Zeitlin & Co Archives - Smashing the Glass

A Yolan Cris Bride for a Wonderfully Quirky Jewish Wedding at Aynhoe Park, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK

20/11/2017 by Karen

Today’s real wedding comes with two separate, but equally valid, trigger warnings: the first is that it’s incredibly beautiful, and may result in you filling up your living room with Bubblegum Balloons, because they’re just so pretty. The second is that Olivia and Paul’s Jewish wedding day is deeply moving, and you may wish to grab a box of tissues before you read on.

OK (we’re reaching for the first tissue here), how many childhood sweethearts actually make it to their big day? We’re guessing not that many, which makes Olivia and Paul truly special. The loved-up pair have been together since they were 14 years old. 14 years later, they finally said ‘I do’, which we think is just amazing. To have grown up together and still be just as in love half a lifetime later is something else.

Olivia and Paul were also dealt a devastating blow with the loss of Paul’s mother, Debra, a few months before the wedding. There are no words for the impact of losing someone so loved, and honoring her memory was a huge and vitally important part of the day. Debra managed to be part of the preparations, and had even visited the venue, which was so important to the couple.

And what a venue! We have been waiting to feature an Aynhoe Park wedding in forever! A private residence in Oxfordshire filled with stuffed animals, quirky artwork, sculptures, and an array of curiosities, we are more than obsessed with it for a wedding venue!

We also love the Bubblegum Balloons adorning the ceiling, and the sprawling, whimsical floral arrangements throughout (including that chuppah!! WOW!!) to the romantic candlelight clusters.

The entertainment was also varied, from wonderful musical acts to a snakeskin-clad contortionist and burlesque dancer respectively. There was not a moment of the day that was not utterly unique and special – doing it their way and then some.

Speaking of which, Olivia looked every bit the bridal beauty in her absolutely stunning Yolan Cris gown – absolutely awe-inspiring stuff and, as they say, total goals.

Not one, but TWO of our beloved Recommended Vendors were a part of this gorgeous wedding, with chazan Jonny Mosesson gracing the ceremony with his beautiful voice and fabulous videographers, Imaginarium Cinematography, capturing the most sweet and gorgeous wedding video.

We’ve gone on long enough – it’s time for Olivia to take over and take in those exceptional images from the wonderful Chiko Photography.

Get ready to fall in love and steal a million ideas, because we guarantee that’s how this is going to go.

How we met

Olivia, the bride: We met through one of my best friends when we were just 13/14. She invited me to a party at Paul’s house and we became really friendly.

We starting going out not long after and never looked back so 14 years later our wedding was a long time coming for our family and friends!
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A super cool and creative, colourful Jewish wedding at Middle Street Synagogue, and The Grand, Brighton, UK

01/12/2015 by Karen

Oh my goodness. Where on earth do I start with this wedding?! It’s such fun, and it’s just bursting at the seams with creative details that will make you squeal. Seriously — it’s that good!

There are gold pineapples, the most exquisitely branded stationery (all designed by the bride), an enchanting alternative to a guest book, bridesmaids in the most epic shade of coral, a personalised head-in-hole board (a must-have when your wedding is by the English seaside!) and beautifully designed welcome bag totes (again designed by bride) filled with Brighton Rock, fish & chips shaped crackers, and all sorts of other seaside-themed treats.

It’s clear from looking at all of the delicious details in this big day that Danielle poured her heart and soul into all of the planning. Everything was evidently created with the greatest care and love, and, not surprisingly, her wedding features some of my much-loved Smashing Suppliers doing an AMAZING job.

I’m talking about Jonny Mosesson (their incredible chazan under the chuppah —who also was the chazan at my wedding!) and Stephanie Allin, Danielle’s sensational wedding dress designer, who bizarrely enough, designed my wedding dress too! Danielle says, “I hope that anyone reading this who likes the sound of anything we did gets in touch with our vendors because they made our day so incredible — they were absolutely brilliant.”

This wedding is literally the perfect mix of Jewish tradition and super cool creativity and I think you’re going to love it. I certainly did!

Oh, and their ‘How We Met’ story is beyond… their mums set them up!!

All of the laughter was captured by one of my favourite photographers, Kristian Leven, making a very welcome debut on STG today.

Take it away Danielle!

how we met

Our mums set us up. Yes, it’s true!

They knew each other when they were kids growing up in Leeds and then happened to be seated together at a wedding two years ago. They figured out that they both had kids the same age. Who were single. My mum had had a few too many cocktails and so Gideon’s mum, someone who will never take no for an answer, ended up going home with my phone number! When I spoke to my mum about the wedding the next day, she never mentioned it because she never thought he would call. And he didn’t. But he texted! And the rest is history!

