A Winter Jewish Wedding at The Landmark London: Morgan and Alexander’s Enchanted Celebration

A dramatic black and white floor, candlelit tables and a chuppah wrapped in soft greenery gave Morgan and Alexander’s winter wedding at The Landmark London its distinctive character. The couple wanted a setting that felt grand and enchanted, but still personal: a place for Jewish ceremony, joyful dancing and the small details that made the day theirs.

Morgan works as an asset manager overseeing a residential portfolio, while Alex is head of partnerships at a fintech company. Their celebration brought together a series of considered choices: a Wona Concept gown found after an unexpected change of plan, long-stem calla lilies instead of a traditional bouquet, and a first dance that turned a seasonal song into a surprise for their guests.

Planning and production came together with Creative Events. Music ranged from chazan Guy Barzily to the live band Sensation Band, while photographer Rachel Takes Pictures and Lightbulb Films captured the day in very different styles. Here’s how the couple shaped the ceremony, the reception and the moments in between.

A connection that began at school

Morgan, the bride: Alex and I went to the same school, JCoSS. He had been there since Year 7, and I joined later for sixth form. We knew who the other person was, but we were in different years and never spoke. We were simply two people with the same school in our background.

In 2020, Alex’s auntie, who was also a family friend of mine, asked if I knew an “Alex Rose.” I knew of him, though only from a distance. It turned out that we had both been asked about each other. Soon afterwards, Alex sent me a message. That first conversation changed everything. The boy I had passed in the school corridors became my best friend, my partner and my husband.

A hotel with room for every part of the day

The Landmark London was Morgan and Alex’s dream venue. They were looking for a grand setting with soaring ceilings in the spaces they would use, and the hotel suited the scale and feel they had in mind. For their winter wedding, its combination of warmth, comfort and architectural grandeur also felt right.

The couple used bedrooms at the hotel to get ready, the Grand Ballroom for the ceremony, the opulent Drawing Room for the reception and the Marble Ballroom for the evening celebrations. Having distinct rooms gave each part of the day its own setting while keeping the celebrations in one place.

Setting the tone with floor, flowers and candlelight

The design combined grand surroundings with organic floral details and subtle period touches. Its most graphic element was a black and white, marble-effect floor in a patio style. It framed the ceremony and continued into the main party room, linking the two spaces through a bold visual detail.

For the chuppah, the couple wanted an untamed, enchanted look rather than conventional floral arrangements. Clouds of gypsophila softened the structure, while green ferns curled around it in spirals. Morgan and Alex liked the way the flowers’ natural shapes stood out against the hotel’s formal interiors.

The ceremony room was designed to feel intimate and dark, with attention drawn to the chuppah and the aisle. Candles lined both sides of the walkway, interspersed with tall vases filled with the same flowers. The light made a glowing route to the ceremony, while the floor added a striking pattern beneath it all.

The couple married on the final day of Chanukkah. Seeing the fully lit Chanukiah beside the chuppah was especially meaningful to them, bringing the timing of the celebration into the ceremony’s visual setting.

Morgan chose long-stem calla lilies for her bouquet. She knew a classic bouquet did not feel like her, and the lilies offered a different shape with an elegant, understated quality.

Planning support and a steady presence

Morgan and Alex worked with Richard at Creative Events on planning and production. Morgan valued having someone who could manage the moving parts while also being available for the unexpected questions that come with planning a wedding.

“Richard was so much more than a wedding planner,” she said. “A wedding is huge, so choosing the right person to guide you is essential. Someone who not only ensures everything runs smoothly, but who you can also call with the weird and wonderful questions along the way. Richard was exactly that, a constant sense of calm, and the person who truly brought our vision to life and made our dreams a reality on the day.”

The couple also chose toastmaster Jamie Paskin, who had been part of Morgan’s brother’s bar mitzvah years earlier. That earlier family connection made him an easy choice. She remembers him as calming and professional, and says he helped bring the day and evening together so the couple could relax and enjoy them.

Florist Oddy came into the picture through Richard. Morgan describes the collaboration as warm and creative, with the finished work extending the couple’s initial ideas across the chuppah and reception tables.

Paper details with a personal finish

Kristi at Eventfully More designed the invitations to introduce the wedding’s look. The couple combined handmade paper, soft cotton ribbon and delicate gold flakes, then placed the suite in a full-art vellum envelope sealed with a gold wax stamp. The materials gave the stationery a tactile, layered finish that echoed the day’s enchanted, old-fashioned mood.

The menus carried the same design through to the tables. Morgan also made a keepsake for each guest: classic matches personalised with the wedding date. It was a small, useful favour that suited the couple’s chosen atmosphere.

Getting ready, then changing the look

Hair and makeup artist Ayelet Garson helped Morgan, her mother and the bridal party feel at ease during the morning. Morgan appreciated that Ayelet did both hair and makeup and adapted each look to the person wearing it, keeping the result elegant and natural.

