Totem wedding entertainment Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Maggie Sottero Bride for a Festival Jewish Wedding at Lattenbury Hill Weddings, Cambridgeshire, UK

29/04/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

We love a good boho festival Jewish wedding. And Alana and Adam’s is one of the best. These two worked hard to craft a day that was 100% them – filled with tons of DIY touches, from spray painting soup cans to turn them into flower vases, having the bride’s mother bake 500 brownies for the wedding dessert, and getting friends and family together to set up the venue – and they absolutely smashed it.

This wedding was full of so many exquisite details, from the gorgeous rustic turquoise stationery suite created by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Liv & Luc, inspired by a favorite holiday snap from a trip to Italy to the way Alana and Adam crafted a personal ceremony highlighting their shared values of feminism and equality: they both smashed a glass, gave a speech, wrote vows, and circles each other under the chuppah.

And because you can’t have a festival without awesome music, the couple opted to bring in the big guns: Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor TOTEM, who Alana and Adam picked partly for their vast experience with Jewish weddings and wide repertoire of Israeli dancing songs, kept the guests on the dance floor all night long in their signature style. We can’t get over all the love and energy captured in the photos by Aaron Collett Photography and videographer James Alexander Chapman.

Before we turn you over to Alana, we’ve also got to mention her stunner of a gown by Maggie Sottero, which she found at the wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Morgan Davies Bridal. Alana was on the hunt for a boho style figure hugging lace gown, and did the team at Morgan Davies ever help her make the dream a reality!

HOW WE MET

Alana, the bride: We met at a mutual friend’s engagement party 6 years ago, pretty sure we were the only single ones left in the room and were introduced to each other in an awkward year 6 disco style way. He managed to convince me he was a bomb disposal expert (he’s not) and the rest is history.

A Hayley Paige Bride for a Romantic Jewish Wedding at Villa Oliva, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

02/03/2020 by Karen Cinnamon

What a wedding! If you’ve ever fantasized about jetting off to Tuscany to get married, the exquisite Jewish wedding of Stephanie and Dan, who did just that, is going to knock your socks off. In fact, it’ll probably do that even the thought of a Tuscan wedding has never even crossed your mind!

The couple’s wonderful planner, Michelle Jacobs of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Elegante By Michelle J, took all the pressure out of planning while making sure the big day was as elegant, romantic, joyful, and memorable as it could possible be. And she connected the couple with their amazing roster of vendors!

Truly, these two used so many of the very best out there, from the amazing Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Totem – who Stephanie and Dan flew over from London because they wanted to make sure their big day featured some EPIC Israeli dancing, and if you know Totem you know they get the party going like no one else – to mega-talented stationer Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Bigday Designs (love the stationery suite they came up with!) to a gift list with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Prezola.

Photographer David Bastianoni and videographer Federico of Waterfall Visuals both captured the day so beautifully, and we love that they were committed as to capturing the love between the couple – including lots of sweet casual moments – as to featuring the beautiful setting and décor (looking at you, floral chuppah!).

If you’re wondering how you can make your wedding as awesome as Stephanie and Dan’s, don’t miss our Facebook Live with none other than Michelle Jacobs herself, all about creating an ultra-memorable experience for your guests. It’s happening this Thursday, March 5, at 7:30 PM GMT / 2:30 PM EST / 11:30 PST, right on the Smashing The Glass Facebook Page.

But for now, we’re going to turn you over to the lovely Stephanie, who looked simply ravishing in Hayley Paige…

Venue

Stephanie, the bride: We got married in Villa Oliva, near Lucca in Tuscany. I’ve always dreamed of having a romantic wedding abroad and, luckily, Dan saw the appeal. We picked Tuscany because we both love Italy – from the food and wine to the art, landscape and scenery.

Dan and I are both nature lovers, so the idea of getting married in a Tuscan garden really appealed to us. The venue we chose had several gorgeous gardens surrounding the villa and we fell in love.

We also wanted each area of the party to be a surprise for the guests, so we got married at the front of the villa; had the drinks reception behind the villa; and dinner and dancing was held in a large garden slightly further away from the property. The front of the villa had a beautiful grotto, which was the perfect backdrop for the chuppah.

We were very grateful for the support of our family and friends flying out to celebrate our special day with us. The guests were able to get to know each other at the welcome party and by the pool, so everyone was friendly at the main event. It felt like a big holiday!

A Made with Love Bride for a Tropical Jewish Wedding at The River Rooms at The Mermaid, London, UK

03/07/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

A tropical wedding in London? Sounds crazy, you say? Well, you might want to wait until you see the gorgeous Jewish wedding of Michelle, a fundraising manager at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, and Joel, a property developer, before passing judgment.

Inspired by their engagement in Curacao, these two knew they wanted a relaxed Caribbean party vibe filled with beautiful tropical plants and colours – and they didn’t see their desire to wed in their hometown of London as a barrier.

