Converse Archives - Page 3 of 7 - Smashing the Glass

A Suzanne Neville Bride for a Stunning Midsummer Night’s Dream Jewish Wedding at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London, UK

27/09/2017 by Karen

Hands up who wants to see the ULTIMATE London Jewish wedding? Set at an iconic London venue, with some of the city’s finest Jewish wedding vendors, and styled like an absolute dream, Lauren and Mark’s magnificent big day deserves to have praise HEAPED upon it.

Before we get to the gorgeous aesthetic of the wedding, we must acknowledge just how much this brave couple went through before the big day. Losing Mark’s mother shortly after their engagement was a terrible blow, and Lauren and Mark honored her memory in beautiful and moving ways.

Bride Lauren broke her foot, and so her dream of showing off glitzy heels in her stunning Suzanne Neville dipped-hem gown was replaced with a new dream of walking down the aisle in glitzy Converse, with groom Mark surprising her with his own matching pair.

The big day came together like a dream – a Midsummer Night’s Dream, to be exact, with an abundance of flowers, expertly arranged by Tony Marklew, culminating in the ultimate floral arch chuppah. Your eyes will pop out of your head when you see it. This was matched only by the stunning production by Outrage Events.

Of course, a Jewish London wedding was buzzing with incredible Smashing the Glass Recommended Vendors, including much-raved-about kosher catering by Food Story, sensational cinematography by the inimitable Imaginarium Cinematography, who will, incidentally, be joining me for a Facebook live chat tonight at 8pm GMT with… (drum roll) one of my all-time favorite photographers, Blake Ezra Photography, another much-loved insanely talented STG Vendor. Blake is widely known for being one of the UK’s top photographers, and the pictures below really do speak for themselves.

We’ll leave you in Lauren’s capable hands for the full report of the day – we’re sure you’ll be swooning (and Pinning) the whole way through!

How we met

Lauren, the bride: Mark and I actually met in 1991! We attended the same school when I was six and Mark was almost eight. Although he doesn’t remember me, I do remember him. It wasn’t until we were at his dad’s house when his mum had died, and got out all the memorabilia to look at, that we found an old Westwood 1991 school play programme and we were both in it! It brought the happiest of smiles to all of our faces during a very hard time. We have since watched the footage and we were standing yards apart on stage.

We finally came together almost three years ago when I was in Brasserie Zedel with my brother and his future wife. Mark and my brother go back a very long way. As fate would have it, my brother and Mark’s brother have also been best friends from the age of about 12, and even shared a ‘romantic’ trip to Marrakech together a few years ago.

Mark added me on Facebook the next morning, and the rest, as they say, is history. I knew from our first date that he was going to be the one. It was clear from the start that we shared a very special bond, and that even though our paths had tried to cross over 26 years ago that the timing was now right and that we were always destined to meet.
Continue Reading

A Cute and Quirky Creative Industrial Chic Romantic Floral Jew-ish Wedding at Hotel Ocho, Toronto, Canada

18/09/2017 by Karen

Get ready for goosebumps, because this quirky and creative Jew-ish real wedding is soooo beautiful that we actively scouted it, after bride, Laura, tagged this image on her Instagram with the hashtag #jewishwedding !

When two creatives come together (Steve is an online editor for a local city magazine, while Laura works as a copy editor and page designer for a local newspaper), the result is an unstoppable force of originality, expression and amazing attention to detail.

The industrial-chic vibe of Toronto boutique hotel, Hotel Ocho, was juxtaposed with a romantic, floral theme that saw fluffy, pink peonies take pride of place in wildflower-feel arrangements. The stunning chuppah, which was built as a team effort by the couple’s family, was sprawling with beautiful silk blooms.

Everything about this bright and bold big day popped with color, from the bridesmaids’ and groomswomens’ dresses, to the bride’s breathtaking crimson lip and red hair combo. Laura looked every bit the Hollywood glamazon in her champagne-colored Allure Bridals ballgown.

The wedding was peppered with personalized details, including illustrated invitations and simply the cutest cake topper! The whole thing came together in a pretty Pinterest-perfect palette. Speaking of which, you know what to do!

Every last detail, including some super romantic kissing in the rain, was captured by photographer Daniel Clements and, of course, writer Laura provided the most articulate and wonderful account of the couple’s big day. Enjoy, and don’t forget to leave some love in the comments.

How we met

Laura, the bride: We met about six or seven years ago when we were both working for a news website called Torontoist – we both worked from home as freelancers, but we first met in person during a bar night at a journalism event. I was seeing someone else at the time, but Steve asked me out almost as soon as he heard I was single.

