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A Lee Petra Grebenau Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding at Holkam Hall, Norfolk, UK

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How gorgeous is Lucinda and Zac’s fabulous Norfolk Jewish wedding?! The setting, the chuppah, Lucinda’s fabulous gown by Israeli designer Lee Petra Grebenau… It’s all just perfection, as you’ll see if you scroll through Andy Davison Photography’s wonderful images.

Lucinda, an optometrist, and Zac, who works in finance, pulled off a wedding that was not only beyond-words beautiful, but also an awesome party! That was in large part thanks to the couple’s band, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jam Hot, who started with an awesome Israeli dancing set and went on to keep the dance floor packed all night.

In Lucinda’s words, “I think I can say on behalf of every guest at our wedding that Jam Hot Showband really were the highlight of the event. We keep on trying to think of another excuse to have the band again for another party, they created memories that we are forever grateful for and will never forget.” Doesn’t get much better than that!

We were also pleased to hear that Lucinda and Zac also bought their ketubah from much-loved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com –they wanted something they could hang in their home as a work of art, and needless to say they found just the thing.

Now we’ll hand you over to Lucinda…

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How we Met

Lucinda, the bride: Zac and I met when we were about 15 years old on holiday, Zac being from London and myself from Nottinghamshire, we were just friends until around the age of 17. Around this age, Zac took me on our first date in London, we started out as a long distance relationship through university. Once I graduated, I moved to London and we have since bought a house and moved in together, and then got married 2 years later, despite all the odds with covid. We had been together for over 8 years before we got married.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Caroline Castigliano Bride for a Whimsical English Countryside Jewish Wedding at Langley Park, Cotswolds, UK

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We couldn’t think of a better way to close out the year than with the fabulous English countryside Jewish wedding of STG Brides Club member Alice, who works in advertising, and Micael, founder and CEO of a licensed medical cannabis producer!

The pandemic forced these two to postpone four times, and to make a pretty drastic pivot in locale from Israel to the UK – but you’d never know it from how absolutely picture-perfect their big day turned out! While COVID meant a long-haul destination wedding wasn’t in the cards, Alice and Micael opted to keep that destination feel by booking Langley Park in the Cotswolds for an all-weekend bash.

Alice was a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club during her wedding planning, and we’re so touched by her kind words about the group:

The biggest thing in Brides Club was the support network. During the pandemic, it felt as though we would never have a wedding. It was very reassuring to be amongst people going through the same thing and there were lots of resources to help navigate through it the best way possible! We also got a discount with the brilliant Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Big Day Designs, who printed our invitations. It was the first Jewish wedding for the majority of our vendors and Smashing the Glass was great for giving them all the information they needed.

We’re absolutely obsessed with the glam photos by Elena Popa and second shooter Emily Rose Hamilton – can you believe it was their first time photographing a Jewish wedding?!

There’s so much else to say about this beautiful day – from the surprise South African touches Alice added for Micael, who had lots of guests from home who sadly weren’t able to attend in person due to the pandemic; to the incredible private badeken the pair shared after not seeing each other for a full week; to the sweet custom illustrations Alice and Micael commissioned from The Millustrator. But we’ll leave it to Alice to fill you in on all that…

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How we Met

Alice, the bride: We usually just say long story! But we met in 2009 at a party in London. He is South African and was visiting his cousins who live in London. He never actually spoke to me on the night but later messaged me on Facebook. We dated long distance for several years whilst he was at university in Israel. He finally moved to London and we had a few make ups and break ups before getting engaged in 2019.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Caroline Castigliano Bride for a Jewish Wedding Bringing the Outside In at Manor of Groves, Hertfordshire, UK

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Emma & Nate, Manor of Groves, Hertfordshire, UK

Dreaming of an outdoor Jewish wedding but nervous about unpredictable weather? How about making it official in a glass-walled and roofed, sundrenched conservatory? That’s what Anna, a therapist, and Nate, who works in the life sciences industry, did when they chose the Manor Suite at the Manor of Groves, Hertfordshire, as their venue – and we’re in love with the results!

