A Chanukah Wedding at Micklefield Hall Filled With Greenery, Family Traditions and Late-Night Doughnuts

Ella and Aaron built their winter wedding around two ideas: making the first night of Chanukah feel shared, and filling their day with details that spoke to their families and friends. At Micklefield Hall in Hertfordshire, their dark green palette, personal ceremony touches and menu of latkes, salt beef and doughnuts came together in a rustic, twinkling setting.

The couple’s plans took a turn when the venue they had booked about 18 months ahead fell through. With nine months remaining, they found Micklefield Hall with help from planner Uptown Events. The team also helped them resolve a long-running question about entertainment: a DJ Live arrangement with The Twentysomethings gave them a band and a DJ, plus a flexible plan for several distinct dance sets.

Many of the day’s details were made or chosen to include the people around them. Ella and Aaron created their own stationery through their small business, It IS Personal; invited family and friends to take part in blessings and speeches; and asked loved ones to lend Chanukiahs so each of their 16 tables could share in the festival lighting. Their ketubah, painted by Carmel Designs, brought together a Tree of Life, animals and a Chanukiah.

Here, Ella shares how they made a winter celebration feel unmistakably theirs.

A first date, then a Chanukah trip

Ella and Aaron met on Hinge in June 2022. Aaron was finishing his teacher training year, and Ella worked at her local synagogue. They say shared values were apparent from the start. Aaron now works as Pastoral and Wellbeing Manager at his former Jewish secondary school; Ella is a Children and Family Educator at the synagogue they attend together and is training to become a therapist.

Before they had been dating for a month, they booked a trip to Israel for Chanukah that year. The festival became part of their story early: they travelled together during Chanukah in 2022, then moved into their first home and hosted family and friends for the first time during Chanukah 2023. Choosing the holiday for their wedding felt like a natural continuation.

A winter venue that came together at the right time

“Finding the perfect venue took us quite a long time,” Ella says. After their original booking did not work out, the couple were searching again with nine months to go. Their planner, Uptown Events, introduced them to Micklefield Hall. The barn matched the rustic setting they had imagined, and its dance floor brought another personal coincidence: the test song playing when they approached it was their first-dance song.

Aaron’s parents had attended a summer wedding at the venue and recommended it, but a winter date raised practical questions. The couple wanted to know how guests would be looked after in cold or wet weather. Micklefield’s team answered their questions and offered to escort guests with umbrellas if needed. The wedding day brought clear blue skies, so the umbrellas stayed put; the couple still valued the staff’s preparation and attention.

Ella and Aaron had their first venue booked about 18 months before the wedding, so their experience is a reminder to keep a little flexibility in the plan. When their first option fell through, their planner helped them restart the venue search and coordinate suppliers. They were so pleased with Micklefield that they recommended it to friends Natalie and Aron, who planned to marry there the following year.

Dark green, candlelight and a Chanukiah at every table

Green became the visual thread running through the day. The bridesmaids wore dark green satin, both mothers chose complementary beaded dresses, and green appeared in the flowers, napkins and stationery. Aaron wore a dark green velvet jacket for the chuppah and photographs, then changed into a green waistcoat from the Israeli dancing onwards. The couple’s first idea had been that their home-loving taste might lead to lots of pink; for the wedding, they chose a deep winter green instead.

Ella’s green detail came through a family necklace. Her mother, Janine, had worn it at her own wedding, and it had belonged to Ella’s great-grandmother. Ella’s grandmother Panni kept it safe through the Holocaust and during her escape from communist Hungary. Aaron’s father, jeweller Laurence Ian, added an emerald to the necklace for the wedding.

The setting carried the couple’s “twinkly winter wonderland” idea through to the evening. Fairy lights decorated the trees and lined the barn, where the chuppah, dinner and dancing took place. A firepit offered a place to warm up with hot chocolate, marshmallows and more doughnuts. Ella and Aaron were grateful that guests spent the first night of Chanukah with them, so they asked close friends and family to lend them Chanukiahs. One stood at each of the 16 tables, giving guests a way to join in the lighting.

Uptown Events had already worked with both Ella and Aaron on their Bnei Mitzvahs, so they knew the planning team. Chloe, Issy, Lucille and Bert answered questions, offered guidance and helped them find Micklefield after the original venue fell through. They also recommended and coordinated suppliers, then managed the day’s timing and logistics.

Stationery with personal messages

The couple made their invitations, place names, welcome signs and other stationery through their small business, It IS Personal. The work was demanding at times, Ella says, but seeing the pieces in place—and hearing guests respond to them—made the effort worthwhile.

