Mirror Mirror bridal boutique Archives - Smashing the Glass

The Hottest Wedding Dress Trends for 2019 /2020 {Live from Mirror Mirror}

10/03/2019 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

I’ve got an absolutely INCREDIBLE Facebook Live coming up for you this Wednesday 13 March: I’ll be going live with wonderful Maria Yiannikaris and Jane Nicolls, the owners of Mirror Mirror – one of the most gorgeous, most luxe bridal boutiques in the UK (and a much-loved Recommended Vendor) – and designers of Mirror Mirror Couture, their exquisite in-house bridal line.

Photo by Muse Motion Pictures

Maria and Jane will be showcasing the new Mirror Mirror Couture collection, and filling us in on the hottest luxury wedding dress trends for 2019/20.

Photo by Anna Fowler

A Nurit Hen Bride for a City Chic Urban Jewish Wedding at 8 Northumberland, London, UK

01/03/2019 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

We knew we were going to love Francesca and Brad’s London Jewish wedding the moment we learned the couple found inspiration for their gorgeous white floral chuppah (the perfect place to put their Smash Glass pouch to use) right here on STG – do these two know the way to a wedding blogger’s heart, or what?!

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Francesca, who works in finance as head of customer service, and Brad, who works for Linzi, his family’s shoe business, worked with some of our very favorite Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors, from the wonderful Mirror Mirror, where the bride found her fishtail Nurit Hen gown, to powerhouse band Totem – as Francesca says, “no one gets a party started like they do”!

And then there’s the couple’s wedding planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rachel Flax. She brought their dreams of a fresh white ballroom aesthetic to life – and, even more importantly, took the stress right out of planning. So much so that Francesca’s top tip for other couples planning weddings is “get a Rachel Flax”!

Oh.. and did we mention that we love how these two met?! You never know where love is going to strike you…

Photographer Benjamin Toms and videographer AtMotion captured all the excitement of the big day so perfectly – read on for all the fun details from Francesca!

How we met

Francesca, the bride: We had always known each other from school although we were in different years, but we met and started talking in a Tesco car park on my 17th birthday and have been inseparable ever since.

Real Jewish Brides: Mimi Finds Her Perfect Dress

12/02/2019 by Smashing The Glass

Mimi will be marrying Andrew on 7th July 2019 at Hazel Gap Barn in Welbeck, Nottinghamshire, UK. Click here to read all Mimi’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: THREE FACTS: (1) Mimi and Andrew met online in 2013. (2) Mimi is a flight attendant and writes her own travel and beauty blog on the side (3) Andrew proposed to Mimi, who at the time was nearing the completion of her conversion to Judaism, at the top of Masada – wow!

Not as easy as I thought

I’m going to put it out there – finding ‘the dress’ may have been harder than finding the man I’m marrying. I’d always looked forward to the day I could officially admire all of the dresses in Brides magazine with a purpose (rather than sneakily flicking through it pre-engagement) and the host of happy boutique appointments that would surely follow.

However, post-engagement I found that wedding dress shopping was not as fun as shows such as Say Yes to The Dress make out. There was no ‘THIS IS THE ONE’ moment surrounded by a gaggle or crying bridesmaids or total joy when I tried on the dress of my dreams. I had imagined my closest friends and family, all sinking into a velvet sofa, glass of champagne in hand and teary eyed as I emerged from the dressing room looking like Kate Middleton.

Instead, it was 3 months of back to back appointments, 18 different store visits, and what felt like 1000 teeny tiny sample sized dresses. At one point, I remember being stood on a box in the most ridiculous dress I had ever seen, only to learn that the price – should I want to buy such a hideous dress – was just short of £11K. Wow.

Image by Signe Dzile Photography from Jade and Andy’s wedding

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

18/01/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

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…

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!

A Gemy Maalouf Bride for a City Chic Jewish Wedding at Plaisterers’ Hall, One London Wall, London, UK

26/11/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

It’s no secret that it gets us pretty excited to hear how couples have used Smashing The Glass to help them plan their own Jewish (or Jew-ish weddings). So you can only imagine the warm and fuzzies it gave us to read these lovely words from today’s beautiful bride (and member of Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club!) Aimee:

“We really wouldn’t have known where to start planning our wedding without Karen and Smashing The Glass. We used lots of STG Recommended Vendors and they were all incredible!”

Aww, we think you’re incredible too, Aimee! She and Ross planned the most fantastic day, and we’re so touched to have been a part of it. From the bride’s totally exquisite lace Gemy Maalouf gown from much beloved STG Recommended Vendor Mirror Mirror London – it’s really unlike any other we’ve seen – to the lovely flowers (including succulents – how cool!) from STG Recommended Vendor The Country Flower Company to the elegant wedding stationery, complete with personalized wax seal, from STG Recommended Vendor Dimitria Jordan.

We’re always excited when a wedding with STG Recommended Vendor XS Showband crosses our path, and today’s is no exception. We’re delighted (but not surprised) to hear that they were incredibly helpful to Aimee and Ross throughout the planning, and we LOVE that the couple had one of the band members sing the prayers during their ceremony.

Even more STG-sourced vendors captured the day in all its glory: STG Recommended Vendor David Morgan took the coolest photos – we can’t get enough of his modern style – and STG Recommended Vendor Denee Motion’s wedding trailer is pure cinematic splendor, as always!

Okay, now we’ll hand you over to our new BFF Aimee…

How we met

Aimee, the bride: We first met on the same family holiday. We were both on the same cruise with our families and were introduced. However, I was quite shy and we didn’t talk too much!

Once back it turned out that I was joining Ross’ sixth form and we ended up in many of the same classes. In our second year we started dating and have been together ever since. 9 years later Ross proposed in our flat and here we are 11 months later… MARRIED!