Celia Clyne Archives - Smashing the Glass

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

28/05/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

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…

How we Met

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

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

29/09/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

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…

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 Reading

A Riki Dalal Bride for a Wedding Planner’s Own Jewish Wedding at Merrydale Manor, Knutsford, Cheshire, UK

13/01/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

We always love seeing what Jewish wedding pros choose when it comes to their very own big days, so we were excited for the beautiful wedding of beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rachel of Rachel Flax Events to groom Mikey, a property lawyer (#friendsforever, in honor of their new shared surname!) – especially after hearing the tantalizing tidbits she’s shared with our Brides Club!

Naturally, Rachel opted to plan her own wedding, and she really ended up with the perfect English country garden wedding with a touch of modern sophistication. Take her Perspex chuppah – it was chosen so that guests could have an unimpeded view of the ceremony as they were seated in a circle surrounding the structure, but there’s no denying it also added a hit of contemporary style to the pastoral surroundings.

Photographer David Stubbs and videographer YSD Media captured everything so beautifully, and naturally. Also, how cool is it that the pair had a chuppah painter on hand to paint the ceremony as it was happening?!.

We’re also obsessed with Rachel and Mikey’s gorgeous pocket fold invitations by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor E.Y.I Love in the bride’s trademark colours of dove grey and pale pink, with the couple’s logo in gold on the front to tie it all together.

Rachel and Mikey took advantage of the honeymoon planning prowess of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Abby Taubman to organize their upcoming trip to Japan – we’re sure it’s going to be totally fab!

There’s so much more we could say – we haven’t even gotten to the fact that the couple gave each and every guest a personal handwritten note on the day… and the guests were also treated to a bonfire at the end of the evening with a s’mores table!

Let’s hand you over to the bride, who looked gorgeous in a bespoke gown from Israeli designer Riki Dalal…

An Outdoor Wedding

Rachel, the bride: We got married in Merrydale Manor which is a new venue in Knutsford, Cheshire. It was incredibly important to me that my wedding venue felt as homey, exclusive and modern as possible. As a wedding planner, it was also key for me to have our wedding at a place that I hadn’t worked in before, which was a challenge!

A Rosa Clara Bride for a Country Chic Jewish Wedding at The Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK

08/03/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

We’ve seen some pretty cute table plans, but today’s Jewish wedding has got one of the very best: tangerines! Yes, bride Emma (who just happens to be a dietitian — how perfect, right?!) and groom Joseph (a citrus-living lawyer) had the clever idea to pin a paper “leaf” with each guest’s name and table number on one piece of fruit, and it was just the most adorable thing.

And that’s just one of the wonderful, personal touches these two incorporated into their wedding day in beautiful Harrogate, North Yorkshire, perfectly captured by Ruthless Images. There’s the quintessentially Yorkshire venue, the modern chuppah adorned with asymmetrical florals, the smoking shots served to guests on the dance floor (!) — and that’s just for starters.

The simple dark wooden frame was dressed with an asymmetrical floral design. Loose tendrils of soft ruscus and ivy trailed down.

Now over to Emma, who looked so classically elegant in Rosa Clara…

How we met

Emma, the bride: Joe and I started dating after we sat next to each other on the plane on the way to our gap year, seats were allocated alphabetically — Emma Coupland was sat next to Joseph Davis! Seven years later Joe proposed to me with the help of my family dog (Joe put the ring on his collar!). It was adorable, my favourite boys together!

A Watters Bride for an Egalitarian Jewish Wedding with Fairy Lights and Sunflowers at The Oakley Court, Windsor, UK

21/01/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Is this the perfect English country Jewish wedding, or what? We are totally obsessed with Miri and Jon’s sweet sunflower chuppah — not to mention the bride’s epic flower crown (which she opted for instead of a bouquet) and the charming table centers in repurposed whiskey bottles strewn with fairy lights. It was all the work of florist Gabriella Shem-Tov, who crafted the perfect colorful arrangements to complement the festival vibes and idyllic outdoor setting.

We also love that Miri, a project manager at the British Library, and Jon, community development director for Masorti Judaism in the UK, crafted an ultra-personal egalitarian ceremony totally in step with their values, where they circled each other, exchanged rings, and both smashed a glass.

Don’t miss Miri’s beautiful writeup, or Marianne Chua’s luminous documentary-style photography… and whilst you’re at it, you won’t want to miss our amazing FREE online event for Jewish and Jew-ish Brides happening later today called, ‘The Secrets to an Unforgettable Jewish Wedding”. Sign up here if you haven’t already – I can’t wait to see you there!