Gorgeous venue alert! Israeli couple Ariella, an account manager in digital marketing, and Ryan, a product manager at a high-tech startup, fell in love with their venue, Habustan, the minute they set eyes on it – and we’re pretty sure we’re having the same experience right now!
The couple couldn’t get enough of the magical garden vibes, and they knew they wanted to keep the focus for their big day on the venue’s natural splendor, with fairy lights, trees, and flowers galore. Their photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, captured the understated yet elegant feel of the day so perfectly – in addition to making Ariella and Ryan and their guests feel comfortable and calm as he captured the most phenomenal moments.
One special touch we love: when it came time for the sheva brachot, Ariella and Ryan picked seven VIPs to give one bracha each, and they gave their MC a small script to introduce each person, thanking them for the way they touched the couple’s lives.
We’ll let Ariella fill you in on the rest…
How We Met
Ariella, the bride: . We met through a mutual connection, who knew Ryan well and got my name and info from a friend of his who found out that I had recently made Aliyah. We went on our first date only three weeks after I landed in Israel and the rest is history!
A Magical Garden Wedding
We got married at Habustan in Abu Gosh. We found the venue online and when we went to take a look at it we absolutely fell in love! It felt like a magical garden with so many fairy lights, trees, flowers, and elements of nature. We couldn’t have been happier – it was a truly beautiful evening in every possible way.
Theme
We didn’t have a specific theme or colour scheme. We wanted things to be simple and let the venue and the gardens speak for themselves. We used baby’s breath throughout (for the Chuppah, centrepieces, bridal bouquet etc.) for an understated yet elegant feel. We used a wedding coordinator who was absolutely fabulous. She made sure the day ran smoothly and according to plan. We could not have done it without her!
Dress
My dress was from Myra. It was a simple floral dress that went with our garden venue. I wanted something light and comfortable that would be easy to dance the night away in! I didn’t have a specific AHA moment, but when I put it on, I felt most like me and that’s exactly what I wanted. Myra was a pleasure to work with, customizing several elements of the dress to make it the perfect fit.
Ceremony & Chuppah
My brother sang us both down the aisle which was really special. We didn’t have any specific personal touches for our ceremony, although we did give our MC a small script to introduce each person who recited a sheva bracha, thanking them for the way they touched our lives and giving our guests some context of why we chose that individual to bless us under the Chuppah.
Many guests said they hadn’t seen or heard that before, and we’re really glad we were able to publically thank so many people who had such an influence on our lives both individually and as a couple. Our favourite part of the ceremony was the singing of ‘Im Eshkachech’.
It was sang really beautifully by our band’s singer and it was filled with a lot of meaning and emotion for us and our friends and family. The Chuppah design was very simple, with a white canopy and a bouquet of baby’s breath on each side.
Our music choice
We played all of the traditional Jewish wedding songs with some modern Israeli pop songs at the end. We had a band, Nismecha, which brought lots of energy to our dancefloor. They kept the party going all night long and our guests had a blast!
Flowers
We used baby’s breath throughout the venue. We wanted something simple and elegant. Because the venue was in a beautiful garden, we didn’t want anything too extravagant that would take away from the nature of the setting. We worked with the in-house designer of the venue who was a pleasure to work with. She captured our vision and really brought it to life.
Photographer and videographer
Our photographer was Herschel Gutman and we cannot recommend him enough! He was so easygoing, made us feel so comfortable on the day of the wedding, and captured the most phenomenal moments throughout the day. He was so professional, knew exactly which kinds of photos to take, and was a calming presence for all our friends and family. Our videographer was also incredible and captured our special day from start to finish in the most fantastic way.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Enjoy and embrace the process! It might get stressful at times, but just remember how lucky and blessed you are to have this kind of stress in your life! When you put everything into context, it makes the decision making much easier.
ARIELLA & RYAN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Herschel Gutman {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Videography – Leetle Loves Studio
Venue – Habustan
Bride’s dress – Myra
Band – Nismecha
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.
