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’Smashing Summit’ Full Replay Featuring Mindy Weiss, Monique Lhuillier, Ron Ben-Israel, Galia Lahav’s Chief Designer and many more!

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Seriously, how AMAZING was January’s Smashing Summit?

Four hours worth of wedding industry superstars (we’re talking Mindy Weiss, Monique Lhuillier, Ron Ben-Israel, Galia Lahav‘s Chief Designer, Duke Photography, Bruce Russell, Blake Ezra, Food Story, and host of other icons expertly  answering ALL your Jewish (and Jew-ish) wedding questions.

The Summit celebrated our brand new (and already very in demand!) Members Club where brides save time, save money (hello 10% vendor discount!), get matched with their perfect wedding vendors, receive the coolest Smash Glass Pouch ever, AND get advised directly by me and a community of sophisticated fellow brides

 

Smashing Summit Smashing The Glass
Talking with Bruce Russell about ‘How to create a wedding that reflects who you are and what is important to you’ at the Smashing SummitSmashing Summit Smashing The Glass
Showing off the Smash Glass Pouch at the Smashing Summit!Smashing The Glass Smashing SummitReal Bride and Groom, Caroline and Robbie (and Bruce Russell in the background!) enjoying the music of Jonny Mosesson at the Summit

We’ve got the full Summit, in one 4 hour block, ready and waiting for you in the video at the top of the post, (and fully itemised at the foot of the post if you want to skip to your favorite bit!).Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Smashing The Glass Takes Over The Savoy For 24 hours

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My 24 hours at The Savoy filmed by Adrian Stone of The Dreamcatchers

Happy Wedding Wednesday! To soften the blow as we all come down from our Valentine’s Day highs, I have an exciting post all about my epic, 24-hour takeover of London’s iconic five-star hotel, wedding and events venue, The Savoy.

I also have a rather extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime accompanying competition to win a night for two at the world-famous Savoy, so keep your eyes peeled at the end of this post to make sure you don’t miss out (seriously, this one’s a biggie!).

Weddings-at-The-Savoy-HotelAs I was given a rare, all-access pass to a world-famous institution and the epitome of the lap of luxury (special thanks to Charlotte Faith, the amazing PR manager at The Savoy who arranged this incredible experience), I had a lot of questions — and was, in turn, provided with a plethora of answers, so it’s worth perhaps brewing a cup of tea or coffee before you sit down to read this post as there is so much fabulousness to take in.

Blogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel LondonBlogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel London
Blogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel LondonAccompanying me were award-winning wedding photographer, Claudine Hartzel and world-class wedding filmmaker, Adrian Stone of The Dreamcatchers. Huge thanks to both of them — for Adrian for his spectacular film right at the top and also the longer (and even more action-packed!) 5 minute version lower down in the competition section). And to the divine Claudine for capturing my stay with her fabulous photos throughout this post and on social media. Thank you to both of them for their excellent company!

Blogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel London
Blogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel London
Savoy FlowersA suite with a river view and a second-to-none butler service

On arrival, I checked into my stunning £1,600 a night one-bedroom Edwardian suite with a river view over the Thames, looking out onto London’s much-loved landmarks, where a sumptuous lunch was already laid out for us (as well as fabulous floral arrangements from Savoy Flowers and a Chocolate Delight, which you’ll have to watch the Facebook Live video to truly appreciate). I was then introduced to The Savoy’s head butler, the delightful Sean Davoren.

Blogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel LondonBlogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel London
Suites at The Savoy come with an indescribable 24-hour butler service and now, having said that, I’m going to have to attempt to describe it in a way that does it justice.

Blogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel London
Butlers at The Savoy represent a living, breathing definition of customer service. In fact, if you look up ‘customer service’ in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of a smiling Sean Davoren proudly presenting you with a lovingly arranged tray of all of your favourite things.

Blogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel London
There’s nothing that a butler at The Savoy can’t manage. They will respond to any request within four minutes, from pressing the dress on your wedding morning to taking care of all the mundane details you don’t want to think about (kind of makes your other half seem obsolete, huh); from drawing you a luxurious, scented bath to sending up a selection of your favourite foods, whether on the menu or not — even packing for you, if you so desire.

Blogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel LondonBlogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel LondonBlogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel London_0035This service came in extremely handy when, in all the excitement of getting glammed up for a night at The Savoy’s exceptional restaurants and bars, I actually forgot my pyjamas. It was only getting to bed, past midnight, that I realised.

Despite the antisocial hour, Sean immediately arranged for loungewear from the gym to be sent up to my room and saved the day!

Blogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel LondonBlogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel LondonBlogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel LondonBlogger review of Weddings at The Savoy Hotel LondonTo further illustrate my point: Sean was once asked to provide fresh-from-the-teat goat’s milk to fill a guest’s bath and sent a taxi all the way to Wales to collect it. How’s that for above and beyond?

Hear some more of Sean’s outrageously entertaining butler tales by catching up with our Facebook Live video below!

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My interview with Bruce Russell, the internationally renowned luxury wedding planner

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Bruce-Russell
Image: John Nassari

I first met high-end W-day  planner, and ‘wedding whizz kid’ Bruce Russell last September at the launch of his  latest project,  The Bridal Room, Britain’s first ever online luxury bridal destination. I was bowled over by his ideas, creativity and charm, and we have since connected many  times, at the Wedding Blog Awards  and  Brides The Show;  over breakfast  in Marylebone, and through his work at London’s iconic  Savoy where he is the hotel’s resident wedding expert.

Being quite the ‘wedding entrepreneur’, I wanted  to get the inside scoop on Bruce, and find out about the man behind the brand.  I discovered that he treasures his  end-of-day swims at The Four Seasons Hampshire, he greatly admires  Anna Wintour, Hilary Clinton and The Duke of Cambridge, and that being over the top à  la Kim and Kanye can sometimes be  just fabulous! Let’s get the full story…

Bruce Russell_0001
Images left to right: Amara /  John Nassari

So Bruce, what’s the ‘Bruce Russell’ story? How did you build up your business, and what made you become a wedding planner in the first place?

I have always wanted to build a business – and a brand – working in the events sector, but from a very personal perspective. Given my love of the bridal industry, this naturally led to weddings, the By Bruce Russell brand and, ultimately, the launch of The Bridal Room.

The Bridal Room is a partnership with my good friend – global luxury brand and marketing specialist – Jo James, who has a great deal of experience in the travel, hospitality, events and bridal industries. The two of us met during our time working at COMO Hotels and Resorts, and it was during a business trip to Cocoa Island in the Maldives that ‘By Bruce Russell’ and this exciting new venture were first discussed. Serenaded by the sounds of the Indian Ocean we scoped out the bare bones for the project on paper napkins – international entrepreneurialism at its best!

Having noticed a gap in the industry as to how top London venues managed their wedding clients, I approached The Savoy with a proposal to manage their wedding enquiries. This ultimately led to the ‘By Bruce Russell’ brand and the growth of a brilliant team at The Savoy that I still manage today.

The Savoy partnership has undoubtedly helped raise my profile in the industry and led me to work with some of the industry’s best suppliers, experts, artists and craftsmen — most of which form part of The Bridal Room. From my early days at The Savoy, the ‘By Bruce Russell’ brand has expanded internationally and I am delighted to have a wide-reaching global client base.

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