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A Wed2B Bride for an Egalitarian Jewish Wedding at Kew Gardens, London, UK

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Anya and Soren, Kew Gardens, London, UK

We love it when a couple makes their values the center of their Jewish wedding. Which is exactly what Anya, who works at an international development NGO, and Søren, a PhD student and research assistant working on DNA repair, did in their gorgeous Kew Gardens wedding.

The couple’s egalitarian values were front and center in their ‘shutafut’ (partnership) ceremony — an egalitarian alternative to the traditional ‘kiddushin’ marriage service under the auspices of Masorti. Their rabbi rabbi helped them create a ‘shtar shutafut’ (partnership contract), also known as a ‘brit ahuvim’ (lovers’ covenant), for their ketubah text, where they mapped out their commitments to each other and values they wanted to focus on in their marriage – how special is that?!

We also love that Anya and Søren opted to work with a whole bunch of our beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors to make their dreams a reality. The duo chose #STGvendor Claudine Hartzel as their photographer for the way she beautifully captures candid moments, and they could not have been more thrilled with the results.

#STGvendor Dvash provided outstanding catering, meeting special dietary requirements with aplomb, and Anya and Søren report that guests are still raving about their favorite canapes!

#STGvendor Happy Chuppah People provided the couple’s birch chuppah – a perfect fit for the setting – and, continuing the botanical theme, and Anya and Søren found their exquisite Tree of Life ketubah via #STGvendor Ketubah.com.

There’s so much more to say about this very special Jewish wedding, but we’ll let the newlyweds take it from here…

Anya and Soren, Kew Gardens, London, UK Anya and Soren, Kew Gardens, London, UK Anya and Soren, Kew Gardens, London, UK Anya and Soren, Kew Gardens, London, UK
How we Met

Anya, the bride and Soren, the groom: We met through JSwipe in October 2016.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Enzoani Bride for a Family-Focused Jewish Wedding with a Stuning Floral Chuppah at Offley Place, Hitchin, UK

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The wonderful Jewish wedding of Sophie, a sustainability executive, and Daniel, a legal technologist, has so much going for it – stunning florals, a gorgeous chuppah, rockin’ music, and an exquisite venue, to name just a few things.

And we adore them all. But most of all, we love that these two made it their highest priority to make sure their big day felt like a big, welcoming community, centered on happiness, love, and family. Especially meaningful was the fact that Dan’s dad – who’d been in hospital and rehab for 8 months recovering from Covid – was able to be there, and you can just feel the emotion come through in each and every one of the photos from Jo Russell of Chiko Photography, and every frame of the epic wedding video by Max from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion.

Sophie and Daniel opted to work with a number of our beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors, including their venue, #STGvendor Offley Place – which “ticked every single one of our boxes and then some” between its welcoming staff, beautiful grounds, and accessible spaces – and #STGvendor Toastmaster Jango, who helped to ensure the day ran smoothly – and also provided invaluable assistance in the runup to the big day. They also opted to make their wedding gift list with #STGvendor The Wedding Shop, who we love for their fab selection of not only general home goods but Judaica too!

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave it to Sophie – who looked simply ravishing in Enzoani – to fill you in on the rest…


How we Met

Sophie, the bride: The story of how we met depends on who you ask! However, we can both agree we met at the University of Manchester, and have been together coming up to 10 years.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Martina Liana Bride for an Elegant Jewish Wedding at the Sheraton Grand Park Lane, London, UK

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Tash & Joel, Sheraton Grand Park Lane, London, UK

How gorgeous is Tash and Joel’s fabulous London Jewish wedding?! It’s 100% pure #weddinggoals… and of course it doesn’t hurt that the couple chose to work with some of our very favorite Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendors.

First off, how wonderful are the photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Mike Garrard?! Tash and Joel chose Mike for his natural, candid style and the way he makes everyone feel comfortable and at ease – and did he ever do a perfect job of capturing the day!

Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Alexandra’s Florist was responsible for the pair’s lovely flowers – don’t miss their exquisite floral chuppah! – and they can’t praise Alexandra enough for her patience and attentiveness in taking the time to show Tash and Joel lots of different designs and collaborating with them curate just the right look and feel.

Then there was Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Totem, who got the party started in their trademark fashion. The band’s beautiful voices and incredible energy came together to create an unforgettable atmosphere that had everyone on the dancefloor throughout the night.

Smashing The Glass recommended Vendor Toastmaster Jango kept everything together, ensuring the event ran smoothly, on schedule and all done with a cheeky smile and sense of humour.

Last but certainly not least, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Just Smile took charge of Tash and Joel’s production needs, and the couple raves about how they were not only always on hand to answer questions and give advice, but on the day they made the ballroom come alive and created an epic party atmosphere with their fab lighting.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave the rest to Tash, who looked uber chic in Martina Liana…

Tash & Joel, Sheraton Grand Park Lane, London, UK Tash & Joel, Sheraton Grand Park Lane, London, UK Tash & Joel, Sheraton Grand Park Lane, London, UK
How we Met

Tash, the bride: Joel and I met on Jswipe, but we have known each other for years and years, so it was a welcomed match.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Watters Bride for a Summer Colors Jewish Wedding Weekend at Elmore Court, Gloucestershire, UK

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Over the past months, it’s been so beautiful to see big, festive Jewish weddings coming back. And for so many couples, it’s been all that much sweeter getting to celebrate together with loved ones after spending so much time apart.

That was very much Ilana and Sam’s experience – from day one, their vision included a big, fun party for their nearest and dearest, and while the pandemic certainly added stress and uncertainty to their planning, it made the end result – just three weeks after UK COVID restrictions had been lifted! – that much more meaningful.  

To make the most of having everyone gathered together after so long, Ilana and Sam opted to turn their Sunday wedding into a full-on wedding weekend, renting out a nearby house with both their families to host Saturday welcome drinks and generally get in some extra bonding time.

We also love Ilana and Sam’s “summer colors” theme, beautifully shown in the photos by James Davidson – complete with vibrant pink and orange florals in the bouquets, on the tables, and adorning their beautiful birch chuppah rented from  Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Happy Chuppah People. Speaking of which – note how Ilana and Sam went for flowers just on two corners of the chuppah. This is a great example of how doable it is to incorporate gorgeous florals into your chuppah design without breaking the bank.

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll leave the rest to Ilana, who looked so glam in her gown by Watters…


How we Met

Ilana, the bride and Sam, the groom: We met seven years ago at a house party on a crowded ‘dance floor’ – Sam took Ilana’s number, didn’t text her for a week, then cancelled their first date because he’d started dating someone else. Ilana proposed a friendly coffee instead; Sam upped that with a trip to the Tate Modern. One seven-hour “non-date” later, Sam decided he might want to organise a real date, and the rest is history.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Monique Lhuillier Bride for a Magical Candlelit Indoor Garden Jewish Wedding at The Dorchester, London, UK

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Kelly-Abel-The-Dorchester-London-UK

We are absolutely blown away by the pure, unadulterated gorgeousness of today’s London Jewish wedding! Kelly, a restauranteur (she’s the owner and founder of A.O.K Kitchen), and Abel, who’s in property focusing on social housing, set out to plan a celebration evoking a magical candlelit garden, complete with tons of romance and beautiful flowers – and did they ever pull it off!

Everything about this day – from the flowers to the chuppah to the luxe backdrop provided by the couple’s venue, The Dorchester – gave off the ultimate fairy tale vibes. And that’s before we even get into Kelly’s exquisite Monique Lhuillier gown! As soon as Kelly spotted this dress – adorned with colorful hand-embroidered flowers and butterflies – she knew it was the perfect fit for her special day.

Now over to Kelly…

Kelly-Abel-The-Dorchester-London-UK Kelly-Abel-The-Dorchester-London-UK Kelly-Abel-The-Dorchester-London-UK Kelly-Abel-The-Dorchester-London-UK
How We Met

Kelly, the bride: We were introduced by a mutual friendContinue ReadingContinue Reading