Amy & Anthony | Vintage themed Jewish wedding, with Route 66 details, at Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, UK

06/07/2015 by Karen

Meet Amy and Anthony who married in the evocative and enchanting Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, where none other than Queen Elizabeth I — England’s most elusive bride – tudored away much of her childhood. I’ve visited this gem north of London and the sense of history is absolutely spell-binding.

Amy chose a vintage vibe — not so vintage that she wore an Elizabethan ruffle – but as far back as the 1920’s where her sweeping gown and ridiculously beautiful beaded caplet stole the show. Pure and utter glamour.

I love this wedding because whilst it has clear direction — Amy knew what colour scheme and look she wanted from the outset – it’s also nostalgic and sentimental, all in the right measure.

Amy and Anthony chose a Route 66 theme throughout their day, an ode to the famous highway where the couple got engaged. How romantic is that? And quite appropriately, their first dance was Chuck Berry’s Get your kicks on Route 66.

…And those sentimental touches — Amy wore her two beloved grandmothers’ jewels — a gorgeous gesture.

Amy and Anthony didn’t use a wedding planner— they organised what they could (please lay your peepers on those sensational bridesmaids multi-wrap, one size fits all dresses by Two Birds) took advice when they should (the inspired churros and shots), and delegated with instruction elsewhere.

Take the flower arrangement, let’s face it flowers are super important but you don’t want to be a Bridezilla obsessing about exactly which colour flower spray goes where, it’s more about choosing the right florist who “gets you”. Give them clear direction and then leave it in their capable green-fingered hands. That’s exactly what Amy did and her seasonal freshly-picked-that-morning flowers were a sensation.

Anyway enough of me waxing lyrical about Amy and Anthony’s day — award-winning photo journalist Paul Rogers will give you thousands of words in a few stunning pictures.

how we met

Amy, the Bride: We met on JDate… it does work! We actually grew up on the roads backing onto each other and our families knew each other but we had never actually met.

Emma & Simon | Intimate and Enchanting Garden Jewish Wedding at Home in London

09/01/2014 by Karen

Denis from Denee Motion Boutique Wedding Cinema, one of our Smashing Suppliers, recently contacted me to share one of his favourite wedding films from 2013 and I had to share it with you. It’s an ‘At Home’ wedding, and is full of warmth and lovely intimate creative touches.

As Emma, the bride says, “When it came to the venue for our wedding, we didn’t even look anywhere else but the family home. I knew I wanted my wedding to be a bit different and so being able to have it at home was the perfect way, and made it even more personal.”

“My mum and I spent a lot of time looking for ideas. She is very creative anyway and likes to add her own personal touches to things. We had a shared Pinterest account so we could both save images of things we found that we liked or could use as inspiration.”

“For the tables, rather than having people’s names printed on cards at their places, we wrote everyones names on fresh ivy leaves and placed them on the napkins which were tied with a ribbon which had the wording ‘live, love, laugh’ on. We were going to just use a coloured ribbon that tied into the colour scheme, but when I found the ribbon with the wording on, I felt it really summed up what I thought was important in life and it became a bit of a theme of the wedding as I had it engraved on my husband’s wedding ring and my mum used the wording in her speech.”

“My mum did a lot of the flowers outside of the marquee herself as she has a flower business and she even integrated pictures of myself and my husband growing up into some of the displays.”

“The wedding itself was a traditional Jewish wedding, but it was lovely again to be able to add personal touches into the ceremony by having our brother’s hold the poles of the chuppah, with one of my husband’s brothers actually taking part in the ceremony, as he is a Rabbi.”

Victoria & Oliver | Super-Creative Back Garden Jewish Wedding in Highgate, London, UK

12/12/2013 by Karen

Today folks we have back garden glamour abound, with a wedding hosted in the bride’s parents’ home followed by a reception at the bride’s grandparent’s home. How lovely is that?

There’s loads of super creative DIY, a gorgeous Alice Temperley bride, a Routemaster bus, some swimming pool action, and some immense photography from Richmond Pictures.

Victoria, a creative arts therapist, and Oliver, a theatre producer, met during their time at the Newcastle University Theatre Society where they played two drunks in Kebab! The Musical . What an awesome ‘how did you meet’ opener!

VENUE + LOCATION
Victoria, the Bride: We had the ceremony in my parent’s garden in Highgate. They have a lawn down some garden steps, which makes it feel like a secret garden almost. We then took red London buses to my Grandparent’s house, also in Highgate, as they too have a lovely garden – we had a marquee here. I grew up in both these gardens so both venues had a lot of sentimental value and my fiancà©e loved the gardens too. (My Grandpa died a few years ago but my Grandma was thrilled to host everyone — she danced all night. This was particularly special as she passed away 6 months later. We have such great memories of her as hostess with the mostess!)