Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

My interview with the UK’s most sought-after luxury wedding planner, Mark Niemierko

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MARK NIEMIERKO
[ Image: Eddie Judd Photography ]

As both a designer and  wedding blogger, I am thrilled to be interviewing the, quite frankly monumental, luxury wedding planner, Mark Niemierko, for the latest instalment of my  Wedding Smashers  series.

Mark’s utilises a true  ‘Smashing The Glass’ ethos in his work, keeping things super-personal to the couple, and using his wonderful imagination to  reflect their  tastes and vision.

He has a spectacularly creative and meticulous touch. Just look at all the eye candy littering the  page – it’s all his work and artistry. He is fortunate  enough to often work with lavish budgets, on which he styles  the most fantastical celebrity and society  weddings, but recently he’s launched his ‘Made By Niemierko’ brand for couples who still want that WOW wedding and guaranteed peace of mind on their W-day, but without the crazy price tag.

Mark and I have a few ideas brewing and you’re going to be hearing and seeing a lot  more from us collaboratively, but today let’s reveal what he has to to say about Prince George,  pudding rooms, breaking the rules, and  post-wedding day blues…
Jeremy Enness and NiemierkoHELLO Magazine and Niemierko
David Pullum and Niemierko
[ Images top to bottom:  Jeremy Enness :: Hello Magazine  :: David Pullum  ]

So Mark, how did you build up your incredible business, and what made  you become a wedding planner in the first place?
I think a love of events and parties — I had previously organised events for both film and tv and wanted to focus on social events. Weddings are so personal and nothing is more rewarding.

What is a ‘regular’ day for  Mark Niemierko  like?
What makes the job so enjoyable is that there isn’t such a thing as a regular day. It can vary from dress shopping, venue site visits, florist appointments and cake tastings. I do however look forward to the days when I can sit at my desk and achieve plenty of work and put planning into action.

Do you have a signature aesthetic or personal style that you put into the weddings you’ve planned?  
I guess the signature of breaking wedding days up into sections…. So ceremony, drinks reception, dinner, pudding rooms, nightclubs…. Keeping the guests guessing.  But overall we don’t have a signature style as I like to create something that’s personal to the couple.  A reflection of their taste and vision.
Kode Media and NiemierkoNIEMIERKO WEDDINGSJeremy Enness and Niemierko
[ Images clockwise from top:  Kode Media :: Nikole Ramsay  :: Jeremy Enness :: Jeremy Enness :: Kode Media  ]

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Kathleen & Liz | Super-stunning music-themed lesbian Jewish wedding at Casa Cody, Palm Springs, California, USA

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Music Themed Wedding
With the first same-sex marriages finally taking place in England last weekend, it’s timely that today you’re getting not one but two fabulous brides! Kathleen and Liz were married at Casa Cody, a charming B&B in Palm Springs, California, and I’m going to go out on a limb here and bet that their beautiful wedding will be pinned to within an inch of its life.

It’s one of the most exquisitely themed W-Day’s I have ever come across, and as a branding designer, I don’t say this lightly folks.

Using an achingly hip and deeply significant ‘music’ theme, Kathleen and Liz pulled off one of the most gorgeously designed weddings I’ve ever seen. There are brilliant pieces of signage, genius wine label table numbers, wonderful table settings, superb stationery and a beautifully uncomplicated and meaningful chuppah – in my mind, it’s actually one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen.

But most of all? Most of all there is L.O.V.E

Christian and Reinna of Max & Friends captured this gem that is destined to be one of my all-time STG favourites, and at the end of the post, Son of Sharkpig records it beautifully on film too.
Music-themed Jewish wedding at Casa Cody Palm Springs California 58Music-themed Jewish wedding at Casa Cody Palm Springs California 58Music-themed Jewish wedding at Casa Cody Palm Springs California 58Music-themed Jewish wedding at Casa Cody Palm Springs California 58

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My interview with top UK Wedding Bridal Hair Stylist, Ondine Cowley

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Ondine Cowley wedding hair 6Whenever I receive an  email from a bride-to-be asking me if I can recommend a hair stylist for her  wedding day,  I always have just one answer: the wonderful Ondine Cowley, who offers a full suite of wedding day hair styling services all stamped with her trademark artistic  British  flair.

She’s styled the hair of  Kate Beckinsale, Courtney Love, Kevin Spacey, Jenson Button,  Royals and BAFTA  award winners, and  I’m delighted to be interviewing her today as part of my Wedding Smashers series.

