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A Caroline Castigliano Bride for an Elegantly Romantic Summer Jewish Wedding at The Queens Hotel, Leeds, UK

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Sophie and Joe, The Queens Hotel, Leeds, UK

Get ready for a seriously joyous Jewish wedding! Sophie, a nail technician, and Joe, a chartered surveyor, had the most wonderful celebration at The Queens Hotel in the bride’s hometown of Leeds.

The couple’s vision for their big day was romantic elegance with a modern, summery twist – and tons of personality and warmth. We love their Perspex chuppah, adorned with soft florals in shades of pink, white, and peach, and how special is it that Sophie’s 91-year-old grandpa read the couple’s ketubah aloud?

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor XS Showband brought the party to life in their inimitable signature style, and Guy Barzily’s incredible voice sounded all the right notes during the chuppah and the Israeli dancing – in Sophie’s words,

From start to finish, XS Showband were phenomenal, the energy was electric, and the dance floor was never empty, even during dinner and benching!

We were thrilled to hear that the couple found their photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Kate Swerdlow, right here on Smashing the Glass. As Sophie says,

Her photography style is so natural and full of emotion, and she was absolutely perfect for us. From our very first meeting, we knew she would capture our day beautifully, and she did just that. Kate caught every angle, every moment, and every emotion, creating the most stunning gallery that allows us to relive our wedding day over and over again.

Read on for all the details from Sophie – who looked simply smashing in her Caroline Castigliano gown…

Sophie and Joe, The Queens Hotel, Leeds, UK Sophie and Joe, The Queens Hotel, Leeds, UK Sophie and Joe, The Queens Hotel, Leeds, UK Sophie and Joe, The Queens Hotel, Leeds, UK

How We Met

Sophie, the bride: We first met through mutual friends when we were 11, but we really got to know each other when we started at the same school in Year 8, aged just 12!

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A Galia Lahav Bride for a Fairy Tale Jewish Wedding in White with a Breathtaking Fabric Floral Chuppah at The Wilderness Reserve, Suffolk, UK

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Emily and Scott, The Wilderness Reserve, Suffolk, UK

Cool chuppah alert! Emily  and Scott wanted their chuppah to make them feel like they were floating on a cloud – and they totally nailed it. Featuring an abundance of giant fabric flowers in white, combined with white hydrangeas and delicate blossoms, we’ve never seen anything quite like it – and we’re totally smitten.

It also goes perfectly with Emily’s stunner of a gown from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Galia Lahav: a custom style inspired by the beloved Israeli designer’s  “Rosemary,” replete with the most exquisite 3D floral lace. It’s really something special – don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Rebecca Searle.

We’re obsessed with the epic party vibes Emily and Scott set for their day – complete with the chicest use of disco balls we’ve ever seen. We’ll turn you over to Emily for the rest…

 

Emily and Scott, The Wilderness Reserve, Suffolk, UK Emily and Scott, The Wilderness Reserve, Suffolk, UK Emily and Scott, The Wilderness Reserve, Suffolk, UK Emily and Scott, The Wilderness Reserve, Suffolk, UK

How We Met

Emily, the bride: My childhood best friend, Calum, worked with my now husband and after (husband’s words) fancying me from seeing me on Calum’s social media, Calum told me to meet him after work for drinks and without me knowing had told Scott to join. The rest is history…

Extra context: we dated for a few months and then Covid / lockdown started and I ended up being locked down in Scott’s family home (with Covid) for 2 weeks, a few weeks later and we’re madly in love.

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A Caroline Castigliano Bride for a Super Stylish Jewish Wedding with Shabbat Dinner Vibes at Kin House, Wiltshire, UK

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Ben and Lauren, Kin House, Wiltshire, UK

We are totally and completely obsessed with Lauren and Ben’s super stylish Jewish wedding. Their vision for the big day was modern countryside with Shabbat dinner vibes – how awesome is that?!

Kin House in Wiltshire, England, with its combination of classic country exterior and quirky, modern interior, was the perfect setting for the celebration – and the couple’s fabulous florist, Sarah of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Way to Bloom, put together the most exquisite arrangements (not to mention a stunner of a chuppah) that added Lauren and Ben’s unique stamp to the space.

In Lauren’s words,

We both agree that Sarah and her floral arrangements, were the highlight of our wedding. Sarah doesn’t know the word “no” — she was always ready to try a new idea, offer some advice, and take charge where needed. We are forever grateful to her and her expertise for making our wedding shine, and we are lucky to still consider her a friend to this day.

For their band, Lauren and Ben chose another amazing Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, The White Keys. Their 8-piece band – including both a saxophonist and an electric violinist – kept the dance floor packed all night (including an epic 12-minute hora!).

Lauren and Ben’s wedding day fell on Shabbat, and we love the fact that they wanted their wedding breakfast to feel like a giant Shabbat dinner. The couple lit the candles, their rabbi led the blessings, and they even had a challah tug-of-war! Spoiler: Lauren won. Don’t miss it in the incredible photos by Natalie J Weddings and video by John Taylor Films.

