Is there anything better than a Jewish wedding in picturesque Old Jaffa? Between the historic architecture and the ocean views and the chill Israeli vibes, we’re pretty sure the answer is a resounding no! If you don’t believe us, just look at the incredible photos of STG Brides Club member Dianne, who is completing a surgical residency, and lawyer groom Shaya’s big day captured by mega-talented Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ronen Boidek – according to the couple, booking him was one of the very best decisions they made during wedding planning. And we couldn’t agree more!
And while you’re at it, check out the awesome trailer from videographer Vladimir Tkach.
With such a stunning setting, Dianne and Shaya knew they wanted to keep their décor simple, favoring greenery and white florals that complemented the historic space – and they found the absolute perfect person for the job in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Yana from Craspedia Events. We’re totally obsessed with the bouquets, centerpieces, and decorations she created.
And we’re positively drooling over the delicious menu from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Maasia Catering, who put together a delectable modern Mediterranean menu, complete with fun interactive food stations.
Oh, and we can’t turn you over to Dianne before we tell you about one more awesome touch: instead of a traditional cake, Dianne and Shaya opted for a rugelach tower. Yes, you heard that right – in honor of the groom’s favorite sweets from Jerusalem’s famed Marzipan Bakery, these two celebrated with three tiers of chocolate and cinnamon rugelach goodness – with a small cake on top, for tradition’s sake.
Ok, now over to the bride!
How we met
Dianne, the bride: While I am from Vancouver and Shaya is from Montreal, we met in Toronto while I was doing an elective as a medical student and Shaya was there for work. We did not think we were going to see each other again after I flew home, but here we are!
Old Jaffa
We got married at The Lawrence in Old Jaffa in Israel. It was in a beautiful authentic Ottoman structure near the ocean and right in the middle of picturesque Jaffa. It had a spacious rooftop where we had the cocktails and the chuppah, and a beautifully designed historic interior space for the dinner and rest of the party. Our guests loved it!
We knew we wanted a destination wedding from the start, and since our family and friends are scattered all over the world, we knew everyone had to travel anyway. We loved Israel’s culture, vibe, food, and its historic and religious significance.
Keeping It Simple
We are both very simple and we just really wanted to enjoy the day with our closest family and friends. We did what we felt was right and just wanted to have a great party with delicious food and good music. As the venue was already stunning on its own, we decided to just add some greenery and white flowers to complement the historic architecture.
Our wedding wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing help of Adena Mark from A to Z Events Israel. She was available 24/7 helping us navigate the Israeli wedding scene from many miles away.
Invitation
Bri Budlovsky with Bee Bee Bisous designed our invitation and our other stationery. She was very easy to work with and we both had the same vision. We had a simple card with olive greenery accent, put together by a velum sleeve and a gold seal with our initials on it.
Hair + Makeup
I couldn’t decide until the last minute whether I wanted an updo because of the summer heat or have my hair half up. With the help of Leah Neppe who did an awesome job with both my hair and makeup, she let me see how either would work. I loved what I chose to go with in the end. I actually did not get the chance to “refresh” my makeup or hair at any point in the evening, and they both kept so well even with the summer heat and craziness of the hora!
Dress
I got my dress from The Bridal Gallery in Vancouver. I was initially looking for a simple dress that would be easy to travel across the world with! My mom picked it out and asked me to try it on. I’m glad I did because we both fell in love with it.
Accessories
As my dress was already quite sparkly, I kept the accessories simple by wearing dangling diamond earrings that was lent to me by my sister.
Shoes
One thing I knew for sure was I wanted to be able to comfortably walk around the cobblestone steps of Jaffa and our venue. I wore short heeled floral white pumps that I had already owned. I was very comfortable throughout the evening, especially during the hora!
Chuppah
We wanted our chuppah to be simple and in line with our greenery theme. We had a chuppah with bamboo poles decorated with asymmetric greenery, which worked well with the overall aesthetic of the rooftop.
Our music choice
I walked down to ‘Boi Kallah’ in the tune of ‘Hallelujah’.
Flowers
We got our beautiful bouquets, centre pieces, and event decorations from Yana from Craspedia Events.
Photographer
Having Ronen Boidek as our photographer is one of the best decisions we’ve made in planning our wedding. Not only did our photos come out great, but he was such a pleasure to work with. His demeanour was so calm and relaxing, and it really helped me as I do not like being in front of the camera. In fact, from the beginning of the chuppah to the end of the evening I could not even tell that he was taking photos all around.
Videographer
We also had a great videographer, Vladimir Tkach. He and Ronen actually worked so well together and he was very lovely to work with. We love our video, and we got to see it shortly after the wedding!
Food
Our food was another highlight and we still keep getting compliments from our guests! Maasia Catering works with The Lawrence and they did phenomenally with their modern Mediterranean cuisine. For both the cocktail reception and dinner we had several food stations which made the experience fun and interactive. We had a dessert stand in addition to those that were passed around the room. It was definitely a culinary experience!
Rugelach Cake
Our cake is kind of a unique and funny story on its own. Shaya loves rugelach from Marzipan Bakery in Jerusalem, and since we both didn’t think we wanted a traditional cake, we had a rugelach tower. It was made up of 3 tiers of chocolate and cinnamon rugelach from Marzipan, and we had a small cake for the top layer. It was fun and whimsical.
Entertainment
The Portnoy Brothers were a hit! They performed for our entire wedding from the cocktail reception to the after party. We had a violinist during the cocktail hour, had beautiful music and vocals during the chuppah, and fun and upbeat hora and party music. They were really able to cater to our guests who were of all ages and come from different cultural backgrounds. They are definitely highly recommended.
Favours
My mom had these canvas tote bags with a burlap strap made with our initials on it that we used as a wedding favour. It worked well because everyone was travelling and thought that it was very handy to take to the beach or go shopping with. Some guests even asked us for extras a few days after the wedding so they’re perfect for a destination wedding.
30th anniversary
One of the things that made our wedding special is how we had guests who were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary on our wedding day! We decided to commemorate the momentous occasion by surprising them with a small cake with a 30 on it with a congratulatory message. My husband gave a little speech saying how we would be so lucky if we can celebrate our 30th anniversary too one day.
Honeymoon
Since we were already in Israel, we decided to drive down to the desert and stay at the Beresheet Hotel for a mini honeymoon. It is an unbelievably beautiful place – it has a pool overlooking a crater in the desert. It was a nice getaway since it felt like we were so far from the city, and the place is so unique. We still hope to plan a much longer honeymoon in the near future.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
One piece of advice would be to let go and enjoy the day!
Dianne & Shaya’s little white book
Photographer – Ronen Boidek
Videography – Vladimir Tkach {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Flowers and designer – Craspedia Events {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Catering – Maasia Catering
Wedding planner – A to Z Events Israel
Venue – The Lawrence
Bride’s dress – found and fitted at The Bridal Gallery
Hair + Makeup – Leah Neppe
Entertainment – Portnoy Brothers
Cake – Marzipan Bakery
Stationery – Bee Bee Bisous
Honeymoon – Beresheet Hotel
Ketubah – Susie Lubell
Smash The Glass Pouch – Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}
