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A Groundbreaking Same-Sex Orthodox Jewish Wedding with Tons of Personal Touches at Rochdale Town Hall, UK

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Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK

We have a really special Jewish wedding to share with you today! London couple Jay, who runs a scientific consultancy business, and Michael, a chartered accountant working in risk management, were the first same-sex couple to be married by an Orthodox rabbi in the UK, and we are here for it!

It’s so exciting to see the rise of same-sex Orthodox Jewish weddings, and we loved hearing about how Jay and Michael crafted their entirely bespoke halachic ceremony. When the pair were planning their wedding, they joined our Brides Club (yes, guys can join too!), and we’re so thrilled to hear how much they valued our own Karen Cinnamon’s advice throughout the process.  

Jay and Michael’s wedding was absolutely chock full of wonderful personal touches. For starters, inspired by their shared love of musical theatre, Jay and Michael commissioned a wedding booklet designed to replicate the Playbill programs distributed in Broadway theatres, featuring illustrations of the couple in their wedding attire, a “cast list,” and a five-act synopsis of their love story. Don’t miss it in the wonderful documentary-style photos by David Stubbs!

And we love that Jay and Michael chose a ten-piece band (accompanied by a chuppah singer) from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Twentysomethings for their entertainment. The couple loved working with the band, and they couldn’t get enough of the Israeli dancing set. Also, how awesome is it that their first dance was to Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis in Yiddish, sung by one of the pair’s best women, accompanied by the band?!

There are so many more wonderful details of this beautiful and meaningful day – read on for the full story in the grooms’ own words…

Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK Jay and Michael, Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK

How We Met

We met thanks to the “shadchan of the 21st century”, the dating app Hinge.

Our early romance was complicated by geography, as Jay was dividing his time between London, Vienna and Jerusalem. Our first date took place at Tuk Tuk in London, but despite the initial spark, the practical challenges made us doubt that the relationship would develop further. An unexpected encounter at Hendon Central tube station set the relationship back on track and we both took this as a sign not to give up.

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A Pronovias Bride for a Timelessly Elegant Jewish Wedding at the Midland Hotel, Manchester, UK

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Elissa and Jordan, The Midland Hotel, Manchester, UK

London couple Elissa, who works in finance, and Jordan, who has his own property development company, always knew they wanted to get married in the bride’s hometown of Manchester, UK.

When it came time to choose their venue, they picked The Midland Hotel , which is not only an iconic Manchester landmark but also the place where both Elissa’s grandmother and great grandmother got married – how special is that? It was the perfect spot for the timeless, elegant wedding of the couple’s dreams.

It also featured the dance floor of the couple’s dreams – in no small part thanks to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The White Keys. In Elissa’s words, “They were absolutely unbelievable! We had their 15-piece band and DJ Live, and they kept the dance-floor full all night. The band felt more modern and fresh than so many of the typical bands you see on the wedding circuit; and so many of our friends said how fantastic they were! We worked with Amy and the team to ensure that there was live music from the minute our guests entered the room right until the end. No request was too much to ask, and they worked with our Chazan too to make our ceremony music so beautiful.”

For photography, Elissa and Jordan opted for Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Claudine Hartzel because they loved the candid aesthetic of her photos. In Elissa’s words, “Jordan and I aren’t very posy people and were admittedly nervous about all the photos ahead of the day, but Claudine got so many brilliant action shots that we love.”

Now we’ll turn you over to Elissa…

Elissa and Jordan, The Midland Hotel, Manchester, UK Elissa and Jordan, The Midland Hotel, Manchester, UKElissa and Jordan, The Midland Hotel, Manchester, UKElissa and Jordan, The Midland Hotel, Manchester, UK

How We Met

Elissa, the bride: We met during our first year at the University of Birmingham over 10 years ago. I famously sold Jordan a club night ticket to Fab n’ Fresh during Fresher’s Week (I have the Facebook messages to prove it!), but we didn’t get together until we met again several months later and we have been inseparable ever since!

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