We’ll let Lauren fill you in on the rest…

Ben and Lauren, Kin House, Wiltshire, UK Ben and Lauren, Kin House, Wiltshire, UK Ben and Lauren, Kin House, Wiltshire, UK Ben and Lauren, Kin House, Wiltshire, UK

How We Met

Lauren, the bride: We met on a dating app in 2020. Fun fact – after our first date, I called my mom and told her, “I met my husband!”

Ben proposed in Dulwich Park in October 2022. A truly special place for us both, it reminds us both of Central Park in NYC, which is where I lived before moving to London and Ben spent a lot of time as well. We always called the bridge in Dulwich Park our “happy place” so it was fitting to get engaged there.

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An Emma Beaumont Bride for a Lebanese-Jewish Wedding with a Fantastic Floral Chuppah at Easthampstead Park Hotel, Wokingham, UK

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Tatiana and Daniel, Easthampstead Park Hotel, Wokingham, UK

Gorgeous chuppah alert! Londoners Tatiana and Dan, who both work in tech, had one of the most absolutely exquisite floral chuppahs we’ve seen – and we see a lot!

Given that Tatiana’s family owns Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Easthampstead Park Hotel in Wokingham, it was a natural choice for their wedding weekend. The stunning Victorian country house venue an hour outside London provided the perfect spot for all of their events, from the Lebanese-themed Friday night dinner to the main Jewish ceremony and reception on Saturday to the Sunday brunch – and since they fully took over the hotel for the weekend, all of their guests were able to stay together and get to know one another.

Planning a three-day affair is no easy feat, and Tatiana and Dan turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Sophie Amor to help make their wedding dreams come true. In Tatiana’s words, “Sophie was so incredible, and her patience was unwavering – she made us feel like ours was the only wedding she was working on for nine months! I really couldn’t recommend her more – she was so organised, understood me & Dan inside and out and just made our weekend completely stress free.”

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Sensation Band made sure the dance floor was packed all night long – and also arranged for the incredible electric violinists who played as guests made their way to the dinner marquee!

The couple’s photographer, Pippa Mackenzie, captured the day so beautifully, and their videographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion, filmed the celebration in his trademark cinematic style – and Tatiana and Dan appreciated his calming presence on the day.

There’s so much more to say about this very special wedding – but we’ll turn you over to the bride, who looked simply ravishing in her bespoke Emma Beaumont gown, for the rest…

Tatiana and Daniel, Easthampstead Park Hotel, Wokingham, UK Tatiana and Daniel, Easthampstead Park Hotel, Wokingham, UK Tatiana and Daniel, Easthampstead Park Hotel, Wokingham, UK Tatiana and Daniel, Easthampstead Park Hotel, Wokingham, UK

How We Met

Tatiana, the bride: We were introduced between the second and third lockdowns in London, and have slightly varying accounts of what happened! For me, I was chatting with a few different guys, two of which were already named Dan (Dan 1 and Dan 2). When I met my friend Saacha for lunch, she cut in and said, “OMG, I have Dan 3 for you!” and passed Dan my number. However, for Dan, he was feeling a bit worn out with dating after a not-so-great date, so he only reached out a week later. We met and saw each other for the first time at The Marylebone Pub were we had our first date, and hit it off right away (helped by many tequila shots and lots of laughter).Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Galia Lahav Bride for a Luxe Jewish Wedding with a Dreamy Floral Chuppah at the Landmark London, UK

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Rachel and Daniel, The Landmark, London, UK

Have we got a stunner of a Jewish wedding for you! Rachel, who’s in beauty PR, and Daniel, who works for a bank, had the most breathtakingly gorgeous London Jewish wedding you ever did see.

The duo worked with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor GEN Z Events to plan the day of their dreams, and, in Rachel’s words, “I wouldn’t have been able to do anything without them! Jay and the team bought my vision to life in ways I didn’t even know were possible. The theme of the wedding was fairytale, whimsical and to bring my dream of being a princess for a day come true, and it definitely did!”

Speaking of being a princess for the day – can we talk about Rachel’s gown? Rachel always dreamed of a gown by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Galia Lahav, and true to plan she found the absolute perfect dress (and veil!) in the beloved Israeli designer’s Gia – with some added customization to make it totally, 100% her. Rachel can’t stop raving about her experience at Galia Lahav’s London flagship.

The Landmark London, with its glass ceiling and palm trees, provided the perfect outdoor-indoor atmosphere for the day, and we’re also obsessed with the couple’s divine floral chuppah! Don’t miss it all in the wonderful photos by Rachel Takes Pictures.  

Now over to Rachel…

Rachel and Daniel, The Landmark, London, UK Rachel and Daniel, The Landmark, London, UK Rachel and Daniel, The Landmark, London, UK

How We Met

Rachel, the bride: We met at JFS secondary school in year 7! We were in the same year, had the same friends and officially got together in year 9!

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