Wow. This Jewish wedding. It really doesn’t get much better.
Some couples want a delicate, romantic wedding. Others want their big day to be a massive party. May, the marketing manager of a co-working space for doctors, and Yaniv, who’s in real estate investment, managed to make their beautiful Jewish wedding both of those things — with some help from much-loved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Naama Raicher.
Naama, her colleague Yael Kfir Frumkes, and the rest of the team brought the duo’s dream wedding to life, providing their trademark finesse to every stage of the process from the very beginning to the day of – so much so that May reports that choosing Naama Raicher was “the best decision we made” during planning.
Naama and Yael helped the couple formulate their plan of action: first, an intimate late afternoon ceremony, set outdoors at the idyllic Ronit Farm, full of soft colors and romantic touches — like a totally stunning floral chuppah adorned with delicate white flowers.
Then, for the reception, things got a little edgier: May and Yaniv brought a hit of club style to their outdoor dinner and dance party, with moody colors galore — they even brought in professional dancers (who went through four costume changes throughout the night!) to perform on stages set on the sides of the dance floor to set the mood.
May’s Francesca Miranda gown easily made the transition from ceremony chic to party mode: made from 200 meters (!) of tulle and covered with thousands of hand-embroidered butterflies, this dress is most definitely soft and whimsical… but it was also the perfect lightweight bridal attire in which to dance all night.
We’ll turn you over to May in a second, but before we do we want to alert you to the fact that she and Yaniv provided one of the best favors we’ve yet encountered: loaves of fresh challah! Um, yes please!
How we met
May, the bride: I was jogging on the beach one day and Yaniv noticed me running. He then found a mutual friend of ours and asked her to make the connection, and the rest is history.
A Ronit Farm Wedding
Our wedding took place in June, at the outdoor venue of Ronit Farm, Kfar Shmariyahu, Israel (approx. 15-20 min drive north of Tel Aviv). We had a vision of a romantic late-afternoon atmosphere for the ceremony and reception, and a chic outdoor dinner and party to follow. This venue has a luxurious outdoor feel due to its beautiful landscape and views of nature, so it was perfect for us.
An Amazing Planner
We knew we wanted to have an intimate and romantic ceremony, so we chose to place our chuppah right in front of the reception area, so we’d be close to our guests. For the dinner and party, we chose to go for a “club” style in terms of colors: red, dark pink, and purple on black, white, and silver. We had dancers dressed in our colors to give an edgy-party mood.
I think choosing a planner is the most important decision to make when planning a wedding. You have to choose someone who will inspire you with extraordinary ideas and visions for your special day, but at the same time fulfill your dreams.
Choosing Naama Raicher and her team was the best decision we made. With her colleague, Yael Kfir Frumkes, and a team of professionals, Naama managed to bring our dream wedding to life. During those months of planning our wedding and on the day itself, we had the confidence of knowing we were in the hands of a great, talented team.
Formal Invitations
We wanted to keep our invitation formal and classy. We chose to design it with shiny thick cardboards with printed gold letters. We emphasized our date with a shiny gold letter print. We stamped our wedding logo, which was made of our initials (M.Y.)
Hair + Makeup
My makeup was done by Tali Power as I wanted more of a natural look and I absolutely love her work. My hair was wavy and classy and was done by Ziv Amsalem.
A Francesca Miranda Dress
The dress was designed by the Colombian designer Francesca Miranda and was purchased from Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. The dress has a beautiful illusion front and back.
It’s a whimsical ball gown made from 200 meters of tulle and thousands of hand-embroidered butterflies made from four different fabrics. The corset is adorned with butterfly appliquà©s with Swarovski crystals and metallic threads. This dress was absolutely beautiful and light, and it looked just perfect for an outdoor afternoon wedding.
Diamonds and Hearts
I wore a diamond bracelet that I received from my mother a few days before our wedding. It was significant for me as she wanted to wear something of hers, and something that I will be able to wear after. I haven’t taken it off since my wedding day.
I also wore diamond earrings by Lady Heart, a brand that is very close to my heart. It is owned by my very closest friend who is like family to me, but that’s not the only reason I only wear the brand.
They have amazing design with unique heart cuts made of 3 different stones put together to form a heart shape – unlike any other diamond I have ever seen. I am so glad I wore this beautiful piece on my wedding day; it was very significant for me to wear this brand.
