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A Louise Marie Bride for a Sunshine Party Jewish Wedding at Finca La Concepcion, Marbella, Spain

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This glorious Jewish wedding in Spain is truly the stuff destination wedding fantasies are made of – and no wonder, given that Charlotte, an EA at a financial services firm, and Simon runs his own business, SB Jewellery, assembled a total dream team to help them pull off planning from abroad.

From Dyana Dessar Simmons and her team at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Optimum Weddings – who led the couple to their jawdroppingly gorgeous venue – to photography by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jeremy Standley and his assistant Ruth Blamire-Brown – who captured everything from that smashing the glass moment to the wild Israeli dancing perfectly – Charlotte and Simon had all the Jewish wedding expertise (not to mention creative talent!) you could ask for.

Getting the Jewish element just right was extra important to these two given that the bride had recently converted to Judaism, and she wanted to make sure her family felt included in the big day despite being new to Jewish weddings.

Happily, these two had a super supportive rabbi, who made sure everyone felt a part of the ceremony – and we love how they made some of our favourite Jewish wedding traditions their own, with lovely touches from a birch chuppah to a beautiful bespoke ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Danny Azoulay that the couple picked out when visiting his shop on a trip to Jerusalem.

Now over to Charlotte, who looked stunning in her bespoke lace gown from Louise Marie…

How we met

Charlotte, the bride: Simon and I met and University of Birmingham both doing a Chemistry degree, it wasn’t until our final year that we got together after being friends from the start.

We had been together 4 years when Simon proposed in the Four Seasons in Johannesburg the first night of our holiday in South Africa just before starting our safari. He arranged the whole thing with the hotel to have our room all decorated and champagne and canapes laid out for us. It was perfect and I really was surprised.

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A Gemy Maalouf Bride for a Destination Jewish Wedding at Villa Tiberio, Marbella, Spain

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Okay, can we talk about beautiful bride Olivia’s AMAZING dress for a quick sec? The elegant plunging neckline, the sleek fit, and, above all, the very modern lace — all trademark Gemy Maalouf.

It’s no surprise she’s a Mirror Mirror bride. One of our favorite bridal boutiques, this London institution — and beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor — is renowned for their wonderful selection and top-notch service (do you see how perfectly that dress fits Olivia?!).

Not that anything about Olivia and Paul’s big day was anything short of extraordinary. The couple’s planner, Dyana Dessar Simmons from STG Recommended Vendor Optimum Weddings, made sure every detail was picture-perfect — and Olivia reports, made their planning “really easy,” even with the wedding being abroad! And STG Recommended Vendor Jeremy Standley took the most incredible photos of the day — he really captures the love between these two, not to mention the dreamy setting.

We especially love Olivia and Paul’s chuppah setup: their stunning floral structure was roofless, meaning it didn’t technically fit the bill, so the pair had four of Paul’s ushers hold a tallit over their heads — no poles, just an edge of the fabric for each usher to hold on to! What a very special, personal way to involve loved ones in the ceremony.

Olivia will fill you in on the rest…

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A Villa in Spain

Olivia, the bride: I picked Villa Tiberio because I thought it was so stunning. I always wanted to get married abroad and because I’ve frequently visited Spain since I was a child it seemed like the best place.

I loved how simple, understated yet timeless the venue was and thought it represented me and Paul well. I actually went to the venue a year and a half before with Paul and I said to him although we weren’t engaged, when we are, we are getting married here! He didn’t have a choice really!

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A Super-Glam Jewish Wedding Fit for a Princess at La Cabane Los Monteros, Spa and Golf Resort, Marbella, Spain

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Jewish Wedding La Cabane Los Monteros, Spa and Golf Resort, Marbella, Spain
If we could make sure that couples take away any one message from reading Smashing The Glass, it would be this: have your wedding your way. We go on about it a lot, but it’s simply the most important thing – and that’s exactly what Lisa and Joey did with their super-glam Jewish destination wedding in Marbella. 

Since childhood, bride Lisa had dreamed of having a real princess dress, and she turned that dream into a reality with a dress so big it needed its own seat on the plane! We definitely approve of those priorities. Lisa pulled the regal look together with perfectly pitched hair and makeup and a beautiful bouquet in her wedding colors of pastel pinks.

There’s no beating a chuppah with a sea view, and Los Monteros Spa and Golf Resort provided the perfect backdrop for the pair’s moving Jewish ceremony. 

Planning a destination wedding can have its challenges, but fortunately wedding planner,  Sunshine Weddings Spain, was on hand to ensure the planning went smoothly, and to introduce the couple to fabulous vendors, such as much-loved incredibly talented STG Recommended vendor, photographer Jeremy Standley.

