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A Magical Jewish Wedding at Sefton Park Palm House, Liverpool, UK

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Alex and Mark, Sefton Park Palm House, Liverpool, UK

Today’s Jewish wedding takes us to one of Liverpool’s most magical venues: Sefton Park Palm House. For bride Alex, a physiotherapist, and groom Mark, an optician, this iconic glasshouse had always been a dream setting – and it’s not hard to see why.

With its soaring Victorian glass, lush greenery, and light-filled botanical beauty, the Palm House has that rare quality of feeling both grand and intimate at the same time. It made the most breathtaking backdrop for Alex and Mark’s chuppah, and later transformed into the perfect space for an unforgettable reception.

Music was a huge part of the atmosphere, and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Twentysomethings absolutely delivered. From Jesse singing the couple’s dream songs at the chuppah to keeping the energy going all night long, the band helped create the most incredible party atmosphere.

We’re also so delighted to feature the beautiful work of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kate Swerdlow, who captured the day so perfectly. With her deep knowledge of Jewish weddings, Kate knew exactly where to be for every key moment – from the emotion of the chuppah to all the joy of the evening that followed.

Now over to gorgeous bride Alex…

Alex and Mark, Sefton Park Palm House, Liverpool, UK Alex and Mark, Sefton Park Palm House, Liverpool, UK Alex and Mark, Sefton Park Palm House, Liverpool, UK Alex and Mark, Sefton Park Palm House, Liverpool, UK

How We Met

Alex, the bride: Mark and I met on J Swipe.

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An Ultra-Personal Chanukah Jewish Wedding Micklefield Hall, Hertfordshire, UK

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Ella and Aaron, Micklefield Hall, Rickmansworth, United Kingdom

We love a Chanukah wedding, and Ella and Aaron’s is one of the best we’ve seen! Their vision for their winter Jewish wedding was “twinkly winter wonderland with lots of doughnuts, latkes and joy,” and they worked with the most talented team – including a number of beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors – to bring it to life.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Uptown Events planned the day to perfection, recommending vendors – including the couple’s stunning venue, Micklefield Hall, after their original location fell through – and making sure everything ran smoothly on the day. They also guided Ella and Aaron to choose a DJ Live act when it came to entertainment – and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Twentysomethings ended up being “such a hit that they’ve since become the unofficial band for our whole group, with two other couples booking them since!”

Ella and Aaron made all the stationery themselves (with their small business It IS Personal) – including the most adorable dreidel-shaped reserved seating signs and matchbox place cards in honor of Chanukah. Also perfectly on theme? The duo’s wedding menu, which included latkes, a full salt beef bar, and savoury pulled beef doughnuts (in addition to the sweet kind). Don’t miss all the fabulous details in the exquisite photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Claudine Hartzel, who captured all the emotion and joy of the day so beautifully.

Another Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, Carmel Designs, painted the couple’s wonderful custom ketubah, merging their vision for a design in keeping with their rustic wedding vibes, incorporating the Tree of Life and reflecting Ella and Aaron’s love of animals.

Read on for the full story in Ella’s own words…

 

Ella and Aaron, Micklefield Hall, Rickmansworth, United Kingdom Ella and Aaron, Micklefield Hall, Rickmansworth, United Kingdom Ella and Aaron, Micklefield Hall, Rickmansworth, United Kingdom Ella and Aaron, Micklefield Hall, Rickmansworth, United Kingdom

How We Met

Ella, the bride: We met the way so many modern couples do these days – on good old Hinge! We first met in June 2022, when Aaron was finishing his teacher training year, and Ella was working at her local synagogue. Aaron is now Pastoral and Wellbeing Manager at his old Jewish secondary school, and Ella works as Children and Family Educator at the synagogue we’ve joined together, while training to be a therapist. Our professions are an example of how well our values align – something we were both aware of when we met, and is one of the many reasons we instantly clicked and fell for each other so quickly! Not even a month into dating, we’d booked our first holiday to Israel together for Chanukah that year.

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A Groundbreaking Same-Sex Orthodox Jewish Wedding with Tons of Personal Touches at Rochdale Town Hall, UK

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Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK

We have a really special Jewish wedding to share with you today! London couple Jay, who runs a scientific consultancy business, and Michael, a chartered accountant working in risk management, were the first same-sex couple to be married by an Orthodox rabbi in the UK, and we are here for it!

It’s so exciting to see the rise of same-sex Orthodox Jewish weddings, and we loved hearing about how Jay and Michael crafted their entirely bespoke halachic ceremony. When the pair were planning their wedding, they joined our Brides Club (yes, guys can join too!), and we’re so thrilled to hear how much they valued our own Karen Cinnamon’s advice throughout the process.  

Jay and Michael’s wedding was absolutely chock full of wonderful personal touches. For starters, inspired by their shared love of musical theatre, Jay and Michael commissioned a wedding booklet designed to replicate the Playbill programs distributed in Broadway theatres, featuring illustrations of the couple in their wedding attire, a “cast list,” and a five-act synopsis of their love story. Don’t miss it in the wonderful documentary-style photos by David Stubbs!

And we love that Jay and Michael chose a ten-piece band (accompanied by a chuppah singer) from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Twentysomethings for their entertainment. The couple loved working with the band, and they couldn’t get enough of the Israeli dancing set. Also, how awesome is it that their first dance was to Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis in Yiddish, sung by one of the pair’s best women, accompanied by the band?!

There are so many more wonderful details of this beautiful and meaningful day – read on for the full story in the grooms’ own words…

Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK

How We Met

We met thanks to the “shadchan of the 21st century”, the dating app Hinge.

Our early romance was complicated by geography, as Jay was dividing his time between London, Vienna and Jerusalem. Our first date took place at Tuk Tuk in London, but despite the initial spark, the practical challenges made us doubt that the relationship would develop further. An unexpected encounter at Hendon Central tube station set the relationship back on track and we both took this as a sign not to give up.

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An Elegant Jewish Wedding with Unforgettable Music at Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort, Scotland, UK

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Sam-and-Sophie-Mar-Hall-Golf-Spa-Resort-Scotland

Sophie and Sam’s Jewish wedding at Mar Hall, outside Glasgow, was the most perfectly elegant celebration, featuring a stunning indoor/outdoor venue, a moving ceremony (complete with gorgeous floral chuppah), and unforgettable music from start to finish.

Sophie and Sam knew from the get-go that music was a high priority, and they chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Twentysomethings to create the perfect atmosphere throughout the day. The couple worked closely with the band to craft their setlist, including personalized wedding procession songs. From the emotional chuppah performance by The Twentysomethings Duo and their Israeli vocalist through to the 9-piece band that kept guests on the dancefloor all evening long, it’s safe to say The Twentysomethings totally rocked it.

Take one look at the photos by Ashley Coombes and you can see what a fabulous time was had by all. Now over to the couple for all the details…

Sam-and-Sophie-Mar-Hall-Golf-Spa-Resort-Scotland Sam-and-Sophie-Mar-Hall-Golf-Spa-Resort-Scotland
A Classic Venue

Sophie, the bride and Sam, the groom: We had multiple run throughs and visits with the venue, Mar Hall, and Nicola from the events team who were always willing to accommodate our plans and needs.  She helped ensure specific family were placed in accessible rooms where needed.  The beautiful grounds of the hotel and stunning visual of the hall itself made for some amazing photos. Our pre-ceremony / drinks were held within the hall itself, our ceremony took place in Morton House (Part of the estate next to the main Hall) and dinner / dancing took place in the Garden Pavilion.Continue ReadingContinue Reading