If not for the customized face masks, you’d barely know today’s picture-perfect Jewish wedding was impacted by COVID-19. But while childhood sweethearts Yosepha and Sam were lucky enough to wed before the tightest pandemic restrictions kicked in, the spread of the coronavirus still meant that many overseas friends and family were unable to attend, leaving them with a small (by Israeli standards) guest count of 150.
Though it was obviously disappointing to have so many loved ones missing, Yosepha and Sam focused on the positives – both of having a more intimate gathering, and of being able to go through with their big day at all, under the circumstances! And we love that the couple’s siblings surprised them by collecting videos of their relatives who couldn’t be there wishing them mazel tov and letting the pair know how much they wished they could celebrate together – it was a total surprise to Yosepha and Sam, and they were so touched by the gesture.
As always, we’re in love with the emotional photography Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman Photography. His images are so full of joy and love, and they really capture the pure elation Yosepha and Sam clearly felt to be able marry in the setting of their dreams, in the presence of so many of their loved ones. We’re totally not surprised to hear these two have been receiving endless compliments on their photos!
There’s lots more to say about this wonderful wedding, but we’ll leave the rest to the bride, who looked so beautiful in her wedding dress by Israeli designer Dorit Izbizki…
How we met
Yosepha, the bride: Sam and I met about 12 years ago when his family made aliyah. They moved in to the house right next door and lived there for about 2 years. We were all really young, I think I was 9 and Sam was 11. We would hang out with our siblings and neighbors together.
Our sibling wrote us a “story book” about how we met and our relationship. It was really cute and funny. Everyone would joke about how I always had a crush on the boy next door, though I think it was the other way around 🙂
A few years after Sam and his family moved, we met again at scouts camp. We spent a lot of time together talking and hanging out. We started going out when I was in 9th grade, Sam in 10th. We’ve been together for over 6 years now, together throughout high school, Sam’s army service and my national service. It wasn’t always easy, not seeing each other for weeks at a time when Sam was on base, and dealing with stuff that you never imagined happening.
We were so young when we got together, we both grew up a lot and changed together. It’s interesting to think about how we used to be and where we got to today. We’re both so different from how we used to be but with every change we always grew closer. We both feel extremely lucky to have had each other all these years.
Venue
We got married in The Garden in Ma’ale Hachamisha. I always wanted to have an outdoor wedding, surrounded by nature with a rustic and romantic vibe. Our event planner, Adena Mark, sent us a lot of venue options to look at.
Sam and I couldn’t go see venues together because he was in the army and couldn’t get out, so I went to see the venue with Adena and my sister. Once we got there I loved everything I saw. I called Sam and sent him pictures and we decided right then that we would be getting married there. The grounds were beautiful and the staff was so nice. It was the first and only venue we saw, and it was a very easy decision that we were so happy about.
Planned to Perfection
We chose not to have a color scheme for the wedding. I wanted my bridesmaids and our moms to wear whatever they felt beautiful in, the color wasn’t important. They all ended up having summery pastel colors that looked great together.
I didn’t have a specific design or flower that I wanted. I knew Adena and our florist got a general idea of the vibe that I wanted, but other then that I trusted them to do what they’re best at. It was important to me that the wedding would be about me and Sam celebrating with our friends and family.
We had a wedding planner, probably the best decision we made regarding the whole wedding. We worked with A to Z Events Israel, founded by Adena Mark Kapon. From beginning to end, Adena made the whole process enjoyable and so much easier.
Adena is extremely talented and professional, she makes you feel like you and your wedding are the most important things. She got us in touch with all our suppliers, dealt with all the meetings and contracts. She took care of everything, from helping us pick a photographer to picking napkin rings and menus. She was with us every step of the way, supporting us and helping us figure out what we wanted. We were very lucky to have Adena, especially considering the situation we are in now. Due to corona, things were changing all the time. Venues were closing and people were canceling or pushing off weddings.
Sam and I did not want to push off our wedding. We didn’t want to wait, especially since we didn’t know when things would go back to normal. We were ready to have a backyard wedding with just our family. We just wanted to get married, we would have any kind of event we were allowed, and we were grateful for whatever we could have. Adena worked everything out with all the suppliers and took care of any problems that came up.
I wouldn’t have been able to get through this without Adena. I genuinely enjoyed the time we spent together. I felt so lucky that we had her, not only professionally, but also celebrating with us. Adena was a friend and someone I could confide in.
Invitation
Adena and Daniella Ackerman from Designed by Daniella helped us pick out our invitation design. We had a customized logo with our initials. Daniella was very patient and understanding, made every change we asked for. It came out beautiful. We used the same logo on our benchers, place cards, table numbers. Even on alco-gel bottles and custom masks we had made for the event.
Hair + Makeup
For hair and makeup I used a hair stylist named Adi Somech, and a makeup artist named Tiferet Lehrman. They are located in Jerusalem, they are both the sweetest and very talented. I met Adi and Tiferet in February and did a hair and makeup trial. They did it together so I was able to see how everything would look. They totally understood the style I was going for and helped me choose what would look best.
Adi Somech Hair Design does many different styles, a lot of them boho chic, which I loved. For hair we did a low up do. The top of my dress was sheer and it was one of my favorite parts of the dress, so I didn’t want my hair covering my back and shoulders. We did a low, loose bun with a twist, and placed the hair piece on top of the bun. I love the way my hair came out. It was elegant and romantic and the hairpiece looked great. Adi did hair for all of us, my mom and sister and for Sam’s mom and two sisters. Everyone looked beautiful and had a great time getting ready on the morning of the wedding.
For makeup we did a clean natural look. Tiferet is very talented, she knows how to use makeup to highlight your favorite features while making it look natural. Usually I don’t wear makeup so I was worried it would feel weird and uncomfortable, I don’t like the feeling of heavy makeup on my skin. I wanted the cleanest and most natural look. I talked to Tiferet about it and she was very understanding and calming.
I felt confident and beautiful when everything was done. Adi and Tiferet made me feel really great. They matched my mood on the morning of the wedding, they were calm and fun, easy going and supportive. It was really fun having them prepare me, I loved the way I looked and I loved spending time getting ready with them and my sisters.
A Dorit Izbizki Dress
My wedding dress was made by a young designer named Dorit Izbizki. She lives in Giva’at Shmuel. Every one of her styles is unique and stunning. Her dresses stand out with all the delicate, hand made details. Every single part of the dress is made perfectly and customized to each bride. I found Dorit on Instagram a couple of years ago and have been following her since then.
I remember telling my mom that when I get married my dress would be made by Dorit. I called Dorit and made an appointment to come look at some dresses. My mom and sister came with me. Bina Izbizki, Dorit’s mother who works together with Dorit, met us at the studio.
At first when I walked in I was overwhelmed. There were so many dresses. I got a bit confused about what I wanted and didn’t know where to start. Bina was very sweet and calming, she showed me a bunch of different styles. My mom and sister picked out a few dresses for me to try on. The dresses were beautiful but I didn’t feel like they suited me. I didn’t want a big poofy skirt or a belt separating the top from the bottom of the dress. I wanted the dress to have a certain figure but I didn’t know how to describe it.
Bina pulled out a dress that she thought I would like. I tried it on and the minute I walked out my mom, sister and Bina started to cry. The dress was stunning. It had a blush undertone and fit me perfectly. It was all connected together, no belt, and had little pleats on the waist to make it fit tightly and sit perfectly. The skirt fell elegantly from the waist to the floor.
The layers gave it the volume it needed and it fell naturally from the waist. It had sheer sleeves with flower/leaf lace going from the top of the dress to the beginning of the skirt. I felt like myself in it, comfortable and beautiful. Dorit made the dress from scratch exactly the way I wanted. There were only a couple of changes, I didn’t want a dress with a train and wanted a different base under the skirt.
Everyone Dorit works with is very pleasant and nice. I wasn’t worried once about the dress, each time I went for a fitting I knew it would be great. I felt beautiful and in good hands. I’m lucky and honored to be one of Dorits brides. The original dress is named Inbal.
Accessories
I wore a hairpiece made by Tania Maras, a bridal designer in Australia. Originally I thought of putting flowers in my hair. But once I picked out my dress, I felt like flowers would take away from the elegance of the design. I looked online for a hair piece that would be different and special.
I came across Tanias designs and fell in love with one specific piece named the Cherry Blossom Set. It is a hair comb with two matching hair pins. There were delicate flowers on the comb and pins, in a stunning blush color connected with gold leafs and wires. All of her pieces are extremely unique and feminine.
Shoes
I got a pair of simple sandals with a low heel, in sparkly rose gold. During dancing I changed into flat sandals, but the rose gold sandals were quite comfortable. I broke them in a little before the wedding. I got them on Amazon UK. I didn’t want anything fancy or a tall heel, so these sandals were perfect for me.
The handsome groom
Sam wore an amazing suit made by The Suit Lady in New Jersey. He didn’t want to wear a black tux, he didn’t want something so formal. He wanted a specific blue suit, something light to go with the season. We called The Suit Lady and had a meeting over Whatsapp, she showed us a bunch of suits that she thought Sam would like. He picked one and she shipped it to us. We weren’t sure about the size, but she was very helpful and sent us two sizes. After the wedding we sent back the suit we didn’t use.
The blue suit made the blue in his eyes stand out and looked great with his blond hair. We matched a dark navy tie that we also got from The Suit Lady. It was perfect for him. We didn’t see each other or speak the week before the wedding so we were both anxious and curious to see each other. He had the biggest and sweetest smile on his face when he turned around and saw me. He was so handsome, it was a little surreal to see him like that and grasp the fact that we were finally getting married.
