What is it about beach weddings? Whether they’re in Israel, Florida, or somewhere further afield, we just cannot get enough of them. That blue water, the sound of the waves… throw in a palm tree (or several) and we’re sold.
And oceanside venues don’t get much dreamier than Kochav Hayam, where Milen who works in HR, and Arad, an accountant who also owns a judo club, held their stunner of a Jewish wedding.
From the exquisite sunset ceremony to the magical twinkly lights in the indoor reception hall to the lovely floral chuppah decked out in white flowers and greenery, it’s a seriously beautiful day — captured so exquisitely by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, who worked his photographic magic to capture the most luminous, elegant images.
Videographer Roey Harazy was no slouch either — he surprised the couple with a drone (!) on the day, which he used to capture some absolutely breathtaking footage of the Caesarea coastline.
Milen was the epitome of a radiant bride in her two dresses — one for the ceremony that she custom designed from a simple gown with the help of a seamstress, and the other (for the reception) from Made With Love — and we’re delighted to put you in her capable hands for the rest of the story…
How we met
Milen, the bride: We both graduated from IDC – we met in the cafeteria!
Beach Venue
We got married at Kochav Hayam, Caesarea. I loved the beach set up.
Beachy Relaxation
Our theme was the beach, and relaxing! I wanted the day to have a relaxed feel, with earth and beach tones.
I didn’t use a wedding planner, but I did use a day-of planner.
Hair + Makeup
I used Leah Neppe, and she is the best. I found a look I fell in love with on Pinterest and she matched it exactly.
Two Dresses
I had two dresses, one was from Made With Love from New York, it was the party dress – lace, open back. I had another dress for the ceremony – I used a seamstress to redesign a basic gown I bought.
Handmade Veil
I had a long veil that was handmade by a seamstress.
Shoe Change
I wore small basic white heels, and then changed into sneakers during the dancing.
The handsome groom
Arad wore a royal blue suit that he got from a local vendor in Tel Aviv.
Bridesmaids in Blue and Grey
I let all my bridesmaids pick out a dress they felt beautiful in, as long as it was light blue/grey to go with the color scheme.
Sunset Ceremony
We didn’t do any special for the ketubah, but we we had an amazing sunset wedding ceremony that made our day super memorable.
Our music choice
At the wedding, we played a mix of Mizrahi music and old school R&B – it kept everyone on the dance floor!
White Flowers
I used all white flowers with a lot of greenery.
Photographer and videographer
We used Herschel Gutman, he is amazing! We found him online via another couple who used him, and his photo made us fall in love. We are super happy with all the photos.
We used Roey Harazy as our videographer, he is amazing too, and he surprised us with a drone which made the video!
An Amazing DJ
Our DJ was DJ Elon Matana. He’s an international DJ and was amazing, we still get people asking about him all the time.
Practical Favors
We gave out flip flops for the girls and kippot for the boys. We wanted to go with something cute that would last but could also be used at the wedding.
A Beautiful Day
We didn’t do anything too unusual, we just had great people in a great setting, with vendors who made our wedding dreams come true, and it all came together to make a super beautiful day.
Honeymoon in the Maldives
We are going to the Maldives in September. It’s always been a dream of mine.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Take it easy. Get people to help you. Check out a couple different option before you decide. Make sure you taste the food and communicate very specifically what you want.
On the day of, take the morning to yourself. A lot of people invite all friends and family but the morning is the calm before the storm, so take some time to yourself. Make sure you have someone who gives you water throughout the day you sweat a lot and most brides don’t even eat.
Milen & Arad’s little white book
Photography – Herschel Gutman {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Videographer – Roey Harazy
Venue – Kochav Hayam
Bride’s dress – Made With Love
Bride’s shoes – Republic
Hair + Makeup – Leah Neppe
DJ – DJ Elon Matana
