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A Stella York Bride for a Rom-Com Inspired Jewish Wedding at Chiswick House & Gardens, London, UK

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A rom-com inspired Jewish wedding?! Um, yes please! We love that today’s bride, Lucy, planned her wedding to groom Joel with inspiration from the romantic comedies she grew up on. In her words, “I always wanted my wedding day to give me and my guests that warm feeling inside I got from watching them as a little girl” – and we think she nailed it!

From the dreamy garden setting at London’s Chiswick House & Gardens to the fabulous chuppah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Happy Chuppah People to Lucy’s princess gown by Stella York to the wonderful music by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ambassador Band that kept guests on the dancefloor (including to two sings from The Parent Trap, one of the bride’s favorite films!), this day was picture perfect from start to finish.

And speaking of pictures – the photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kate Swerdlow Photography were pretty darn perfect too! Lucy and Joel wanted someone who could capture authentic moments throughout the day, and Kate fit the bill perfectly. Kate also made them feel comfortable on the day – something that’s so important to factor in when choosing a photographer!

Now over to Lucy…

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How We Met

Lucy, the bride: I am an Account Manager in Influencer Marketing and Joel is a Sales Director. We met on a dating app called Hinge in 2019 and met shortly after 3 days later. I immediately knew Joel was the one. We instantly clicked and it was a feeling I had never had with anyone before. We spent loads of time together before being intensely locked down during Covid. This only served to bring us closer together. We already wanted to spend every single day together and when Covid struck it meant we could and without external distractions. 

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A Stella York Bride for a Winter Jewish Wedding Filled with Warmth at The Grove, Chandler’s Cross, UK

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Sophie & Josh, The Grove, UK

We love it when a couple assembles a fabulous team of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to make their Jewish wedding the day of their dreams – and that’s exactly what today’s couple did.

Sophie, who works in account management for a marketing agency, and Josh, a chartered accountant working at a fintech company, made it official at The Grove in Hertfordshire, a local spot that was truly the perfect fit for their glam winter wedding.  

Their overarching goal was “a stylish wedding with a room filled with love and warmth” – and judging by the moving photos by Paul Toeman and video by #STGvendor Denee Motion – both of whom Sophie and Josh adored working with – they achieved it and then some.

#STGvendor Big Day Designs “were so helpful and produced the most stylish and beautiful stationery and invitations,” and two fabulous #STGvendors came together for an epic night of music: Eitan Freilich served as Sophie and Josh’s chazzan, and The Function Band handled the rest. Both were “absolutely incredible.”

In Sophie’s words, “Eitan helped us with options as we were not sure beforehand what we would like, although we did know we wanted to have the songs to tunes of songs that we know.”

As for The Function Band – the lead singer of which happens to be Josh’s first cousin – “they really went over and above what we were expecting for us both and our families,” not only providing the kind of music that kept guests on the dancefloor all night long but also helping in coordinating the day.

There’s so much more to say about this beautiful wedding, but we’ll turn you over to Sophie – who looked so elegant in Stella York – for the rest…

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How we Met

Sophie, the bride: We met in our first year of uni (Nottingham Trent) and started going out in second year. We have been together for 8 and a half years and bought our first home together in January 2021.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Destination Jewish Vineyard Wedding with Breathtaking Scenery at Eureka Estate, Durbanville, Cape Town, South Africa

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Today’s fab Jewish wedding is giving us serious travel FOMO! Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Hannah, the head of weddings at Jimmy Garcia Catering in London, and Darren, the general manager of a bar in Chancery Lane, chose to wed in the groom’s home country of South Africa in no small part thanks to the nation’s positively breathtaking scenery.

And their decision to wed at a vineyard in Cape Town’s magnificent wine region did not disappoint! As an events professional in London, the bride felt strongly that she wanted her own wedding to be very different than the ones she works on – and we’re pretty sure this stunner of a big day fits that bill. Where else can you have your chuppah overlooking lush valleys of grapes amidst rugged mountain ranges?! We’re obsessed with the captivating imagery from photographer Gavin Casey and videographer Josh Hundermark.