The room was full of laughter and anticipation. Morgan also wanted a different look for the evening, but wondered whether a change would fit into the schedule. They found a suitable moment, and Ayelet transformed her style before the celebrations continued.

Finding the Wona Concept gown

Morgan began dress shopping without a clear picture of what she wanted, beyond a feeling that the gown should be timeless. After choosing a dress, she expected it to be the one. When it arrived months later, however, she went to the fitting and immediately felt that it was wrong for her.

With the wedding set for December and the change coming in July, she had a limited window to find another dress. She turned to The Wedding Shop in Colchester, where the team helped her work through the options. Her Wona Concept gown arrived in November and was then carefully altered.

“My dream dress, from Wona Concept, made me feel exactly as I had imagined, timeless, elegant, and completely me,” Morgan said. Her experience is a reminder that a change of plan can lead to a better fit, even when it arrives later than expected. She encourages couples facing a similar moment to be patient and trust their own response to a dress.

Music that moved between ceremony and party

Chazan Guy Barzily sang for the chuppah and the Simcha dancing. Morgan says his voice added emotion to both parts of the celebration.

For the evening, Sensation Band played a varied set and adjusted the music to the guests’ energy. Oasis was one of the night’s standout moments, with the room joining in. Morgan decided to sing a song with the band, a relaxed choice that felt right for her in place of making a speech.

The first dance took more thought. Morgan and Alex didn’t have a shared song, weren’t keen on a slow or overly sentimental track, and didn’t consider themselves dancers. Because they were marrying four days before Christmas, they settled on “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” They kept the choice secret from their guests, telling only the band. When the beat dropped, everyone ran onto the dance floor.

Florals that changed shape from room to table

Gypsophila and ferns formed the foundation of the floral design, with soft green and white details carrying from the chuppah into the reception. The flowers wrapped around the chuppah in sweeping forms, giving the structure a sense of movement. On the tables, green and white blooms were paired with warm gold candlelight.

Rather than repeating one arrangement across every table, the couple mixed tall centrepieces on round tables with lower arrangements on long rectangular tables. That variation added height and depth while keeping the floral palette consistent. The same choices—airy flowers, greenery and candlelight—connected the ceremony to the reception without making the rooms feel identical.

Documentary photographs and cinematic film

Morgan found Rachel Takes Pictures on Instagram and was drawn to her retro film style: visible grain, soft imperfections and candid, documentary images rather than heavily posed scenes. Rachel captured the day from its quieter moments through to the evening, while helping guests feel comfortable around the camera.

For film, the couple chose Lightbulb Films after seeing its dramatic, cinematic work. They wanted something classic and emotional without a cheesy feel. Morgan says the team made the experience easy and enjoyable, and that watching the films brings back the atmosphere of the day.

A winter menu and a full room

Ben Tenenblat catered the wedding. The couple chose a smart menu, with tuna tartare, canon of beef and sticky toffee pudding with caramelised popcorn among the dishes they remembered most. Morgan also singled out the Picantes, describing them as moreish with a hint of spice—an appealing warmer for a winter celebration.

For the couple, seeing guests respond to the food made the meal especially memorable. Presentation mattered too: Morgan recalls each plate as carefully prepared, bringing the dining experience into the wider design of the day.

A Tosh for the bridal party

Morgan and her bridal party shared a Tosh, with the rabbi joining after delivering the Ketubah at the main Tisch. They had drinks and sang together, and Morgan’s parents offered a prayer for her. She remembers it as a joyful, personal start to the day that also eased the nerves before the aisle.

Her advice to other couples is direct: consider making room for your own version of this gathering. For Morgan, it offered time with her bridal party and family before the ceremony, rather than letting the schedule carry her straight from getting ready to walking down the aisle.

What Morgan would tell couples planning now

Wedding plans can change, Morgan says, and those bumps may become stories to laugh about later. Her first dress didn’t feel right when it arrived; the search for another gown eventually led her to the one she loved. She recommends finding a team you can speak openly with and ask for reassurance when decisions or logistics start to feel difficult.

With so many suppliers to browse, particularly on Instagram, Morgan found it important to choose people she genuinely connected with. In her view, a supplier’s calm, positive presence can shape the planning experience as well as the wedding day. Trust and clear communication helped her and Alex feel supported.

On the day, she encourages couples to stay open to how things unfold and take time to enjoy the people around them. For Morgan and Alex, the floor, flowers, music, food and Jewish traditions all contributed to a celebration that felt like their own. Their practical lesson is to make room for the details that matter to you—and to let a change of plan lead somewhere unexpected.

Morgan and Alexander’s wedding suppliers

Photography – Rachel Takes Pictures
Videography – Lightbulb Films
Venue – The Landmark London
Planner and flowers – Creative Events
Bride’s dress – Wona Concept, found at The Wedding Shop
Veil – The Santisrose
Hair and makeup – Ayelet Garson
Music – Sensation Band and Guy Barzily
Toastmaster – Jamie Paskin
Catering – Ben Tenenblat
Stationery and invitations – Eventfully More

The original wedding feature appeared on Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog.