When the bride’s a designer, you can be pretty sure you’re going to end up with one seriously stylish wedding. And that’s exactly what you get in the gorgeous Jewish wedding of May, an interior designer and home stager, and Tomer, a businessman.
Given the pair’s focus on design, it’s no surprise they went for Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Luz for photography and videography. Luz’s distinct trademark style – their symmetry, their straight lines, their composition, how they present the couples as a natural part of the architectural landscape – was right up May and Tomer’s alley (and the couple were so thrilled with the results that they’re hanging a massive print of one of the architectural landscape shots in their living room!).
We also love their floral design – not only is it beautiful, but each centerpiece doubled as a gift to their guests. Such a great favor idea – and a smart way to make sure those flowers you splurged on get to be enjoyed for more than a few hours.
Now over to May, who worked with designer Dana Harel to create a custom wedding gown that was a perfect reflection of her style…
A Wedding by the Sea
May, the bride: We always knew we wanted an intimate wedding by the sea. Bait Al HaYam was the first venue we saw, and we just knew that it was where wanted to get married. Bait Al HaYam is located in old Yafo, and that alone sealed the deal; it was a nice addition that they made it feel like home.
A Design-Conscious Wedding
As a couple, we live and breathe design. We wanted the wedding to be very well designed but also to maintain a level of seriousness. Our sense of style can be described as traditional, even conservative, with light white colors complemented by natural wood tables with gentle hints of silver accessories.
Invitations by the Bride
I (May) designed the invitations. I drew the logo by hand, played around with our names and built a clean classic font. I made it a point to emphasize the “&”. Using “May & Tomer” as a phrase was the most important part for me. The logo from the wedding invite also appeared on the menu.
Hair + Makeup
My glam team were the best. In line with the dress and shoes, we went with a clean ‘effortless’ look. I didn’t care to be too done up, I wanted Tomer to recognize me as me.
Yaniv Zada did my hair. I chose to go with natural waves, and on one side my hair was tucked behind the ear. The inspiration came from Jessica Biel’s hairdo at the OSCARS.
Moran Staviski did my makeup. She is well known for her natural soft style and we automatically clicked, I trusted her and didn’t even have to tell what I wanted, she just knew what to do.
A Dana Harel Dress
Before I even chose the dress, I picked the designer – Dana Harel. After randomly walking into her studio in Kikar HaMedina, I knew right away Dana was going to design my wedding dress. Dana is super stylish, but in that effortless way, so I knew I was in good hands. Dana and her team made my wedding planning process extraordinary because we got to work together creating the 2 wedding dresses.
There was no silhouette to base it off, no inspiration piece, we just did it step by step, like building a house. The dress is clean and simple and what makes it unique is the way it was sewn for my body and fits perfectly. It was important for me to be modest during the chuppah.
I also wanted the dress to be a “timeless” piece. A few years from now, when I look back at the wedding photos, I know I’m still going to love the dress. The end results really reflect who I am.
Accessories
I stuck to the clean, simple look, same as with the dress. I really just wore earrings – the main accessory was my heels.
Jimmy Choos
I’ll fill you in a on a secret – Dana showed me the shoes when they just came out, and in some way, we ended up designing the dress to match the shoes.
We couldn’t find the right heel height (seeing as I am 1.74m) and so, Tomer’s father, who was in Milano at the time, had to head to the nearest Jimmy Choo store. My shoe was the Bing model in ivory color. This isn’t a standard heel, it’s actually flip-flops… and a friend of mine told me that the best thing I can invest in during the wedding planning are the shoes – it will be the only thing that will last after the wedding.
The handsome groom
Confidence is the most attractive thing a man can wear. Tomer has plenty of confidence and I lost it when I saw him. Tomer wore a Hugo Boss suit, and up until the last moment he couldn’t decide between wearing a tie or a bow-tie. He ended up going with neither and I was thrilled. It completed the clean simple look we were going with, the same vibe that defines us as a couple.
A Sisterly Escort
My sisters were my escorts (not bridesmaids). We’re extremely close and each one of them wore the same dress but in a different color, it was amazing! They’re so different from one another but seeing them in the same dress was just breathtaking, everyone was so excited.
A Simple Chuppah
Our chuppah was clean, elegant and simple, following the rest of the celebration’s atmosphere.
Ceremony
Our chuppah ceremony was traditional yet not lengthy. The most memorable moment was when Tomer’s grandfather read the 7 blessings, it was very special for us.
Our music choice
We can’t pick a single genre to describe the type of music that played during our wedding. We had one of the best DJs in the country, Omer Erlichman (from the Alpha Group), we counted on him to do his thing and make sure everyone is having fun and staying on their feet.
Flowers
Yahav Green, one of the most talented and famous decorators in the business, oversaw our event. Yahav has an amazing sense of style and that is why we chose him to design our wedding. Anything he does will look great!
All of the floral arrangements also doubled as gifts to our guests. The best part is that most of our guests ended up taking home the fresh market table centerpieces (this is a new concept created by Green himself).
We were the first wedding to use the fresh market pieces concept and it was a fun surprise for our guests. They came to our wedding and left with utensils, flowers and plants. They sent us lots of pictures displaying our floral gifts in their homes. It was very moving.
Photographer and videographer
After we signed with the venue, they gave me a copy of an “urban brides” magazine. When we got home, I flipped through the magazine and only one photo jumped out to me.
It was an architectural photoshoot; the couple was pictured pretty small in the middle of this extravagant architectural composition. I couldn’t take my eyes off this picture and had to look up the company, Luz, right away.
The minute I realized that one of the photographer is an architect we had to have him capture our wedding. Luz was the next thing we secured on our list. I was amazed by the symmetry, the straight lines, the compositions, how they present the couples as a natural part of the architectural landscape.
Our videographer was also from Luz. It was important for us to work with vendors we trust. During the wedding day we must be able to let loose and not worry about a thing, they made the experience so nice and easy. Just a BTW, one of the architectural landscape photos from our couple shots is going to be hanging on a 200*100 in our living room.
Choosing the Right vendors
Our decision was to focus on the main things – great food, high quality booze, added value design for our guests and a lively cheerful selection of music. We didn’t need props or doves, just a careful selection of the right vendors; this is what made our wedding ‘on-point’.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
One of the most important things to remember during your wedding day is to just let loose, have fun, be thankful for what you have and say a little prayer as it is truly a blessed day. For us, it was being happy together, as couple, that made the whole day unforgettable. When you’re in good company its so natural and easy to just have fun and be happy.
May & Tomer’s little white book
Photography and videography – Luz {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Bait Al HaYam
Bride’s dresses – Dana Harel
Bride’s shoes – Jimmy Choo
Groom’s attire – Hugo Boss
Hair + Makeup – Yaniv Zada and Moran Staviski
Flowers – Yahav Green
DJ – Omer Erlichman from the Alpha Group