Bridesmaids
I had five bridesmaids. My twin sister, Ariella, my two closest friends, Tali and Michal, and Sam’s sisters, Sydney and Grace.
Originally, I didn’t want to have a specific color. I wanted each of them to pick and wear whatever they liked, but I did want solid colors without colorful patterns. My sisters wore blue, lilac and rustic pink dresses. My two friends saw the dresses and matched themselves to them with a yellow and mint green dress. they all had pastel summer colors that looked so beautiful together. I love how they all looked together and how they added so much to the summery rustic vibe of the event.
Ceremony
Unfortunately, we had a lot of family who couldn’t come in for our wedding. We missed them all so much. All of our siblings and a group of our closest friend stood around the chupa. It was touching to look around and see so many people that we love and care so much about. We asked Sam’s brother Louis to lead the ceremony. He has a great sense of humor so it was really fun to have him up there with us.
The rabbi who married us is a very close family friend of Sam’s family. They’ve known each other for years, from before Sam’s family even made aliyah, so it was really special to have him marry us. For the sheva brachot we asked my two uncles and grandfathers and Sam’s fathers’ very close friends. They are like uncles to Sam, so it was very special to have each of them up there giving us a bracha.
The chuppah was intimate and personal, and we were thinking of everyone who couldn’t be there with us. My favorite part of the ceremony was the sheva brachot and breaking the glass. I felt so much love and joy around us, so many people who were so happy for us, even though it was a “small” wedding (not really, we were lucky to have 150 guests). And our family that was overseas and couldn’t come were watching and celebrating with us from afar.
Chuppah
Our chuppah design was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest, and it came out absolutely beautiful. I loved the peach fabric and all the green around us. It was very romantic and special. The florist did an incredible job with everything and the chupa was outstanding.
Our music choice
We didn’t pick any specific songs for the wedding. We had an amazing band, Kolot Band, and we trusted them to choose whatever they thought was appropriate. They were amazing at every part and chose perfect songs for the event. We had slow and romantic songs during the ceremonies and afterwards fun and up beat songs. Everyone loved them and their music.
Flowers
We used a fabulous event design company, Pablo Designs. We worked directly with Frida Pablo, she was great to work with. She does amazing work, I loved every part of the design. She got my vibe completely and executed it beautifully. She had great ideas, everything exceeded my expectations.
A magical and romantic garden, in natural colors, with touches of peach and blush. Combining soft flowers such as roses, book roses, lisianthus, phlox, trachelium, desert honeysuckle, eucalyptus, ivy and more, in a romantic and freestyle design that blended with all the different elements and parts of the event and especially the canopy.
Everything about the design was beautiful. The centerpieces looked amazing, combining all kinds of flowers with wood and metallic accessories. Around the bridal chair there were hanging glass jars with flowers and candles hanging off the frame. There were flowers surrounding the whole frame in freestyle design. The chuppah looking stunning with lanterns and flowers at the base of the stage, a peach chiffon fabric dropping from the frame and a beautiful assortment of flowers around the sides.
Photographer
Anyone planning a wedding in Israel wants Herschel Gutman Photography!
We felt his warm, easygoing personality the first time we met for our engagement shoot and knew we were in good hands. He handled the photography and videography for the wedding and made our whole day so relaxing and fun, and we are thrilled with the stunning photos and how he perfectly captured our mood and memories.
I felt at ease and comfortable all day. He is very kind and down to earth. He is extremely talented and made the whole experience so fun and enjoyable. We got endless compliments on his photos and our whole bridal party had a great time being photographed by him. He made everyone feel comfortable and made sure everything ran smoothly.
Food and cake
Cezanne Catered Events made me feel like they custom made the menu for me! The concept was sophisticated Mediterranean, served “open kitchen” style to accommodate the types of foods and the new regulations! Even when Sam said he prefers teriyaki over coconut sauce for one of the chicken dishes, the chef was happy to accommodate his request! Our guests raved about the food being both delicious and beautiful!
I couldn’t decide if I wanted a cake until just 2 weeks before the wedding! Juliana Cakes brought my design theme to life, using fresh florals and greenery to perfectly complement my decor – and it was more delicious than I thought a wedding cake could be!
Entertainment
I think it’s fair to say a huge part of the success of our wedding was thanks to Kolot Band! They have just the right energy at just the right time – whether somber, happy, partying, religious or modern.Our guests were an eclectic mix of generations, cultures and religious backgrounds and they were able to combine it all without missing a beat! We really enjoyed listening and dancing to their music all night.
