materials,” says Ellie. “The bridesmaids all chose their own styles and we ordered the dresses in three different shades of purple. We crossed our fingers, and thankfully the dresses looked lovely and only needed minor alterations.” TIME TO CELEBRATE “To keep everyone entertained, we had Israeli dancing and a Jewish wedding staple, provided by Oysland, a four-piece band with a caller,” shares Ellie. “We had a DJ perform after dinner as we danced the night away. They were particularly great at keeping the kids entertained as he set up and played great tunes. Every song was a banger, and the dancefloor was packed all night. “Part of the traditional Israeli dancing involves the bride and groom being lifted on chairs,” adds the bride. “It looks spectacular and is loads of fun. Being a mixed-faith wedding, some of those doing the lifting weren’t hugely experienced and despite some advice to ‘use your shoulders, never your hands’, one of our groomsmen lifted Jonny with a ropey technique. The result, captured perfectly by our photographer, was a wonderful moment of panic as Jonny threatened to topple forward from six feet in the air!” MEMORABLE MOMENTS Jonny was a bit cynical before the wedding. “I knew it would be good, but I felt the idea of it being the best day of your life was over the top, but it turns out it really was the best day of my life,” remembers Jonny. “Weddings are great, but a celebration where you know and love everyone there, what more could you ask for? To be surrounded by 200 people who mean the most to us and to be able to celebrate our love together was just perfect. “There were so many wonderful moments, but when Ellie walked in, about an hour before the first ceremony, I started to get emotional about how beautiful everything was,” adds the groom. “The sun burst through the clouds just as Ellie started to walk down the aisle, and our rabbi asked us to turn and look at all the faces of our guests during the ceremony, which was a special moment.” Ellie felt stressed in the run-up to the big day. “I listed all the things that could go wrong in my head, but the minute I walked into the venue and saw our coordinator, Dawn, smiling in the courtyard with Kate’s incredible floral installation, I knew it was all in hand and enjoyed every second,” recalls Ellie. “We were overjoyed after thinking a big wedding might never be feasible that so many people we loved were together celebrating with us. “Our photographer, James Croft Images, took the time to get to know us before the wedding, and we had a chat over Zoom and then an in-person meet-up before the wedding,” continues Ellie. “On the day, he put us completely at ease and took charge when needed but was never in the way. Once we saw the photos, that joy was amplified. It’s almost six months on, and I still look at them pretty much every day. Those photos capture what a wonderful day we had, preserving our memories and giving us the perfect window back into the joyous occasion. I can’t stress enough how important it feels to pick the right photographer, and James was absolutely the right one for us!” HONEYMOON “For our honeymoon, we had three days in Paris immediately after, which was lovely and romantic,” explains the bride. “We are planning a big trip at some point in the next few months possibly back to South Africa.” REAL WEDDINGS 43
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