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A Martina Liana Bride for a Relaxed and Romantic Jewish Wedding at The Last Drop Village & Spa, Bolton, UK

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We love it when a couple centers their Jewish wedding around friends and family – which is exactly what Justine and Elliott did, and we absolutely adore the way they brought their loved ones into the big day.

The couple live in Hertfordshire, but it was always a given that they’d marry up North near the bride’s hometown of Liverpool. One of Justine’s cousins, Rabbi Alby Chait MBE, officiated, and another cousin, Charles Chait, was the chazzan – how special is that?!

Justine and Elliott wanted to make sure all of their guests had a blast, and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jam Hot Showband was the absolute perfect entertainment choice. Their 10-piece band was, in the bride’s words, “just WOW! The musicians, the energy and the organisation was outstanding. They had a quick room turnaround time from chuppah to main dinner which was seamless. Guests commented on how much they loved the band’s musical medleys and the dance floor was completely packed all night; we could not have asked for a better party!”

The duo chose another wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, Kate Swerdlow, to photograph their day, and they couldn’t be any more thrilled with their choice. As Justine put it, Kate is “so creative and energetic, her photos are beautifully natural, not overly posed, and perfectly capture the essence of our day.”

Read on for all the details of this beautiful day in the bride’s own words…


How We Met

Justine, the bride: We met in 2017 after matching on JSwipe! I was studying Musical Theatre at drama school in Guildford, while Elliott, who had graduated from the University of Leeds, was working at a financial advisory firm. Elliott traveled to Guildford for our first date, and the rest is history! Seven years later, I am now the Director of Drama at an Independent School in Radlett, and Elliott is an Independent Financial Advisor. We live in Elstree & Borehamwood.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Millanova Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding in White at Merrydale Manor, Cheshire, UK

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Today’s UK Jewish wedding at Cheshire’s Merrydale Manor is a true feast for the eyes… Felicity and Jacob knew they wanted their wedding to be elegant from the get-go, and did it ever deliver!

As a style-conscious bride, finding the perfect dress was important to Felicity – and in the search for The One, she went to 15 bridal shops before finding the gown of her dreams at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Wedding Club in London: an off-the-shoulder satin number in ivory by Millanova. With a heart-shaped neckline, draped bodice, and open back with lace-up closure – not to mention a long train – it more than fit the bill. Don’t miss it in the fabulous photos by David Pullum Photography.

Felicity and Jacob weren’t all about the aesthetics, though – they also wanted to make sure their wedding felt like a party, and they turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The White Keys to bring the atmosphere. The couple went for a 14-piece band, and they couldn’t have been more thrilled with their decision. They knew they wanted something a little different than the standard Jewish wedding band, and as soon as they saw The White Keys’ Ibiza heritage set they knew they’d found their match!

We’ll let Felicity take it from here…

 

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How We Met

Felicity, the bride: Me and Jakey were childhood sweethearts. We have been together for 15 years since 2008 and finally tied the knot in October 2023. We met in school and have been soul mates ever since <3 he is my number one!

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A Stella York Bride for an Ultra-Personal Jewish Wedding at Marriott Regents Park, London, UK

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When Georgia, a Speech and Language Therapist for the NHS, and Joel, a Marketing and Communications Manager, set out to plan their ultra-personal London Jewish wedding, they knew they wanted to be able to enjoy the big day with their nearest and dearest stress-free.

And so they made what turned out to be one of their best wedding planning decisions: hiring with Victoria from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Linda Abrahams & Co for on-the-day coordination. Georgia and her mum planned most of the wedding themselves, and then, with 12 weeks to go, Victoria came on board. In Georgia’s words, she was “an absolute dream to work with” and took all the pressure off so the couple could enjoy the lead up to the wedding without worrying about logistics – not to mention the day itself!

And you can tell just what a wonderful time everyone had in the end from Smashing The Glass Recommended vendor Liam Smith’s wonderful documentary wedding photography. Georgia and Joel “have always felt that our favourite photos are the ones where we didn’t know they were being taken,” and Liam’s discreet style was the perfect fit, allowing him to capture ALL the love and emotion.

