A Mediterranean Garden Wedding Full of Love, Lemons, and Olive Trees at Beit al Hayam, Jaffa, Israel

Some Jewish weddings just make you feel like you’ve stepped into another world. In the case of Elinor, a business manager in LA for people in the show business world, and Daniel, a software engineer, that world is a Mediterranean garden fantasia full of vibrant blue and yellow tones, olive and lemon trees, and, of course, plenty of flowers.

Elinor and Daniel knew they wanted to craft a wedding that would make their friends and family from abroad feel as if they were stepping into the couple’s home – and to make their vision a reality, they opted to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Bebke Productions. Gev and Inbal of Bebke are masters at putting together weddings that transport you, and they were the absolute perfect choice for this very special day.

In Elinor and Daniel’s words, Bebke Productions was “simply amazing,” working closely with the couple and handling every detail of the day with aplomb – as well as creating a killer atmosphere filled with fun touches like signs styled like Mediterranean tiles, an epic cocktail bar with signature drinks, a dining area modeled after an Italian courtyard, and so much more – don’t miss all the wonderful touches in the photos from Jen Sladkov.

There’s so much more to say about this very special Jewish wedding – read on for the whole story!

 
How we Met

Elinor, the bride and Daniel, the groom: Our moms were in the army together and stayed friends. When I moved to LA, I was invited by Daniel’s mom to a Chanukkah party at her home and there I met Daniel.

A Venue by the Sea

We got married at the amazing Beit al Hayam in Jaffa in front of the sea. In 2017 Daniel’s mother passed away and his father commissioned an artist to paint a picture in her honor (from a photograph) and the background in the picture was the same as the background at “Beit al Hayam” which gave the place extra special significance to us.

Mediterranean Garden

We used Bebke Productions and they were amazing. We had lots of family and friends from abroad and we wanted them to feel like they were stepping into our home. The theme was a  Mediterranean garden. There were olive and lemon trees scattered about and an abundance of flowers as well as bins of lemons. It was very warm, welcoming and colorful.

Invitations

Our invite was an electronic one with photos of the two of us, a page about Israel (there were many people at the wedding who had never been to Israel – both Jewish and non-Jewish) and link to our wedding registry.

A Vonve Bridal Dress

I bought my dress from Vonve Bridal in South Africa. I chose the style that I wanted, they took my measurements, and the dress was sewn in Italy. It was actually made in 2020 but due to Covid we had to put off the wedding. The dress remained in its box until our wedding in 2022 in perfect condition and without a wrinkle. The style is a-line but relaxed and with nothing puffy. It was embroidered with leaves and flowers and had a long train.

Accessories

I had a long veil by EK that I bought in the USA and my hair was loose with soft waves. My jewelry consisted of diamond earrings and my engagement ring.

Shoes

I bought Stuart Weizman heels in the US but a week before the wedding I bought an additional pair of shoes on Dizengoff St. in Tel Aviv. They had a high thick heel were super comfortable, so I ended up wearing those.

Hair + Make-up

My makeup was all brown and natural tones

The handsome groom

Daniel wore a suit that was bought in LA. It was a unique shade of blue and had a guitar pin on his lapel. The pin was in honor of his mother who was a musician and used to lead Israeli sing alongs in LA. The other men in the family wore navy blue suits so that Daniel would stand out from the crowd.

Bridesmaids

My sisters were the bridesmaids, and they wore forest green gowns as did my mother. Nieces and cousins were flower girls, and they wore pretty white party dresses.

Ceremony

The entire family stood under the chuppah, and the children were allowed to play and enjoy themselves. Following the ceremony, we walked down the aisle instead of the guests coming up to us. It was all very informal and was special for the American guests who are used to more formal ceremonies. The ketuba was laser cut in a circle, mosaic style and made in Israel.

Chuppah

Inbar took the lead on this and designed a gorgeous chuppah. The chuppah was made from white linen and there were lots of purple and yellow flowers on the top front as well to both sides upon entering the chuppah.

Flowers

The dining area was designed like an Italian courtyard with lemon and olive trees, baskets of lemons situated in different areas, vibrant colored flowers in unique vases and colorful runners on the tables. Each table design was different.

Our Music Choice

We walked down the aisle to ‘Stand by Me’ (the version by Florence and the Machine) and also the ‘Hoppi Pola’ (Jumping in Puddles) by Figur Ros was one the songs played at our request.

Photographer

The photographer, Jen Sladkov, was amazing and focused on capturing people in natural moments as opposed to posed positions. We are still waiting to receive the video which was done by Uri and Tamar.

Cake

The cake was a 3 layered vanilla sponge with buttercream frosting and real whole lemons on it as well as rosemary leaves. It was made by Adi Barack and just as tasteful as gorgeous.

 
Extra Details

Bebke Productions just did an incredible job. They had huge signs situated around the dining and dance area. The signs were like tiles and had different things written on them such as “Cocktail Bar”, “Elinor and Daniel’s Wedding This Way”. A huge disco ball that dropped down was above the dance floor. There was a cocktail bar with unique cocktails with gin, tequila, whiskey and also great wine.

There was an abundance of food – the main meal consisted of 3 courses and at 2 am chicken burgers were served. The food was excellent and the people at “Beit Al Hayam” couldn’t have been nicer. They were always checking that we had enough food and drinks and were always making sure that we and our guests had everything that we needed. Even when we came to the food tasting, they were super generous and gave us food to take home. In regard to speeches, Daniel and I gave as well as our parents and siblings.

Advice to couples currently planning their wedding

Gev and Inbal from Bebke Productions were simply amazing. We spent hours with them on the phone and we feel very close to them. They took care of each and every small detail and were very professional. In terms of advice, we would say not to stress about the minor details and to focus on the bigger picture. As long as people are well fed and you’re happy, don’t sweat the little things.

ELINOR & DANIEL’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK

Photography – Jen Sladkov
Wedding planner – Bebke Productions {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Beit al Hayam
Bride’s dress – Vonve Bridal
Bride’s shoes – Stuart Weizman
Hair + Makeup – Dor Calderon Hair, Or Brown Makeup
DJ – DJ Idan Harris
Cake – Adi Barack
Smash The Glass Pouch –  Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}

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