The handsome groom
My husband and I travelled to NYC for work and pleasure. In between meetings I managed to drag him into the big Hugo Boss store in Columbus Circle. At the beginning he was not very into it but once he tried on his suit we just knew it was meant to be!
The slim fit black suit was elegant and classy and barely required any alterations. As we knew our wedding would take place in the afternoon we did not want a tuxedo, but he did choose to wear a silk black bow-tie and cummerbund set, also from Hugo Boss.
He chose a formal slim fit shirt in pure cotton for distinctive elegance look. The shirt had a finely ribbed insert, precise half shark collar, and a partially concealed button placket with contrasting black shank buttons that give this shirt its polished character.
His leather black shoes, belt, and white pocket square were also Hugo Boss.
Bridal Party Brights
It is not common in Israeli weddings to have bridesmaids, but I can say that my mom and sister took a significant part and acted as bridesmaids. It was important to me that my family will wear bright colors: My mom wore an amazing rose gold gown by Oscar De La Renta, and my sister wore a stunning red Monique Lhuillier gown.
A Floral Chuppah
Our chuppah was just near the lake between two large trees, and was designed with delicate white flowers to keep it clean and romantic. For the ceremony we printed special kippahs for all the male guests with our names and wedding date, to keep as a souvenir.
An Intimate Ceremony
We knew we wanted to have an intimate and romantic ceremony, so we chose to place our chuppah right in front of the reception area, close to our guests. The ceremony took place just before sunset and the natural lighting was stunning and unique. The sunlight just hit the chuppah and it was beautiful and romantic.
Made for You
Our song was ‘Made for You’ by Alexander Cardinale. When Yaniv broke the glass, we played a part of a song by our all-time favorite band Hatikva 6 – we knew we had to use one of their songs during our ceremony. We both love them so much and have been to so many concerts of theirs.
Our first dance song was ‘Night Is White Satin’ by the Moody Blues. This song was very significant for my because it is my father’s favorite song – he actually chose the song for us.
Light Flowers, Bright Flowers
My bouquet was made of delicate light pink roses. My sister and my sister-in-law walked with bouquets of red roses that matched their gowns.
Table centers in the reception area were a mix flowers of light pink, white, and light purple. Table centers for the dinner and party area were dark red, dark pink, and dark purple. Our fabulous florist and designer was Hilit Gordon – we loved her work since the day we met her. We especially loved how the bright colors looked on the black table.
Photographer and videographer
Our photographer was the very talented Adi Cohen Zedek. Videography was by Nir Tenenbaum, who was amazing as well.
Butterfly Cake
The cake was a 3-tier chocolate cake covered with white sugar and decorated with many butterflies that matched the butterflies on my dress.
DJ and Dancers
We had a great DJ for the party – which lasted until the middle of the night! (note: guests were invited for 5pm). Aviel Brant from Alpha Music made our party the best we could ask for.
Also, we had professional dancers on 2 stages that were built in both sides of the dance floor. The dancers changed costumes 4 times during the night, all of which were designed around our wedding colors. We also had a dancer dressed in a mirror suit to dance around the guests on the dance floor.
Challah Favors
Another cool thing we did was handing out challahs for Shabbat; as our wedding took place on Friday afternoon, we decided to give away wedding gifts that could be used for Shabbat. So when the party ended, guests received a fresh challah on their way out with a ‘Thank You for Coming’ note from Yaniv and me.
Advice To Couples Currently Planning Their Wedding
My personal advice would be that if it is possible, take pictures of you and your family at your parents’ house. The shooting feels much more natural and fun, and the pictures turn out amazing. Also, GO for a weekend getaway right after your wedding! We went to Santorini to relax and enjoy each other, which was nice and romantic.
May & Yaniv’s little white book
Photography – Adi Cohen Zedek
Wedding planner – Naama Raicher
Videography – Nir Tenenbaum
Venue – Ronit Farm
Bride’s dress – Francesca Miranda found and fitted Bergdorf Goodman
Bride’s accessories – Lady Heart
Groom’s attire – Hugo Boss
Mother and sister of the bride’s dress – Oscar De La Renta and Monique Lhuillier
Hair + Makeup – Tali Power and Ziv Amsalem
Flowers – Hilit Gordon
DJ – Aviel Brant
