If we had to pick one word to sum up Isa and Daniel’s Jewish wedding, it would be “exuberant!” From the bright colour palate to that gorgeous chuppah, to the abundant florals to the joyful expressions on the face of the bride and groom – not to mention the wild dancing and the spirited beachside couple’s shoot captured so beautifully in photographs by John Armstrong and on video Vision on Fire – South African couple Isa, a doctor, and Daniel, a solicitor, went all in on their big day.
We’re obsessed with their vibrant colour scheme – the couple wanted to use warm, bright shades to create an inviting atmosphere reflecting the spirit of love and celebration that embodied the day, with liberal use of the bride’s beloved bright pinks. Even Isa and Daniel’s gorgeous ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ByTessa incorporated the bright pink floral theme, and it could not be any lovelier.
And these two had a chuppah unlike any we’ve seen before – sure, there were stunning bright florals, but what really bowled us over is not the outside of this chuppah but the inside: Isa and Daniel decorated the underneath of the canopy with photos of their families through the generations, including those who couldn’t be physically present on the day – what a special way to literally envelope yourselves in the people who love you most!
There’s so much more to say about this wonderful wedding, but the time has come to turn you over to Isa, who looked nothing less than ravishing in her gown by beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Lee Petra Grebenau, working with the designer herself at her studio in Israel – we’re totally not surprised to hear Isa say that getting to work with the wonderful Lee made the dress decision a non-brainer…
How we met
Isa and Daniel, the bride and the groom: In 2016, Isa was busy with her medical internship and Daniel was running around the court rooms with his law practice. A mutual friend sent Daniel Isa’s number. They had never crossed paths before their first date and it took Daniel an entire weekend to come up with “Hi Isa, a mutual friend sent me your number, would you like to go for a drink this week?” We eventually met on our first date and we ended up talking for hours and Isa had that smile. Daniel had to leave for Hong Kong but the talking continued.
One year later Daniel arranged for Isa to meet him in Cape Town and they went to Babylonstoren wine farm under the false pretence that Daniel was on a media panel talking about high profile legal cases. Instead, Daniel popped the question and Isa, although a little suspicious, responded with Daniel’s favourite words “of course yes”
A Venue with Views
Living in South Africa, we are surrounded by beautiful nature and we wanted a venue that was able to take advantage of both mountain views and water. We immediately chose Cavalli Estate because it managed to capture everything we were looking for to celebrate our day.
Staying On Theme
From the minute we sent the invitations, everything followed the same theme, the bridesmaids dresses, the groomsmen, the chuppah as well as the hall. We made sure that the colours ran through every aspect leading up to our wedding as well as the big day. We paid attention to every detail whilst considering everyone of our guests. We had already asked our guests to travel so we made sure that they had welcome gifts inside their rooms on arrival.
Invitation
Our invitation design incorporated our colour scheme and the unique design carried through to our big day.
Hair + Makeup
I went for a natural look with lots of gold, bronzes and pink lips as I wanted to feel as natural as possible. I wanted to feel beautiful but as natural as possible. My hair was in a half-up style with plaits and wavy hair for a feminine, soft touch.
A Lee Petra Grebenau Dress
I found my dress in Israel at Lee Petra Grebenau. The style was Ellaria, custom made for me. Lee was a pleasure to work with and working with Lee made the choice even easier. My veil was my favourite part of my dress and became so sentimental because my cousin wore it after me. It has a subtle Russian influence which goes back to my parents’ roots from Latvia and Lithuania.
Accessories
I wore diamond studded earrings that my father gave to my mom many years ago. They were very sentimental. My dress was like jewellery already (very busy) and I did not want to overpower the look with too much jewellery. I wore a wristband that was part of the dress.
Jimmy Choos
I wore silver/gold Jimmy Choos open toe heels. They perfectly complimented my dress. I loved every minute wearing them.
The handsome groom
My groom wore black tuxedo pants and a dark navy blazer with a bow tie.
Bridesmaids
I had 14 bridesmaids. Their outfits tied in perfectly with my theme.
Chuppah
I have always loved bright beautiful pinks and we wanted our wedding to be warm and inviting with the brightest and most beautiful colours to celebrate the start of something beautiful. We believed that the bright beautiful colours would symbolise our love and the celebration. We wanted something bold, unique and effective.
The roof of the chuppah was designed by us with photos of our family through the generations including siblings, parents, grandparents and other important family members. It was very sentimental to us as we are very family orientated and we wanted all of them with us (whether they are here or not).
Ceremony
Walking down the aisle with my parents towards the groom was my favourite and proudest moment.
Groom: I loved starting up at the roof of the chuppah taking everything, in waiting for my bride to join me under the chuppah to officially start out lives together as husband and wife.
Our music choice
Groom: We chose ‘Home’ by Pete Murray. Music is a big part of my life and I wanted a song that symbolised the journey we had been on the reach this point. The processional music we chose with Choni G whose music perfectly captures the love and joy of the day.
Flowers
I chose orchids and white roses for my bouquets. The hall was decorated uniquely because we wanted our guests to feel like they were in a forest.
Photographer and videographer
We had been to previous weddings with John Armstrong and his photography especially how he captured people made him the obvious choice for us. We watched plenty videos captured by Vision on Fire and their work (as well as their choices of soundtrack) are perfect.
Food
Our wedding was expertly catered by the exceptionally talented Merle Rubin.
Israeli Dancing
We transformed the area where our guests were having appetisers into a dance floor for the hora/traditional Israeli dancing which were incredible with the sun setting in the background. It was when the energy of the day was at its highest and set the tone for the rest of the night.
A song for us
Bride: My brother (a orchestral cellist) performed a piece for us and my sister-in-law (his wife) who is a opera singer also sang a piece dedicated to us. This was really a highlight and was incredible. It was a private performance for us and made us feel like royalty.
Honeymoon in Mauritius
We decided on Mauritius because the groom had never been and it was the perfect beach holiday and for us to take everything in after the build up to our wedding and the wedding.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Be true to yourself and don’t get caught up in the pressure of the wedding. It is a special time in your life and you should enjoy every step of the planning. It should only be a happy experience. Things will not go to plan but the only people who will notice are the bride and groom everyone else will just feed off their energy.
Never leave the dance floor until your feet start hurting. It will be one of the best day of your lives.
Isa & Daniel’s little white book
Photography – John Armstrong
Videography – Vision on Fire
Bride’s dress – Lee Petra Grebenau
Ketubah – byTessa {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Cavalli Estate
Wedding Planner – Anne Mann
Bride’s shoes – Jimmy Choo
Groom’s attire – Frank Bespoke
Bridesmaids – Shona Joy
Hair + Makeup – Jeanette Genis Bridal Hair and Algria Ferreira
Flowers – Fleur Le Cordeur
Singer – Choni G
DJ – N8N
Invitation – Paperless Post
Honeymoon – Le Telfair
