The Grove Hotel wedding venue Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for a Modern Rustic Jewish Wedding at The Grove Hotel, Chandler’s Cross, Hertfordshire, UK

07/06/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

It’s always a special day when we get to blog the real Jewish wedding of one of our wonderful Brides Club members, and today it’s Sami’s turn!.

Sami and Toby (#happilywebberafter) had the most wonderful big day, and we’re so thrilled to be able to share it with you. We’re also totally blushing at Sami’s kind words about the club:

“It was so heart-warming to have lots of lovely ladies around you sharing the build up and excitement. I feel like it is one big family and everyone wants the best for everyone else and their wedding!”

We think Brides Club is pretty special too – and the doors are open for new members to join (we now have almost 200 members!). Do come on in and join us too! If you’re planning a Jewish or Jew-ish wedding, it’s truly an incredible resource and community and we are offering 30 free days to every bride-to-be if you join before this Monday 11 June!

But back to Sami’s wonderful wedding – we’re pretty jazzed that she and Toby worked with so many of our very favourite UK-based Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors, from the amazing Jonny Mosesson, who sang during the chuppah (and we totally agree with Sami’s description of him as having the voice of an angel!) to The Function Band, who created an electric atmosphere that kept everyone dancing from start to finish, and videographer Denee Motion, who not only captured the emotion and energy of the wedding so perfectly (don’t miss their trailer!) but also developed a wonderful friendship with the couple over the buildup to their wedding.

We’re thrilled that Sami had a fantastic experience shopping for her Monique Lhuillier gown at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Wedding Club – she’d had a preventative double mastectomy prior to the wedding, so it wasn’t a given that wedding dress shopping would be smooth sailing. In fact, Sami’s experience was so wonderful that since the big day she’s left her old job in fashion buying to work for The Wedding Club, where she’s now store manager and runs operations for both of their London boutiques!

As joyful as this wedding was, the fact that Sami’s mum tragically passed away from cancer 5 and a half years prior cast a bittersweet shadow. We love that Toby bought Sami a locket with a photo of her mum to attach to her bouquet so they could still walk down the aisle together – what a meaningful touch.

There’s so much more to this fab celebration, but you’ll have to read Sami’s beautiful writeup (and immerse yourself in Paul Toeman’s wonderful photos) for the rest…

How we met

Sami, the bride: Toby and I met in a club in Birmingham, he was in his first year of university and I was on my gap year. We got on straight away, although at the time I was with somebody else. It started as an incredibly strong friendship, and after a year and a half (by which time my other relationship had ended), it turned into love, and we haven’t looked back since.

A Suzanne Neville Bride for a Flower-Forward Jewish Wedding with the Ultimate Floral Chuppah at The Grove, Chandlers Cross, UK

25/06/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Um, wow. Just when we think we’ve seen it all when it comes to floral chuppah design, we’re proven wrong. Just look at this floral chuppah of dreams. Jaw-on-the-floor WOW!

Flowers were top priority for bride Natasha, who works in the diamond industry, and her groom, Charles, a solicitor. And it shows. The couple turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Mary Jane Vaughan to realize their vision of an indoor spring garden, and did she ever!

She’s the visionary behind that chuppah — which is truly a floral fantasy, between the blossoms wrapped around the columns and the wisteria hanging from the canopy.

Their chuppah is pretty unbeatable, and the flowers they had for the reception hit the spot too. And all of it was captured so beautifully by yet another Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, the AMAZING Imaginarium Cinematography on film (below), with Chiko Photography on stills.

If flowers were priority #1, then food came in as a close second. Another incredible STG Recommended Vendor, Food Story created a menu including the likes of beef carpaccio with yuzu and pistachio (!) a totally different class to your standard kosher wedding fare. And don’t even get us started on the donut wall (we LOVE a donut wall!).

One last thing we loved about this fab day is the way Natasha got two totally different looks out of her classic strapless Suzanne Neville gown by pairing it with a demurely elegant Sassi Holford jacket for the chuppah (also handily keeping her shoulders covered).

If you love the idea of separate dresses for the ceremony and reception but don’t necessary have the budget for it, this is such a smart way to mix up your style throughout the day. Okay, now over to the bride, gorgeous Natasha…

How we met

Natasha, the bride: We met through Jcrush! We had never met before but have many weird connections! One of Charles’s best friends happened to be my cousin! We both attended my cousin’s bar mitzvah at 13 years old, and my sister and Charles’s brother were friends, having met on Israel tour together when they were younger!

A Romantic Jewish Wedding Bringing the Outside Inside, at The Grove, Hertfordshire, UK

16/06/2017 by Karen

Every marriage faces its tests, but for Jenna and Nick, their dedication to one another was tested very early on in the relationship, when Jenna faced medical and family hardships – and Nick proved to be her rock, and a total keeper.

One conversion later, and Nick, now a fully fledged member of the tribe, and Jenna, said “I do” in front of their nearest and dearest. His moving wedding speech can be heard in the special stills video below by much-loved Recommended Vendor, Adams Photography, who also shot the wedding in full. Tissues at the ready, guys….

We love the romantic story about how these two chose their dream venue – going on atmosphere and instinct, which proved to be a magical moment in itself.

To mirror the venue’s ethos of ‘bringing the outside inside’, Nick and Jenna did exactly that, creating a bloom-filled dà©cor scheme, with an abundance of delicate gypsophila, soft pink roses and a stunning tree-inspired table plan.

We’ll leave you in Jenna’s capable hands for the full recap, including a fortuitous find at David’s Bridal – clearly this big day was totally meant to be!

How we met

Jenna, the bride: Long-ish story! We met on Plenty of Fish! I basically was unsure, at first, about dating a non-Jewish guy, so I kept Nick a secret until I was sure it was something serious.

A week after Nick and I started talking, I was working on a film in Newcastle, and I slipped on some ice and really hurt my back. I flew back to London (barely able to walk) and went to see a specialist, who told me if I didn’t have surgery the next day, I could be paralysed. The following day I had surgery, and four days later my grandmother passed away.

I was left alone in my hospital bed in London, and Nick was a rock to me during that time. He was so supportive (be it over the phone) and we really got to know each other inside out. I understand it was not the most conventional way of dating, but once I was back on my feet, we met up and it felt like we had known each other for years. It just felt so right.

Six months later, I introduced him to the family. A few months after that, Nick came to me and asked me how I would feel if he was to convert to Judaism. I was really surprised by his question, but also felt a lot of admiration towards him. It was very important to Nick that when we were to have children that we are all on the same page and part of a family unit. Nick spent 18 months converting to Judaism, he learnt Hebrew, he had a circumcision (now that is commitment!) and after all of that lengthy process, Nick is now a proud Jew and I am, of course, very proud of him!