We could not be more delighted to be featuring the gorgeous Jewish wedding of Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Chloe to groom Eli! They crafted the most gorgeous summer garden party celebration – and did it all while Chloe moved halfway across the world from Singapore back to the couple’s shared hometown of Southend in the UK!
They followed their ceremony at Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation, where both families have deep roots, with the most fabulous garden party reception at Rankins Cricket Club, featuring colorful florals, lush green foliage, tons of paper lanterns, and delectable kosher-style cuisine by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Adam Nathan Catering.
The day was captured so exquisitely by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Liam Collard Photography. Chloe and Eli wanted a photographer who could capture all the fun, love, and energy of their big day, and did Liam ever deliver!
We’ll let the bride – who looked so glam in her vintage-style beaded gown by Eliza Jane Howell – fill you in on the rest…
How We Met
Chloe, the bride: I’d been living in Singapore since 2012 and was back in the UK for my cousin’s wedding, my first visit for 2 years thanks to Covid. Montine, Eli’s younger sister, slid into my sister, Fiona’s, Instagram DM’s to see if I’d be interested in going on a date with her eldest brother. I was hesitant at first because I wasn’t living in the same country, but you can’t expect different results from doing the same things, so I took the plunge and responded back with my number to Montine.
Right from the start, I knew Eli was different, his opening text was a great one, a massive attention grabber and so we planned our first date, then another…and on our 3rd date, Eli asked when I was moving home. At the time I felt it was a bit presumptuous, but after 15 months of flying between Singapore and Westcliff, I was making my final descent into Heathrow to start our new life together. On a visit home last summer, 2022, Eli booked us a short getaway to the Isle of Skye.
We spent a wonderful few days foraging, dolphin and puffin spotting, sampling some delicious Scottish fare and generally getting to know each other. On our second to last morning, whilst getting ready for a rainy stroll, he stubbed his toe on the bed, and fell to his knees. The next thing I knew he rummaged in his pocket and whipped out the most gorgeous ring, and before he could even finish proposing, it was a massive YES from me!
