Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog - Page 338 of 405

“My best Jewish wedding photo” by Cotton Candy Photography

06/03/2016 by Karen

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 Gemma from Cotton Candy Photography

‘The Parents’ by Cotton Candy Photography

Ooh this was tricky. I initially picked a dance floor shot as the dance floors at Jewish weddings are bonkers and amazing. However, I opted for this one instead. It’s not got the fanciest backdrop, it’s not even the best shot I have ever taken but it really makes me smile. This is the bride’s father and mother and the grooms father’s reaction to seeing their two children get married. The bride and groom’s parents were friends before the couple were even born, so they both grew up together and were in each others lives since birth. The two best friends and two dads both look so proud that their children are choosing to spend the rest of their lives together, it just feels like such a wonderful moment.”

Friday Night Recipes #1 – Yummy roast chicken

04/03/2016 by Karen

This is the first in a monthly series of exciting Friday Night dinner recipes that I thought might be fun for you to try out on your beloved, as well as other loved ones in your life. I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for inspiration for what to cook for Mr STG, as well as recipe ideas for when it’s more than just the two of us for dinner.

Quite often our parents, in-laws and siblings join us for Friday nights, and it’s up to my hubby (who does most of the cooking in our house) to rustle up a beautiful dinner. I’d love to get back into cooking and contribute more in the kitchen, so I asked Mark Frankel, a dear friend and talented masterchef, to share some modern takes on the traditional Shabbat meal / Friday night dinner.

I’ll be posting a brand new recipe of his on the first Friday of every month and these dishes will be perfect for busy souls who want tasty family dishes that don’t take all day to prepare.

I’d love you to try out the recipes and share your results on Instagram using the hashtag #SmashingFridayNight. It would be so great to see your creations and of course I’ll be sharing mine too!

So let’s hand over to Mark, our new resident chef, who is kicking off the series with his take on the perfect roast chicken. I mean… how could he we start the series with anything else?! This dish is perfect for when the family come over on Friday night, or for the weekend of your wedding.

I can’t wait to see how you get on… Happy Friday!

Jodie & Joel | Woodland-style rustic Jewish wedding at Luton Hoo, Hertfordshire, UK

29/02/2016 by Karen

Happy 1st of the month everyone! I hope that 2016 has been kind to you so far and that your wedding planning is going brilliantly. If you haven’t booked your wedding photographer yet, you might want to enter our win your wedding photography competition with Claudine Hartzel, the brilliantly talented camerawoman behind today’s gorgeous Jewish wedding. Have a read of what the bride had to say about working with Claudine, further down the page — you’ll see that if you’re the lucky couple to win this competition you’ll be starting the celebrations early!

So onto this beauty of a W Day. Although set just outside London, Jodie and Joel wanted to create a woodland-style wedding amongst the lush gardens, lakes and waterfalls of the beautiful Luton Hoo in Hertfordshire. Initially Jodie, who runs her own mobile juicing business, wanted to get married in the middle of a forest so this setting was a perfect compromise. The table centres by Platinum Raspberry are particularly exceptional, and really bring the woodland theme to life.

This is a truly inclusive wedding with family and friends involved every step of the way, from Jodie’s step-brother singing a prayer under the chuppah (to the Indiana Jones theme tune no less), to one of Jodie’s oldest friends singing Ellie Goulding’s How Long Will I Love You for the couple’s first dance. Jodie’s mum had secretly arranged this as a surprise along with a few other touches – how thoughtful is that?

Jodie has some brilliant advice for all of you at the end of the post — I particularly love ‘Remember to say prayers for everyone you love as you circle your groom — it makes the ceremony that much more meaningful’.

Not only do we have the lovely images from Claudine Hartzel, but we also have the film from Bloomsbury Films, which includes a heart warming speech from Jodie’s mum. Without further ado, I give you Jodie and Joel.

how we met

Jodie, the Bride: Joel was one of my martial arts instructors. I later found him on Facebook, gave him my number, and the rest is history!

We got married in the grounds of beautiful Luton Hoo in Hertfordshire, just outside London. We just fell in love with the gardens — there was a lake and a waterfall and it was surrounded by trees and greenery. Initially I wanted to get married in the middle of a forest so this was a perfect compromise.

“My best Jewish wedding photo” by Chris Mann

28/02/2016 by Karen

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 Chris Mann.

‘We did it’ by Chris Mann

I always enjoy shooting Jewish weddings (even though they are usually quite hectic!) and this image is my favourite because it’s a special moment just between the couple. I normally do a short portrait session with the couple during the reception – and often I pause halfway through the shoot and make some excuse about “having to change the battery in my camera”. What I actually want though is to give them a moment to themselves. It’s usually the first time they’ve had since the ceremony to just be together and think “wow, we did it!” – and of course I am ready to take the picture of that moment.”