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Home > EYI Love

A Suzanne Neville Bride for an Elegant Winter Jewish Micro Wedding with a Wild Backstory at Down Hall Hotel & Spa, Essex, UK

11/06/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

Rafaela-Dan-Down-Hall-Hotel-Spa-in-Essex

By now we’ve heard lots of incredible pandemic wedding stories, but we’re pretty sure Brides Club member Rafaela, and Dan’s takes the (wedding) cake. These two had originally planned a big black-tie wedding at another venue for April 2020 – until COVID got in the way. They initially deciding to postpone for a year, but with Dan’s dad being terminally ill and his health declining, Rafaela and Dan ended up pushing their date forward by three months – and planning their intimate December 2020 wedding with just two weeks’ notice!

You might think that’s enough drama for one wedding – but it doesn’t stop there! With just 48 hours to go, the couple’s original venue had to cancel on them due to changes to the UK’s regional tiering system. Several frantic phone calls later, Rafaela and Dan secured a new venue, Down Hall Hotel & Spa, located in an area with lighter COVID restrictions, just 24 hours before the chuppah!

It was a tight turnaround, but the hotel’s incredible staff and the couple’s vendor team made it happen – you’d never know from Joab Smith’s absolutely stunning photos that it all happened at the very last minute!

There were a few hiccups along the way – not the least of which being that on the morning of her wedding, Rafaela was left without a hair stylist and makeup artist! Luckily, as a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club, Rafaela was able to muster Brides Club’s collective resources to secure the perfect last-minute booking. And as Rafaela transitioned her wedding from spring to winter, a fellow Brides Club member lent out her bridal fur shawl to keep Rafaela warm and in style during the outside photos – how incredible is that?! Don’t miss the ultra-emotional trailer from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion, who is so beloved by our Brides Club members – and for very good reason!

Speaking of which… if you’re feeling in need of a little guidance as you navigate your big day, reserve your spot for Smashing The Glass’s virtual Jewish Wedding Planning Party today! There’ll be partying, presents, and music, plus our founder Karen Cinnamon will be on hand to help you figure out everything from making the most of your budget to dealing with challenging family dynamics and beyond  – and to answer any and every question you might have.

There’s so much more we could say about this unbelievable wedding – like, how amazing is Rafaela and Dan’s chuppah? And how exquisite does Rafaela look in her Suzanne Neville gown?! – but we’ll let the bride take it from here…

Rafaela-Dan-Down-Hall-Hotel-Spa-in-Essex Rafaela-Dan-Down-Hall-Hotel-Spa-in-Essex Rafaela-Dan-Down-Hall-Hotel-Spa-in-Essex Rafaela-Dan-Down-Hall-Hotel-Spa-in-Essex
How we Met

Rafaela, the bride: I am from Brazil and moved to the UK around 15 years ago, where we met! We have been together around 4 years and despite having grown up in different parts of the world, we are both very similar and have many mutual interests! Dan proposed from a helicopter in the summer of 2018 and we were wedding planning ever since! Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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Coming Together in the Face of Coronavirus: #STGvendors Helping #STGbrides

08/04/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

Mayan and Mola’s micro Jewish wedding in the face of COVID-19 | Photo by Jossef Si

In these uncertain times, one thing we’re finding really comforting is seeing how all strands of the wedding community are coming together to support each other. We see it every single day in our Brides Club, and we’re seeing it in all the new initiatives our wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors have come up with to help couples whose weddings have been affected by the pandemic.

A digital change-of-date design by Liv & Luc

There’s no denying that this is a challenging time, but the outpouring of generosity we’re seeing these days is so heartwarming, and we want to share with you some of the creative ways vendors are working to help couples make the best of this difficult situation.

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Kristin and Bryan‘s ketubah by The Ketubah  | Photo by Perfect Circle Photography

Change the Date

A stunning suite of wedding stationery by E.Y.i. LOVE

If coronavirus has forced you to postpone your wedding, you may as well inform your guests in style. And luckily, a bunch of our wonderful stationers agree – and they want to help!

E.Y.i. LOVE – one of the finest bespoke luxury wedding stationers around – are offering a free digital design service to couples who need to let guests know they’ve been forced to postpone their weddings. If that’s you, get in touch at info@eyilove.com.

How cheery is this floral change of date card from Papier?!

Papier has a wonderful range of change-of-date or postponement cards – whatever your style, whether sleek and modern, whimsical, using a photo from your engagement shoot – they’ve really got all tastes catered for.

