We are totally and utterly obsessed with today’s double smashing of the glass – seriously how cool are Limor and Tom above? They both participated in all the rituals, and both smashed the glass. We highly approve!
Israelis are notoriously chilled out about their weddings, and everything still comes together absolutely beautifully. We’re sure there’s a lesson in there somewhere! Limor and Tom’s personalized Jewish wedding was no exception, conducted on the lawns of the kibbutz they call home.
Chic, understated and oh so cool, the wedding was a real stunner, with the gorgeous natural surroundings setting the stage for the carefully selected dà©cor details, including a ‘something borrowed’ chuppah and a flower station, so that guests became walking decorations.
Lovely bride, Limor, looked a vision in her Meital Zano fashion-forward dress and shawl, with groom Tom kitted out with a chic smart-casual combo from Zara.
Photographer Sahar Hai Ahava, captured all of the adorable details and the emotion of the day, with some classic, Israeli cool shots thrown in for good measure. It’s time to hand you over to Limor for the full writeup. Be warned – there’s a LOT of pretty to look at – we urge you all to get Pinning.
Home is where the heart is
Limor, the bride: We got married in the gardens of kibbutz Ruhama, our home. We live in southern Israel and the kibbutz is located in a beautiful nature reserve. We chose to invite our family and best friends to the place we love the most.
Keeping it simple
We chose to keep it simple and that was sort of our theme. The wedding took place on the large lawn in the middle of the kibbutz, so the the dining room and several buildings were part of the view and created the casual setting.
We decorated the area with some flowers, Chinese paper lanterns and a few stacks of hay. Nature did the rest.
Homemade invitations
We decided to design the invitation together. I took a photo of the reserve outside our home and Tom used it as a background and created the invitation’s graphic design.
A Meital Zano gown
The designer of my dress is Meital Zano – a talented designer, with the greatest style.
Before I met Meital, I spent two months looking for a dress, and felt as if all designs looked the same. When I came across Meital’s ad on the Internet, I knew I would find what I was looking for. During the first visit to Meital’s studio, both Tom and I felt this was the dress!
I accessorised with a beautiful shawl, loaned to me by the designer.
Pampering with mom
My makeup was done by Liz Sadon from Sderot city, who came to our home in the morning of the wedding and did the makeup both for me and my mom.
Hadar Abargel did our hair.
The handsome groom
Tom wore a white shirt, light blue pants and a bow tie – all from Zara.
A best man and best woman
My best friend and business and creative partner was my best woman and Tom’s best friend from the army was his best man.
Our young cousins from both sides were our flower children (both girls and boys). We couldn’t care less what they were wearing, but they absolutely matched our theme!
A ‘something borrowed’ chuppah
We borrowed the chuppah from our friends at the urban kibbutz in Sderot; a community of lovely people who were happy to help out.
A gender-equal ceremony
We adjusted the ceremony to suit our beliefs and intentions over a couple of meetings with Rabbi David Leor from the Israel Movement for Reform & Progressive Judaism (IMPJ).
Both Tom and I gave each other rings and smashed the glass. We designed the ketubah together, with Rabbi David assisting with the content. We chose to hold a ceremony different to what is customary in Israel – the ceremony of a rabbi from the rabbinate, and not to register as a marriage to the rabbinate as a protest against religious coercion in Israel, and because of the desire for gender equality.
Mixing in Buchari music
Aviv Swartz was the DJ! We met with him one time before the wedding and he immediately got our style.
He played all of our favorite songs at the reception and was so accurate and sensitive to the crowd and the vibe during the whole event.
We challenged him by asking him to mix traditional Buchari music during the party for my family’s side. he totally met the challenge and whole crowd was thrilled and danced to it.
A surprise flower booth
Durit, my husband’s aunt, took charge of the flowers. She designed the bouquets for the table centers and decorated the chuppah with beautiful white gypsophila flowers.
On Thursday, a day before the wedding, our family and friends came to the kibbutz, did the floral designs and decorated the entire place.
Michal, Tom’s sister, surprised us and brought a ‘flower booth’, with three charming women who gave each of our guests a beautiful flower piece to wear.
Our fabulous photographer
We chose to work with a talented young photographer who sees the world through the eyes of a good fairy – Sahar Hai Ahava. He came with a stills photographer and a videographer. All three of them did amazing work, adding color and charm to the atmosphere of the wedding.
A special wedding cake
We received a beautiful wedding cake as a gift from Nira Treidel, a close relative and talented artist we love very much.
Surprise entertainment
Tom’s friends from childhood surprised us when they performed a lovely song they wrote.
Family and friends also recorded themselves singing the song “Gold” and performed a flash mob dance, with the participation of all guests from the wedding.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Set a realistic budget and don’t pass it. Involve your family and friends in preparation to save on spending and enjoy the process even more, letting creative people express themselves in their own way. Enjoy the celebration of love.
Limor & Tom’s little white book
Photographer – Sahar Hai Ahava
Bride’s dress – Meital Zano
Bride’s shoes – Aldo
Groom’s attire – Zara
Hair + Makeup – Hadar Abargel and Liz Sadon
Catering – Cmenin
DJ – Aviv Swartz
