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A Caroline Castigliano Bride for a Classic and Elegant Jewish Wedding at The Biltmore, London, UK

13/11/2023 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Who could use some extra Jewish joy right about now? We certainly could – and that’s why we’re bringing you the beautiful London Jewish wedding of Ella and Josh. The bride and groom, both business owners, brought SO much love and emotion to their big day, and we hope you’ll feel as inspired as we do by their ultra-moving photos by Robert Shack and video by Andrei Weddings.

The Biltmore in London was the perfect setting for Ella and Josh’s timeless and traditional Jewish wedding, and their classic décor, filled with white florals and abundant greenery, complemented the space so exquisitely – as did Ella’s gorgeous modern gown by Caroline Castigliano.

Music is such a big part of the atmosphere at a Jewish wedding, and Ella and Josh couldn’t be more thrilled with their choice of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Matzoh Boys. In Ella’s words, “They were fantastic! The atmosphere was just the best – they really brought the London and Manchester crowd together. We loved their Israeli music sets especially and the chuppah was beautiful.”

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

How We Met

Ella, the bride: We met through mutual friends – I was living in Birmingham and Josh was in Manchester.

A Lillian West Bride for an Ultra-Personal Jewish Wedding Full of DIY Touches at Parklands Quendon Hall, Essex, UK

06/11/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

If you could use an extra infusion of Jewish joy right now, look no further – we promise you the Jewish wedding of Judith, a senior manager at an IT consultancy, and Josh, a teacher at a secondary school, will put a BIG smile on your face.

We’re in love with all of the personal DIY touches the couple incorporated into their big day to make it 100%, totally them. We can’t get enough of the fun DIY activity sessions Judith and Josh set up for their guests, featuring everything from a giant Guess Who game with members of the wedding party as all the faces to an art station where guests could decorate mini canvases! Don’t miss them in the wonderful photos by Natalie and Max.

Another thing we love is that when it came to music, the duo opted to invite friends to do guest DJ sets all through the wedding with the theme of “music through the ages” – how fun is that?!

This was a wedding with lots of moving parts to be organized, and Judith and Josh wisely opted to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Events by Natasha as their on-the-day coordinator to make sure everything ran smoothly. In Judith’s words, “Natasha and her team were absolutely fantastic on the day – they prepared everything so beautifully, and were really instrumental in making things run smoothly and to time. It really allowed us to just “press play” on the day and see all the hard work being put into motion, without us having to worry about anything.”

Read on for more fabulous details in the bride’s own words!

How We Met

Judith, the bride: We met as many modern couples do, using the help of the handy dating app Hinge! Josh was drawn in by the colourful rainbow makeup and unitard displayed on Judith’s profile (evidence of one of the many themed zoom hang-outs Judith had with her dance troupe over lockdown), and Judith was impressed by video footage of Josh scaling the boulder at Mabley Green, showing his climbing prowess and shared interest in bouldering.

We met for dinner and a drink at a local Japanese bar, and enjoyed each others’ company over some tasty sushi. The conversation flowed, and the smiles and laughs kept coming. It was Chanukah, and towards the end of the date, Josh asked whether Judith had been lighting candles to celebrate. Much to her surprise, he reached into his bag and produced a full Chanukiah, set of candles, and a lighter. Together, in the middle of the bar, we smiled across at one another in the candlelight. Judith thought it was a great story to take back to her family… little did she know that this would be the person she would want to smile and light candles with for the rest of her life!Continue Reading

A Berta Bride for an Enchanted Garden Jewish Wedding at the Fairmont Windsor Park, UK

23/10/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

It’s been a long couple of weeks for the Jewish people. In light of Hamas’s horrific acts of terrorism, we’ve taken a few weeks off from our usual wedding content to focus on supporting Israel and each other. While we sadly can’t say things have gotten to a better place, we are feeling more than ever that we need all the Jewish joy we can get – and that includes weddings.

Hence our decision to resume publishing the joyous, life-affirming celebrations of love that are the core of what we do here at Smashing The Glass. And we’re back today with something really special: Bianca and Jordan’s beautiful Jewish wedding at The Fairmont Hotel in Windsor, just outside London – made possibly by a fabulous team of #STGvendors.

Bianca and Jordan turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Michelle Jacobs of Elegante by Michelle J to make their enchanted garden dreams a reality. Michelle planned Bianca’s sister’s wedding a few years back, so the couple knew from the beginning they were working with the best of the best. In Bianca’s words, “She was amazing and really helped guide us through the process and really understood our vision and what was important to us… Any concerns we had Michelle would deal with it for us and we knew we were in the best hands.” You can see for yourself how exquisitely it all came together in the wonderful photos by Paul Santos and the moving trailer by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Big Day Designs crafted Bianca and Jordan’s invitations, featuring rose gold foiling and wax seals, as well as their wedding day stationery, and Bianca found her stunner of a gown at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Wedding Club in Knightsbridge. She chose a strapless corset A-line dress by the Israeli designer Berta – which is all the more meaningful in light of the current situation.

Do read on for more Jewish joy, in Bianca’s own words…

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How We Met

Bianca, the bride: We knew of each other as we are both from Essex but we matched on J Swipe; after a few weeks of talking we finally met up and went on a date!Continue Reading

A Louise Selby Bride for a Summer Jewish Wedding at Bevis Marks Synagogue and Middle Temple, London, UK

02/10/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

There’s not much that’s better than discovering a hidden gem of a Jewish wedding venue right in the center of London – which is exactly what today’s couple, Smashing The Glass Brides Club member Kitty and Sam, found in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Middle Temple.

As soon as the couple set eyes on Middle Temple – located in the City of London, just a stone’s throw from the couple’s chuppah venue, Bevis Marks Synagogue – they knew it was just the place for their reception. With a striking (and spacious!) hall full of history and the kind of verdant outdoor space you’d hardly expect to find in the heart of the city, Middle Temple is really something special – and Kitty can’t say enough kind words about the experience of working with their events team in the leadup to the big day! Don’t miss it in the wonderful images by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Marta Ilardo Photography.

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Shir performed at Kitty and Sam’s chuppah and reception, including leading Israeli dancing and teaching some basics so all the guests, Jewish and non-Jewish, could follow along! And the couple’s minimalist ketubah came from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ketubah.com!

We’ll let the bride, who looked so elegant in her Louise Selby gown, take it from here…

How We Met

Kitty, the bride: Sam and I met at work – we’re both management consultants and were working on the same project for a short amount of time a few years ago. We quickly became friends, but it wasn’t until COVID struck and we were unable to see each other every day that we realised how we felt about each other.Continue Reading

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

22/09/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

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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