Ondine tells us about how she worked her way up at  Nicky Clarke  from apprentice to Style Director, lets us in on 2014’s essential bridal hair trends and shares some valuable snippets of business advice.
Ondine Cowley wedding hair 20
So Ondine, what’s the ‘Ondine Cowley’ story? How did you get into hair styling, and what’s happened between then and now?

I’ve always known what I’ve wanted to do since the age of 11. I  used to spend my weekends watching a particular hairdresser style hair near to where I  lived and I was totally fascinated by the transformations.

I got a weekend job when I  was 13 at Toni & Guy and one day  my father said to me “Ondine, if you really want to take this seriously you need to train at the best salon”. He was right of course  so once I’d completed  my GCSE’s  I applied for a position as an apprentice at Nicky Clarke  and  14 years later I’m still there! I trained for 3 ½ years and have  worked my way up to Style Director where I specialise in wedding hair.

I realised quite early on that i had a passion for ‘hair-ups’ and weddings. Nicky himself is incredible at sculpting hair as was a stylist called Jo who is no longer with us. I learnt my artistic skills from them both.
Ondine Cowley wedding hair 6

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Lauren & Gabe | Super Luxe City Chic Jewish Wedding at The Waldorf, Aldwych, London

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london-wedding
Honestly folks I LOVE the  vibrancy and spirit of this  wedding. Lauren is the most beautiful bride and Gabe is one heck of a dashing groom.  David Pullum, their immense photographer, has a brilliant knack for capturing emotions and this set of images is certainly testament to that. Despite the fantastically glamorous venue, this wedding is all about the people… you can see the joy and energy in every single photo… and  the epic dancing at the end. I’m telling you,  those guests have ALL the moves!

David, the photographer says, “Gabe is one of those people that makes you feel like you have known him for ages, even though you have only just met  —  he is infectious, and a lovely person to be around. Lauren is beautiful, a model who also played the DJ in the Robbie Williams video Rock DJ. The two of them make a wonderful couple.”

“The ceremony was attended by family and friends, actors, models, footballers and more cricketers than you could throw a stick at  —  it was a truly fantastic day, with the most riotous Israeli dancing I have witnessed. To see the rabbi dancing in between Freddie Flintoff and Kevin Pieterson was hilarious.”

VENUE
Lauren, the Bride: We chose The  Waldorf on the Aldwych. We walked in and it just was so beautiful!
Super Luxe City Chic Jewish Wedding at The Waldorf, Aldwych,LondonSuper Luxe City Chic Jewish Wedding at The Waldorf, Aldwych,London 54 Super Luxe City Chic Jewish Wedding at The Waldorf, Aldwych,LondonSuper Luxe City Chic Jewish Wedding at The Waldorf, Aldwych,London
MY BRIDAL STYLE
My dress was from a designer called Lusan Mandangous… I saw the back of the dress online and fell in love with it.  I borrowed my jewellery from my best friend so it was ‘something borrowed’.  In terms of shoes, I went with skyscrapers – 4 inches heels to be precise! My husband Gabe is 6 ft 4 inches and I love a heel!

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Anika & Dan | Jewish / Hindu multi-cultural wedding at the Mandarin Oriental  London

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Jewish-Hindu-Wedding
Er….. WOW!

That’s pretty much all I said for 5 minutes when Anika  and Dan’s Jewish/Hindu (or HinJew) fusion wedding hit my inbox. These two  certainly know how to throw a party. And throw a party they did — more specifically a big day that embraced a vibrant union  of culture, tradition and romance, all  beautifully captured by  Aneta Mak.

I’m particularly impressed with the way that  Anika  and Dan intertwined two  religions and both Indian and Jewish heritage into the ceremony. It’s  a tricky issue  for many interfaith couples  but these two did it with authenticity and heaps of style and panache.

I almost don’t know where to begin telling their epic wedding story, but luckily for me Anika, the bride  explains it a lot better than I ever could.
HinJew WeddingJewish Hindu multi cultural wedding at the Mandarin Oriental London 3
Anika, the bride:  I think most couples want their wedding to be a true reflection of themselves. Dan and I were no different in this respect, we wanted our wedding to showcase our passion for food and how we love to throw a good party, whilst also reflecting both our Indian and Jewish heritages.
The Mandarin Oriental enabled us to do just this. They were super accommodating on the food front, creating a menu that was non-offensive to Jews and Hindus that was also distinctly fusion, and the ball room is stunning and was the perfect place for us party hard after the day’s festivities. It ticked all our  boxes.
Jewish Hindu multi cultural wedding at the Mandarin Oriental London 6Jewish Hindu multi cultural wedding at the Mandarin Oriental London 6

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