Today’s real wedding is an absolute stunner. A two-day celebration in beautiful Italy, styled and planned to perfection by English Wedding member and luxury destination wedding planner Elegante by Michelle J. Michelle and her team created the perfect setting for the happy couple, styling their venues with such wonderful attention to detail… it’s one of the most beautiful weddings we’ve ever seen! All photographs are by David Bastianoni.
As always, we’ll share lots more including favourite photos on instagram @englishweddingblog
This luxury celebration will have you aching to make lemonade! The welcome party is a glorious fiesta styled with a thousand lemons, sunflowers everywhere and festoon lights shining into the Italian evening light. The bride’s floral dress is divine; Michelle created the most captivating ambiance for the happy couple and their guests.
“Guests were totally immersed in their surroundings by abundant decor, lighting and cosy seating areas provided by Il Giardino delle Fate Flower Design and Alma Project. A chinoiserie-and-citrus theme gave a flavour of the vintage charm of Florence, and we doubt there was a lemon left in the whole city when we’d finished! Beyond the seating area was the main event space; a fantastic hidden gem in the city, a grassy courtyard that unfolds before your eyes and was filled with warm fairy lighting, tables set with blue, white and yellow, and an array of wonderful Italian food and drink. It was a beautiful sight to see, and as the sun set on their very own cosy little corner of Florence we knew A&A’s wedding day was going to be something special.” ~ Elegante by Michelle J
The wedding day itself is styled with breathtaking and abundant florals in shades of red and pink, filling tables and cascading into the most fabulous arrangements.
“When it was time for the big reveal, guests made their way up from the gardens and were greeted with the warm honey-yellow facade of the Villa and a spectacular clearspan marquee, filled to the brim with stunning florals and delicate details. The whole design was sumptuous and flowing, filling the space with lavish life and surprising the guests at every turn. Beautiful bespoke stationery by Ceci New York announced the menu for the evening, and custom monogrammed napkins from Laurel House Design made for a lovely personalised touch. ”
This wedding was previously featured on Smashing the Glass. If the welcome bags look familiar they inspired us to write a piece on Thoughtful Touches: wedding welcome bags earlier this month!
For a fascinating peek behind the scenes, head on over to Michelle’s own blog, where she shares a brilliant behind-the-scenes wedding video showing the incredible hard work, and contributions from all the amazing suppliers that came together to create this exceptional celebration.
Photography – David Bastianoni
Planner – Elegante by Michelle J
Videography – Waterfall Visuals
Venue – Villa di Maiano
Dresses – Elie Saab
Bride’s shoes – Jimmy Choo
Hair + Makeup – Your Beauty Team
Flowers – Il Giardino delle Fate Flower Design
Band – Muzika
Catering and Cake – Galateo Ricevimenti
Stationery/Invitation – Ceci New York
Embroidered napkins – Laurel House Designs
Marquee – Pellicci & Meschi
Production – Alma Project
Travel Services – Come Wander Travels
Singer – Udi Ullman
Welcome Party Venue – Palazzo Ximenes
Synagogue – Florence Synagogue
Have you received an invitation to a Jewish wedding? If so, it’s likely you have questions and would like to know more about what to expect.
We invited a specialist Jewish wedding planner, and English Wedding Blog member, lovely Michelle Jacobs of Elegante by Michelle J to take us through the key elements of a typical Jewish wedding. All of the beautiful images we’ve included are by Italian Luxury wedding photographer David Bastianoni.
Wedding planner and stylist: Elegante by Michelle J. Photographer: David Bastianoni
1. Day of Week
Jewish weddings most commonly take place on Sundays. Never on a Saturday and rarely on a Friday as the Jewish Sabbath (when weddings are not permitted) runs from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday.
Other auspicious days for Jewish weddings are Tuesdays and Thursdays.
So, when your invitation arrives, do not be surprised that the wedding day is not a Saturday.
2. Dress Code
Your wedding invitation will usually specify the dress code. This is likely to be either “Black Tie” or Lounge Suits. Either way, for female guests, the appropriate attire is not day dresses; most likely you should choose to wear either a long or short party dress, depending on the formality of the specified dress code and the wedding location. For example, a 5* hotel ballroom will warrant a long evening gown, but a less formal venue will suit a short party dress. If in doubt, ask your host or another member of the bridal party.