One especially personal choice was the escort cards. Rather than a simple name and table number, each guest received a handwritten-style love letter from the couple, with a message about what that person meant to them and a memory they shared. It was a direct way to make friends and family feel included in the day.

For place names, the couple made matchboxes printed with each guest’s name and the phrase “The Perfect Match – Mr & Mrs Conway 14.12.25.” The Chanukah reference and the couple’s fondness for a pun made the cards feel right at home among the other details.

Other handmade items included a large crossword about their relationship for the reception, dreidel-shaped reserved-seat signs, wedding newspapers and a table card at each place setting with the schedule, menu and a message for that table. Their small touches ranged from drink stirrers—including one featuring their cat saying “I do too”—to photo displays showing what the couple looked like at the age represented by each table number.

They also made welcome signs, smaller signs, signature-cocktail labels, stickers for hot-chocolate cups and doughnut bags, and “Let’s Get Lit… You’re Next” candles for guests who were engaged. With help from friends and family, the couple put together a wide collection of individual details. After the wedding, Ella created a wedding magazine featuring photographs of their cards and screenshots of the messages they received, so they could revisit both the design work and the guests’ responses.

Getting ready: trusted hands and winter layers

Ella wanted a half-up hairstyle that would show her earrings while still feeling like herself. Her sister-in-law Shera, of Styled by Shera, did her hair. Ella already trusted Shera, and having a close family member take on the role made the morning more meaningful.

Shera recommended makeup artist Georgia of Makeup with Georgia, whom she had worked with for almost 10 years. Ella sat in Georgia’s chair without a detailed makeup plan and trusted her to create the look. The couple also credited Jasmine of Beauty by Jasmine and Sarah-Louise of Hair by Slo with helping the group get ready. Ella says the team brought a calm feel to the morning, and her hair and makeup lasted through a night of dancing.

Aaron gave a shout-out to his barber Ollie at The Barber Co Radlett. For Ella’s dress, the couple found a one-off sample at the St Albans boutique What Alice Wore. It was the third gown she tried on. Floral beading, texture and sparkle stood out; after trying on other dresses, she found herself comparing them back to that first favourite.

The veil carried a line from the couple’s first-dance song, “Tenerife Sea” by Ed Sheeran: “All that you are is all that I’ll ever need.” Gabrielle Elizabeth embroidered the lyric as a surprise for Aaron, with the veil gifted by his mother, Lisa. Aaron had a surprise of his own: he gave Ella a print of the song’s complete lyrics on the morning of the wedding.

For a practical finishing layer, Ella wore a cardigan embroidered with “Mrs Conway” on the back during outdoor evening photos and by the firepit. It’s A Stitch, Gabrielle Elizabeth and Threads of Love contributed to her bridal look.

Heirloom jewellery and a shared wedding party

Jewellery was another family collaboration. Aaron and his father Laurence worked together on several pieces, including the couple’s rings and Ella’s necklace. Aaron designed pink diamond earrings for Ella as a gift; she had not seen them before the wedding morning. Laurence also added an “E” for Ella to the pocket watch Aaron wore, making it another small surprise for the day.

Ella’s floral manicure was designed to work with the beading on her gown. She and nail artist Katie Icklow, whom she had been seeing since moving into their home two and a half years earlier, tried several versions before settling on a French base, white flowers and diamante centres.

Ella and Aaron describe their wedding party as a close group of friends shared by both of them, rather than two separate sides. The bridesmaids wore dark green satin dresses from JJ’s House. The couple chose the colour and fabric but let each person select a silhouette that felt comfortable. Groomsmen wore bow ties and pocket squares from Azazie in a similar green satin, with matching green socks also worn by the couple’s fathers.

With help from Ella’s maid of honour Becca, they prepared personalized pyjamas and slippers for the bridesmaids and mothers to wear while getting ready. Their other gifts included personalized cups, fans, mirrors with notes on the back, makeup bags and keyrings. For the men, they made personalized hip flasks filled with toffee vodka and gave each person a full bottle with a sticker chosen to reflect him.

The couple also planned gifts for their parents, who had helped throughout the 18 months of wedding preparation. Each wrote cards to both sets of parents. Illustrator Michaela of My Own Illustrator made a drawing for Janine featuring her mother Panni, Janine and Ella on their wedding days. Lisa’s illustration showed her and Laurence on their wedding day alongside Ella and Aaron on theirs; Michaela prepared it using photographs from Ella’s dress fittings and hair trial.

