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Stress Free Wedding Planning with the Tap of an App… Hello Bridebook!

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Bridebook-wedding-planning-app Don’t you kick yourself sometimes when someone else comes up with those brilliant inventions that in hindsight are so obvious? Those relatively simple concepts that make life so much easier. Step forward Bridebook.

Bridebook is a sophisticated, FREE digital wedding planner that’s taking the bridal world by storm. And for good reason.

It’s SUCH an inspired idea — a website and app that has EVERYTHING you need to plan your wedding all in one place

And not before time. With the soar in seriously useful apps, we now expect everything to run a bit more smoothly. How often do you hear the phrase “don’t worry I’ll Uber it”? It’s now almost a verb. And Deliveroo, the (quality) takeaway app, has all but revolutionised my world for sure.

And so yes, we are ready to tap an app and do everything ‘wedding’ calmly and un-complicatedly.

Bridebook wedding planning app Good bye wedding stress

If you’re not employing a wedding planner (and let’s face it, not all of us can or want one) creating your dream single-handedly can be a beautifully rewarding thing but for lots, it can be stressful and all consuming.

Did I double-check the venue can give us 10 more places? Shall I spend less on flowers and go for candelabra centrepieces? Do I do paperless invitations? Where’s that RSVP list? Is this the most recent cost sheet?

It can seriously take over your every waking thought.

The entrepreneur founder of Bridebook – Hamish Shepherd – saw brides (who were booking his wedding venue [Hedsor House, above]) drowning under this preparation process and knew a digital solution was needed.

Bridebook wedding planning app So what does Bridebook actually do?

With Bridebook you can just grab your phone and see in an instant the current status of your wedding planning and action any part of it.   Toodle oo spreadsheets and a million print outs. We’re moving on.

The site is comprised of 5 wedding planning tools, so you can get organising wherever you are …

  1. Checklist
  2. Budget
  3. Supplier Shortlist (and Directory)
  4. Guest list
  5. Advice

Each of these tools has their own special features that set them apart.

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A Cool Jewish Wedding Gift List with Prezola

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Jewish-Wedding-Gift-List If you’re unsure whether to have a wedding list, let me tell you, from experience, you really do need one. Your friends and family will WANT to buy you a gift to show the love. But unless you direct them, you’re in danger of receiving presents that are either too chintzy or a tad off piste. Without a list you could be the proud recipient of something you already have or ever worse – never ever want to have.

Prezola really is THE modern wedding registry for our stylish Jewish couples. It’s super polished, eclectic and cool with over 300 top homeware brand to choose from. Including The White Company, Habitat, LSA, Jo Malone, Sonos, Joseph Joseph… 

And hot off the press, I can reveal that the truly stunning Graham and Green and Soho Home (my absolute faves!) have recently just added themselves to that illustrious list. So it’s not without reason that Prezola is now the UK’s favourite independent (multi award-winning) wedding gift list and honeymoon fund. 

Prezola-Karen

Why I love Prezola

I would have LOVED to have known about Prezola when I got married. It’s such a beautifully curated site with the most gorgeous selection of homewares I’ve seen in one place. It feels so hand picked whether your style is urban and cool or pretty and rustic, glamorous and shiny. And they’re SUCH a lovely company to work with. They’re one of my favourite STG finds and in fact I’ve already made a dream list with them.

Prezola understands the modern Jewish bride

Hugely exciting news is that Prezola now caters specifically for Jewish weddings. Alongside the perfect modern gifts (30,000 to be exact), they now also offer the more traditional Judaica style gifts that relatives just LOVE to buy you. 

These range from Challah boards and Matzah plates that you can use every Shabbat to Passover Seder plates used only two nights in the year

But get this, with brands like Alessi and the fabulous Jonathan Adler, Prezola now have traditional gifts with a modern twist. So STG!

Modern Traditional Gifts

A wedding list is a beautiful thing — it allows you to let people know exactly what you want without the embarrassment of actually telling them personally.

For an engagement present, a beloved aunt bought me and Mr. STG a challah cover, which lets say, left a lot to be desired in terms of design. It now spends its life in the messy drawer in our kitchen. If I had a list at Prezola, I could have chosen a more ‘us’ traditional gift and not feel guilty every time I catch a glimpse of that lavishly embroidered cover.

I love tradition but I also love design. Who says I cant have both?

Prezola certainly knows how to do Friday night, STG style..and it makes me smile whenever I look at this Jonathan Adler brilliant brass bird Menorah below. Here are my dream Judaica picks from Prezola (never thought I would use the word ‘dream’ and ‘Judaica’ in the same sentence till I saw Prezola’s list!)

To see all their fabulous Judaica, click here.

Prezola-Judaica

The Modern Take

If you’ve already set up home, it’s especially important to have a wedding list. You simply don’t need two toasters. And the best part is that you can browse and go a little wild. You know those things that you possibly wouldn’t have bought when you had your sensible head on. Prezola’s list lets you get the big stuff — think gorgeous linens and stunning cookware, but also the fun, cool additions to your home.