Jewish weddings don’t start too early and the wedding reception typically takes the form of a dinner dance, rather than a wedding breakfast followed by a party. Hence the dress code being based around evening wear.
3. The Ceremony
The wedding ceremony is known as the Chuppah. This may take place either at a Synagogue or at the venue for the reception. Either way it will follow a similar format:
- Men and women may be seated separately (on opposite sides of the aisle); this is dependent on the level of orthodoxy, but if you are attending with a partner of the opposite sex, be prepared to sit separately during the ceremony. As a wedding planner, I usually advise my couples to arrange for any of their non-Jewish guests to be seated with someone who knows the format and will help to make them feel comfortable. Hopefully someone will reach out to you, but if this does not happen, perhaps try to find out in advance about the ceremony seating arrangements
- All men will be expected to wear a skull cap (known as a Kippah); but these are usually provided by the couple and handed out on arrival
- If the ceremony is taking place within an Orthodox Synagogue, ladies should cover their shoulders and dress relatively modestly; my recommendation would be to seek advice from your host as to the level of modesty required, if any, as it does vary between congregations
- The couple will marry under a canopy (this is the actual “Chuppah”) and will be joined by their parents and grandparents
- A cantor (religious singer known as a Chazan) will usually sing during the ceremony and is a secondary “officiant” to the Rabbi. Some of the Jewish songs that the Chazan sings are very moving and meaningful
- The processional commences with the groom who is accompanied down the aisle with his parents
- The bride may also be accompanied by both of her parents, though some brides opt just for their father
- The ceremony starts with the bride circling the bridegroom though this is not a strict requirement and some brides choose not to do this
- The ceremony includes the reading of the marriage contract (known as the Ketubah) and seven blessings, as well as a sermon and exchange of rings.
- The ceremony lasts approximately 45 minutes
Smashing the Glass
This is probably the most well-known tradition of a Jewish wedding. At the end of the ceremony the groom stamps on a glass to smash it. (The glass will be wrapped in a bag or a napkin). As the congregation hear the smashing of the glass, they will erupt into shouts of “Mazeltov”, which means congratulations. Singing and some dancing under the Chuppah then ensues with much hugging and celebration.
There are several accepted explanations of the reason for “smashing the glass”. Two in particular, I personally feel, are most valid:
- Marriage is a covenant, which in Judaism is represented by breaking or cutting something
- It is a lesson that even in times of joy, we need to remember the pain and loss that has been experienced by the Jewish people
5. Jewish Dancing
Of all the Jewish wedding traditions that you will encounter, this is the one that you are actively encouraged to participate in. Jewish dancing (also known as Israeli dancing or Hora) usually takes place once guests have been invited to dinner, but before any food is served. Guests are invited to join the couple on the dance floor and a very frenetic 10 – 15 minutes of Israeli style dancing takes place., which essentially involves dancing around in circles to uplifting Hebrew songs. Usually, there are separate circles for the men and the women with the bride and groom at the centre. After a few minutes the couple are raised on chairs and are passed a napkin or handkerchief to hold between them.
6. Dinner Format
At Jewish weddings we dance during dinner as well as afterwards. In addition to the Israeli dancing before dinner, it is fairly typical for the band to perform throughout the meal and encourage guests on to the dance floor between courses.
You will also hear speeches during dinner, and sometimes toasts are given to the Queen and to the President of the State of Israel. At the more observant or traditional Jewish weddings there will be an initial prayer which is our equivalent of Grace. And after dinner we sing Grace After Meals and a repeat of the wedding blessings. Although it should be noted that these days not all Jewish weddings include these more traditional, religious elements.
When you are seated for dinner, your menu card will usually detail the order of dinner events on the reverse so you will know in advance which of the traditions I have just described are likely to be included.
All of this means that the wedding dinner goes on for several hours with just a relatively short party set of approximately 90 minutes at the very end once the dinner and all of the formalities are complete. But do remember that you will have been dancing and partying from the beginning, so nobody is “short-changed”.
