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A Country House Jewish Wedding in White at Sopwell House, St Albans, UK

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We love a country house Jewish wedding – and Natalie and Josh’s big day at Sopwell House in St Albans is really something special! Natalie and Josh loved the gorgeous grounds and the private, remote feel – all while being an easy trip from London.

We’re obsessed with the couple’s super cool Lucite chuppah, adorned with gypsophila and hanging white roses – don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by MIKI Studios.

To make sure everything ran to plan on the day, Natalie and Josh turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Toastmaster Jango. He made sure everything went smoothly so the bride and groom could relax and enjoy their day stress-free, and the couple give him lots of credit for making the day of their dreams a reality.

Now over to the bride, who’ll fill you in on all the details…

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How We Met

Natalie, the bride: We met on Hinge back in October 2020, when the covid lockdown curfew was 10pm!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Martina Liana Bride for a Relaxed and Romantic Jewish Wedding at The Last Drop Village & Spa, Bolton, UK

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We love it when a couple centers their Jewish wedding around friends and family – which is exactly what Justine and Elliott did, and we absolutely adore the way they brought their loved ones into the big day.

The couple live in Hertfordshire, but it was always a given that they’d marry up North near the bride’s hometown of Liverpool. One of Justine’s cousins, Rabbi Alby Chait MBE, officiated, and another cousin, Charles Chait, was the chazzan – how special is that?!

Justine and Elliott wanted to make sure all of their guests had a blast, and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jam Hot Showband was the absolute perfect entertainment choice. Their 10-piece band was, in the bride’s words, “just WOW! The musicians, the energy and the organisation was outstanding. They had a quick room turnaround time from chuppah to main dinner which was seamless. Guests commented on how much they loved the band’s musical medleys and the dance floor was completely packed all night; we could not have asked for a better party!”

The duo chose another wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, Kate Swerdlow, to photograph their day, and they couldn’t be any more thrilled with their choice. As Justine put it, Kate is “so creative and energetic, her photos are beautifully natural, not overly posed, and perfectly capture the essence of our day.”

Read on for all the details of this beautiful day in the bride’s own words…


How We Met

Justine, the bride: We met in 2017 after matching on JSwipe! I was studying Musical Theatre at drama school in Guildford, while Elliott, who had graduated from the University of Leeds, was working at a financial advisory firm. Elliott traveled to Guildford for our first date, and the rest is history! Seven years later, I am now the Director of Drama at an Independent School in Radlett, and Elliott is an Independent Financial Advisor. We live in Elstree & Borehamwood.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for an Interfaith Jewish-Catholic Wedding at Offley Place, Hitchin, UK

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When London couple Rachel, who works as a programme manager in the social impact sector, and Jason, a product manager in the technology sector, got engaged, they knew their top wedding planning priority would be to blend their two backgrounds into an authentic and meaningful interfaith wedding.

Rachel is Jewish, while Jason is Catholic, with Portuguese roots – and it was important to both that their religion and traditions were represented in the day. The pair worked with their officiant to craft a bespoke ceremony combining aspects of traditional Jewish and Catholic ceremonies, and they wrote their own ketubah text (which they then translated into both Hebrew and Portuguese!). Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush turned it into a gorgeous piece of art, adorned with the most stunning florals and metallics.

Music was another way Rachel and Jason showcased their backgrounds, and their choice of Matzoh Boys as their band could not have been more perfect. In addition to their Jewish music prowess and  fab Israeli singers (one of whom is Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jonny Mosesson), the Matzoh Boys also have Latin and Gospel singers – so in addition to a stellar Israeli dancing set, Rachel and Jason also got Portuguese tunes and a hymn for their ceremony.

The pair chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Liam Smith as their photographer, and we could not be any more in love with his ultra-moving documentary images. They loved Liam’s natural style – and can’t rave enough about what a wonderful and calming presence he was on the big day!

We can’t turn you over to Rachel without mentioning how timelessly elegant she looked in her classic Pronovias dress, which she found at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Mirror Mirror in Islington, and where she adored working with the wonderfully attentive team.

