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A Self Portrait Bride for a Jewish Wedding All about Chesed at Allerton Shul and Palm House Sefton Park, Liverpool, England

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Danielle and Paul, Palm House Sefton Park, Liverpool, England

We’re in love with the theme Danielle, a vet, and Paul, an A+E consultant doctor, chose for their Jewish wedding. In the bride’s words, “The theme was chesed, loving kindness/thoughtfulness, as we wanted to throw a party to thank our friends and family for supporting us over the years as singles. We and they have waited a very long time for this day!” How beautiful is that?

And that’s just the start of the wonderful personal touches that made this wedding so special. Danielle and Paul chose not just one but two venues with serious significance: they had their chuppah at Allerton Shul, where the rabbi and rebbetzin who introduced them work, and for the reception they moved on to The Sefton Park Palm House, which Danielle’s father was instrumental in restoring – a glazier, he donated almost 4000 panes of glass for it!

When it came time to choose a photographer, Danielle and Paul went with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kate Swerdlow, and they can’t stop raving about how wonderful she was. In Danielle’s words,  “She took time to understand our situation, gave us some fantastic ideas, and pulled off all of our requests. We didn’t want photographers everywhere on the day, and somehow, although our guests barely noticed her, she captured thousands of incredibly beautiful moments alone. She is a truly talented professional, she knows a Jewish wedding inside and out, was a joy to work with, and our photos are completely stunning.”

Read on for the rest of the story in Danielle’s own words…

Danielle and Paul, Palm House Sefton Park, Liverpool, England Danielle and Paul, Palm House Sefton Park, Liverpool, EnglandDanielle and Paul, Palm House Sefton Park, Liverpool, EnglandDanielle and Paul, Palm House Sefton Park, Liverpool, England

How We Met

Danielle, the bride: We were introduced by our Rebbetzin.

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A Santos and Eva Bride for a Jewish Wedding with Spanish Touches at Casa De La Era, Marbella, Spain

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Gemma and Jamie may live in England, but they love spending time in the south of Spain – so when it came time to plan their Jewish wedding, Marbella was a natural fit.

They found the perfect venue in Casa De La Era, overlooking the mountains and sea, and incorporated touches of Spanish culture and tradition into just about every aspect of the day, from the chuppah – decorated with lemons, pink bougainvillea and leaves – to the food: Gemma and Jamie found a caterer who was able to provide kosher renditions of traditional Spanish dishes including paella! Don’t miss all the gorgeous details in the luminous photos by David Luque.

The favors were mini bottles of the pair’s favorite Spanish olive oil, and even the bride’s gown came from Santos and Eva in Marbella. Read on for the rest of the story in Gemma’s own words…

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How We Met

Gemma, the bride: Jamie and I, met when we were living in Nottingham. I (Gemma) was at university in my 2nd year and Jamie was already graduated, he was living and working in the city. Myself and Jamie were on a group on Facebook called Yid Lifts, where Jewish students exchange lifts home, from university. Jamie posted to say he was driving to London on X date and I replied to say I needed a lift. I never ended up taking the lift as I wimped out but Jamie kept on talking to me over Facebook. He then asked me on a date and the rest is history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Miphai Bride for an Intimate Multicultural Jewish Wedding at Home, Ventura, California, USA

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Talk about a multicultural wedding: today’s bride Lesley’s from southern California, while groom Rony hails from Santiago, Chile. The pair met while living in Tel Aviv, and shortly after getting engaged they moved to Paris for work!

Lesley and Rony knew they wanted to keep things simple and intimate while bringing all these strands of their lives into the celebration, and so they opted for a 40-guest wedding at Lesley’s parents’ home in southern California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Despite some unexpected complications – the morning of the wedding was so windy that the chuppah had to be moved twice! – the whole day was so perfectly joyful, and the couple’s photographer, Phil Tripoli, captured it exquisitely.

Read on for all the details of this very special day in the couple’s own words…

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How We Met

Lesley, the bride and Rony, the groom: We were both working in high tech in Tel Aviv. Rony is a software developper and Lesley is a product marketer. We met during Covid in 2020 and because of the tight restrictions in Israel, we had to be creative about our dates being in open spaces (like the beach or the dog park with Lesley’s two dogs) and we didn’t even go to a restaurant or a bar together until 4 months into dating.

