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Home > The Happy Chuppah People

A Watters Bride for a Summer Colors Jewish Wedding Weekend at Elmore Court, Gloucestershire, UK

06/06/2022 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Over the past months, it’s been so beautiful to see big, festive Jewish weddings coming back. And for so many couples, it’s been all that much sweeter getting to celebrate together with loved ones after spending so much time apart.

That was very much Ilana and Sam’s experience – from day one, their vision included a big, fun party for their nearest and dearest, and while the pandemic certainly added stress and uncertainty to their planning, it made the end result – just three weeks after UK COVID restrictions had been lifted! – that much more meaningful.  

To make the most of having everyone gathered together after so long, Ilana and Sam opted to turn their Sunday wedding into a full-on wedding weekend, renting out a nearby house with both their families to host Saturday welcome drinks and generally get in some extra bonding time.

We also love Ilana and Sam’s “summer colors” theme, beautifully shown in the photos by James Davidson – complete with vibrant pink and orange florals in the bouquets, on the tables, and adorning their beautiful birch chuppah rented from  Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Happy Chuppah People. Speaking of which – note how Ilana and Sam went for flowers just on two corners of the chuppah. This is a great example of how doable it is to incorporate gorgeous florals into your chuppah design without breaking the bank.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave the rest to Ilana, who looked so glam in her gown by Watters…


How we Met

Ilana, the bride and Sam, the groom: We met seven years ago at a house party on a crowded ‘dance floor’ – Sam took Ilana’s number, didn’t text her for a week, then cancelled their first date because he’d started dating someone else. Ilana proposed a friendly coffee instead; Sam upped that with a trip to the Tate Modern. One seven-hour “non-date” later, Sam decided he might want to organise a real date, and the rest is history.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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A Madi Lane Bride for a Rustic and Relaxed Backyard Jewish Wedding in London, UK

25/03/2022 by Karen Cinnamon

Sara-Jason-private-residence-London-UK

There’s something so special about a backyard Jewish wedding. That personal touch of making things official in your family home – there’s nothing like it. Even though today’s couple, Sara, a speech and language therapist, and Jason, a payments manager, didn’t initially plan to hold their wedding in the bride’s parent’s garden – their pre-pandemic plan A was Israel – in the end their day turned out to be everything they could’ve hoped for and then some.

Due to the pandemic, Sara and Jason kept the ceremony and dinner to just immediate family, and then invited a handful of close friends to join afterward for dancing and late-night snacks. Working with a fabulous team of vendors, the pair transformed the garden into the perfect rustic retreat, adorned with flowers and candles and all kinds of soft romantic touches.

Sara and Jason’s chuppah, rented from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Happy Chuppah People (who they found right here on STG!), was the perfect cornerstone for their rustically romantic aesthetic. They opted for “The Finchley,” built on natural branches that looked as if they were just growing out of the garden.

The couple report that one of the best decisions they made in their wedding planning was working with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Events with Grace as their on-the-day coordinator. Grace helped keep things organized during the last month of planning, and on the day she made sure everything ran smoothly and took the pressure off Sara and Jason and their families.

Scroll through Megan Donati Photography’s beautiful imagery and you’ll see what an absolute dream of a day this turned out to be. We’ll let Sara take it from here…

Sara-Jason-private-residence-London-UK Sara-Jason-private-residence-London-UK Sara-Jason-private-residence-London-UK Sara-Jason-private-residence-London-UK
How We Met

Sara, the bride: We first spoke on an Aish trip when were 17. We had actually met a year earlier but I had forgotten on the trip. Jason came up to me and started talking like we were old friends. I wasn’t sure at first but on the trip we became friendly. When we got home, we started a long-distance friendship. The rest is history; we dated for 4 years long distance until Jason made the move to Essex.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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A Caroline Castigliano Bride for a Jewish Wedding Bringing the Outside In at Manor of Groves, Hertfordshire, UK

06/12/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

Emma & Nate, Manor of Groves, Hertfordshire, UK

Dreaming of an outdoor Jewish wedding but nervous about unpredictable weather? How about making it official in a glass-walled and roofed, sundrenched conservatory? That’s what Anna, a therapist, and Nate, who works in the life sciences industry, did when they chose the Manor Suite at the Manor of Groves, Hertfordshire, as their venue – and we’re in love with the results!

The pair’s big day truly felt like it brought the outdoors in – and the couple played it up even further by choosing a color scheme of green, white, and yellow, reflecting the verdant surroundings visible outside. The natural florals and birch chuppah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Happy Chuppah People – adorned with wild-looking greenery and florals – completed the look. Matt Heath Photography did a perfect job capturing the natural vibes of the day – not to mention the fabulous light!

