This Jewish wedding has it all – tons of personal touches, gorgeous countryside setting, great food, and an epic party. Londoners Saydee, a senior food buyer, and Eldar, a director at an advertising agency, worked with their planner Sophie Amor to craft the most magical celebration at picturesque Braxted Park, with so many fabulous details it’s hard to know where to start.
We could go with the couple’s stunning chuppah, inspired by the enormous oak tree on the grounds that formed the focal point of the outdoor ceremony – Saydee and Eldar wanted it to feel as though it was growing into the landscape, and did they ever! (Don’t miss it in the natural, documentary-style photos by Susie and Harley of Barker Evans.)
Or the chuppah explanation cards the couple created to guide guests unfamiliar with Jewish weddings through the ceremony – hand-drawn by the bride’s mother!
And then there’s the food. Eldar’s family is behind beloved London restaurant group Delamina, so exceptional wedding eats were a must. Working with kosher caterer Dvash, the couple put together a menu with food inspired by Eldar’s mother’s cooking, featuring Middle Eastern-inspired dishes like short rib Delamina-style, slow-cooked with dates, pul-biber chilies, Jerusalem artichoke three ways, and roasted okra.”
Read on for the full story in Saydee’s own words…
How We Met
Saydee, the bride: Introduced by a mutual friend but had crossed paths once that year and Eldar grew up on the road Saydee went to school!
Countryside Escape
Previously we had imagined getting married in Israel, but with everything happening in the world, we decided to recreate that holiday experience closer to home. We wanted our wedding to feel like a true countryside escape. Just 1.5 hours from London, Braxted Park gave us the space and flexibility we needed, while still feeling incredibly special.
We fell in love with Braxted Park instantly – the grounds are beautiful and expansive, and we particularly loved the enormous oak tree at the heart of the estate, which was the focal point of our outdoor ceremony. We were also incredibly lucky with the weather – the sun shining as the bride walked in.
Theme
The atmosphere needed to feel unmistakably us. We love to party, so the day had to be fun, joyful and energetic – but nothing was accidental. Every element was carefully thought through, from food inspired by Eldar’s mothers cooking, to hand-drawn chuppah-explanation cards by Saydee’s mother. It felt like both families coming together not just symbolically and spiritually, but creatively too – blending tradition with modernity, meaning with celebration.
The colours and decor of the wedding were earthy and felt part of the landscape, with sage green being a theme throughout – from the invitation, the bridesmaid dresses, kippot and even Eldar’s jacket!
Personal touches were woven into every detail. The date itself – 25.5.25 – felt too beautiful not to celebrate, and it became a recurring motif across our stationery. Tables were named after places we’d travelled together, each marked with a photograph, turning the room into a visual story of shared memories and adventures.
We only had our closest friends and family, so it was easy to create an intimate feel throughout. Guests staying locally were welcomed with thoughtful goodie bags and we also had a relaxed recovery brunch back at the venue the next day, which meant the celebrations didn’t end abruptly.
Ultimately, the wedding felt deeply personal because it reflected who we are and where we come from – rooted in family, shaped by shared experiences, and brought to life through thoughtful details, a love of hosting, and a genuine desire for everyone to feel part of something special.
Our wedding planner was Sophie Amor who was on hand for anything and everything. We were very lucky to have someone on our team who truly understood our vibe and had a fantastic team on the day for seamless co-ordinating.
Invitation/Stationery
We wanted the invitations to hint at the vibe of the wedding, but also feel unique.
We used organic materials and heroed the special date ‘25.5.25’ as well as the oak tree we were getting married under.
Invitations and Stationary was by Invitation London.
Hair + Makeup
Make-up was by Sasha Keene and I couldn’t recommend her enough. Her speciality is the soft bridal glow which I loved.
Hair was by Gaby Goldring and she really is an expert in bridal hair! She was on hand for any touch ups and brought the most lovely energy.
I was very lucky to have the best glam squad!
Dress
My dress was by Jane Hill at Halo & Wren.
Accessories
My beautiful lace veil was my sister’s, who wore it first at her wedding. Since then, both my sister-in-law and I have worn it at our wedding – a true family heirloom!
Ceremony & Chuppah
We had elements of our personality in the ceremony, from Eldar walking out to Elvis Presely “If I Can Dream”, to our nieces and nephews as flower girls and page boys. It meant that the energy was both spiritual and intimate, with guests cheering at points but also being swept away in the emotions of the moment.