Live music brought the party to life, with performances from a violinist, saxophonist and drummer keeping the energy high after the Israeli dancing.

We’ll pass you over to Lisa for her highly animated and engaging wedding writeup – please give her a warm, Smashing The Glass welcome

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How we met

Lisa, the bride: Joey and I met nearly 10 years ago… I know, ‘wow’, right?! Soon, we will have been with each other longer than without! We met through friends and haven’t looked back since… apart from to reminisce about how we met and hit it off!

We are definitely two peas in a pod, even to the point where our answers are exactly the same in our Mr and Mrs questions! We definitely could not be without each other and are so excited to spend the rest of our lives together!
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A Pronovias Bride for a Party-Vibe Destination Jewish Wedding with an Epic Chuppah at Finca La Concepcion, Marbella Spain

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Pass us a cocktail, please, it’s Wedding Wednesday and we’re off to sunny Marbella, Spain, to vicariously attend the fabulous, party-vibe wedding of Tamara and Craig!

We love a good Jewish destination wedding, particularly one with such avid attention to detail, and such a STUNNER of a chuppah with a breathtaking view behind it! Would you believe the ceremony took place in a totally made over car park?? We could barely believe it either!

Tamara and Craig really made the most of their incredible location, with a pre-wedding pool party (yes!) and an overall party atmosphere with incredible production: stage sound, a giant screen, lighting, smoke machines, indoor fireworks and LED wrist bands, as well as Magic Mirror selfies! So much fun!

Bride Tamara looked eye-poppingly amazing in her subtly glittering Pronovias gown and trademark Valentino heels – total bridal chic goals!

And the ceremony boasted Moni Tivony from STG Vendor, Totem as chazan, and guests partied all night to sounds by 14-piece band and DJ, Club Live. Tamara even went with the flow and got up to say a few impromptu words. 

Of course, such a fabulous wedding had to involve an incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor. Fabulous photographer Jeremy Standley was on hand to capture the magic, along with Reynard Productions, who provided the heartfelt wedding video below.

Oh and if you’re planning a destination wedding of your own, you must tune into tonight’s Facebook Live at 8pm GMT – it’s a Destination Wedding Q&A special!

We’ll leave you in Tamara’s capable hands now for the full report – we hope you love it as much as we do!

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A destination venue

Tamara, the bride: We got married at Finca La Concepcion in Marbella Spain. We chose Spain, as we wanted to make a whole weekend away for everyone, and we love the sun.

We used the best wedding planner in Marbella — Scott from Sunshine Weddings. The second we saw the venue, we fell in love. It was perfect, but it was also a blank canvas, and we knew exactly how we would style it.  

We also had a pre-wedding pool party at Avanto Beach Club.

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A Destination Jewish Wedding with a Beach Chuppah and Midnight Fire Dancers at Kempinski Hotel, Marbella, Spain

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Perfect clear skies, a deep blue sea and one very happy Jewish couple form the ingredients for today’s gorgeous Marbella real wedding.

Childhood friends, Steph and John, reunited in 2014 and, in the infamous words of one of our favourite movies, Fiddler on the Roof “from such children come other children”. Together they have a gorgeous son, Joey, and their beautiful Spanish wedding consolidated that commitment. 

Their theme was a white wedding with accents of silver and blush in the floral arrangements and bridesmaids’ dresses. The white color scheme added to the serene atmosphere of the day – just look at that chuppah against the beautiful seaside backdrop!

Beautiful bride, Steph, showcased her fabulous tattoos in a stunning lace-illusion Pronovias gown, with old Hollywood hair and makeup completing the look.

The big day ended with a bang – or a blaze, with surprise midnight fire dancers! Fantastic!

Of course, like so many STG weddings, one of our brilliant Recommended Vendors was involved. outstanding photographer, Jeremy Standley, is responsible for the sensational spread of images below. And, if that wasn’t enough, it’s supplemented by an absolutely sensational, atmospheric and beautifully filmed wedding video by Antonio de Perez.

We’ll leave you in Steph’s capable hands now for all of the divine details – over to Steph!

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How we met

Steph, the bride: I’m from Manchester originally, and my mum knew John’s mum, Pauline from before we moved to Spain. They actually lived on the next road from me, and our sisters were friends!

I was up in Manchester for a wedding in 2014 with my mum and dad, and we bumped into Pauline in a shop, having lost touch for years. They suggested we should meet up for a drink sometime, and it all happened from there! Continue ReadingContinue Reading