There’s so much more to say about this wonderful wedding, but we’ll let Georgia – who looked radiant in Stella York – take it from here…

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How We Met

Georgia, the bride: We met on our first day of university when we moved into Hillel House in Birmingham (the Jewish halls of residence). Joel asked me out on a date a few weeks later and we’ve been together ever since! It is actually a family tradition to meet your wife in Birmingham – as all three of Joel’s older brothers started dating their wives while attending university in Birmingham! Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Stella York Bride for a Classic Country House Jewish Wedding at Hedsor House, Taplow, UK

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Kim and Josh, Hedsor House, UK

There’s nothing quite like a good English countryside Jewish wedding. And Kim, a secondary school maths teacher, and Josh, a quality manager, threw the absolute perfect bash at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Hedsor House, which, despite being located conveniently just outside London, feels like it’s worlds away.

Family-run stately home Hedsor House ticked all the couple’s boxes: classic feel; exclusive hire for 150 people; rooms for the bridal party to sleep in, and ability to bring in a great kosher caterer. And if you scroll through the gorgeous images from Richard Galloway Photography, you’ll see that Hedsor could not have been a more perfect spot for Kim and Josh’s special day.

We’re in love with the couple’s exquisite lace effect chuppah (to match Kim’s lace gown!), supplied by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Happy Chuppah People, which has held up by Josh’s ushers during the ceremony.

We’re also totally taken with the couple’s Jenga “guest book,” a custom Jenga tower with Kim and Josh’s names and wedding date engraved into each block, which guests could then write messages on. The pair plans to bring it out for a game every year on their anniversary – how sweet is that?!

Now over to the bride, who looked stellar in Stella York…

Kim and Josh, Hedsor House, UKKim and Josh, Hedsor House, UKKim and Josh, Hedsor House, UKKim and Josh, Hedsor House, UK
How we Met

Kim, the bride: We met online on ‘Plenty of Fish’.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Eliza Jane Howell Bride for a Sustainable Jewish Wedding at One Marylebone, London

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We love it when a couple crafts a Jewish wedding that stays true to their values – so naturally we’re crazy about the fab celebration of Natasha, who runs Urban Cordial, an all-natural, low-sugar cordial brand made using British surplus fruit, and Jacob, a theatre producer who grew up in Australia!

Given Natasha’s business, it’s no surprise that sustainability is important to these two – and they incorporated it into their day through touches like sourcing seasonal vegetarian British food, reusing the chuppah canopy of their friends Ashley and Adam, and donating their flowers to a hospice and a women’s shelter at the end of the night.

Possibly the coolest sustainable touch, though, is the way Natasha and Jacob created their wedding jewelry: the two worked with goldsmith Rachel Jones to create their rings from heirloom pieces. Natasha’s engagement ring was made using gold from Jacob’s grandmother’s bracelet, a diamond from his grandmother’s engagement ring, and a sapphire gifted to the couple from Jacob’s mum. Then, the couple did a workshop with Rachel where they handcrafted each other’s wedding bands – how special is that?! Photographers Lina and Tom captured everything so perfectly, as did videographers  Moon and Back.

Natasha and Jacob are lucky enough to be friends with the incredible Dan of beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Function Band, so they were a natural pick when it came to entertainment for the reception – and true to form, the band went all out learning new songs, keeping guests on the dance floor all night, and even throwing in an impromptu song and dance bracket featuring some Aussie classics in honor of the groom! The Function Band also provided the epic lighting for the party – something Jacob was especially attuned to given his theater background.

Oh, and did we mention that this duo smashed not one but TWO glasses (one each)? We could go on and on, but we’ll let Natasha – who looked radiant in Eliza Jane Howell – take it from here…

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How we Met

Natasha, the bride and Jacob, the groom : We met at a mutual friend’s house and Jacob helped Natasha take some photos of drinks using her cordials for social media. He still helps her with this kind of stuff.Continue ReadingContinue Reading