We love a multicultural Jewish wedding – and American bride Kelly and Israeli groom Guy, who both work in the Tel Aviv tech scene – had one of the best!
The couple wanted to use their big day as a chance to share their love of Israel with loved ones from abroad, and Al HaYam in Sdot Yam was the perfect place to do just that. With some help from their wedding producer Vanessa Events, they crafted a day that perfectly blended the duo’s Israeli and American backgrounds, from the food to the music to the traditions. Don’t miss it all in the wonderful images by Tzahi Shemesh.
One thing we especially love is the unique touches Kelly and Guy’s rabbi helped them add into their ketubah signing: each family member shared one word they wanted to bless the marriage with, then poured their glass of wine into a shared carafe that the pair drank from during our ceremony. How special is that?
This day was filled with so many beautiful details – read on for the full story in Kelly’s own words…
How We Met
Kelly, the bride: I moved to Tel Aviv from the U.S. almost seven years ago, planning to stay for just three months. But as my dad said in his wedding speech, I ended up falling in love twice — once with Israel, and once with Guy.
About three years after the move, we matched on Bumble. It was still during covid, so for our first date, we took an illegal walk around the block. From the moment we started talking, we never really stopped. We’re both night owls, so we’d walk or sit in the park for hours, talking until nearly sunrise. Three years later, Guy proposed on a trip to Greece.
A Wedding in Israel
Originally, we considered getting married in the US, where my family lives, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share our love for Israel with our loved ones.
We got married at Al HaYam in Sdot Yam. We knew we wanted something a little bit different from a classic indoor wedding space, and as soon as we saw it, this venue honestly ruined all other venues for us in the best possible way.
Israel Meets America
Our wedding was such a cool blend of our Israeli and American backgrounds, from the food to the music to the traditions. It was just totally true to us – happy and laid-back but also deeply meaningful and personal. It felt natural and inviting, but it still had a touch of wedding glam to make the it extra special.
We wanted my American family to experience the magic of an Israeli wedding, and Guy’s Israeli family to experience the joy of an American wedding – all in one 24-hour stretch. Our wedding producer Vanessa was the force behind striking this perfect balance, and she absolutely nailed it. Vanessa worked with us for a full year leading up to the big day to accomplish this, and just completely had our backs from start to finish, including on the wedding day itself. I don’t know how she keeps everything and everyone calm and in check but I’m convinced she’s an actual wizard.
A BHLDN Dress
My dress is from BHLDN, the Anthropologie bridal line. I knew I wanted something simple and classic that could fit our breezy beachy vibe, but what really sold me on this dress was that it was the only one I tried on that was comfortable! It was so easy to move around and dance in – something I was determined to enjoy on my wedding day.
Ceremony & Chuppah
Our rabbi made the ketubah signing so unique and special. Each family member shared one word they wanted to bless our marriage with, then poured their glass of wine into a shared carafe. We then used the wine from that carafe to drink from during our ceremony.
Ketubah
The ketubah designer? Me + Canva. It allowed us to create something exactly the way wanted, and maybe one day we’ll add artwork to it.
Our music choice
Our wedding DJ was the one and only Bearded Gilad and we couldn’t have made a better choice. He’s awesome to work with and absolutely killed it with the music. He somehow wove in the perfect amount of Israeli and American songs without ever making the guests feel like there was a stretch of music they didn’t recognize. You know it’s good when the guests are begging for more songs at the end of the night! One unforgettable moment for me was seeing our American cousins linked arms with our friends jamming out to Israeli classics. I was like, yep, we’ve pulled it off.
The song we chose for breaking the glass was 6’s to 9’s by Big Wild & Rationale. Gilad helped us time it perfectly to create the epic moment we always envisioned.
Flowers
Thanks to Danielle Liron, our event designer, every detail was curated to complement the natural beauty of the venue. White and neutral tones inspired by the sea, elegant flower arrangements full of orchids and amaranthus, and even some seashells and corals tastefully woven throughout.
Photographer and videographer
Our photographer, Tzahi Shemesh, and our videographer, Avi Abayev, were the ultimate duo. From the second they showed up, it was just easy and warm, plus the fact that they had worked together so many times before made it that much more comfortable.
The whole family loved working with Tzahi and Avi, they made it relaxed and genuinely enjoyable – even when we were running 2 hours behind schedule! They didn’t let us feel it and somehow managed to capture everything we wanted, all while keeping us smiling.
Extra Details
We had a ton of family flying in from the States, and the whole lead-up to the wedding was an emotional roller coaster – some airlines weren’t flying, some flights were canceled, there were rumblings of war with Iran, and we just had no idea what was going to happen. It was honestly 50/50.
Finally, the wedding week rolled around and somehow, everyone made it. The wedding was on Monday, and by that Friday we were in full-blown war with Iran, with a bunch of our family members stuck in Israel. Safe to say they got the full Israeli experience when what was supposed to be a week long trip became almost a month, with a lot of that time spent in bomb shelters. No one can say our wedding wasn’t memorable 🙂
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
It’s really easy to tell yourself you’re going to be present on your wedding day, but the much harder part is actually doing it. We took our time before each big moment, just to soak it all in together, and I’m really glad we did. Also, with so many moving parts, not every single thing will go exactly to plan, and that’s totally fine. Being surrounded by all the people you love is pure magic and at the end of the day, it’s that feeling that you’re going to remember. The rest is just a bonus.
KELLY & GUY’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Tzahi Shemesh
Videography – Avi Abayev
Venue – Al HaYam
Producer/planner – Vanessa Events
Bride’s dress – BHLDN
Flowers – Danielle Liron Design
DJ – Bearded Gilad
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