The wedding is likely to end by midnight. As the wedding is most probably taking place on a Sunday evening, many of the guests will be expected at work the next morning. Of course, this will not apply if you are attending a destination wedding when the dancing is likely to continue later.
7. Food
You should expect to eat well at a Jewish wedding. Food is plentiful, starting with a lavish drinks and canapé reception (often with food stations) and followed by a 3 or even 4-course meal.
The food may be Kosher or it may be what we call a “non-offensive” menu.
If a kosher caterer is providing the wedding meal:
- Expect to be served a meat or chicken based main course
- As we are not permitted to serve meat with dairy, there will be no dairy items whatsoever on the menu and this will include no milk with your coffee
- Wines will also be kosher
- But, to all other intents and purposes, your wedding dinner will be no different to what you could expect at any other wedding
If the venue is providing the meal:
- It is most likely that the couple will have chosen a non-offensive menu
- What we mean by this is no offensive items to strictly observant guests
- So, no meat of any description and no pork, ham or shellfish
- Your main course is most likely to be based around fish
- Other elements of your meal will be based around dairy and vegetarian ingredients
8. Drink
Most Jewish weddings include an open bar throughout the event. It’s very unusual for Jewish families to expect their guests to pay for their drinks. It’s also usual for the bar to be open from the start of the drinks reception, throughout dinner and through to the end. So, if you fancy a cocktail or a spirit or a beer these will most likely be available.
9. Gifts
The wedding invitation will probably include details of the couples’ wedding gift list.
If there is no gift list, many guests will opt for a give a gift of money and this is quite the norm at Jewish weddings (even when there is a gift list).
Please note, there is no obligation to either buy from the list or give money so essentially you are fee to do as you wish with regard to your wedding gift for the couple.
10. Tisch and Bedeken
I want to conclude with details of two short pre-wedding events that you will only participate in if you are a member of the bridal or groom’s parties.
The Tisch can best be described as the groom’s pre-wedding drink with his close male friends, and immediate male members of the wedding party.
The men gather just prior to the ceremony, usually for whisky and nibbles, and the Rabbi will join them.
The Tisch usually includes the signing of the Ketubah (the marriage contract) and some singing and dancing.
Following the Tisch, the groom is escorted to the Bedeken
The Bedeken is a historical tradition from Biblical times, when Jacob was “tricked” into marrying Leah, when he was expecting to marry her sister, Rachel. At the Bedeken ceremony, the groom is invited to “check” the bride is the person he is expecting and he then lowers her veil.
Traditionally, the Bedeken takes place privately, with just the couple, the Rabbi, their parents and the bridal party in attendance. It is the equivalent of the groom’s “first look” and can be very moving and emotional.
As the Bedeken ceremony excludes most of the guests, it means they are prevented from witnessing the groom seeing his bride for the first time. So, in recent years, a public Bedeken has increased in popularity. The groom meets his bride as she walks down the aisle and the Bedeken ceremony is performed there.
I would LOVE to feature more Jewish weddings on the English Wedding Blog. If you’re a Jewish couple and you’d like to be featured, please do get in touch! I’d also love to reach out to all wedding photographers and ask for your submissions – Jewish and interfaith weddings are especially welcome! You’ll find submissions guidelines here, and you can ask me anything by email – I’m info@english-wedding.com
Huge thanks to Michelle for such a fabulous article. You can see Michelle J’s vendor profile here, and visit her gorgeous website at https://elegantebymichellej.com
The Elegante by Michelle J mission is to always create the most magical and memorable of days for my couples and their guests. I pride myself on being a highly recommended luxury wedding planner specialising in overseas and UK destination weddings.
Web: https://elegantebymichellej.com
We have the perfect scenes of beautiful tranquility for you this morning, with Claudia and James’s Greek island wedding. The styling is perfection; the setting is out of this world. Huge thanks to Elegante by Michelle J for sharing such a stunning day with us!
Michelle Jacobs of Elegante by Michelle J was our wedding planner – she was a dream to work with and took a lot of the stress off us in the planning process and on the day.
Cartalia provided perfect stationery in the pocket style we wanted.
