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A David’s Bride for a Winter Jewish Wedding with an Epic Dessert Indulgence Bar at The Grove, Watford, UK

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We’re so excited to be sharing the gorgeous winter wonderland Jewish wedding of Dorothy, who’s not only a beloved Brides Club member but also happens to be the winner of a very special competition we ran last year with luxury sweet purveyors GC Couture.

Dorothy and Dan were the lucky winners of an amazing kosher Indulgence Bar® by GC Couture, an assortment of luxe sweet treats from cookies to cake pops to macarons to brownie bites to cupcakes plus a fabulous centerpiece wedding cake. The pair can’t stop raving about their tasting at GC Couture‘s Mayfair offices, where they settled on red velvet as their cake flavor – along with intricately decorated biscuits, cake pops, cakes, and macaroons matching the couple’s winter white color scheme. Everything looks SO mouthwateringly delicious – don’t miss this epic spread in Chiko Photography’s images and Yoni Cohen’s trailer!

Lest you think the party ended there, Dorothy and Dan also booked phenomenal Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Function Band, who, true to form, kept guests on the dancefloor all night with their incredible energy and played something for everyone. The couple also worked with the wonderful Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Toastmaster Jango, who kept everything in check and ensured things ran smoothly on the day.

Before we turn you over to Dorothy, we just have to share some of her kind words about her experience as a member of Brides Club: “During the lead up to the wedding my biggest saviour were the girls in Brides Club! Any question you ask, no matter how silly you might think you are for asking, anything that’s on your mind they’re there within seconds to help you!” We couldn’t agree more!

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Cosy Meets Luxe

Dorothy, the bride: We got married at the Grove in Watford. Set within the most beautiful grounds, it’s the perfect mix of cosy and comfortable with luxury hotel all rolled into one. 

I fell in love with it after a family visit over 10 years ago and knew then I wanted to get married there one day. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Eliza Jane Howell Bride for a Sustainable Jewish Wedding at One Marylebone, London

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We love it when a couple crafts a Jewish wedding that stays true to their values – so naturally we’re crazy about the fab celebration of Natasha, who runs Urban Cordial, an all-natural, low-sugar cordial brand made using British surplus fruit, and Jacob, a theatre producer who grew up in Australia!

Given Natasha’s business, it’s no surprise that sustainability is important to these two – and they incorporated it into their day through touches like sourcing seasonal vegetarian British food, reusing the chuppah canopy of their friends Ashley and Adam, and donating their flowers to a hospice and a women’s shelter at the end of the night.

Possibly the coolest sustainable touch, though, is the way Natasha and Jacob created their wedding jewelry: the two worked with goldsmith Rachel Jones to create their rings from heirloom pieces. Natasha’s engagement ring was made using gold from Jacob’s grandmother’s bracelet, a diamond from his grandmother’s engagement ring, and a sapphire gifted to the couple from Jacob’s mum. Then, the couple did a workshop with Rachel where they handcrafted each other’s wedding bands – how special is that?! Photographers Lina and Tom captured everything so perfectly, as did videographers  Moon and Back.

Natasha and Jacob are lucky enough to be friends with the incredible Dan of beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Function Band, so they were a natural pick when it came to entertainment for the reception – and true to form, the band went all out learning new songs, keeping guests on the dance floor all night, and even throwing in an impromptu song and dance bracket featuring some Aussie classics in honor of the groom! The Function Band also provided the epic lighting for the party – something Jacob was especially attuned to given his theater background.

Oh, and did we mention that this duo smashed not one but TWO glasses (one each)? We could go on and on, but we’ll let Natasha – who looked radiant in Eliza Jane Howell – take it from here…

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How we Met

Natasha, the bride and Jacob, the groom : We met at a mutual friend’s house and Jacob helped Natasha take some photos of drinks using her cordials for social media. He still helps her with this kind of stuff.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Reem Acra Bride for an Ultra-Personal Jewish Wedding at St John’s Wood Synagogue and the Grand Connaught Rooms, London, UK

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There’s something about seeing a couple’s faces as they stand under the chuppah – and when they walk up the aisle after smashing that glass! No matter how many Jewish weddings we see, it never, ever gets old.

And today’s couple, Sophie, a solicitor, and Andrew, a company director, are no exception: the love exuding from each and every single shot by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor MIKI Studios – not to mention their ultra-moving trailer – makes us feel like our hearts are positively glowing (and we’re totally not surprised to hear the bride’s report that Mick and Ash of MIKI Studios were a dream to work with!).

