• About
  • Find a Vendor
  • Submit
  • Advertise
  • Brides Club
  • Your Jewish Life
  • Contact

Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

  • Real Jewish Weddings
    • City Chic
    • Fashion Forward
    • Outdoor
    • Destination
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • France
      • Beach Weddings
    • Super Luxe
    • Budget
    • DIY
    • Same Sex
  • Jew-ish Weddings
    • Real Jew-ish Weddings
    • Jewish-Catholic Weddings
    • Jewish-Chinese Weddings
    • Jewish-Christian Weddings
    • Jewish-Greek Weddings
    • Jewish-Hindu Weddings
    • Jewish-Humanist Weddings
    • Jewish-Irish Weddings
    • Jewish Japanese Weddings
    • Jewish-Muslim Weddings
    • Same Sex Jew-ish Weddings
  • Inspiration + Guidance
    • Engaged? Start Here
    • Ceremony
      • Chuppah ideas
      • Jewish ceremony music
      • Jewish wedding ceremony 101
      • Jewish ceremony traditions
      • Ketubah Ideas
      • Jewish wedding legalities
      • Jew-ish ceremony ideas
    • Reception
      • Music
      • Speeches
      • Entertainment
      • Venues
    • Food & Drink
      • Kosher catering
      • Wedding cakes
      • Drinks
    • Decor
      • Decorations
      • Favours
      • Floristry
      • Guestbooks
      • Stationery
    • Style
      • Brides dresses
      • Shoes & accessories
      • Grooms
      • Bridesmaids
    • Advice
      • Converting to Judaism
      • Real blogging brides
      • Dear Karen…
    • Honeymoons
    • STG Live
    • Five Minutes With
    • Wedding Must-Haves
    • Wedding Consultancy
  • Jewish Brides Club
  • Find a Wedding Vendor
Home > Claudine Hartzel Photography > Page 5

Smashing The Glass Takes Over The Savoy For 24 hours

15/02/2017 by Karen

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!

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

A Cymbeline bride for a DIY-detailed Jewish wedding at Parklands, Quendon Hall, Essex, UK

13/12/2016 by Karen

jewish-wedding-parklands-quendon-hall-essex
Brrr… it’s been a bit chilly lately — so we thought we’d bring on an early spring and showcase Ashley and Adam’s bright and beautiful real wedding at Parklands, Quendon Hall, shot by STG fave – Claudine Hartzel.

At Smashing the Glass, we absolutely adore personalised details, and both bride and groom happily rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in creating a wonderfully crafty dà©cor scheme that truly made the day their own. The couple made most of their own decorations, from heart-shaped bunting to burlap-wrapped mason jars, for their relaxed, earthy big day.

In keeping with the natural vibe of the day, the chuppah was built using silver birch wood poles, small floral arrangements and a gorgeous multi-coloured tallit, sourced in Israel by the groom’s parents

To commemorate their dreamy hot air balloon proposal, creative groom, Adam, made a model hot air balloon guest book with a mini basket in which friends and family could leave messages for the couple.

But that wasn’t Adam’s only project. In a romantic move that has set the bar ludicrously high for grooms everywhere (if you listen carefully you can hear a distant, sarcastic chorus of “cheers, mate”), Adam ordered a custom-made bow tie using a design of a painting that Ashley had created for him. It was a wonderful surprise on the day and Ashley was blown away.

The meaningful details were sprinkled through every aspect of the day. Ashley customised her Cymbeline dress with a vintage brooch and wore a bracelet with a trinket from her grandmother so they she could feel connected. And a final, adorable touch was the hand-stamped mini succulent plants as favours for each guest — a lasting memento of a beautiful celebration.

earthy-rustic-jewish-wedding-essex-uk_0006earthy-rustic-jewish-wedding-essex-uk_0005earthy-rustic-jewish-wedding-essex-uk_0014

earthy-rustic-jewish-wedding-essex-uk_0003
How we met

Ashley, the bride: My best friend, Tash, knew Adam from uni. One day she invited me to come with her to his birthday drinks and we were introduced there. We met again at Tash’s infamous Seder night parties and then we hit it off again on a camping trip with a group of friends – the rest is history!

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Jodie & Joel | Woodland-style rustic Jewish wedding at Luton Hoo, Hertfordshire, UK

29/02/2016 by Karen

Woodland-style-rustic-Jewish-wedding-at-Luton-Hoo
Happy 1st of the month  everyone! I hope that 2016 has been kind to you so far and that your wedding planning is going brilliantly.  If you haven’t booked  your wedding photographer yet, you might want  to enter our win your wedding photography competition with Claudine Hartzel, the brilliantly  talented camerawoman behind today’s gorgeous  Jewish wedding. Have a read of what the bride had to say about working with Claudine, further down the page — you’ll see that  if you’re the lucky couple to win this competition you’ll be starting the celebrations early!

So onto this beauty of a W Day. Although set just outside London, Jodie and Joel wanted to create a woodland-style wedding amongst  the lush gardens, lakes and waterfalls  of the beautiful  Luton Hoo  in Hertfordshire.  Initially Jodie, who runs her own mobile juicing business, wanted to get married in the middle of a forest so this setting was a perfect compromise. The table centres by  Platinum Raspberry  are particularly exceptional, and really bring the woodland theme to life.