Naturally, we love all the personal touches these two put into their big day – there’s WAY too many to list here, but we’re especially enamored with the tequila bar (with a neon sign that read “Until death do us party”)!

Now over to Hannah, who has the kindest words to say about her time in Brides Club:“I was surrounded by like-minded ladies, each creating their own unique weddings all around the world, and it was hugely comforting.” Doesn’t get much better than that!

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How we met

Hannah, the bride: We were invited to a charity dinner hosted by one of our mutual friends. We had never met, and this all changed when Darren asked this friend of ours to point out one girl at the event, that knows how to have fun. Our friend pointed me out and with such confidence, he made a beeline in my direction and captivated me with his South African accent and charm.

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A Stella York Bride for a Family-Centered Jewish Wedding at The Waldorf Hilton Aldwych, London, UK

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We are totally and completely in awe of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Claudine Hartzel’s exquisite photos from today’s gorgeous Jewish wedding. The way she captures the emotion, the details, and of course the Israeli dancing (there are some seriously unmissable action shots below!) – Claudine’s work never fails to bowl us over.

Another thing that consistently gives us the warm and fuzzies? When a couple prioritizes incorporating family into their big day. Danni, who works as a fundraiser for a Jewish charity, and Sam, an accountant, did just that, from having their parents help out with the planning to including as many family members as possible in their procession to the chuppah.

Both the bride and groom’s fathers drive black cabs in London, and in honour of their dads the pair opted to incorporate black cabs as a motif – love how they included a little black cab on their invitations!

And we love that Danni opted to pair her Stella York dress with her mum’s veil – which, with a few alterations, fit seamlessly into her bridal style. We’ll let her take things from here…


How we met

Danni, the bride: Before getting married we had been together for six and a half years. We met while at university, Sam came up to Leeds to surprise my housemate (and bridesmaid) and we got chatting… a few months later we met again and started going out. We’ve been together ever since.

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A Stella York Bride for a Winter Wonderland Jewish Wedding at Warren Weir, Luton Hoo, UK

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Don’t mind us, we’re busy picking our jaws up off the floor after seeing today’s stunning Jewish wedding portraits in the snow. Almost enough to make you rethink that summer wedding, are we right?!

When Mel, a project manager, and Mitch, who works in IT, first chose Chiko Photography, they were drawn to a photo of his with a couple under an umbrella in the snow. Who would’ve thought they’d get to recreate it themselves?!

This is also a special wedding for us because bride Mel was one of our blogging brides but not only that, Mel was also a founding member of our Club for Jewish Brides, and as such, she and Mitch were the very first couple to ever use our own-brand (and super gorgeous!) smash glass pouch for breaking the glass under their chuppah!

We loved following Mel’s wedding planning journey, and we’re so glad to hear that the feeling was mutual. Mel found several of her amazing wedding vendors through Smashing the Glass, from their incredible videographer, STG Recommended Vendor Denee Motion,to another much loved STG Recommended Vendor XS Showband, best known as pioneers of the wedding flash mob!

XS Showband provided entertainment throughout the day, but we can’t take our eyes off Denee Motion’s fantastic video of Mel and Mitch’s very own musical wedding flash mob, just before their ceremony started. They wanted a special surprise for their guests, something to make sure their day really stood out, and we think this more than did the trick. You’ve got to check it out for yourself!

Do also take a moment to read through Mel’s fabulous account of her planning and prep, there are some really useful tips and a generous helping of super advice at the end. Over to Mel now (and by the way we think she looks SO elegant in her lace fishtail gown by Stella York. . . 

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How we met

Mel, the bride: We met on JDate in 2013. After chatting for a while we met for a drink. Our second date was an eight-hour lunch! I thought if someone can keep me engrossed in constant conversation for that long without getting bored then I am on to a winner.

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