Indeed, creating a celebration all about love and emotion was at the heart of Sophie and Andrew’s plans for the big day. The emphasis the pair put on their chuppah – from prioritizing fabulous music by a mega-talented Hebrew singer to the beautiful off-white floral and green foliage embellishment they chose for their exquisitely elegant chuppah structure itself – is truly beautiful, and we also love that they opted to hold their ceremony at St John’s Wood Synagogue, where Andrew has attended his whole life – such a wonderful personal touch!

And HOW stunning is Sophie’s Reem Acra gown? Truly the stuff wedding dress dreams are made of.

Now over to you, Sophie!

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A Synagogue Wedding

Sophie, the bride: We had our ceremony at St John’s Wood Synagogue followed by dinner and dancing at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London.  Andrew has always been a member of St John’s Wood Synagogue and it meant a lot to him to get married there.

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An Elia Vatine Bride for a Ketubah Artist’s Egalitarian Vegan Jewish Wedding at the Great Barn at Headstone Manor, UK

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We love seeing what kinds of choices our favorite wedding vendors make for their own Jewish weddings, so naturally we couldn’t wait to hear all about ketubah artist Rachelle’s big day. Rachelle is the mega-talented artist behind Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush, and we knew from the getgo that her wedding to Elan, who’s a sales director for a tech company, was going to be something special.

And was it ever! We’re in love with everything from the gorgeous, vibrant colors and florals to the historic venue (which once belonged to Henry VIII!) to the wonderful rustic wood chuppah supplied by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Happy Chuppah People to the egalitarian ceremony, featuring touches like seven personalized English blessings written by one of the bride’s sisters and read by the bridesmaids.

Then there’s the ketubah. Rachelle is known for her nature-inspired designs, featuring trees, mountains, oceans, and more, and we adore the willow leaf design she chose for her own ketubah. And this busy bride didn’t stop there – she also designed all of the stationery for the day herself! We’re in love with the way photographer Frances Sales and videographer Pristine Videography captured all the exquisite details of this fantastic day.

Scrolling through the images, you’d never know Rachelle and Elan’s wedding took place on March 15, 2020, just as coronavirus was getting serious in the countries where most of this Israeli-British-American couple’s guests reside. In the end, half the couple’s guests were unable to attend – including Elan’s sister, who watched the ceremony via a live stream set up by a friend.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave the rest to Rachelle, who looked stunning in her secondhand Elia Vatine dress…

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How we met

Rachelle, the bride: We met on Tinder 4 years ago – our first date was at Tel Aviv University’s student day! We were a couple from day one.

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A Sassi Holford Bride for an Elegant Countryside Jewish Wedding at High Billinghurst Farm, Surrey, UK

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We just love it when our readers work with our amazing Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to make the Jewish wedding of their dreams a reality – like Katie, who’s a fundraising manager for an education charity, and Max, an officer in the British army, did in planning their gorgeous outdoor countryside wedding in the beautiful Surrey countryside.

These two knew their top priority was making sure their wedding would be fun for each and every one of their guests – and one of their best decisions was tapping Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Louise Perry to plan the big day. Louise and Natalie brought together the couple’s vision for a relaxed but elegant day focused on connecting with friends and family SO perfectly.

Katie and Max wanted to make sure their ceremony was inclusive too, so they worked with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Rabbi Paul Glantz to craft a chuppah that made everyone feel involved. Rabbi Glantz made sure to explain what was happening at each stage of the ceremony so guests of all backgrounds could follow along – and he did such a good job that lots of non-Jewish guests commented afterward that they wished they could have had a Jewish wedding ceremony!

We’re also obsessed with the pair’s beautiful nature-inspired ketubah by Rachelle of Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush, as well as their birch tree chuppah decorated with white flowers and greenery – don’t miss Brett Harkness’s beautiful photos!

Putting your guests first means making sure you’ve got not only a beautiful ceremony but also a rocking party, and Katie and Max knew Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The White Keys were just the band to keep their guests on the dancefloor all night long.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll let the bride – who looked so elegant in Sassi Holford – tell you the rest…

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HOW WE MET

Katie, the bride: We met during our first year at Newcastle University in 2009. Neither of us remember the moment that we first met but we know it was during our very first week in Newcastle when me and the girls on my floor ventured to the floor below to meet the boys living below us.

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A Countryside Wedding

We got married at High Billinghurst Farm in Surrey. It was the first venue that we saw and we fell in love with it, even on a rainy January winters day. It ticked all of our boxes, a beautiful barn, countryside location, easy for our family and friends who travelled from around the world to get to and enough space for all of our guests. Once we saw it we knew that was the venue we wanted and did not even think about looking anywhere else.

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