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A Groundbreaking Same-Sex Orthodox Jewish Wedding with Tons of Personal Touches at Rochdale Town Hall, UK

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Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK

We have a really special Jewish wedding to share with you today! London couple Jay, who runs a scientific consultancy business, and Michael, a chartered accountant working in risk management, were the first same-sex couple to be married by an Orthodox rabbi in the UK, and we are here for it!

It’s so exciting to see the rise of same-sex Orthodox Jewish weddings, and we loved hearing about how Jay and Michael crafted their entirely bespoke halachic ceremony. When the pair were planning their wedding, they joined our Brides Club (yes, guys can join too!), and we’re so thrilled to hear how much they valued our own Karen Cinnamon’s advice throughout the process.  

Jay and Michael’s wedding was absolutely chock full of wonderful personal touches. For starters, inspired by their shared love of musical theatre, Jay and Michael commissioned a wedding booklet designed to replicate the Playbill programs distributed in Broadway theatres, featuring illustrations of the couple in their wedding attire, a “cast list,” and a five-act synopsis of their love story. Don’t miss it in the wonderful documentary-style photos by David Stubbs!

And we love that Jay and Michael chose a ten-piece band (accompanied by a chuppah singer) from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Twentysomethings for their entertainment. The couple loved working with the band, and they couldn’t get enough of the Israeli dancing set. Also, how awesome is it that their first dance was to Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis in Yiddish, sung by one of the pair’s best women, accompanied by the band?!

There are so many more wonderful details of this beautiful and meaningful day – read on for the full story in the grooms’ own words…

Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK

How We Met

We met thanks to the “shadchan of the 21st century”, the dating app Hinge.

Our early romance was complicated by geography, as Jay was dividing his time between London, Vienna and Jerusalem. Our first date took place at Tuk Tuk in London, but despite the initial spark, the practical challenges made us doubt that the relationship would develop further. An unexpected encounter at Hendon Central tube station set the relationship back on track and we both took this as a sign not to give up.

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A Sassi Holford Bride for a Bright and Colorful Jewish Wedding at The Queen’s Hotel, Leeds, UK

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Millie and Josh, Queen's Hotel, Leeds, UK

Some weddings just exude Jewish joy – and that’s absolutely the case for Millie and Josh’s colorful celebration in Leeds!

The couple’s vision for the their big day was bright and fun, with a relaxed and upbeat feel, and between their bright floral chuppah, hot pink bridesmaid dresses, and flower clouds floating over the dance floor they absolutely nailed it! Don’t miss all the joyful details in the pics by David Stubbs Photography.

An epic party vibe was key for Millie and Josh, and to make sure they got it right they opted to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Sensation Band. In Millie’s words,

The atmosphere was unmatched! The dancefloor was never empty! They did amazing sets throughout the meal, and had all our guests on their chairs for the main course! Guy Barzily took everyone’s breath away throughout our chuppah, and it was such an emotional special moment.

Read on for all the fabulous details in the bride’s own words!

Millie and Josh, Queen's Hotel, Leeds, UKMillie and Josh, Queen's Hotel, Leeds, UKMillie and Josh, Queen's Hotel, Leeds, UKMillie and Josh, Queen's Hotel, Leeds, UKHow We Met

Millie, the bride: Josh and I have a bit of a history, dating when we were 16 and 17 for a year. Then having nearly 7 years apart and other relationships getting back together once we both graduated uni. We had zero contact in those years. I was travelling with friends in 2018, and one of them drunkly forced me to add him on snapchat! The rest was history. Nearly 4 years on we got engaged and 5 years on married. We now live in Manchester, I work in marketing for a financial services company and Josh is a Chartered Surveyor.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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

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Jewish wedding Merrydale Manor which is a new venue in Knutsford, Cheshire_0103
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…


Jewish wedding Merrydale Manor which is a new venue in Knutsford, Cheshire_0103Jewish wedding Merrydale Manor which is a new venue in Knutsford, Cheshire_0103Jewish wedding Merrydale Manor which is a new venue in Knutsford, Cheshire_0103
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!

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