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How to Make Your Wedding Wow: You Dream It and Extraordinary Wedding Planner Jenna Keller Will Create It…

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Jenna-Keller-Events It’s officially spring, and I don’t know about you but I’m so ready to see a bit more colour. Goodbye grey skies, hello blue!

You’ve just got to love this time of year, with the season’s natural beauty popping with pastels and bursting with vivacity. It’s so incredibly romantic. And with energy, romance and colour in mind – I’m can’t wait to introduce you to a supremely creative, innovative, and exciting wedding planner – Jenna Keller.

Jenna Keller Events Jenna Keller Events_0291 Jenna Keller Events Jenna Keller – Manchester born but raised in South Florida – is the ultimate event superstar. She is the brains and beauty behind Jenna Keller Events – a creative, dynamic company, based in gorgeous Cheshire, working on weddings and events all across the UK and abroad.

Jenna and her team specialise in the full management and production of truly memorable events. Transforming ordinary spaces into the extraordinary — think suspended floral installations and chandeliers — she does drama. She brings the buzz and creates the wow moments but behind the scenes Jenna is exceptionally meticulous and detail led.

Jenna Keller Events Keep it Kosher

Jenna Keller entered the event scene working for Celia Clyne, one of the largest kosher caterers in the UK. She successfully ran their events – a mere 200 a year – and well and truly earned her stripes. That wealth of experience paved the way for Jenna to create her own event company.

Jenna Keller Events Jenna Keller Events_0308 Why Jenna Keller?

Jenna Keller is now one of the most renowned and sought after wedding planners in the UK. And for good reason. Her incredible experience, microscopic attention to detail, creativity, passion and USA-level of customer service has got Jenna a pretty darn good reputation.

She puts her heart and soul into every single wedding. In fact Jenna is so dedicated, that she even met her husband through her work. According to former boss, kosher caterer Celia Clyne, it couldn’t have been any other way.

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Create the perfect destination wedding with Tel Aviv dream team – Made in Israel Events

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Made-In-Israel-Events An occupational highlight of my job (apart from taking over The Savoy) is that I get to meet exciting, new companies starting out on the wedding scene, before most. It’s such a fabulous dream factory of an industry and I love finding the new talent-brimming with fresh ideas. I’ve always been a what’s-the-next-big-thing girl.

Made in Israel Events are the (relatively) new wedding organisers on the Tel Aviv wedding circuit. They’re a breath of fresh air in the form of two friends Lior and Yael.

Made in Israel Events_0002 They’re event planners who specialise in producing destination weddings all over Israel. With special consideration to Anglo tastes. They’ll create an amazing big day for you – without you having to worry about language barriers or negotiating with Israeli vendors. And apart from that huge logistical sigh of relief — they also bring style inspiration for a thoroughly modern wedding.

Made In Israel Events Made In Israel Events Destination Wedding in Israel

Here at STG we adore Israeli weddings. Aside from its cultural meaning, Israel is a place where the sun shines almost every day of the year; it’s beautiful, exotic, energetic and fun. Perfection.

Yael’s overseas family who came to her own wedding in Israel were head over heels in love with the venue, food and of course the atmosphere. And that’s when it dawned on her that there’s a great interest in destination weddings in Israel. People want to have the ultimate Jewish wedding with an Israeli touch.

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Looking for a candid, creative wedding photographer? We’ve found him…

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Ran-Bergman-Wedding-Photography-Israel So, is that loved-up selfie you took on Valentines Day still your screensaver? Did you go filter crazy until you got the perfect, natural, image. We’ve all been there.

But your wedding is one day you really don’t want to be critical of your photographs. And you definitely wont have the chance to personally edit them as you go along. In fact, you have to place a huge amount of trust in your wedding photographer — after all you won’t see the finished product until after the event.

Ran Bergman Wedding Photographer Israel Ran Bergman Wedding Photographer Israel_0142 Ran Bergman Wedding Photographer Israel Ran Bergman Wedding Photographer Israel So, to make a considered selection, that means:

  1. Studying the photographer’s website
  2. Checking their artistic style
  3. Seeing if their personality works for you
  4. Comparing costs.  

All are super-important to find ‘the one’.

Ran Bergman’s got it all

Today, I’d love to help you get to grips with a photographer we’re LOVING at STG, Ran Bergman. In fact I’m blogging a fabulous real Jewish wedding of his next month that will make your jaws drop… and what’s more, for me he sails through with flying colours on all of those points above. 

Ran Bergman Wedding Photographer Israel_0125 Ran Bergman Wedding Photographer Israel Cala shoes wedding
The Man behind the Lens

Based in Israel, Ran photographs weddings all over the world. He LOVES people and he LOVES photography. This is a heady mix for a wedding snapper.

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