Because not all of our guests were familiar with a Jewish ceremony, it was important that everyone felt included and understood what was happening. We created chuppah explanation cards to guide people through the ceremony, which were hand-drawn by the bride’s mum and included details of the wedding party too.
The chuppah itself was designed to feel like an extension of the natural surroundings. Inspired by the enormous oak tree behind it, we wanted the structure to feel as though it was growing into the landscape – almost like the branches of the chuppah were reaching into the tree itself. The result was an enchanted, earthy feel that felt completely in tune with the setting and true to our style.
We chose to have a private badeken, which ended up being one of our favourite moments of the entire day. After a few days of not seeing or speaking to each other, that first moment together, surrounded by our immediate family, was incredibly emotional as it gave us space to really take it all in before the ceremony began.
Our music choice
Music played a huge role. The reception was outside in the grounds, with a DJ and sax giving it an Ibiza lounge feel – we were desperate to finish our photographs so we could join everyone!
For the main party – we curated the playlist together, mixing personal and modern sounds with traditional moments, before handing over to a DJ for a full after-party that kicked off after midnight.
Special shout-out to Avi & Jeremy at Muzika who were on hand during the day, as well as the brilliant band – especially Gilan, who sang beautifully at our chuppah (Hebrew & English), as well as in the evening.
Flowers
We wanted everything to have a natural and enchanted feel, which inspired lots of our decisions. The bouquets for the bridesmaids were made up of rosemary and other herbs, instead of traditional flowers. Placecards were placed on a wheelbarrow filled with moss. We had artichokes as candleholders on the tables, giving everything an organic and artful vibe. The room was beautifully staged, with the dancefloor and stage in the centre, with lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Rob and his team from Rob Van Helden were unbelievable, and even made sure that no individual table had the same design! Everything was totally unique and true to our vision.
Photographer and videographer
We wanted to have documentary-style natural photos to capture the day and Susie & Harley from Barker Evans absolutely nailed the brief! They didn’t miss a moment and brought such great energy to the day.
We also worked with PR Films for videography and Paul ensured that every key moment was captured. We are genuinely obsessed with our final film and have watched it so many times already – the edit was perfect and we appreciated how flexible Paul was in letting us feed into the process to make sure the final film felt completely personal.
Food and cake
It was important to us that every bit of food was unique and delicious. The cuisine was Delamina-style, similar to the groom’s family restaurants and catered by Dvash, with mains like; “Short Rib Delamina style, slow-cooked with dates, pul-biber chillies, Jerusalem artichoke three-ways and roasted Okra”, to canapes like, “Chicken Shawarma in Bao Buns”, “Seabass citrus ceviche” and “Arayes coated with Pistachio”.
Dvash offered creative takes on Middle Eastern and also traditional food and the whole experience felt designed for us.
For our “Late night snack”, we created with Dvash a special “Sabich” in pita, which went down a treat and felt more personal than the usual offerings.
Miri was a pleasure to work with – and everyone left the wedding raving about the food.
Wedding List/Registry
We used The Wedding Shop.
Extra Details
One of the ingredients that made our wedding have a truly special energy, was the connection between both families.
From the grooms sister and bride’s brother in law being the hilarious MCs for the evening, to the bride doing the welcome speech, as well as both fathers speaking – there was so much love and laughter.
As an extra personal touch (and surprise), we had chosen a specific song to introduce each of the speeches depending on the person.
The dancefloor was constantly full, even during the food servings, with Muzika naturally going around the room and everyone grabbing the mic and singing – the whole night felt like one massive extended family.
We loved our first dance moment, which was to “All About You by McFly”, a song that was special to us and nostalgic to so many – it was perfect.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Be all over the detail with your suppliers in the lead up to the wedding – it really makes the day feel like yours, but once you get there, relax and trust that they will execute your vision in the best possible way!
SAYDEE & ELDAR’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Barker Evans
Videography – PR Films
Venue – Braxted Park
Planner – By Sophie Amor
Bride’s dress – Jane Hill found at Halo & Wren
Hair – Gaby Goldring
Makeup – Sasha Keene
Flowers – Rob Van Helden
DJ – Muzika
Catering – Dvash
Stationery/Invitation – Invitation London
Wedding List/Registry – The Wedding Shop
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