The pair’s big day truly felt like it brought the outdoors in – and the couple played it up even further by choosing a color scheme of green, white, and yellow, reflecting the verdant surroundings visible outside. The natural florals and birch chuppah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Happy Chuppah People – adorned with wild-looking greenery and florals – completed the look. Matt Heath Photography did a perfect job capturing the natural vibes of the day – not to mention the fabulous light!

We’re also in love with Anna’s gorgeous, classic gown from Caroline Castigliano, which she wore with an added lace topper for the chuppah. We could go on and on, but we’ll let the bride take it from here…

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How we Met

Anna, the bride: We first met on Jswipe in January 2017 where we had our first date at Doodle Bar in London. We drew a portrait together on the chalk walls where Nate drew himself and I drew me and it formed one face. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A David’s Bride for an Interfaith Jewish Wedding with Tons of Personal Touches at Swynford Manor, Newmarket, UK

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We’re so thrilled to be sharing the beautiful wedding of our Brides Club member Charlotte to groom Adam! We so loved following Charlotte’s wedding planning journey in the group… and we’re so touched to hear she loved her time in the club just as much as we did!

In Charlotte’s words,

I loved being part of Brides Club. It is the most supportive community. There are so many resources, checklists and guides to read through to help you prioritise and make sure you haven’t forgotten anything major! There is support for the wins and when planning is difficult there is always someone in the group who completely understands what you are going through who can help you through it.

Awww! We’re so glad to hear it – and even gladder to see what an absolutely gorgeous wedding Charlotte and Adam planned! We love their focus on keeping the day relaxed and fun – for their guests, and for themselves. One of Charlotte’s coolest comfort-first moves has got to be her choice to wear her awesome bridal trainers for the whole day, rather than waiting til after the ceremony to change into them! Not that the trainers stopped her from looking totally glam, as you’ll see if you have a scroll through Point and Click Photography’s wonderful photos.

Charlotte, who’s Jewish, and Adam, who isn’t, also opted for modern English versions of the traditional Sheva Brachot, personalized to represent their love and hopes for their future life together – and they chose seven VIPs who read one blessing each.

We’re also crazy about the fact that these two had all kinds of fun touches like garden games (who doesn’t love a giant Connect 4?), and a doughnut wall (featuring flavors like Biscoff and pistachio!), and even a piñata – a surprise from Charlotte’s parents, designed to match the couple’s wedding cake!

We’ll leave it to Charlotte, who looked beautiful in her White by Vera Wang dress from Davids Bridal, to fill you in on the rest…

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How we Met

Charlotte, the bride: We met in October 2014 when a mutual friend brought Adam in to provide support in my workplace. Adam was living in Southampton, I was living in North London and long-distance dating was how our relationship started.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for an Outdoor Jewish Wedding with TWO Ketubahs at Bear Brook Valley, Fredon, New Jersey, USA

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Lots of couples find that choosing a beautiful ketubah is one of the most meaningful and fun parts of planning their Jewish wedding. Well, Melanie and Keith enjoyed it so much they did it twice!

Let’s back up a little. Like with so many couples, COVID got in the way of the pair’s initial plans to wed in September 2020. Nevertheless, they decided to make it official on their original date with just immediate family present – and a gorgeous colorful ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nava Shoham – 1800ketubah. Melanie and Keith adored their design so much that when the time came to plan their big celebration in June 2021, they decided to get a second lovely ketubah from Nava to mark the occasion! Don’t miss ketubah #2 in Anthony Ziccardi Studios’ wonderful photos!

And while that’s got to be our favorite story about this awesome Jewish wedding, it’s not the only unique touch. We love that Melanie and Keith wrote and read their own personal vows – heartfelt, but with a touch of humor – and we’re also crazy about their doughnut board exit station! Instead of traditional favors, guests could choose a donut from the wall on their way out, placed in personalized bags as a sweet treat for the trip home. How fun is that?

There’s so much more we could say, but we’ll leave the rest to Melanie, who looked so elegant in Pronovias…

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How we Met

Melanie, the bride: We met on a dating app, Coffee Meets Bagel, in September of 2016. At the time, we were both in graduate school in New York City. We now live in Central New York, in the Syracuse area, where we moved for a great opportunity for Keith. Keith is a Podiatric Surgeon and he works in a group practice and I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and I work at a middle school. Continue ReadingContinue Reading