Lesley is originally from southern California and Rony is from Santiago, Chile, although they both grew up with emotional ties to Israel (Rony’s parents lived on a kibbutz for a decade in the 1970s, and Lesley’s father had spent time on a kibbutz in the north in the 1960s). Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Rosa Clara Bride for a Laidback Hampstead-Meets-Haifa Jewish Wedding at Home in London, UK

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We love it when a couple does their Jewish wedding, their way – and that describes Natasha and Coren’s wedding to a T! Opting to wed at the bride’s family home in Hampstead, London, these two did away with the usual formal seated dinner in favor of a chill evening party featuring comfy sofas, open fires, and big sharing tables for people to sit at between the dancing. Don’t miss the super cool setup in the photos by David Pullum!

In Natasha’s words, structuring their wedding this way “gave a relaxed, organic, authentic energy to the evening, people could move around and speak to who they wanted” – and it was such a hit their friends are now asking to borrow the idea! This is such a great reminder that your wedding can be whatever you want it to be – you don’t need to do things that don’t feel authentic to the two of you, just because they’re “the done thing.”

We also love that Natasha and Coren worked with a number of fabulous Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to make their wedding the smashing success it was. Their planner, Joe of #STGvendor Goodnight Events, perfectly understood the couple’s style and vision, and helped them manage family dynamics and competing priorities throughout the planning process. #STGvendor Dvash handled catering, serving up Ottolenghi-style sharing dishes so utterly delicious that “people were shocked it was kosher!” And #STGvendor Denee Motion was responsible for Natasha and Coren’s exquisite videography.

There’s so much more to say about this beautiful Jewish wedding, but we’ll leave it to Natasha – who looked radiant in Rosa Clara – to fill you in on the rest…


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How we Met

Natasha, the bride: In 2017, I was living in Edinburgh after having recently graduated there. Coming home to London one September I wanted to meet someone Jewish so switched on J-Swipe. Coren and I started chatting and arranged to meet when I was next in London. So, that December, Coren asked if I wanted to meet him for a drink on Christmas Eve. Politely declining, because I’d already planned to go to a party at KOKO that night, I told him, I’d be happy to meet him on Boxing Day instead.

Christmas eve rolled around and in the middle of KOKO, we locked eyes 2 metres away from each other on the dance floor. A couple of seconds later, he came up to me and said “Hey Natasha, we’re meant to be going on a date in two days, but why don’t we start now?” And that was it! We still met on Boxing Day, which turned out to be our second date.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Mirror Mirror Bride for an Enchanted Forest Jewish Wedding at Luton Hoo Walled Garden, Luton, UK

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Get ready for a Jewish wedding FULL of emotion! Danielle, a midwife, and Jake, a vet, had the most special day in the verdant surroundings of Luton Hoo Walled Gardens, and it was as meaningful as it was gorgeous.

There were so many special touches to this day, but one of the best has to be Danielle’s wedding dress from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Mirror Mirror. Lots of brides make Mirror Mirror their first stop because of its fab service and selection, but this bride had an additional reason: Mirror Mirror was where Danielle’s mum had bought her own dress for her wedding to Danielle’s beloved stepfather, who tragically passed away before Danielle got married. Needless to say, Danielle adored her Mirror Mirror experience – and the wonderful Inbal Dror gown she found not only looked stunning, but also served as a special reminder of her stepdad on the big day.

One look at the moving photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Chloe Delmonte is all it takes to see what an emotion-filled day it was for all involved. In Danielle’s words, Chloe “was sensational and just when we thought her talents couldn’t get any better she kept outdoing herself. The entire morning I was getting ready she was my absolute rock!” Doesn’t get much better than that!

We’re also in love with the couple’s wedding videography by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Michael Pearl. Michael has quickly become a favorite among London-area Jewish couples, and it’s easy to see why looking at the results – plus, in the bride’s words, the man behind the camera is “extremely kind and lovely to work with,” and great at putting video-shy couples at ease.

 Read on for all the rest of the details in Danielle’s own words…


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How we Met

Danielle, the bride: We met at the University of Birmingham. I was living in Jewish accommodation, Hillel House, and Jake was living in the university kosher flats. Jake was friends with some of the same people I was friends with and so he would often come to Hillel House or we would see each other on a night out and it all blossomed from there.Continue ReadingContinue Reading