Now over to Rachel!

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How We Met

Rachel, the bride: We were set up on a blind date by Rachel’s cousin, who worked in the same company as Jason. Given that Rachel is Jewish and Jason is Catholic (both brought up in practicing households), we didn’t envisage that a blind date would turn into a serious relationship, let alone a marriage. However, we quickly realised that we wanted to be with one another, which meant a lot of pretty serious conversations about how we could blend our different backgrounds together early on. Now, seven years later, we’re married!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Essense of Australia Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding at Sopwell House, St Albans, UK

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We love it when a couple pulls together a fabulous team of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to make their Jewish wedding dreams come true – which is exactly what today’s duo did. Alberta, who works in marketing, and Scott, in digital sales, made things official at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Sopwell House, the perfect country house venue nestled in the Hertfordshire countryside. They loved the private outside area, where they opted to hold their chuppah, as well as the variety of indoor function rooms they were able to choose from!

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ambassador Band kept the dance floor full ALL night long, and guests couldn’t stop raving about the band after the wedding. Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Claudine Hartzel was responsible for the dreamy photos, in her trademark bright and luminous style, and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Michael Pearl handled videography. The couple initially weren’t planning on having a videographer at all, but now they’re so glad they did – and they report watching their highlights video daily! Yet another beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor, Toastmaster Jango, was on hand to make sure the day ran smoothly. 

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll hand you over to Alberta, who looked so elegant in her gown from Essense of Australia, for the rest…

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How We Met

Alberta, the bride: We first met via JSwipe and went out for some drinks.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Gemy Maalouf Bride for a Jewish Wedding Inspired by Italy at Loseley Park, Guildford, Surrey, UK

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Get ready to be blown away by the seriously stunning Jewish wedding of Jessica and Ross. The pair, who live in Surrey, initially wanted to get married on Lake Garda in Italy, but opted to stay closer to home due to the uncertainty of the pandemic.

In the end, they put together a one-of-a-kind wedding at Guildford’s Loseley Park that combined the very best of English countryside chic and Italian glam, and we are OBSESSED. From naming all our tables after favorite towns around Lake Garda, to playing Italian classical music, to serving Aperol Spritz followed by a four-course Italian meal for dinner, the Italian theme carried through the day.

Even Jessica’s exquisite gown stuck to the Italian theme: with the help of the wonderful team at beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Mirror Mirror Bridal, she made it official in the ‘Capri’ gown by designer Gemy Maalouf, which she knew was the one even before she got engaged! The dress, featuring a V-Neck, A-Line style and plenty of intricate beading and 3D flowers, was an absolute knockout – and Shamel at Mirror Mirror Bridal “was an absolute angel in turning the dress into ‘my’ dress.” Don’t miss it in the luminous pics by Meg from Wild Fern Photography!

Another thing we love is that in lieu of a traditional gift list, Jessica and Ross set up a contribution found for their honeymoon with Prezola, since they didn’t need anything for their home but dreamed of an amazing honeymoon (they’re going to Thailand in January!) and loved the idea of having their family and friends be a part of it.

There’s so much more to say about this wonderful wedding, but we’ll let Jessica take it from here…


How we Met

Jessica, the bride: We met on Tinder almost 7 years ago in December 2015. It was the time between Christmas and New Year so were both bored at home with nothing to do so happened to be swiping. A couple of days after we matched, we met on a typical London rainy night on London Bridge. As we lived on opposite ends of London – Ross being in south London and me living in north-west London, it seemed like the only suitable place between us.

We walked along the Thames in the pouring rain trying to find somewhere to have a drink. I remember Ross ordering a vodka and diet coke and was horrified, but he still managed to charm me. (Now we can happily share a bottle of wine together, I’ve taught him well!) We spent the whole night talking, not wanting it to come to an end. We met again for our second date just two days later and have been inseparable ever since. We haven’t gone one day without speaking to each other since that first date.

We fell in love over a shared passion for good food, love of dogs, and travel. I certainly wasn’t a sports enthusiast, but we quickly fell in love nevertheless.Continue ReadingContinue Reading