Ella’s father, Mark, received cufflinks personalized with her handwriting and a mug reading “I survived my daughter’s wedding.” Aaron’s father, Laurence, received an engraved “Father of the Groom” whiskey glass and matching whiskey stones. The gifts reflected the practical and emotional help both families had given during planning.

A ceremony shaped by family memory

The couple chose objects that would keep absent relatives close during the ceremony. They stood beneath a tallit belonging to Ella’s grandfather Henry, a gift from her grandmother Ann. Aaron wore Ella’s grandfather Gyuri’s cufflinks, his own grandfather Alan’s pocket watch—with Alan’s Magen David added by Laurence—and one of his grandmother Shirley’s pearls. They also used Alan’s kiddush cup.

Three of the couple’s grandparents were with them beneath the chuppah. Their rings carried family materials, too: Ella’s engagement ring held a diamond that had belonged to the mother of Aaron’s Bubba Rita. Her wedding band was made from the gold of her grandmother Panni’s band, while Aaron’s was made from the gold of his Zeida Denis’ wedding band.

People with long-standing connections to Aaron took part in the ceremony. Rabbi Andrew Davis, Aaron’s former teacher and now colleague, addressed the couple beneath the chuppah. Rabbi Sendy Dubrowsky, who had known Aaron since he was 11, conducted the ceremony. The couple also valued meeting each rabbi beforehand to talk about the day and explain what they loved about one another.

Music made the processional personal. Aaron walked in with his parents to “Maheira” and Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” Lisa’s favourite singer, played on acoustic guitar and saxophone. Ella entered with her parents to “Bo’i Kallah” and a Taylor Swift mashup of “Lover” and “Wildest Dreams.” The band learned songs for the couple, which helped make the ceremony sound like their own.

A ketubah made for the home and the reception

Ella and Aaron wanted their ketubah to tell part of their story and have a visible place in the celebration. They worked with Carmel of Carmel Designs, beginning with a call about ideas. The couple liked the Tree of Life motif and wanted the artwork to suit the rustic setting, include their love of animals and feature a Chanukiah for the first night of the festival.

Carmel developed the design through sketches and revisions. The finished painting included two cats, one white and one tuxedo, sitting beneath the tree with their tails intertwined—a portrait of the couple and their cat Cece. After the chuppah, they had the ketubah framed and displayed at the reception so guests could see it. It now hangs in their living room.

DJ Live and dancing in several chapters

For a time, the couple could not agree whether to choose a band or a DJ. Their planner Chloe suggested DJ Live, combining live musicians with a DJ. A friend recommended The Twentysomethings, and the group’s enthusiasm helped settle the choice. After their wedding, two other couples in their circle booked the band.

When the couple met Daniel, he talked them through the options and how the entertainment could work. Rather than saving all the dancing until after dessert, they planned several shorter sections across the day. The first was traditional Jewish dancing, with chairs, parachutes and plenty of guests lifted into the air. A modern Israeli set followed, featuring songs by Omer Adam and Static. Another short set came after dark.

Ella and Aaron stepped out briefly for late-night photographs during that final set. When they returned, the barn floor was full. They watched some of the dancing from the balcony and enjoyed seeing guests carry on because they were having fun together. After the speeches, the couple shared their first dance, followed by about an hour of dancing. One highlight came when they climbed onstage to sing “Love Story” with their guests gathered around them.

Green and white flowers, with lights and candles

The couple knew they wanted green and white flowers but left many of the specific choices to their mothers and florist Alina of Flowers by Alina. They described the look they were after as rustic and wintry. When they visited to see a sample a few months before the wedding, they found a combination of flowers, floating fairy lights and candles that brought those ideas together.

Photography, film and day-of clips

Ella wanted the day documented from every angle. The couple found photographer Claudine Hartzel and videographer Charli May through friends, then chose them after initial meetings where both made the couple feel heard. A pre-wedding shoot with Claudine was part of her package and gave them a chance to take spring photographs at Micklefield, whose team let them use the grounds and woodland. It also helped Aaron, who dislikes having his photo taken, feel more comfortable before the formal portraits.

The couple say Claudine captured both the requested group photographs and the candid moments they cared about. Their gallery contained more than 1,000 images, including reactions, smiles and details from throughout the day. Charli’s documentary approach suited the relaxed, rustic celebration. The couple had mentioned that they got engaged on Whitstable beach; during the conversation, they discovered Charli lived less than five minutes from the proposal spot.