Family
Having our family and close friends be part of our day was really important to us. We knew a lot of our family wouldn’t be able to come and we were heartbroken about it. We had an incredible wedding but we know it wasn’t the same without all our family. Our siblings surprised us and collected videos from all of our family who couldn’t be there, Sam’s grandparents, all our aunts and uncles, cousins, second cousins and close family friends. They all made videos wishing us mazel tov to show they are thinking and celebrating with us. It was so surprising and touching.
Everyone told stories and made jokes and said how much they miss us and wish they could be there. We were laughing the whole time and I couldn’t stop smiling. I looked around and saw everyone we loved with us, and having these videos was so special and important to me. We love them all so much and are so grateful we got to have everyone be a part of our day.
The small wedding was perfect. Everyone there was so happy for us and just wanted to celebrate. It was intimate and fun, exactly what we needed.
The unfortunate consequences of Covid-19 made us grateful for everyone and anything we could have. We are so lucky that we got to have our wedding when we did. It was so perfect and customized to us. Even if we could have had a big wedding, we would still choose a small one. There is something very special about it.
Sam and I had our closest friends with us throughout the day. Every part of the day felt special. Getting ready, our reveal, the chatan tisch and chuppah. Everything felt intimate and made just for us, with all our favorite people.
Honeymoon
Sam and I were hoping to travel this summer but due to Covid-19 our trip was postponed. We hope we will be able to travel next summer, Sam has been in the army for the last three years and we were looking forward to seeing new and exciting places together. We were planning to go to Iceland for a couple of weeks.
We aren’t sure if we will do that, we’ve been thinking of traveling to the US to visit all our family who couldn’t come in for the wedding. We really miss them, so we’ll probably spend time with everyone and then do some hiking and traveling afterwards. On our wedding night Sam and I stayed at a wonderful boutique hotel called The Gordonia in Ma’ale Hachamisha. We got the recommendation from our event planner, Adena.
The hotel is lovely. The grounds are so pretty with private suites spread out all over. Each suite has a private pool and hot tub. The room was beautiful. The food was so good, dairy breakfast and dinner. The service was very good and staff was very helpful and kind. We got there well after midnight and a staff member met us, took our bags and led us to our rooms and offered us services 24/7. We had a really great time, highly recommended, especially during this time if you want to have more privacy and your own pool. The hotel also has a spa that we heard is great, we didn’t have any treatments but I’m sure it’s amazing.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
My advice for any bride-to-be is to take everything as it comes. This experience showed me that no matter what plans change or get canceled, the most important thing is that at the end of the day you will stand with your future husband and get married. I tend to get very stressed and anxious whenever a big event or change comes up. I was a wreck the night before the wedding. The weeks before the wedding. I was so nervous I couldn’t think about anything else.
But the morning of the wedding, I woke up feeling calm and happy. I don’t know what came over me, it’s so unlike me, but I was very calm. Sam laughed when he heard how I was, everyone was expecting me (including myself) to be a mess from being so nervous.
I had my mom, mother-in-law and sisters around me and we had a great time getting ready together. I surrounded myself only with people I knew would keep me calm and be there for me, and even know when to give me my space if I need a few minutes.
I tried to please as many people as possible planning the wedding and it was really hard. I would think of doing things just to make one person happy even if its not something I wanted. I didn’t think that because I was the bride everything should be only like I want it.
It was important to me that the important people in my life were happy and have a great day too. But at a certain point I realized that I didn’t have to do it for everyone. I did what made me happy and made sure I had people with me who would support and make me happy too.
Not in a selfish way, or by putting other people down to get what you want. But by surrounding yourself with good people and having little things to comfort you and make you happy. Your wedding day will be amazing. And any glitch or hiccup will pass and be remembered as a funny story that makes your day so much more real. Trust that everything will work out exactly the way it’s supposed to, and that at the end of the day you will be married to your best friend and start a new life together, which is really what matters.
YOSEPHA & SAM’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Herschel Gutman Photography {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Wedding planner – A to Z Events Israel
Venue – The Garden
Bride’s dress – Dorit Izbizki
Bride’s shoes – Amazon
Bride’s accessories – Tania Maras
Groom’s attire – The Suit Lady
Hair + Makeup – Adi Somech Hair Design, Tiferet Lehrman – Makeup and Hair by Tiferet
Flowers – Pablo Designs
Band – Kolot Band
Catering – Cezanne Catered Events
Cake – Juliana Cakes
Stationery/Invitation – Designed by Daniella
Honeymoon – The Gordonia
Smash The Glass Pouch – Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}
If you’re a Jewish or Jew-ish bride-to-be, you’ll want to join Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club. Guided by the world’s number 1 Jewish wedding expert, Karen Cinnamon, Brides Club is the private community for Jewish and Jew-ish brides that removes wedstress and indecision and gives you what you need to plan with confidence during these uncertain times. Join our Brides Club here.