Liv & Luc are also providing complimentary digital save-the-date designs. They’ll pop your names and date into one of four gorgeous templates, and you can even mix and match your preferred colors and fonts. If you’d like one, get in touch and they’ll get you set up.

Malka Klein has created a free digital file for couples to download to announce that they’re rescheduling or postponing their weddings, and she’ll even add your names in calligraphy.

Dresses at Your Doorstep

A Berta gown from The Wedding Club | Photo by David Pullum from Salena and Stefan’s wedding 

The Wedding Club, one of London and Birmingham’s very finest bridal boutiques – and a favorite among STG brides -have made a selection of sample sale dresses available for delivery right to your doorstep, available to purchase via email – perfect for any bride finding herself in need of a dress ASAP during this time of self-isolation whether it’s due to manufacturing delays or because you’ve had to move your wedding date up. The range of gowns on offer includes pieces from Pronovias, Berta, and many, many more. For more info and to see the styles and sizes currently available, email appointmentsbham@thewedding-club.co.uk

Take Away, but Make It Gourmet

Adam Nathan’s delectable canapés for Bethany and Gavin‘s wedding | Photo by Voyteck

Adam Nathan Catering – one of our very favorite London-based kosher-style caterers – has risen to the present challenge of, in his own words, “having to create new businesses overnight” by temporarily pivoting from events catering to home delivery. Yes, this London-based kosher-style caterer is now bringing his delectable Middle Eastern-inflected dishes right to your (UK) doorstep – at very reasonable prices. And it’s all kosher-style (so no meat+dairy), using kosher meat. Plus, everything’s freezable, so you can buy in bulk and save for later.

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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

13/01/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

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_0103 Jewish wedding Merrydale Manor which is a new venue in Knutsford, Cheshire_0103 Jewish 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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Everything You Need to Know about Jewish Wedding Stationery {With Jack McGinnigal of EYI Love}

10/12/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

I’m so excited to share with you my latest Facebook Live with the incredible Jack McGinnigal of luxury design and print studio EYI Love. EYI Love, which Jack runs with his wife Lorna, have been translating their respective engineering and fashion backgrounds into memorable, modern stationery design since 2010. They adore Jewish weddings, and work with Jewish couples all over the world from their home base in Glasgow – including many happy STG brides!

Jack and I chatted about all things Jewish wedding stationery, from timings to aesthetics, and if I say so myself we created some excellent content. If you’ve still got decisions about wedding stationery to make, this Live is truly not to be missed. 

 

Wedding invitation suite of fab wedding planner and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rachel Flax – wedding coming soon to STG!

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A St. Patrick Bride for a Wes Anderson-Inspired Jewish Wedding at Finca Villa Palma, Marbella, Spain

22/11/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

We don’t know what we love more about today’s gorgeous Jewish wedding, the Wes Anderson-inspired dusty pink color scheme and fun touches (think churro station!), or the meaningful, personal ceremony Claudia, a solicitor, and Marc, a dental therapist and property developer (he featured on an episode of Homes Under the Hammer), put together.

It’s hard to go wrong with a quintessentially Marbella venue like Finca Villa Palma – we’re talking palm trees, ocean vibes, and mountain views galore – but these two really took it to the next level with design touches like luxe blush pink and gold foil invitations from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor EYI LOVE, one of the very best luxury design and print studios in the business. Claudia and Marc can’t stop raving about the unique design and the high quality.

And we love that these two made sure their ceremony was a true reflection of who they are as a couple – for example, instead of Claudia circling Marc seven times as is traditional, each of them circled the other three times, and then they made a final circle together. And Claudia used her grandma’s wedding ring under the chuppah – so special!

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Bloomfield Photography captured all the details and emotion of this magical day so perfectly – we’re totally obsessed with their incredible photos. And they also connected the couple to their wonderful videographer, Reece Iveson.

Now over to the bride, who looked luminous in her St Patrick dress…

Jewish Wedding Finca Villa Palma in Marbella Spain_0029 Jewish Wedding Finca Villa Palma in Marbella Spain_0029 Jewish Wedding Finca Villa Palma in Marbella Spain_0029 Jewish Wedding Finca Villa Palma in Marbella Spain_0029
How We Met

Claudia, the bride: Marc and I met while I was living in London and Marc was living in Manchester. We went to a New Year’s Eve party with some mutual friends and things just went from there. We then did long distance for 3 years before I finally moved up to Manchester around 5 years ago!

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