We love it when a couple crafts a one-of-a-kind wedding that truly reflects both of their backgrounds and the life they’ve built together – which is exactly what London couple Emma, an investment analyst in finance, and Justin, who works as a senior manager in digital marketing, did.
Emma and Justin’s shared Jewish faith plays a central role in shaping the way they live, so it was only natural for them to choose to hold the religious part of their wedding at their beloved shul, LJS in St. John’s Wood.
The next part of their day was focused on celebrating Emma’s Nigerian heritage: after the chuppah, everyone moved on to the reception and vibrant Nigerian cultural ceremony at Dyrham Park, a beautiful country house and golf club located in Hertfordshire. The Igbo-Arochukwu cultural wedding featured a wine carrying ceremony, a symbolic moment where the bride carries wine from her father to present to her groom, followed by the blessing of the marriage. The evening also included performances from Ekombi dancers, paying tribute to Emma’s maternal Oron-Nigerian heritage. Helen Weir captured the day so beautifully from start to finish – don’t miss her exquisite imagery!
Now over to Emma…
How We Met
Emma, the bride and Justin, the groom: We met towards the end of the Covid lockdowns, as restrictions began to ease in late 2021, through the dating app Hinge. Our first date was at the Patch Bar near Moorgate, where we ended up trying karaoke and exploring central London. The rest, as they say, is history!
Venue
For both of us, our shared Jewish faith plays a central role in shaping the way we live, so it was only natural that we wanted the religious part of our wedding to take place in our beloved shul – LJS in St. John’s Wood. We decided to host our reception and Nigerian cultural ceremony at Dyrham Park, a beautiful country house and golf club located in Hertfordshire.
Theme
The day unfolded in two chapters, each with its own energy and colour palette. The first, our religious wedding at the synagogue, embraced the calming greens of nature. This theme was beautifully reflected in the details, from the flowers on our chuppah to the bridesmaids’ dresses, and even the elegant sashes draped over the reception chairs at Dyrham Park in Hertfordshire.
As the celebration transitioned to the second chapter, the vibrant Nigerian cultural ceremony brought a stunning shift in colour—rich, bold hues of gold and wine. With the help of our on-the-day coordinator Tola Ezekiel from Roe Weddings and a talented team of decorators, we flawlessly timed the transformation of the reception venue, ensuring the space glowed with fresh energy as the evening unfolded.
The day was a beautiful fusion of cultures. The Nigerian cultural wedding, which honoured Emma’s cultural heritage, was an Igbo-Arochukwu cultural wedding. It featured the wine carrying ceremony, a symbolic moment where the bride carries wine from her father to present to her groom, followed by the blessing of the marriage. The evening also included performances from Ekombi dancers, paying tribute to Emma’s maternal Oron-Nigerian heritage.
Dress
I had my dress made by the incredible Anoushka G in Temple Fortune. I loved the intricate details of the gems, and how the lace on the arms of the dress was colour matched to my skin tone.
The handsome groom
For Justin, his suit and shoes were provided by Aristocracy London in Kensington. He came back from each fitting appointment beaming, as the level of service they offered was quite something! It was perfectly tailored, and looked gorgeous in our photographs.
Ceremony & Chuppah
The entire ceremony was filled with meaning and beauty, from the bedeken to the circling, the Sheva Brachot, the ring exchange, and the breaking of the glass. Every element woven into our celebration felt deeply significant and beautiful. We made an effort to incorporate family heirlooms, such as Justin’s grandfather’s kiddush cup, into the ceremony.
For the chuppah, we sought inspiration online and were particularly drawn to designs draped in fabric and adorned with florals. We ordered our chuppah from The Happy Chuppah People, who had a great selection to hire that met our requirements and who were able to provide florals for the chuppah along our theme. We also wanted to do something special with the broken chuppah glass, so we arranged for it to be turned into a challah board and a mezuzah through a fantastic company – Chuppah Glass Art (Eva Edery).
It took a long time to find the ketubah we wanted, but we found one online that was gorgeous and intricate, and blue and white!
Our music choice
For the synagogue portion of the wedding, the music and vocals were provided by our friend Pini Brown. Pini is a Chazan and a Yiddish blues singer, and one of East London’s best musical talents. Whilst we’ve heard him multiple times performing his Yiddish Blues tunes, this was our first time hearing him sing in a religious setting and we were blown away by the power and emotion of his voice.
Flowers
Our flowers were entirely provided by the team at Burgeon Floral Design in Cockfosters. They knew our reception venue of Dyrham Park well so were a natural choice and did a great job on the day.
Photographer
Our photographer took some time to choose, as what was important to us was that they were experienced in capturing couples with different skin tones. Having been around a fair few wedding fairs and seen the works of various photographers, many struggled to properly capture the different tones with one half of the couple either being too washed out, or the other too shadowed.
However once we came across Helen Weir’s portfolio, all of our concerns melted away. Her photography not just on the day itself but beforehand with our post-engagement shoot was spot on and we’re currently putting together a photo wall filled with her work.
Food and cake
We had two sets of catering on the day. Straight after the religious ceremony, we served a classic three-course English menu. Then, in the evening, following the Nigerian cultural ceremony, we treated our guests to a full Nigerian buffet, offering delicious dishes such as jollof rice, okra stew, and plantain, to name just a few. We also had two wedding cakes: a simple two-tiered cake adorned with florals that matched our original theme, and a traditional Nigerian wedding cake, representing Emma’s cultural heritage.
Honeymoon
We headed out to Jamaica for an incredible fortnight stay at the Couples San Souci Resort, in Ocho Rios. This was the time of our lives as we got to explore a beautiful country, in between many days spent relaxing on the beach.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
We personally recommend working with a wedding planner, or on the day coordinator to make sure the wedding goes seamlessly, and you can relax the whole day. We were fortunate to be able to do so, and it completely paid off!
EMMA & JUSTIN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Helen Weir
Chuppah – The Happy Chuppah People
Venue – Dyrham Park
Day of coordinator – Roe Weddings
Bride’s dress – Anoushka G
Groom’s attire – Aristocracy London
Flowers – Burgeon Floral Design
Chazan – Pini Brown
Chuppah Glass art – Chuppah Glass Art (Eva Edery)
Honeymoon – Couples San Souci Resort
If you’re a Jewish or Jew-ish bride-to-be, you’ll want to join Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club. Guided by the world’s number 1 Jewish wedding expert, Karen Cinnamon, Brides Club is the private community for Jewish and Jew-ish brides that removes wedstress and indecision and gives you what you need to plan with confidence during these uncertain times. Join our Brides Club here.
