There’s no place like Israel. And Toronto couple Sydney, a teacher at a Hebrew day school, and Jared, who works in banking, knew from the start it was the only place that would do for their Jewish wedding post-October 7.
Caesar Yam in Caesarea, located right off the beach, was the most magnificent spot for the festivities – and it doesn’t hurt that Israel is the place where the pair started dating! With the most gorgeous floral chuppah, dreamy ocean views, and a beautiful ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com gifted by the groom’s parents, this was one incredibly special day.
Sydney and Jared chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman to photograph their big day, and they couldn’t be any more thrilled with their decision. In Sydney’s words,
Herschel is one of the warmest and most fun photographers to work with. We felt we could completely be ourselves and just go with anything he was telling us to do. He got our vision quickly and just knew what to do without having to say. What was also so nice and our guests really appreciated was the fact that they captured us but also everyone at the wedding. He captured our wedding perfectly, we wish he lived in Toronto so we could have him at future events!
Read on for the full story in the bride’s own words…
How We Met
Sydney, the bride: 11 years ago we met at high school, where we become friends. We then went on a summer trip through NCSY, called TJJ where we get to tour Israel from top to bottom for a month. That trip is where we everything started for us.
A Wedding in Israel
We got married in Caesarea, Israel. The venue was called Caesar Yam. We picked this venue because of how beautiful it is. We just fell in love with the idea of getting married right off the beach. The overall vibe at Caesar Yam is absolutely magnificent. We knew we wanted to get married in Israel as we both have a lot of family there, it is also where we started dating and of course it is Israel. Israel is our home and holds a very special place. One day we will be there forever. With everything going on we knew this was the only place where we would get married.
Theme + Planner
The colour scheme was greens, light pinks and cream. We had the groomsmen and bridesmaids in beige suits and champagne dresses. We also had a party planner, Abby Goldberg who was helping us through the process for the year leading up to the wedding. We made a great team! As a couple, we planned and made all the decisions together. The wedding was a dream and was everything we wanted.
Hair + Makeup
My hair was done by Bracha and makeup by Ortal Bastravi. These 2 ladies were so special. They were by my side the entire day and evening. I felt like I had 2 extra sisters with me just hyping me up, keeping me calm and being right there with me making sure I feel perfect and special. I didn’t have any trials before hand and they just both made me feel my absolute best.
A Martina Liana Dress
My dress was from a store called Avenue 22, in Toronto. The designer was Martina Liana, who is an Australian designer. I found my dress at the third store I went to, I had my aunts, mom, dad and sisters with me. I was trying a range of dresses on but I knew I wanted to be somewhat modest yet classy and sexy all in one. The second I put this dress on I felt like myself and I was shocked at how much it was just my type of dress and everything I was looking for.
Ceremony & Chuppah
The special touch of our ceremony was doing it in Israel on the beach. That was really all that mattered to us and of course having our close friends and family by our side. There are so many favourite parts of the ceremony, one being under the chuppah in the place where our love story began. Another was having that moment where Jared is waiting for me at the chuppah and I walked down the aisle to him. Of course when we smashed the glass and got danced out by all our amazing friends and family. The energy at our wedding was something we had never seen before.
Ketubah
We got our ketubah from ketubah.com. What made our ketubah so special is that Jared’s parents bought it for us, which is a very beautiful gift to receive. We picked the design together. It has the sheva brachot around it and the shir hashirim, which is just so beautiful.
Our music choice
We had the best of the best! We had top hits to throw backs both in Hebrew and English music. Our DJ, Danny Tuval was incredible, a really awesome and friendly guy who just instantly felt like family and kept the energy going all night.
We also had a wedding singer, Shlomo Lipman. He sang all the beautiful songs at the chuppah and then the horah. The crazy story was how we found Shlomo. After October 7th we saw a video on Tik Tok of Shlomo on a base marrying a solider and his wife. Everything about this video was just beautiful. We absolutely loved it and knew this is exactly who we wanted at our wedding. It turns out one of our good friends went to the IDF with Shlomo and put us in touch with him for our wedding. Shlomo has become our friend and someone who made our wedding very special.
Flowers
Ido Frid was our designer and brought our vision to life. We shared our vision, colours and overall vibe. We didn’t even have to think twice and he just made everything come to life for us. It was beautiful and we trusted him completely by just letting him work his magic with the outcome of everything.
Photographer
One of our family friends who lives in Israel got married a few years ago. They shared their video and photos with us. Just from the quality and beauty in the photos we loved it all. When we met Herschel Gutman on a zoom call, we discovered Jared’s cousin and him are very good friends and went to camp together making our decision even easier.
Herschel is one of the warmest and most fun photographers to work with. We felt we could completely be ourselves and just go with anything he was telling us to do. He got our vision quickly and just knew what to do without having to say. What was also so nice and our guests really appreciated was the fact that they captured us but also everyone at the wedding. He captured our wedding perfectly, we wish he lived in Toronto so we could have him at future events!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
The best thing we ever did was plan our wedding as a couple. We made the ultimate decisions, which made the planning process smooth. It was hard at times planning a destination wedding, let alone a wedding in Israel. We just continued to have faith inHhashem and knew it would all work out. The week of leading up to the wedding it is crucial to make sure you’re getting in the right mind set and headspace. We did a week a part and didn’t speak until we did a first look the day of the wedding.
This was something so special and really built up our excitement. It’s hard not to stress or feel overwhelmed the day of the wedding. Taking moments for yourself and just letting the small things go really went a long way. There are so many things you can’t control the wedding day, so all you can do is let it happen and let it all flow naturally. The bride and groom set the energy and all your guests will mirror off of you. Bring all your energy to the dance floor and stay on that dance floor all night!
SYDNEY & JARED’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Herschel Gutman {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Ketubah – ketubah.com {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Caesar Yam
Planner – Abby Goldberg
Bride’s dress – Martina Liana found at Avenue 22
Hair + Makeup – Bracha, Ortal Bastravi
Flowers – Ido Frid
DJ – Danny Tuval
Wedding singer – Shlomo Lipman
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.