The first time he kissed me was after a date at a Doctor Who-themed improv show at the Comedy Bar, and we still have the postcard from that comedy show up on our fridge.
Continue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for a Sunshine-Filled Jewish Destination Wedding at Marbella Club, Spain

30/06/2017 by Karen

Grab a suitcase, and some sunscreen (that’s the Jewish mother in us), because we’re heading back to Marbella today for another stunning real wedding in the Spanish sunshine.

Francesca and Mark met in a friend’s kitchen, and it was love at first sight. The pair tied the knot in Marbella, as the Marbella Club is a home away from home for the bride and her family.

The beautiful big day was a proper holiday celebration – with sun, sea and personalized fans for favors. The magical night ended with a spectacular fireworks display – what more could you ask for?

If you wish you had been there, never fear – along with the gorgeous stills by Paul Toeman Photographers, this beautiful video from our much-loved Recommended Vendor, videographer Denee Motion, will make you feel like you were part of the action!

Over to Francesca for the full write up of the moment she and hubby Mark said “I do”!

How we met

Francesca, the bride: The magical day Mark and I met was just before Christmas 10 years ago at a friend’s home. I walked into the kitchen and saw the man of my dreams sitting there. Instantly, sparks flew, and it was love at first sight.

A fairy-light filled Jewish Barn Wedding with a crowd-surfing Enzoani Bride at Tewin Bury Farm, Hertfordshire

19/06/2017 by Karen

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years about Essex couples, it’s that they know how to party – and party is exactly what fun-loving Sammy and Wayne did, with gusto! In fact, they partied so hard to STG Recommended Vendor, Totem‘s, set, that bride Sammy threw caution to the wind, and herself into the arms of her guests, becoming our first crowd-surfing bride!

Sammy, an assistant producer with credits on just about all of your favourite entertainment shows, and Wayne a lettings manager, met as teenagers, and these childhood sweethearts stayed together through thick and thin, tying the knot on their ten-year anniversary.

The pair chose a rustic barn theme, with an abundance of gypsophila and a plethora of twinkling fairy lights, creating an absolutely magical atmosphere.

Sammy looked sensational in her Enzoani gown, and Jenny Packham heels, which she later swapped for embellished, personalized Converse, echoing one of her favorite films, Father of the Bride.

All of the details (including that epic crowd surf) can be seen in much-loved STG Recommended Vendor, Denee Motion‘s, film (below) and the gorgeous images by photographer, Reportage By Limited.

We’ll pass you on to Sammy for the full lowdown on her and Wayne’s special day!

How we met

Sammy, the bride: We went to King Solomon High School in Essex, but Wayne was two school years above me and emigrated from South Africa when he was 14 years old. We never spoke at school.

When I was in sixth form and Wayne was on a gap year before university, we met at a mutual friend’s birthday party in a nightclub. We clicked straight away, and went on our first date a week later.

On our first date, we went to a restaurant where we chatted for five hours, we practically got chucked out of the restaurant as we didn’t want the night to end. The rest, as they say, is history.

Bringing the countryside to the city – a rustic Jewish wedding with a Phillipa Lepley bride at St Pancras Hotel, London, UK

22/05/2017 by Karen

If it’s impractical to have a countryside wedding, there’s one clear solution: bring the countryside to the city – and that’s exactly what rustic-loving couple, Miranda and Gabriel, decided to do.

Their beautiful wedding incorporated elements of farmhouse chic, including doodled dress codes (what a fantastic idea) a multitude of painstakingly collected jam jars, and loose, tumbling floral arrangements – oh, and a Chuppah (designed by the amazing Blue Sky Flowers) to stop you in your tracks. Have you ever seen such a thing of beauty? We are in LOVE!

All of this was lovingly captured by our beloved Recommended Vendor, Ria Mishaal, whose work has graced the pages of STG many times before.

In fact, it was one of her past real weddings, Claudia & Ed, who inspired much of the cast of Miranda and Gabriel’s big day. Miranda actually attended that wedding as a guest, and when she later saw the feature on STG, she knew that she couldn’t go wrong by contacting a few of their vendors!

Miranda and Gabriel ended up using Claudia and Ed’s photographer, planner AND florist, and were delighted with their choices.

There’s so much more to talk about, including the bride’s beautiful Philippa Lepley gown, the couple’s egalitarian ceremony and speeches and the simplification of bridesmaid politics, so we’ll hand over to Miranda to tell you all about it!

How we met

Miranda, the bride: I’m a teacher and Gabriel is a doctor. We met through a fix up – his brother and my sister were friends from university, and my sister passed on my number to Gabriel at a dinner party.

Then, after an awkward phone call, and some unsuccessful attempts at Facebook stalking on my part, we went on a completely blind date (all I had to go on was my sister’s description – “he is extremely tall with large hair”) to the extremely romantic (!) Cottons Rum Shack in Chalk Farm. We met at eight and stayed out until 2am, talking and laughing – it just went from there!