The Dreamcatchers Archives - Smashing the Glass

Get all your burning wedding questions answered in May’s STG Facebook Live Show

30/05/2017 by Karen

Hands up who’s booked a wedding videographer? And who’s still undecided? Whatever your position you’re going to LOVE tomorrow’s Facebook Live over on the Smashing The Glass Facebook page as I’m going to be joined by my great friend and STG Vendor — Adrian Stone from The Dreamcatchers!

Adrian has shot over 800 weddings (that’s over 10,000 hours of wedding footage) and has graced the pages of STG over and over again with his amazing films (including my EPIC 24 hours at The Savoy earlier this year!). He has literally seen anything and everything so feel free to ask him (or me!) any wedding questions you may have,

The show will air live from my home to the Smashing The Glass Facebook page tomorrow, Wednesday 31st May at 8pm GMT (that’s 3pm EST, 12pm PST, and 9pm in Europe).

Adrian and I want to answer ALL your burning wedding questions, big or small. In relation to videography you may be wondering:

Is it worth hiring a professional videographer for your big day and how do you go about finding the best one for you?
What’s the difference between a documentary and a cinematic style?
Is it important to choose a videographer that has shot a wedding at your chosen venue before?
Why do videographers range so much in price?

Adrian and I are ready to help! Just pop over to the STG Facebook page and submit your question(s) as a comment on this thread and we’ll answer as many of them as we can on the show. If you prefer to submit a question by email in advance you can do that too — just shoot me a message to karen@smashingtheglass.com.

In addition, as I do with all the monthly shows, I’ll be giving you the lowdown on what’s been going on behind the scenes at Smashing The Glass this month and let you in on the latest news and gossip from the world of Jewish weddings!

This is the fifth episode of our exciting monthly Facebook Live show especially for the STG worldwide community. The show airs on the last Wednesday of each month on the Smashing The Glass Facebook page at 8pm GMT to coincide with #WeddingWednesday.

Smashing The Glass Takes Over The Savoy For 24 hours

15/02/2017 by Karen

My 24 hours at The Savoy filmed by Adrian Stone of The Dreamcatchers

Happy Wedding Wednesday! To soften the blow as we all come down from our Valentine’s Day highs, I have an exciting post all about my epic, 24-hour takeover of London’s iconic five-star hotel, wedding and events venue, The Savoy.

I also have a rather extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime accompanying competition to win a night for two at the world-famous Savoy, so keep your eyes peeled at the end of this post to make sure you don’t miss out (seriously, this one’s a biggie!).

As I was given a rare, all-access pass to a world-famous institution and the epitome of the lap of luxury (special thanks to Charlotte Faith, the amazing PR manager at The Savoy who arranged this incredible experience), I had a lot of questions — and was, in turn, provided with a plethora of answers, so it’s worth perhaps brewing a cup of tea or coffee before you sit down to read this post as there is so much fabulousness to take in.

Accompanying me were award-winning wedding photographer, Claudine Hartzel and world-class wedding filmmaker, Adrian Stone of The Dreamcatchers. Huge thanks to both of them — for Adrian for his spectacular film right at the top and also the longer (and even more action-packed!) 5 minute version lower down in the competition section). And to the divine Claudine for capturing my stay with her fabulous photos throughout this post and on social media. Thank you to both of them for their excellent company!

A suite with a river view and a second-to-none butler service

On arrival, I checked into my stunning £1,600 a night one-bedroom Edwardian suite with a river view over the Thames, looking out onto London’s much-loved landmarks, where a sumptuous lunch was already laid out for us (as well as fabulous floral arrangements from Savoy Flowers and a Chocolate Delight, which you’ll have to watch the Facebook Live video to truly appreciate). I was then introduced to The Savoy’s head butler, the delightful Sean Davoren.

Suites at The Savoy come with an indescribable 24-hour butler service and now, having said that, I’m going to have to attempt to describe it in a way that does it justice.

