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An Elbeth Gillis Bride for a Modern and Sophisticated Jewish Wedding at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London, UK

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Cool chuppah alert! London couple Tamara, who works in marketing, and Reuben, a broker, opted to skip out on flowers (partly to avoid aggravating the bride’s hay fever), and did they ever find the perfect way to craft a standout chuppah, no blooms required.

Letting their venue, the stunning St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, set the tone, Tamara and Reuben opted for a simple, elegant Perspex chuppah, covered with Reuben’s grandfather’s tallit. It was the absolute perfect complement to the Art Deco-style ballroom where the wedding took place – as was the couple’s choice of black linen and Perspex candelabras for the tables at the reception.

Music was a top priority for Tamara and Reuben, and they found the perfect fit in the amazing Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Sensation Band, who handled both production and live music throughout the night, with Guy Barzily who blew everyone away with his chuppah singing and simcha set. The duo wanted a mix of 80s, 90s, and soul for the dancing sets, and Sensation delivered that and so much more.

The couple’s photographer, the incredibly talented David Pullum, captured everything flawlessly – and Tamara and Reuben report that he was an absolute dream to work with throughout the day.

Now over to Tamara, who looked so chicly elegant in her Elbeth Gillis dress…

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How We Met

Tamara, the bride: We had mutual friends and our paths had crossed in our teenage years but we “officially” met on JSwipe nearly 8 years ago.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An E&W Couture Bride for a Vegan Country House Jewish Wedding at Offley Place, Hitchin, UK

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Amber-and-Sammy-Offley-Place-UK

There’s nothing like an English country house Jewish wedding, and we absolutely love the way Amber, a research manager in fashion recruitment, and Sammy, an IT director, pulled off their epic celebration at the beautiful Offley Place in Hitchin.

With the most picturesque surroundings, a stunning outdoor chuppah adorned with white roses, and a fab vegan reception – featuring plant-based eats using ingredients from Israeli company Redefine Meat – this wedding was just full of joy and love. And we’re thrilled that Amber and Sammy found two of their fab team of professionals, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors Chazan Jonny Mosesson  and Rabbi Paul Glantz right here on STG!

Chiko photographed the day so perfectly, and CCS Video captured all the vibrant emotion of the day in their wonderful trailer. Read on for all the rest of the details in Amber’s own words!

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How We Met

Amber, the bride: We were best friends since school and at 21 we went on our first date and the rest is history! Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Summery Jewish Wedding with Lots of DIY Touches at South Hampstead Shul, London, UK

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Eloise and Eytan, South Hampstead Shul, London, UK

We love it when a couple brings their personalities to their Jewish wedding – which is exactly what Londoners Eloise and Eytan did! Both arts and crafts fans, the pair opted to design all of the wedding stationery themselves, from the invitations and seating chart to thank you cards and place names.

The couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kate Swerdlow Photography, “captured every moment in just the right way and made us feel comfortable from the beginning of the process which started with our engagement shoot and gave us constant updates whilst editing our photos.”

We also love that Eloise and Eytan chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Davies, a mega-talented harpist, to play at their wedding – first accompanying their band Neshama, and then as a duet with violinist Miriam Kramer during the reception.

Read on for all the other details of this very special day – including a live wedding painter and an adorable wedding post box decorated by the bride and groom!

Eloise and Eytan, South Hampstead Shul, London, UKEloise and Eytan, South Hampstead Shul, London, UK Eloise and Eytan, South Hampstead Shul, London, UK Eloise and Eytan, South Hampstead Shul, London, UK
How We Met

Eloise, the bride: We met on the Taglit trip Birthright in Israel on the coach from the airport to our first hotel. There were over 40 of us on the trip and somehow we found ourselves sat across the aisle from one another.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Watters Bride for a Summer Colors Jewish Wedding Weekend at Elmore Court, Gloucestershire, UK

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Over the past months, it’s been so beautiful to see big, festive Jewish weddings coming back. And for so many couples, it’s been all that much sweeter getting to celebrate together with loved ones after spending so much time apart.

That was very much Ilana and Sam’s experience – from day one, their vision included a big, fun party for their nearest and dearest, and while the pandemic certainly added stress and uncertainty to their planning, it made the end result – just three weeks after UK COVID restrictions had been lifted! – that much more meaningful.  

To make the most of having everyone gathered together after so long, Ilana and Sam opted to turn their Sunday wedding into a full-on wedding weekend, renting out a nearby house with both their families to host Saturday welcome drinks and generally get in some extra bonding time.

We also love Ilana and Sam’s “summer colors” theme, beautifully shown in the photos by James Davidson – complete with vibrant pink and orange florals in the bouquets, on the tables, and adorning their beautiful birch chuppah rented from  Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Happy Chuppah People. Speaking of which – note how Ilana and Sam went for flowers just on two corners of the chuppah. This is a great example of how doable it is to incorporate gorgeous florals into your chuppah design without breaking the bank.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave the rest to Ilana, who looked so glam in her gown by Watters…


How we Met

Ilana, the bride and Sam, the groom: We met seven years ago at a house party on a crowded ‘dance floor’ – Sam took Ilana’s number, didn’t text her for a week, then cancelled their first date because he’d started dating someone else. Ilana proposed a friendly coffee instead; Sam upped that with a trip to the Tate Modern. One seven-hour “non-date” later, Sam decided he might want to organise a real date, and the rest is history.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Essense of Australia Bride for a Foodies’ Jewish Wedding at Wild by Tart, London, UK

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Chelsie & Rob, Wild by Tart, London, UK

Today’s couple, Chelsie, co-founder of Blondies Kitchen, and Rob, founder and owner of Brown Butter Dining, had visions of tying the knot on the beach in Marbella in July 2020, feasting on paella and sangria to their hearts’ content. As you can probably guess, though, COVID got in the way. At first the couple opted to postpone, hoping things would go back to normal in time for a July 2021 wedding… but as we all know, that’s not quite how things went.

Eventually, the pair shifted gears and started planning a local wedding in London – and somehow they managed to put something together that combines the best of their home city with the laid-back Mediterranean vibes of their Plan A wedding. With a ceremony at New West End Synagogue followed by a reception at Wild by Tart in Belgravia (which is not only an event space but also a restaurant – hence incredible food that met the duo’s tough standards), Chelsie and Rob pulled off the most perfect day -even if it looked different from what they’d first envisioned. They even finished off the night with a cookie cart from Chelsie’s cookie business, Blondies Kitchen, so that everyone could take home a special treat at the end.

We’re obsessed with the natural photos by Alex Wysocki and stunning cinematic video from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion – watching the trailer really makes us feel as if we were right there with Chelsie and Rob!

We’ll leave it to Chelsie, who looked so glam in Essense of Australia, to take it from here…

Chelsie & Rob, Wild by Tart, London, UKChelsie & Rob, Wild by Tart, London, UKChelsie & Rob, Wild by Tart, London, UK
How we Met

Chelsie, the bride: We actually met through a friend because I went to train to be a chef and Rob was one. Our passion for food connected us.Continue ReadingContinue Reading