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Home > Winter wedding

A Suzanne Neville Bride for an Elegant Winter Jewish Micro Wedding with a Wild Backstory at Down Hall Hotel & Spa, Essex, UK

11/06/2021 by Karen Cinnamon

Rafaela-Dan-Down-Hall-Hotel-Spa-in-Essex

By now we’ve heard lots of incredible pandemic wedding stories, but we’re pretty sure Brides Club member Rafaela, and Dan’s takes the (wedding) cake. These two had originally planned a big black-tie wedding at another venue for April 2020 – until COVID got in the way. They initially deciding to postpone for a year, but with Dan’s dad being terminally ill and his health declining, Rafaela and Dan ended up pushing their date forward by three months – and planning their intimate December 2020 wedding with just two weeks’ notice!

You might think that’s enough drama for one wedding – but it doesn’t stop there! With just 48 hours to go, the couple’s original venue had to cancel on them due to changes to the UK’s regional tiering system. Several frantic phone calls later, Rafaela and Dan secured a new venue, Down Hall Hotel & Spa, located in an area with lighter COVID restrictions, just 24 hours before the chuppah!

It was a tight turnaround, but the hotel’s incredible staff and the couple’s vendor team made it happen – you’d never know from Joab Smith’s absolutely stunning photos that it all happened at the very last minute!

There were a few hiccups along the way – not the least of which being that on the morning of her wedding, Rafaela was left without a hair stylist and makeup artist! Luckily, as a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club, Rafaela was able to muster Brides Club’s collective resources to secure the perfect last-minute booking. And as Rafaela transitioned her wedding from spring to winter, a fellow Brides Club member lent out her bridal fur shawl to keep Rafaela warm and in style during the outside photos – how incredible is that?! Don’t miss the ultra-emotional trailer from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Denee Motion, who is so beloved by our Brides Club members – and for very good reason!

Speaking of which… if you’re feeling in need of a little guidance as you navigate your big day, reserve your spot for Smashing The Glass’s virtual Jewish Wedding Planning Party today! There’ll be partying, presents, and music, plus our founder Karen Cinnamon will be on hand to help you figure out everything from making the most of your budget to dealing with challenging family dynamics and beyond  – and to answer any and every question you might have.

There’s so much more we could say about this unbelievable wedding – like, how amazing is Rafaela and Dan’s chuppah? And how exquisite does Rafaela look in her Suzanne Neville gown?! – but we’ll let the bride take it from here…

Rafaela-Dan-Down-Hall-Hotel-Spa-in-Essex Rafaela-Dan-Down-Hall-Hotel-Spa-in-Essex Rafaela-Dan-Down-Hall-Hotel-Spa-in-Essex Rafaela-Dan-Down-Hall-Hotel-Spa-in-Essex
How we Met

Rafaela, the bride: I am from Brazil and moved to the UK around 15 years ago, where we met! We have been together around 4 years and despite having grown up in different parts of the world, we are both very similar and have many mutual interests! Dan proposed from a helicopter in the summer of 2018 and we were wedding planning ever since! Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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A Le Spose di Gio Bride for a Winter Jewish Wedding at Home in Liverpool, UK

18/06/2018 by Karen Cinnamon

Jewish Wedding at home Liverpool UK_0018
Today’s Jewish wedding is a rather special one for me to blog as it’s the beautiful wedding of my right hand woman at Smashing The Glass, wonderful Claire who I work extremely closely with day in, day out!

It’s an absolute honor to feature Claire’s joyous wedding to Mark (held in a marquee at her parents house filled with family and friends) and even though their big day happened prior to Claire joining Team STG, it’s no surprise that it features not one, not two, but THREE incredible STG Recommended Vendors: photography superstar David Pullum (his images are everything), Sensation Band who rocked the night in the imitable way that only they can do, and the fabulous and meticulous Qube Events who we couldn’t love any more (read on to see what Claire has to say about each of them!).

And on a creative level, their chuppah is jaw-on-the-floor EVERYTHING!! Oh.. and you’re going to want to steal an amazing creative / favour idea that the guests went nuts for involving (wait for it…) napkins! Oh yeah. All I can say is that I wish I had one too…

Let’s hand over to Claire (dressed to perfection in Le Spose di Gio) for the full scoop!

Jewish Wedding at home Liverpool UK_0018

Jewish Wedding at home Liverpool UK_0018

Jewish Wedding at home Liverpool UK_0018

Jewish Wedding at home Liverpool UK_0018
A Wedding at Home

Claire, the bride: We got married in the garden of my family home. Ever since I was a little girl I had always dreamt of getting married there. With so many happy memories, it felt so special and perfect for us.

My family are from Liverpool and my husband’s are from London, so we also thought that creating our own “venue” would be a fun change from the norm and make it a little more exciting for those who were making the trip up north to Liverpool!

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A Mira Zwillinger bride for a snowy ski-themed Jewish wedding in the mountains of Verbier, Switzerland

15/12/2015 by Karen

Verbier-wedding
I’m a bit of a  ski-ing nut  and LOVE  everything that goes with the sport  —  the  breathtaking scenery, the high altitude vibe, and the aprà¨s-ski   life. So when I first clapped eyes on this wintery mountain wedding, I can hand on heart say that my breath was momentarily taken away. Then when I spotted  the images of the bride and groom in ski boots having fun on the powder, I seriously couldn’t believe my eyes  – my goodness…  how lucky are we this morning?!

With a bride called Summer, this winter wedding is  everything. I’m talking killer photography by Ronen Boidek, a Swiss mountain  backdrop complete with sunshine, snow, alphorns, mulled wine, cheese fondue, St Bernard dogs, lanterns, candles, and  a  Mira Zwillinger gown so pretty it could move  you to tears. But even more than that, it’s the sheer joy captured in every last image. Summer, take it away…

Verbier wedding
Our wedding in a nutshell

Summer, the Bride: I think the mountain setting helped make the wedding unusual! The alphorns, mulled wine, cheese fondue, cow bells, lanterns, candles and mountain tent all helped create a special day. We made a whole weekend of it with a mountain lunch and dinners and I hope that our guests  had a really different and fun wedding weekend!

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