Butlers at The Savoy represent a living, breathing definition of customer service. In fact, if you look up ‘customer service’ in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of a smiling Sean Davoren proudly presenting you with a lovingly arranged tray of all of your favourite things.

There’s nothing that a butler at The Savoy can’t manage. They will respond to any request within four minutes, from pressing the dress on your wedding morning to taking care of all the mundane details you don’t want to think about (kind of makes your other half seem obsolete, huh); from drawing you a luxurious, scented bath to sending up a selection of your favourite foods, whether on the menu or not — even packing for you, if you so desire.

This service came in extremely handy when, in all the excitement of getting glammed up for a night at The Savoy’s exceptional restaurants and bars, I actually forgot my pyjamas. It was only getting to bed, past midnight, that I realised.

Despite the antisocial hour, Sean immediately arranged for loungewear from the gym to be sent up to my room and saved the day!

To further illustrate my point: Sean was once asked to provide fresh-from-the-teat goat’s milk to fill a guest’s bath and sent a taxi all the way to Wales to collect it. How’s that for above and beyond?

Hear some more of Sean’s outrageously entertaining butler tales by catching up with our Facebook Live video below!

A Vivienne Westwood bride for a city chic Jewish wedding at The Criterion, London, UK

27/10/2015 by Karen

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m *obsessed* with Vivienne Westwood (I wore a couture design of hers to my brother’s wedding which was the first W Day I ever blogged) so I am super thrilled to be featuring a super glam Vivienne Westwood bride on the blog today — I have SO been waiting for this moment!

And what a stunning bride Ana is – all glowing skin and glossy locks (topped off with an exquisite David Morris tiara). She totally rocks that Vivienne Westwood gown (named ‘Bird of Paradise’), and it’s actually an adaptation of the purple Dita Von Teese Vivienne Westwood wedding dress that was featured in the V&A’s wedding dress exhibition earlier this year.

We also have bridesmaids in Alice Temperley and an equally fashion forward groom in Spencer Hart (my husband’s choice of suit designer for our wedding!).

This W Day is full of fun — from the bridal conga around Eros in Piccadilly Circus to the Scottish-Jewish melding of cultures, and the table centres designed by Ana’s mum. She’s a keen gardener and grew all the flowers for the wedding in the year leading up to it — how wonderful is that? Ana says she really wanted all of the family to play a big part in the wedding day and such a perspective always makes for a fun and inclusive celebration.

So sit back, relax and enjoy this incredible London wedding — not only do I have the breathtaking film for you by much-loved STG sponsor, The Dreamcatchers, but also the gorgeous images by Joshua Tucker. To life!

A Jewish wedding with Scottish influences

Ana, the Bride: Our favourite part of the day was the mix of my Dad’s Scottish blood with Adam’s Jewish Traditional family and a Rabbi we both adore. We really wanted a happy, relaxed, fun party with some dressing up! I think from the fact our friends went on partying until the early hours of the morning means we succeeded.

Debbie & Eyal | A Jewish Turkish lovebird-themed wedding, filled with colour, at The HAC (Honourable Artillery Company), London, UK

01/09/2015 by Karen

It absolutely makes my day when I read that the couple who’s real wedding I’m putting together found their photographer via Smashing The Glass. That’s exactly what Debbie and Eyal did in order to discover the amazing Marianne Chua — and oh my goodness, aren’t Marianne images awesome?

Debbie and Eyal chose a really unusual theme… birds! They both adore our feathered friends so weaved them into their wedding stationery, their guestbooks, on top of their wedding cake, into their ‘nest’-style table centrepieces, and even as dancing props later on in the evening! Such an unexpected theme and so well-executed.

Not surprisingly with Debbie working in events, and Eyal being a theatre lighting designer, there’s a whole heap of personality and creativity flowing throughout the day. From the wedding logo of two birds, sketched by the bride, to their super fun wedding website, to the surprise song and dance performed by friends, to the highly personalised Jewish wedding ceremony punctuated by musical interludes, this W-Day is overflowing with individuality and character.

