bruce Russell last September at the launch of his latest project, The Bridal Room, Britain’s first ever online luxury bridal destination. I was bowled over by his ideas, creativity and charm, and we have since connected many times, at the Wedding Blog Awards and Brides The Show; over breakfast in Marylebone, and through his work at London’s iconic Savoy where he is the hotel’s resident wedding expert.

Being quite the ‘wedding entrepreneur’, I wanted to get the inside scoop on Bruce, and find out about the man behind the brand. I discovered that he treasures his end-of-day swims at The Four Seasons Hampshire, he greatly admires Anna Wintour, Hilary Clinton and The Duke of Cambridge, and that being over the top à la Kim and Kanye can sometimes be just fabulous! Let’s get the full story…

Images left to right: Amara / John Nassari

So Bruce, what’s the ‘Bruce Russell’ story? How did you build up your business, and what made you become a wedding planner in the first place?

I have always wanted to build a business – and a brand – working in the events sector, but from a very personal perspective. Given my love of the bridal industry, this naturally led to weddings, the By Bruce Russell brand and, ultimately, the launch of The Bridal Room.

The Bridal Room is a partnership with my good friend – global luxury brand and marketing specialist – Jo James, who has a great deal of experience in the travel, hospitality, events and bridal industries. The two of us met during our time working at COMO Hotels and Resorts, and it was during a business trip to Cocoa Island in the Maldives that ‘By Bruce Russell’ and this exciting new venture were first discussed. Serenaded by the sounds of the Indian Ocean we scoped out the bare bones for the project on paper napkins – international entrepreneurialism at its best!

Having noticed a gap in the industry as to how top London venues managed their wedding clients, I approached The Savoy with a proposal to manage their wedding enquiries. This ultimately led to the ‘By Bruce Russell’ brand and the growth of a brilliant team at The Savoy that I still manage today.

The Savoy partnership has undoubtedly helped raise my profile in the industry and led me to work with some of the industry’s best suppliers, experts, artists and craftsmen — most of which form part of The Bridal Room. From my early days at The Savoy, the ‘By Bruce Russell’ brand has expanded internationally and I am delighted to have a wide-reaching global client base.