And with some help from fantastic wedding planner Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rachel Flax – who Michelle says “seriously saved my sanity” during the last few months! – they pulled it off and then some.

From their fab tropical chuppah with its lush green canopy and soft pink florals to the balloon installation in tropical pinks and peaches by the bar (not to mention the giant flamingo balloon at the corner of the dancefloor), we’re totally getting those beachy Caribbean vibes. Photographer Martin Phelps captured the day SO perfectly in his trademark documentary style.

Michelle and Joel chose fabulous Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Totem to make sure their big day not only looked like a party but felt like one too. It’s no surprise that Totem created a killer atmosphere and kept guests on the dance floor all night long – but what was a surprise was that they secretly worked with the groom on a musical performance of his own! Much to Michelle’s surprise, Totem announced Joel onstage and accompanied him as he sang‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ ! There’s nothing like a fun surprise element to make your day super memorable!

Now over to the bride, who looked radiant in her Made with Love dress and Hollywood glam look courtesy of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Pamela and Andrea Makeup…

How we met

Michelle, the bride: We met on a Sunday afternoon in the pub, The Kings Head in Crouch End. We were both with friends having a chilled afternoon and got talking and the rest is history!

A Galia Lahav Bride for a Magical Private Island Jewish Wedding at Osea Island, Essex, UK

12/06/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

Looking for an ultra-memorable venue for your Jewish wedding? How about renting out your very own PRIVATE ISLAND?! That’s what today’s nature-loving couple, Jasmin and Brett, did – their big day took place on the magical Osea Island, a private island off the coast of Essex. Trust us, you don’t want to miss Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Claudine Hartzel’s epic photos of this dreamy day that is full-to-the-brim packed with incredibly talented STG Recommended Vendors.

It all came together with a little help from the wonderful (and multitalented) James Alexander from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor and legendary band Totem, who the couple worked with to plan their big day – and yes, Totem also gave one of their unforgettable performances during the wedding. And how cool is it that, on the coordination end, James brought in none other than master planner Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Michelle Jacobs from Elegante by Michelle J ?

One special touch we’re totally obsessed with: knowing that they wouldn’t be able to talk to each and every one of their 300+ guests, Jasmin and Brett decided to write a little ‘message in a bottle’ (so perfect for the private island venue, right?!) to thank each of their guests for being there.

And how sweet is it that the couple’s rabbi surprised them during the ceremony by calling the bride’s grandfather to read the pair’s beautiful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubata?

Jasmin knew she wanted to wear an Israel designer, and she found the gown of her dreams – a one-shouldered fantasy of blush tulle and glitter from the inimitable Galia Lahav– at beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Browns Bride in London.

Also, are Jasmin’s luscious locks giving anyone else serious hair envy? Anyway, we’ll hand you over to her now…

How we met

Jasmin, the bride: My husband and I first crossed paths at a mutual friend’s restaurant and the rest is history 🙂

A Suzanne Neville Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel, London, UK

13/05/2019 by Karen Cinnamon

We love it when a couple really brings their skills and passions into their Jewish wedding – and Samantha and Alex did just that. The bride, a video editor by profession and lifelong music lover on the side, added THE most special, personal touches to her big day – teaming up with some of our very favourite London vendors to make it happen.

Given Samantha’s career, it’s no surprise she wanted only the best when it came to choosing a wedding videographer – and indeed, she opted for beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion. But instead of having her videography handle the whole business from start to finish, the team at Denee Motion handed their stunning footage over to Samantha and she edited it into her very own highlights film and wedding video – so special! (As if that’s not awesome enough, she also made a save-the-date video rather than sending out a standard paper note.)

This multitalented bride also happens to be an AMAZING singer, and she wanted to surprise Alex by performing at the wedding. She worked with the couple’s band, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Totem – who are just beyond awesome; in Samantha’s words, “watching them perform is like being at the greatest concert of your life” – to perform a song with Totem’s newly formed gospel choir. It made for such a special moment; please do scroll down and check out the video of her performance!

We love how photographer Paul Toeman captured all the emotion and energy of the day (and we’re totally obsessed with the post-wedding shoot he did of the couple wandering around London at midnight!). There’s lots more we could say about this wonderful wedding, but we’ll let the bride – who looked smashing in Suzanne Neville – tell you the rest…

Oh… and one final detail – the groom’s mother is the the manager at my daughter’s much-loved nursery. Mazal Tov Tina and family!

How we met

Samantha, the bride: We met at 18, he moved into the same flat as one of my best friends when he was at university in Manchester. I went up to visit my friend Anthony and ended up speaking to Alex for 2 hours instead. Fast forward 7 years when I happened to join his gym and bumped straight into him, a couple weeks later we went on a 3 hour dog walk and the rest is history.