Inspired Jewish Weddings
I am thrilled to welcome David Pullum Photography to our Smashing Suppliers, Smashing The Glass’s handpicked selection of the best brands and services the wedding industry has to offer.
Smashing The Glass hand selects and verifies each Smashing Supplier, and can personally vouch for the fact that every one of them has the ability to turn your wedding day into something truly special.
You can find David Pullum Photography in the Photography category of Smashing Suppliers.
Julie and Zak’s destination wedding comes to you from one of the most romantic cities in the world, the magnificent Paris, France. This is timeless glamour at its very finest. Soft feminine gold and blush decor, scenic Parisian backdrops, and did somebody say Wang?
Yes folks. Julie wore the fluffiest, dreamiest Vera Wang dress I’ve ever clapped eyes on.
Truly Wangtastic. But wait, there’s more … there is the deep love of friends and family who celebrated with Julie and Zak for close to a week in Paris, with trips on the Seine and to the Moulin Rouge. And watch out for Julie’s peacock blue suede Louboutins. I’m just a little bit in love with those.
Oh la la.
Today I’m also delighted to be debuting one of my favourite photographers, the supremely talented Polly Alexandre, who lovingly captured all of the shimmer, the sophistication and the sexy.
Take it away Julie.
Julie, the Bride: Once we decided that we wanted to plan a destination wedding in Paris, we worked with Nancy from Fete in France to find a space that captured what the beauty and magic of Paris meant to us.
We booked Maison des X unseen with the understanding that it was originally a private home in the middle of the city that retained a great deal of its Parisian charm and needed only some flowers and candlelight to transform into the venue we had imagined. We loved Nancy’s description of the space as many spaces in one — formal indoor, gardens outdoors, and a club-like atmosphere in the wine caves for dancing until dawn with our closest friends and family — and ultimately decided on the venue for the complete package that it was. I told Nancy I wanted the venue to look golden and glowing, and she ran with the color scheme and theme from there. We ended up with the most beautiful candles, glowing mercury glass accents, and exquisite pale pink and white floral arrangements that didn’t look too precious. It was perfect.
To begin with, I want to say that “there is no such thing as a ‘generic’ Jewish wedding — no matter what the rabbi tells you, no matter what your mother tells you, and no matter what the caterer tells you”.
That’s not my quote, that’s Anita Diamant’s, from her wonderful book, The New Jewish Wedding
One of the reasons I’m in love with my job as editor and curator of Smashing The Glass is that weddings are the ultimate fusion of creativity, traditions and of course true love – three things that I adore – and this divine wedding has all three in buckets.
When an email from Danny and Julie of Minty Slippers popped in with a link to Meredith and Shoshana’s incredible wedding film, below, I had a massive ‘this is why I cherish my job’ moment. It’s so very moving, and their devoted love for each other is so apparent — I literally whooped, hollered and clapped my hands with glee in anticipation of blogging Danny and Julie’s fabulous work, and Meredith and Shoshana’s love story.
It’s a tale of long-distance desire with the pair first meeting in 2011 when Shoshana, from London, was studying at the New York Film Academy and Meredith was working at a Manhattan advertising agency.
Shoshana eventually returned to London after her studies, and being thrown suddenly into a long distance relationship, they decided to make videos to remind them of the fun they shared together. Their videos are super creative and fun and will fill you in a little more on their love story.
But on to the wedding itself. I don’t think I’ve ever seen brides who smiles as much as Meredith and Shoshana did on their big day; honestly their infectious grins are enough to make even the most miserable, rainy Mondays seem like Happy Hour in the Caribbean.
They were married at Notley Abbey in Oxfordshire, a beautiful venue that was once the home of Sir Laurence Olivier. There is a Stephanie Allin AND a J.Crew gown, both as beautiful as each other. There is a singing harpist, an immense naked cake, outdoor games and stunning florals . There are hand-painted favours by Shoshana (who is an illustrator by trade) of each guest’s name painted and presented on miniature easels. There are some fantastic ideas for a really meaningful wedding ceremony.
But most of all? Most of all there is L.O.V.E
The beautiful moments on film below were captured by Minty Slippers, whilst the immense photography is courtesy of Mark Cachia.
Meredith and Shoshana, the Brides: We chose Notley Abbey in Oxfordshire, for its tree-lined entrance, the castle like turrets, the beautiful gardens and the stunning contemporary mix with 13th century architecture — need we say more, it was perfect!
Our wedding theme would be best described as ‘global travel meets art’ – that’s what we arrived at in the end! We didn’t have a colour scheme but we definitely thought about colour throughout the process. We didn’t use a wedding planner, we had too much fun planning it ourselves!
This morning we’re whizzing away to warmer climes — to Mexico no less — to revel in the Jewish destination wedding of Deborah to Larry.
Their wedding is the ultimate ‘beach chic’ with a colour palette ranging from metallics to pastels, and the breathtaking setting of the Mexican coast as backdrop. Countless gorgeous details come together to create a wedding that is clean and modern, yet also incorporates many sweet and personal touches. Take Deborah writing and singing a surprise song for Larry for example, and the mini hangover kits attached to bottles of water handed out to guests at the end of the night. So thoughtful!
I adore the juxtaposition of Deborah and Larry’s formal attire (her Vera Wang dress, his Hugo Boss suit) with going bare feet for the ceremony. Our gorgeous bride tells me, “I walked barefoot down the aisle with the sand between my toes, – it was a very grounding and magical experience for me.”
And my goodness, am I loving every single image by the à¼ber-talented international photographer Brian La Brada, especially those portrait shots — just wait until you see Deborah’s beautiful brown bambi eyes and that glowing smile.
Oh to be beside the seaside this morning. Is it ok to be dreaming of summer already?
Deborah, the Bride: Larry and I actually met whilst each other was in a prior long term relationship. Years later, we found ourselves together at a party after both of those relationships ended. At the party we danced, shared jello shots and did some meditative breathing together. The rest is history.