Charli brought a drone for opening shots of the venue and the day’s atmosphere. She delivered the videos in under five weeks, and the couple watched them repeatedly. They also asked Aaron’s best man’s sister-in-law, Faye of Your Day With Faye, to capture social content. Faye was launching a wedding content creation business and recorded clips throughout the day, including the chuppah.

The couple wanted an unplugged chuppah, so guests could watch the ceremony directly. Having Faye film it meant Ella and Aaron could still see it afterward. They woke the next morning to thousands of clips, and Faye had edited short videos of different parts of the day within 24 hours.

Festival food, a salt beef bar and two kinds of doughnut

Food was high on Aaron’s list of priorities. A friend recommended Jonathan at Jasmine Catering, who helped turn the Chanukah theme into a menu. There were plenty of canapés, including Aaron’s favourites, duck pancakes and mini fish-and-chip cones. Latkes were a must for the couple, and Jonathan suggested pairing them with a full salt beef bar.

Their drinks included personalized signature cocktails named for meaningful places and memories, alongside hot apple cider for the midwinter evening. As the couple lit the Chanukiahs and sang “Ma’oz Tzur,” servers brought out savoury pulled beef doughnuts for the starter. The unexpected combination became one of the night’s popular dishes.

At the tasting, Ella and Aaron were torn between her favourite, chocolate fondant, and a lighter citron tart. Jasmine Catering offered mini versions of both, served with raspberry sorbet. Later, sweet doughnuts arrived on the dance floor, each with a small pipette of vodka. Guests who stayed to the end could head to the firepit for hot chocolate, marshmallows, more doughnuts and bagel platters.

Family and friends had a part to play

Ella and Aaron chose a photo magnet as a take-home keepsake because collecting fridge magnets on trips is one of their traditions. Dan at Hold That Pic helped create a border to match the wedding. Guests could add a photograph from the day to their own collection.

They also booked live illustrator Michaela of My Own Illustrator, whose portraits gave friends and family a personal memento. The couple kept the surprise from their wedding party until the day.

For their speech, Ella and Aaron stood up together. They wanted to speak about their love for one another and about their families, rather than have only one of them address the room. Their wider group took part throughout the celebration: friends and family gave speeches and toasts or led the Sheva Brachot; Ella’s parents delivered the welcome together; and Aaron’s parents led the Chanukah lighting.

After Benching, led by Ella’s cousins, seven Hebrew blessings were each followed by an English interpretation. This gave grandparents and other close relatives a chance to take part. Their friend Noa served as MC, giving the day a familiar voice. The couple say involving people close to them was one of their priorities—and helped the event feel like a shared celebration.

Ella and Aaron’s advice for couples

“Remember that it’s YOUR day,” Ella says. The couple advise making choices that feel true to you, rather than letting other people dictate how the celebration should look. Early in planning, they sat down with a large notebook and spent an afternoon writing, drawing and mapping out the details they wanted to include. When decisions came up later, they could return to that record and check that their priorities were still represented. They also kept a shared Instagram collection called “wedding inspo” for ideas they wanted to save.

They made time for their relationship during the planning period, too. The couple marked the 14th of each month with a wedding-countdown date night. After the celebration, they kept the date as a monthly “count-up.” It helped them stay connected to what they were preparing for: not only the party, but their life together afterward.

One of their rabbis offered a wish for the couple: “I hope this day is the worst day of your life together – because after tomorrow every day should be even better than the last”. Ella and Aaron carried that thought into their plans for married life, making space to enjoy the months of engagement while looking ahead to what came next.

Ella and Aaron’s supplier list

Photography – Claudine Hartzel
Videography – Charli May
Content creator – Your Day With Faye
Planner – Uptown Events
Ketubah – Carmel Designs
Music – The Twentysomethings
Venue – Micklefield Hall
Bride’s dress – What Alice Wore
Embroidery and alterations – It’s A Stitch, Gabrielle Elizabeth and Threads of Love
Bride’s nails – Katie Icklow
Rings and other jewellery – Laurence Ian
Groom’s barber – The Barber Co Radlett
Bridesmaids’ dresses – JJ’s House
Groomsmen’s attire – Azazie
Bride’s hair and makeup – Styled by Shera and Makeup with Georgia
Hair and makeup – Hair by Slo and Beauty by Jasmine
Flowers – Flowers by Alina
Catering – Jasmine Catering
Stationery and invitations – It IS Personal
Live illustration and gift portraits – My Own Illustrator
Photo magnets – Hold That Pic

Jewish and Jew-ish couples can find planning support in Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club, a private community guided by Karen Cinnamon.

The original feature appeared at Smashing the Glass, a Jewish wedding blog: Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog.