Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

116 Pall Mall: an unforgettable London wedding venue in the heart of the West End + 50% Discount Offer

by

116-Pall-Mall-wedding-venue
If you’re dreaming of a classic London wedding, can there be anything smarter than celebrating  your big day in  a majestic  mansion  in the  heart of St James’? It’s not often that you get the opportunity of being the Lord and Lady of one  of central London’s  grandest Palladian properties (just metres away from The Mall and Buckingham Palace), but  as  Bride and Groom at  116 Pall Mall  you’ll be entitled to exclusive  use of this magnificent property for the day or entire weekend of your  wedding.

Within spitting distance of all the classic central London wedding venues, the majestic 116 Pall Mall gives you the glamour and opulence of the 5 star hotels without the stuffiness that can sometimes be associated with a hotel wedding.

The  triple-award winning venue is  home to the entrepreneurial Institute of Directors, and was built by the famous Georgian architect, John Nash, who also designed parts of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, St James’ Park and Marble Arch. The interiors are adorned with  an abundance of fine art  and beaux art treasures and all manner  of  breathtaking details that really sets 116 Pall Mall in a class of its own. When I was lucky enough to visit I was particularly taken with the  breathtaking exterior, truly spectacular staircase, and the  elegant garden — quite a rarity for a quintessential  London wedding venue.

Over the past two years the building has undergone major refurbishment  masterminded by  one of the most renowned  interior designers in the business, Russell Sage, whose previous designs include The Hospital Club, Savoy Grill, The Balcon and The Goring Hotel.  With the ability  to seat  up to 250 guests, or up to 200  with a dance floor, the 10  magnificent individually designed event spaces that Russell has redesigned will  suit  whatever style of  wedding you’re after.

The place is steeped in history too —  Bond writer, Ian Fleming was a regular at the bar when the building housed the United Service Club and over the years the venue has been used as the backdrop to many famous films and television series including Gandhi, Foyle’s War, The Dark Knight and Downton Abbey.

116-Pall-Mall-wedding-venue-1116 Pall Mall wedding venue
Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Mira Zwillinger bride for a super luxe ‘ethereal black tie’ Destination Jewish Wedding in Marbella, Spain

by

Mira-Zwillinger-bride-for-a-destination-Jewish-Wedding-from-Marbella-Spain
There is so much luxe and personality in today’s delicious destination from Spain I don’t quite know where to begin, but I guess I should start  with the  Mira Zwillinger wedding dress because it’s quite literally a gown of dreams. A vision of delicate dazzling detail with  a generous dose of modern-day  princess, and there’s quite a story behind it too — read Emily’s report below to discover exactly what I’m talking about…

And what shoes might one choose to compliment such splendour? Well Swarovski encrusted Miu Miu’s of course, but an additional pair of  customised Nike trainers emblazoned with the bride’s  new surname are required too, right? And that’s exactly why I adore  today’s Jewish wedding. It has it all. The glamour, the pretty, the chic and most definitely the unique.

There are  so many things I love about this  wedding weekend — from their very special ‘all-white’ Friday night dinner to their beautifully spiritual Jewish wedding ceremony full of emotion, to the wonderfully personalised welcome bags with individual  notes for every guest, through to thoughtful touches like  ballet slippers on  the dance floor for guests to change into. Every decision is quite literally the ultimate in sophisticated elegance topped off with symbolism  as well as lots  of fun for good measure. See this excerpt from  Emily’s report as an example!

Because we got married outdoors, we provided “fancy” portable toilets for everyone just next to the dance floor. Our mum’s surprised us and hung photos of us as babies “using the potty.” The photo of David hung outside the men’s room and mine hung outside the ladies.”

I adore  this idea – so creative and fun! Enjoy all the fabulousness and get those pinning fingers ready  — you’re in for such a treat with  Jeremy Standley‘s breathtaking imagery and the entire  event  designed and planned to perfection by  Caprichia.  I’ve also got the wedding film full of heart and emotion  for you too. As  Aerosmith sang,  you won’t want to miss a thing.

Mira Zwillinger bride for a destination Jewish Wedding from Marbella Spain

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

“My best Jewish wedding photo” by York Place Studios

by

A weekly series where  I ask some of the world’s best wedding photographers to pick out their favourite shot from their Jewish wedding portfolio. This week it’s the turn of  Dom & Liam from York Place Studios.

York-Place-Studios

‘The Flying Bride’ by  York Place Studios

These are the kind of shots that truly excite us! When the flying bride was hurtling towards us on (still!) the craziest dance floor we have ever been on, it was truly amazing. Drinks were flying in our faces, our toes were trampled, arms were flapping around everywhere and we were clinging to our cameras for dear life: in essence it was the perfect Jewish dance floor! Sometimes you just have to put yourself right in the centre of the action and for us this photograph sums up the pure joy and jubilation of that night – every face has an amazing expression and we love the framing as she (bravely) bounced ever closer, it’s an image that makes us smile every time we see it!”

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Cheers! A Guide to Wedding Drinks… by Mr STG

by

Guide-to-Wedding-Drinks
This is a guest post by Mr STG (Karen’s husband)
 

I thought it was high time that I contributed to Smashing The Glass.

What Karen started when we got married has become a really beautiful website and the stories that I hear of connections being made through the blog make me very proud of what she has achieved. Karen has created a community of like-minded creative and dedicated people who want to deliver with a little bit more panache and who are prepared to go that bit further. How very refreshing.

Now what is it that I can contribute?

I thought at this stage I might offer up what I hope might be helpful advice as to choosing and sourcing an integral part of any celebration — the BOOZE!

Champagne wedding
First things first: a great money saving tip

Should you buy the alcohol or allow the venue or caterer to supply the booze?

This is a fundamental question. Some venues and / or caterers will want to charge corkage if you supply the alcohol but it may well prove to be a cost-effective decision to pay corkage or a fee to source and supply your own booze. I say this on the basis that with the likes of Majestic and others being more than happy to offer substantial discounts when buying in quantity. By paying a fee or corkage and choosing your bottles well, you will end up drinking far better quality for less money.

How to decide what to serve

Having decided on whether you are going to acquire the booze, now on to the selections…

This is what I suggest you do on the basis of mistakes made, lessons learnt, hospitality well received, as well as when I think I might have got it right all on my own!.

What I intend to do in keeping with STG style is suggest ideas that might be a little different and allow you, the soon-to-be-married, to stamp your own touches on your day.

So let’s start at the beginning. What do you serve your guests at a reception?

wedding-reception
Our wedding reception (click here to see our full wedding)

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Michaela & Zac | Destination Jewish Wedding at the Great Synagogue of Rome and the St Regis, Rome, Italy

by

Destination-Jewish-Wedding-at-the-Great-Synagogue-of-Rome-and-the-St-Regis Rome-Italy
The extraordinary city of Rome was the inspiration behind Michaela and Zac’s regal, yet oh-so-fun, destination wedding with guests flying in from the UK, USA, Israel, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia, Hong Kong, Italy, and France, to share in the love for this gorgeous American couple.

The magical city of Rome appealed to Michaela and Zac, not only because of the far-flung nature of their guest list, but also because they had their first official date in Rome in January 2010 — how wonderfully romantic!

There are some really gorgeous Italian accents punctuating this wedding. Take the epic wedding transport — a teeny tiny mint green Italian Fiat 500 — and the choice of the legendary St. Regis Rome for the reception (originally a grand Roman palace dating back to 1894). Then there’s the jaw-dropping Great Synagogue of Rome where Michaela and Zac chose to have their ceremony (which was officiated by none other than the Chief Rabbi of Rome). Michaela says:

Zac and I both grew up in families that engaged in what we jokingly call “synagogue tourism.” If there was an old or interesting synagogue in whatever town or city our family was visiting, we had to stop by–whether for Shabbat services or a tour. We have continued that habit as a couple (and expanded it to touring places of worship of many other faiths, too), so the idea of getting married in a historic synagogue was something that felt very well-suited.”

And I must just hero worship Michaela’s mum. She not only designed Michaela’s phenomenal gown, she also created the bridesmaids dresses AND an incredible surprise gift for Michaela – a custom made and beaded clutch that depicted the couple’s beagle, Loki. He’s a major part of their lives (he even has his own Facebook page) and they were so disappointed that he wasn’t able to be involved in their wedding, so this really was the perfect gift. What a mama!

Thank you David Bastianoni for submitting this very special Jewish wedding packed full of personality. Every picture looks as though it’s from a fairytale and pitter patter doesn’t even begin to explain what my heart is doing right now… I hope you enjoy this wedding as much as I did.

Destination-Jewish-Wedding-at-the-Great-Synagogue-of-Rome-and-the-St-Regis-Rome-Italy

Continue ReadingContinue Reading