Shendish Manor is another of Hertfordshire’s more grand locations worth considering for a couple’s special day.
As Shendish Manor wedding photographers we were pleased to provide images for their new wedding brochure which featured photos from Gemma and David’s big day described here in this blog post.
Shendish Manor caters for weddings of all faiths and nationalities, and Gemma and David’s wedding was a grand and stylish Jewish celebration.
We had all been crossing fingers for rain free weather as their ceremony and ‘Chuppah’ (wedding canopy) was located splendidly and rather dramatically on the lawns at the back of Shendish. All told Shendish Manor actually has about 160 acres of gardens and parkland, so it’s huge!
Those crossed fingers worked as it was a gloriously sunny day, all day.
Coverage started with Gemma and David’s preparations within the hotel, and their interactions with friends and family arriving and assisting.
Following in typical Jewish wedding day tradition once bride and groom were ready David assembled with the male side of the family for his “Tish”. This is a chance for the groom to meet publicly with his rabbi, get advice, have a drink, and sign a pre wedding document know as a ‘ketubah’, basically a Jewish wedding contract.
Gemma meanwhile prepared in a separate room for her “Bedeken” which is a veiling ceremony whereby groom enters and checks that this really is his bride! This is usually with only close family and wedding party and in our experience is typically a touching and emotion affair too, as it the first time future man and wife see each on the day.
After this it was out into the rather warm sunshine for a beautiful ceremony conducted under their wedding ‘Chuppah’ which is the canopy that everything happens beneath, also good for shading from the sun!
The formal ceremony ended with the grooms breaking of the glass underfoot and the celebrations began in earnest.
After some family photos we spent time with the bride and groom in the immediate grounds of Shendish. We were on a tight timescale (nothing unusual there!) so we had about 25 minutes to create some special memories.
For the rest of the day along with the wedding breakfast, toasts and speeches there was plenty of Israeli dancing and enthusiastic boogying on down throughout the evening.
A memorable Shendish manor wedding day for sure, and one I know David and Gemma will always cherish.
By David Green