This is a truly  inclusive wedding with family and friends involved every step of the way, from Jodie’s  step-brother singing a prayer under the chuppah (to the Indiana Jones theme tune no less), to  one of Jodie’s  oldest friends singing  Ellie Goulding’s  How Long Will I Love You   for the couple’s  first dance. Jodie’s  mum had secretly arranged  this as a surprise along with a few other  touches    – how thoughtful  is that?

Jodie has  some brilliant advice for all of you at the end of the post — I particularly love ‘Remember to say prayers for everyone you love as you circle  your groom —  it makes the ceremony that much more meaningful’.

Not only do we have the lovely images from Claudine Hartzel, but we also have the film from  Bloomsbury Films, which includes a heart warming speech from Jodie’s mum.  Without further ado, I give you Jodie and Joel.

Woodland-style rustic Jewish wedding at Luton Hoo
how we met

Jodie, the Bride:  Joel was one of my martial arts instructors. I later found him on Facebook, gave him my number, and the rest is history!

We got married in the grounds of beautiful  Luton Hoo  in Hertfordshire, just outside London. We just fell in love with the gardens — there was a lake and a waterfall and it was surrounded by trees and greenery. Initially I wanted to get married in the middle of a forest so this was a perfect compromise.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Win your wedding photography by award-winning Jewish wedding photographer, Claudine Hartzel

12/02/2016 by Karen

Claudine-Hartzel
For those of you who are yet to book  your wedding photographer, today’s blog post is especially for you. Oh yes, today’s your lucky days as I’m thrilled to be partnering with  Jewish wedding photographer extraordinaire  Claudine Hartzel  to give one engaged-to-be-married couple completely FREE wedding photography! Let the celebrations begin!

I featured Claudine’s photography in one of the first real weddings I ever blogged back in 2013 and I’ve been smitten with her work  ever since (and have blogged her  images many times over too!). A soon as I discovered her talents, I quickly snapped her up as a Smashing Supplier and having met her as well, I’m genuinely lucky to call her a friend as well as a much-loved industry colleague.

Based in East London, but shooting weddings throughout the UK and beyond, Claudine captures weddings beautifully and naturally, using fashion, reportage and still life photography.

Claudine is herself Jewish, and has photographed many Jewish  weddings — check out her fabulous Jewish wedding portfolio here) so you  can only imagine how thrilled I was when she told me she wanted to give away  a completely FREE  wedding package together with an engagement shoot in London, to one couple anywhere in the world! If you’re getting married before next October  2017 and you haven’t organised  your photographer yet, then today is most definitely a  fortuitous day!

Even if you’re not fortunate  enough to win, Claudine  would like to offer every couple that enters 10% off their wedding photography if you then decide to go on and hire her.

Scroll down to read more about the prize and how to enter, and be sure to check out more of Claudine’s  work at Claudine Hartzel Photography.

Claudine Hartzel photographyClaudine Hartzel photographyClaudine Hartzel photography
Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

“My best Jewish wedding photo” by Claudine Hartzel

25/10/2015 by Karen

A weekly series where  I ask some of the world’s best wedding photographers to pick out their favourite shot from their Jewish wedding portfolio. This week it’s the turn of  Claudine Hartzel.

Claudine-Hartzel

‘The groom’s speech’ by Claudine Hartzel

Choosing my best Jewish wedding photo was such a hard decision..  I have lots of amazing dancing shots and chuppah shots so I wanted to find an image that meant a lot to me and summed up what a Jewish wedding means to me.

Jewish weddings are about family and friends, and of course there is the dancing and food! BUT what I really enjoy  is the emotion and the happiness of all the guests.

As a photographer  it’s such a privilege to be under the chuppah so close to the bride and groom making their vows to each other. But I do also love the speeches  when everybody can see you and hear you…

I  have always loved this photograph as the groom is giving the most enthralling  speech to a sea of guests.”

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

Share this post:

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • Next Page »

Jewish Weddings by Country

Weddings by Colour

Awesome Jewish Gifts

Get posts directly into your inbox

Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

Today’s Top Posts

  • A guide to the Jewish Wedding Ceremony and Order of Service under the chuppah
    A guide to the Jewish Wedding Ceremony and Order of Service under the chuppah
  • Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained - Breaking The Glass
    Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained - Breaking The Glass
  • Dates in 2026, 2027 and 2028 to avoid for a Jewish wedding plus a 12 Month Wedding Planning Monthly Checklist
    Dates in 2026, 2027 and 2028 to avoid for a Jewish wedding plus a 12 Month Wedding Planning Monthly Checklist
  • The Badeken – Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained #4
    The Badeken – Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained #4
  • Jewish Bride Spotlight: Erin Millender
    Jewish Bride Spotlight: Erin Millender

Subscribe by Email

Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

Mr And Mrs Smith Honeymoons
Liberty London
Monica Vinader
Kate Spade UK Limited
closeJoin our members-only community for Jewish brides!

All content © Smashing The Glass 2026