We couldn’t bring the suppliers we wanted from London, so instead we found freelance MUA Maria who was amazing, and had done celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Lady Gaga when they were on the island.
Our DJ was a renowned global DJ from the island, amazing at reading a crowd and playing music to get everyone up and dancing.
We wanted welcome gifts in keeping with the island, so our wedding planner Michelle found a lady on the island to supply us with typical Myconian bags.
Wedding photographer’s website
How did you choose your photographer?
She had photographed weddings at our venue before and had worked with Jewish couples before too, so understood the special moments of the day. Her style is elegant and captivating and different to generic Jewish wedding photographers. She knew the island and timings that would work to capture the best light for the day.
What’s your fondest memory of your wedding?
The first dance was one of the most special moments of the night. It was sung by James’ brother Matthew (best man), who once had a career in theatre. Together we chose a song we loved and suited him, which ended up being ‘You Are The Reason’ by Calum Scott. Our guests were blown away and there were lots of tears, it was magical. We knew Matthew wouldn’t want to give a speech so this was the perfect way of involving him.
Did you have a wedding videographer?
Our videographer was Mont Videography and they had a unique way of filming to capture the day. Tassos, who rungs the company, worked with us to ensure they recorded all our special moments. They knew the best ways to film in the heat and wind that Mykonos is known for, and even used a drone to capture everything from above.
Tell us about your venue – what made this place special for you?
Mykonos is like our second home – we went for 7 summers in a row after coincidentally meeting a hotel owner of the Myconian Collection on our first trip. We became close friends, and once we got engaged we explored having our wedding in Mykonos…and it only made sense to get married in one of the 11 hotels he owned on the island! We decided on the Royal Myconian which suited our style best, and had the Chuppah and reception on the Sunset Terrace followed by dinner and dancing in the Horizon Suite upstairs.
Did you love wearing your outfits? How was your shopping experience, was it fun to find your wedding gear?
Claudia: My dress was so special to me. Jenny Packham is a good friend of my mum, and she designed my bespoke wedding dress. I knew the style that suited me after trying on a few things first, and Jenny then sketched me some options which I narrowed down to my favourite. At my final fitting when I put it on, it was magical – Jenny and her whole team made it such an unforgettable experience!
James: James’ suit was tailor made from Esclot in Bond Street. He designed it right down to the buttons and stitching. His vision was to wear two different colored blues to complement the wedding party, so his suit jacket was a lighter blue and trousers were darker. The jacket had our names and wedding date embroidered on the lining.
Did you hire a florist? Tell us about any floral amazingness 🙂
We used Studio 7 Flowers for our event, and they also put together the structure and flowers on our Chuppah. We went for a combination of blue, white, blush pink and green to go with the rest of the wedding, with trailing white flowers at the back. We had a mix of hydrangeas, roses, wisteria, eucalyptus, ruscus, ivy, freesia, delphinium and amaranthus. Studio 7 were incredible and brought my vision to life.
As cake lovers here at English Wedding we’d LOVE to know who made your cake, and how delicious it was?
We didn’t want a cake as we felt they never seem to get eaten! Instead, we went for a dessert buffet so guests could come and go as they pleased.
Tell us about any special personal touches, or creative projects you made yourselves (we love that stuff!)
The jewellery I wore on the day was my Grandma’s diamond tennis bracelet which was a gift from her when I got engaged (my something old), my mum’s hoop diamond earrings (something borrowed) and my diamond necklace which was also a gift from my Grandma for my Bat mitzvah.
Did you have any wedding readings? What were they?
We had a Jewish ceremony put together by our celebrant Jonny Kustow, as our Rabbi options couldn’t make it due to travel restrictions. We put together a bespoke ceremony with traditions, but also allowed for readings and elements which wouldn’t normally be included.
What was your first dance song? Why did you choose it?
You Are The Reason by Calum Scott, see ‘fondest memory’ question for more detail.
Favourite wedding suppliers
Photographer – Anna Roussos
Videographer – Mont Videography
Wedding planner – Elegante by Michelle J
Stationery – Cartalia
Chazan – Jonny Mosesson
Venue – Royal Myconian Hotel
Bride’s dress – Jenny Packham
Bride’s shoes – Jimmy Choo
Bride’s accessories – Jenny Packham
Groom’s attire – Esclot
Bridesmaids – Jasmine Bridal from Boutique and Co
Hair + Makeup – Konstantinos Kontizas, Makeup Mykonos
Florist –Studio 7 Mykonos
DJ – Richard Horn
Production – Sound Mykonos
Rentals – Blue Event Rentals Mykonos
Ketubah – The Ketubah Studio
Officiant – Jonathon Kustow
Happy spooky weekend, my lovelies! I hope you all have fabulous plans and wonderful outfits! As the end of October festivities kick off, we’re thrilled to be sharing Candy & Sam’s Victorian gothic inspired Hallowe’en wedding, sent in by luxury wedding planner Elegante by Michelle J.
The styling is as beautiful as Hallowe’en ever saw. The tables glisten with candles nestled in sumptuous floral arrangements. The stationery is exquisite: vintage Hallowe’en in style with moons and stars… and Love Potion alongside bottles of ‘Poison’ on the tables! Candy is just stunning and Sam her perfect handsome groom – and the atmosphere of the day is joyful, exuberant and full on party vibes!!!
Words: Elegante by Michelle J.; photography by Pippa Mackenzie
Upon approaching St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, the grandeur of the architecture takes your breath away. Towering above you on your approach, the Victorian inspired building was once said to be “too beautiful and too romantic to survive” – Sir John Betjeman. This venue is so much more than where the Spice Girls filmed “Wannabe”.
Upon meeting Candy & Sam they were quick to tell me how much fun Hallowe’en was for Candy growing up with parties year after year and, when Sam moved to London to start his career, they made sure that Hallowe’en became “their thing”. With so many of their friends marrying over the Summer, Candy & Sam wanted to not only incorporate their favourite holiday into their wedding, but they also wanted to stand out from the crowd. Enter Candy’s vision of a Hallowe’en inspired wedding.
One thing to note here, well, the only thing to note here is that this wedding didn’t encapsulate Hallowe’en as we all know it. There were no orange pumpkins, no dress up boxes or apple bobbing; Candy & Sam had their hearts set on a Victorian inspired Gothic wedding to stand out from any other event they had attended that year. Candy recalls “We picked The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, because we loved the gothic feel and beautiful architecture inside and out. It made the perfect setting for our Hallowe’en inspired wedding”. Bringing this vision to life with Candy & Sam was inspiring from the get-go, especially because Candy is a creative director at a creative agency; I had my work cut out for me and I couldn’t wait to dive in.
Candy saw the Chuppah for the first time as she walked down the aisle and they’ve both commented on how the ceremony was their favourite part of the day. Artistically Twisted pulled out all the stops and the Chuppah was definitely a talking point for the rest of the day! Candy comments “I don’t think I could have imagined a more perfect Chuppah if I tried!”. Candy walked down the aisle to Boi Beshalom and Sam and his family were serenaded by the Totem choir to “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, a touching nod to Sam’s relationships with his parents and his upbringing in Liverpool. Personal touches such as this truly inject your personality into your wedding and is a reminder as to why everyone is here. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Candy & Sam wrote their own words for the Ketubah, as prompted by their Rabbi; their personalities shone through making the ceremony incredibly special for all those present.
As with every wedding, securing the right suppliers I key and we hit the jackpot with the likes of photographer, Pippa MacKenzie, florist Artistically Twisted and the finest entertainers in the industry, Totem. Every supplier was integral in bringing this vision to life and ensuring it remained classy and true to Candy & Sam’s vision. I sourced the linen from 88 Events in Scotland, the tableware from Options Great Hire, and cutlery from Duchess & Butler and worked closely with Artistically Twisted to bring the table scape to life. We added pops of red and glitters of gold along the black tables, focusing on the theme of a medieval banquet.
Whilst the venue (The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel) boasts grandeur and brilliance, we didn’t want this to overpower the day; with such an impressive venue it is the smaller details that will be the talking points for your guests. We incorporated nods to Victorian Gothic detail throughout the day, such as Candy’s glittering hair and moon hair clips that shimmered under the Chuppah, more on this later. Other small touches that really elevated the space was the stationary by Suzanne Oddy and “poison bottles” of red cherry sours as favours. Tying these aspects into the day was seamless as I followed and built on Candy’s vision and mood boards.
Now onto the party, and what a party it was! With Totem at the helm I knew guests would be on their feet all night and I wasn’t wrong. From touching ceremony music to outbursts of Sister Act during dinner and disco lights galore late into the night, this wedding was a real “Thriller” (sang by the band as all the guests started mimicking all the moves!). Candy and Sam remember the dancing during dinner as being “outrageous in the best way possible”; the band, guests, bar staff and team couldn’t keep still and dance-offs were a regular occurrence! Late into the night we welcomed Roseanna Velin to get everyone into the Hallowe’en spirit with incredible face painting and artistic make up. This was a Hallowe’en party for the ages.
Every element of the wedding perfectly paired with the theme of a Hallowe’en wedding, and not a pumpkin in sight!
Planning: Elegante by Michelle J
MUA: Sophie Fleur Beauty
Hair: Hair by Slo
Dresses: Sassi Holford
Bar: Jonny Cocktail Events
Catering: Adam Nathan Catering
Ceremony: Hebrewear and Chana
Rabbi: Rabbi Paul Glantz
Face Paint: Roseanna Velin MUA
Band: Totem
Florals: Artistically Twisted London
Videography: AK Films
Photography: Pippa Mackenzie Photography
Production: Powerhouse Hire
Rentals: 88 Events; Duchess & Butler; Options Greathire
Stationery: Suzanne Oddy Design
Venue: St Pancras Renaissance Hotel
Planning: @elegantebymichellej
MUA: @sophiefleurbeauty_mua
Hair: @hairbyslo
Dresses: @sassiholford
Bar: @jonny_cocktail_bars
Catering: @adamnathancatering
Ceremony: @hebrewear and Chana
Rabbi: Rabbi Paul Glantz
Face Paint: @roseannavelin
Band: @totemsuperstars
Florals: @artistically_twisted_london
Videography: @akfilmsweddings
Photography: @pippamackenzie
Production: @powerhousehire
Rentals: @88eventscompany @duchessbutler @optionsgreathire
Stationery: @suzanneoddydesign
Venue: @stpancrasren
We’re thrilled to be sharing a stunning luxury wedding shoot with you today. The florals are exquisite, the styling impeccable with such wonderful attention to detail. Lovely Michelle from Elegante by Michelle J sent this Jewish wedding inspiration our way, and we were instantly smitten with the floral styling and summery, romantic vibe of the day. Hylands House is a gorgeous venue, a gem hidden away in Essex and one we’re delighted to be featuring here on English Wedding again.
Lovely Michelle has shared some insights into the concept and styling of this inspiration shoot, which we’re so happy to be able to share with you below. I’ve a feeling you’re about to fall in love with some of the incredible suppliers involved – the images are by talented Jewish wedding photographer Claudine Hartzel, floral styling is by the incredible Gabriella Shemtov Floral, stationery from amazing designer Dimitria Jordan. We LOVE the cake by the Honey Bee Wedding Cake Company – it’s such a graceful design with classic gold accents. There’s a breathtaking film of the day by Confetti & Silk, which you can see below. The bride wears a stunning Ersa Atelier dress from bridal boutique Morgan Davies Bridal, with a super elegant up do by Cass Rizzuto and naturally beautiful makeup by Katy Angelidi. The chuppah is from The Happy Chuppah People (well of course!), with key hire items provided by Judaica purveyor Contemporary Judaica. Adding to the magical vibe of the day is harpist Noa Davies.
This shoot was previously featured on Smashing the Glass
Hylands House Wedding- Jewish Inspiration from Goldhanger Films on Vimeo.
Words by Michelle at Elegante by Michelle J
The Venue
I came across Hylands Estate in Essex during the pandemic, whilst using my time to explore new venues and suppliers. I honestly can’t believe that it has escaped the radar for Jewish weddings. It ticks so many boxes for Jewish couples who are based in London, Essex or the South East of England.