We’re also in love with Anna’s gorgeous, classic gown from Caroline Castigliano, which she wore with an added lace topper for the chuppah. We could go on and on, but we’ll let the bride take it from here…

Emma & Nate, Manor of Groves, Hertfordshire, UK Emma & Nate, Manor of Groves, Hertfordshire, UK Emma & Nate, Manor of Groves, Hertfordshire, UK Emma & Nate, Manor of Groves, Hertfordshire, UK

How we Met

Anna, the bride: We first met on Jswipe in January 2017 where we had our first date at Doodle Bar in London. We drew a portrait together on the chalk walls where Nate drew himself and I drew me and it formed one face. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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A David’s Bride for a Colorful Jewish Wedding with Handmade Touches at Maiden’s Barn, Chelmsford, UK

15/11/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

Sophie-Josh-Maidens-Barn-Chelmsford-UK

We’re so thrilled to be featuring the beautiful Jewish wedding of our beloved Brides Club member Sophie today! Sophie married Josh in a colorful, exuberant barn wedding with some wonderful handmade touches – and lots of inspo from her fellow Brides Club members!

In Sophie’s own words, “Brides Club was totally invaluable to me! The introduction videos about where to start and guides such as ‘Questions to ask your Venue’ were excellent resources… It’s also been lovely connecting with other brides and making new friends around the world!”

Brides Club even inspired one of Sophie’s very coolest DIY touches: hand-crocheting ALL of her wedding kippot! Inspired by another member of the group, Sophie lovingly handcrafted kippot in fuchsia, orange, yellow and lilac to hand out on the day – which also became lovely keepsakes for guests to take home with them!

Sophie and Josh also found their chuppah supplier, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Happy Chuppah People, through Brides Club. They opted to rent the large Finchley chuppah, and didn’t it look just perfect in their rustic barn venue? Don’t miss it in Amanda Ward’s wonderful photos!

The pair also opted to work with another beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, Toastmaster Jango, and they call booking him “one of the best decisions we made.” Jango “made us feel at ease from the first conversation and told us how he’d look after us as if it was his own children’s wedding” – and it goes without saying that he kept the day running smoothly so the bride and groom could enjoy their wedding stress-free.

Sophie and Josh added so many other fun touches to their big day – we love that they had a sweet cart in honor of Josh owning a real-life sweetshop, and how cute is it that instead of a guest book the couple asked their guests to fill in ‘Tips for the Newlyweds’ cards?! – but we’ll leave it to the bride, who looked beautiful in her David’s Bridal gown, the rest…

Sophie-Josh-Maidens-Barn-Chelmsford-UK Sophie-Josh-Maidens-Barn-Chelmsford-UK Sophie-Josh-Maidens-Barn-Chelmsford-UK Sophie-Josh-Maidens-Barn-Chelmsford-UK
How we Met

Sophie, the bride: We met on J-Swipe at the end of June 2017 when Josh was working as a sports journalist and I was working for a gift experience company. As he told everyone during his wedding speech, he was sitting on the toilet when he first saw me and decided to swipe right!

We went on our first date on 1st July 2017 and decided to meet at dinosaur crazy golf in North London. This turned out to be a great first date as it was relaxed and fun without any awkward silences! After I beat him, we decided we wanted to continue getting to know each other and drove to a pub for drinks which then turned into dinner!

We played “Who Jew you know” and surprisingly we had no mutual friends! However, after a few dates my mum was questioning me about my new mystery man and it turns out she used to work with his dad!

A few months after we met, Josh had a career change and now owns an old-fashioned sweet shop in a shopping centre and I work as an assistant to an account manager.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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Whimsical Country House Jewish Wedding Inspo at Hylands Estate, Essex, UK

15/07/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

There’s nothing like finding an undiscovered gem of a Jewish wedding venue – and even more so when it’s under an hour from London! We’re so glad Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Michelle Jacobs of Elegante by Michelle J – the organizer behind this gorgeous shoot – took some of her pandemic downtime to scout out gorgeous Hylands Estate in Essex. 

As of yet, it’s not really on the Jewish wedding radar – but we’re guessing that’ll change fast after these stunning images go out into the world. Hylands was truly the perfect setting for this beautiful, whimsical shoot, which brought together an amazing team, including Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors photographer Claudine Hartzel, bridal boutique Morgan Davies Bridal, stationer Dimitria Jordan, makeup artist Katy Angelidi, chuppah supplier The Happy Chuppah People, florist Gabriella Shemtov Floral, harpist Noa Davies, and Judaica purveyor Contemporary Judaica.

When Michelle discovered Hylands Estate, she was surprised it hadn’t yet made its way onto the Jewish wedding scene, since it ticks so many boxes for couples looking for a dreamy English countryside wedding. Between the exquisitely renovated stately manor house, breathtaking grounds, availability for dry hire (which means you can bring in your own kosher caterer) and convenient location in Chelmsford, just 45 minutes from North London, what’s not to love?

And speaking of things to love – we are totally and completely obsessed with this stunner of an Ersa Atelier wedding gown provided by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Morgan Davies Bridal. 

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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