Debbie’s report is longer than average, there’s no denying it but it’s well worth an in-depth read. Perhaps gawp at the emotive imagery and then come back later for a proper sit down. I’ll admit that parts of Debbie’s report brought me to tears. It’s brilliantly written, straight from the heart, and she gives some of the best advice I’ve ever heard from a bride at the end of the post. An absolute must-read.

By pure coincidence, I also had the pleasure of meeting Debbie in the run-up to her wedding when I was giving a talk at Brides The Show last year. After the talk she came over for a chat to ask my advice on her big day. One of the things she wanted to know was how she could come up with an idea for a meaningful chuppah design. Well, without wanting to pat myself on the back, I must have said something right, as what Debbie and Eyal came up with couldn’t have been more perfect. It’s a great example of how your chuppah canopy can be one of the most meaningful and personal elements of your wedding day. I’ll let Debbie divulge the details — it’s so very special.

Oh, and the wedding film at the end of the post, by The Dreamcatchers is an absolute must-see too. So much love and happiness oozes out of it, I literally found myself gazing at it thinking how lucky I am to be able to watch this breathtaking film as part of my job. Don’t miss it!

Ok lovely Debbie, take it away…

how we met

Debbie, the Bride: I was moving in with two friends, Alma and Shiri (my BridesMates!) who introduced me to Eyal. He helped us move into the flat actually. We were friends for a few months, and got together the day before he went off to South America for almost four months away. Timing! We thought we’d ‘pick up’ when he got back, but in fact we ended up Skype-ing, writing and essentially starting out as a couple. He returned in February 2013 and the rest was history.

Philippa & Andrew | Romantic City Chic Jewish Wedding at the Mandarin Oriental, London

20/12/2013 by Karen

Philippa and Andrew’s big day is the epitome of romantic elegance. The exquisite colour scheme of purples, greys, golds and pastels pervades everything in their wedding; it’s present in Philippa’s luscious bouquet (that frankly looks good enough to eat) and their beautiful dessert table too… right down to the invitations, menus and lighting.

And how gorgeous is our bride, Philippa? Doesn’t her Audrey Hepburn / 50s inspired Stephanie Allin dress look immense? And I am swooning over her awesome Lulu Guinness ‘lips’ bag (her lovely husband actually surprised her with it on the day… so cute)

Anyway I won’t delay you any further; go on check out Philippa and Andrew’s splendid day for yourselves: ogle over the gorgeous imagery by Mark Seymour and, at the end of the post, the wonderfully atmospheric film by The Dreamcatchers.

A BALLROOM VENUE WITH BEAUTIFUL PARK VIEWS
A countryside wedding was our original plan, however this was proving difficult because at the time we had 200 guests to invite. We didn’t want to go to a beautiful countryside manor and have to use a marquee — what’s the point of going to a stunning location to be put in a marquee and have to spend thousands dressing it? So we decided that interior was key and the Mandarin Oriental was the perfect answer. We had the best of both worlds, a beautiful ballroom with Hyde Park literally on your door step.

THEME + STYLE
We went for a ‘romantic and elegant’ theme. Being a makeup artist I love to mood board so this was always going to be a fun task . The colour scheme and the style of the wedding was so important. Purple was the chosen dominant colour used throughout the wedding on the invitations, menus, flowers, ties etc) with greys, golds and different coloured pastels to compliment. The ballroom was dripping in gold and had lots of huge mirrors inside and so the romantic mood was enhanced with soft purple and pink lighting. Candelabras were placed on every other table with a small floral display on top & pastel coloured scattered petals on the mirrored base. The alternate tables had a low flower display with tea lights and scattered petals so not to block anyone’s view. Purple was used throughout the flowers in different shades to enhance and compliment the mood.