- A historic stately manor house, filled with a rich history, yet beautifully and sympathetically restored and renovated in recent years
- Set in acres of the most beautiful grounds
- A permanent Pavillion which can seat up to 300 guests with a stage and dance floor
- Available for dry hire with your own caterer – perfect for kosher catering
- Very accessible, just 45 minutes from North London and even closer for those based in Essex (it is in Chelmsford)
- And finally, a highlight for any couple is their spacious wedding day getting ready “accommodation” which includes a bridal suite, a bridesmaids’ suite with stations for hair and make-up and a groom’s suite
The Styling Concept:
All the couple shots from this shoot showcase the spectacular outdoor setting and the beautiful interiors. Claudine Hartzel and Confetti and Silk Films have captured the venue in all its glory.
For the ceremony and wedding dinner we chose to highlight two very different indoor event spaces. For the Chuppah, we chose the Banqueting Room, a rich luxe traditional space featuring a red textured wall covering and the most beautiful blue and gold ceiling.
In contrast, the Terrace Room, where we hosted our wedding dinner, is a calm oasis with a muted green colour palette, masses of natural light and the feeling of “bringing the outside in”.
As with any wedding, it was important that the design presented a cohesive look across the two very different spaces and for this I relied heavily on Gabriella Shemtov whose florals take your breath away.
In Gabriella’s words…
When collaborating on this shoot, Michelle and I agreed that we wanted to achieve a light and airy, unstructured, meadow like aesthetic. We planned to use a lot of foliage with touches of flowers. This would tie in beautifully with all the accessories Michelle had already selected to compliment the beautiful rooms at The Hylands Estate. We really wanted to maximise on how stunningly they have been decorated, each so different from the next.
The chuppah flowers in particular were designed to lead your eye up towards the magnificent blue and gold ceiling in the Banqueting Room. Rather than dressing the chuppah with the flowers at the top of the canopy, we decided to create a winding effect from the base upwards, as the ceiling really does speak for itself and we didn’t want to distract from its beauty.
I decided that I would use an abundance of British grown product from local flower farmers as the product lends itself much more to a dainty English garden look, and the flowers are naturally more variegated in colour. In addition, it is always nice to buy from and support small London based businesses, especially those who have been hit hard by the pandemic. While the product is overall more expensive than growers abroad who work on a much larger scale, there is something so unique and beautiful about British grown products bought in season.
For reference some of the flowers and foliage we used are listed here, though this is by no means a conclusive list: Asparagus Fern, Grasses, Daucous, Bupleurum, Euphorbia, Hesperis, Snapdragos, Pansies, Sainfoin, Orlaya, Ranunculus, Foxgloves and Roses. Our colour pallet was greens, whites, creams, soft pinks and red.
In addition to the usual floral items for a Jewish wedding – chuppah, dinner tables, bouquet and buttonhole – we also decided to make a feature of the fireplace in the Terrace Room. Gabriella created a magnificent floral installation, which not only set the scene for the wedding reception, but also provided a glorious backdrop for the bedecken and then the wedding cake.
Further Details:
The chuppah itself was supplied by The Happy Chuppah People. Their Primrose Hill wooden chuppah fitted the room exceptionally well.
Our Judaica for the Chuppah including the tallit, kippah, ketubah and wine cup were supplied by Contemporary Judaica.
Additionally, we decided that the room lent itself perfectly to including a harpist and we were delighted to showcase Noa Davis as part of this shoot, who played for both the Chuppah and the wedding dinner.
We dressed our dinner tables with tableware and glassware supplied by Options Great Hire and linens by Just 4 Linen.
Also on the tables were menus and table numbers designed by Dimitria Jordan who also designed the invitation suite and escort display which featured bookmarks.
We included a wedding cake by Essex based wedding supplier the Honey Bee Wedding Cake company.
Fashion was supplied by Morgan Davies Bridal, Harriet Wilde shoes and Impeccable Menswear and Rockman Jewellery. Our model bride was dressed in “Dotterine by Ersa Atelier”.
Make up by Katy Angelidi and hair by Cass Rizzuto
