Daniela, a physiotherapist, and Zev, the COO of tour company Israel Maven Tours, thought long and hard about getting married in wartime – and when they decided to go for it, they wanted to make sure they threw a celebration that would bring joy and strength to all in attendance – and did they ever.
Nearly all of the couple’s guests have been directly affected by the war, and it was important to them that their Jewish wedding acknowledge all those whose ongoing sacrifices made the special day – and life in Israel generally – possible. And with prayers for the IDF, the state of Israel, and the hostages, a heartfelt shofar blast under the chuppah, and Israeli flags all around – in addition to some beautiful symbolic flowers, like olive branches for peace – they did exactly that.
One extra meaningful touch: Daniela and Zev gave their guests with loved ones serving in Gaza or on the border with Lebanon a gift box of cocktails along with a handwritten note with instructions to drink a l’chaim with their loved ones when they return safely home from the battlefield! In the bride’s words, “We didn’t realise how moving this would be for people and to this day we are still receiving pictures and videos of happy families reunited drinking the delicious cocktails.”
Daniela and Zev chose Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman as their photographer, and they were thrilled with both the beautiful images he captured and his warmth and kindness throughout the planning process and on the day itself.
Read on for more about this incredibly moving day in the bride’s own words…
How We Met
Daniela, the bride: As Zev says, “We were destined for one another, we just had to wait for someone to make the introduction. Luckily for us a mutual friend made the suggestion.”
Venue
The Agam at the Botanical Gardens in Jerusalem. A beautiful outdoor chuppah, stunning hall and a bomb shelter. We were due to get married at Habustan in Abu Gosh a month before, but we postponed due to the outbreak of the war and Zev volunteering to join the reserves
Joy and Strength
We thought long and hard about getting married at a time when so many had experienced such loss and anguish and indeed many of our own family members were serving in Azza. We wanted our wedding to bring joy and strength to others and to give voice to the prayer “עוד ישמע בערי יהודה” and as a nation we should be able to experience happiness. Noa did a great job with the chuppah and the tables, incorporating Israeli flags and beautiful floral arrangements with symbolic flowers, such as olive branches for peace and prosperity for our nation.
Under the chuppah, Zev placed ashes from the City of David excavations on his forehead. These ashes date from the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans some 2000 years ago.
Hair + Makeup
Leah Neppe and Gabi Wiener did our hair and make up. They were both the perfect people to have around us on our wedding day. They brought beautiful energy and a determination to make us feel the excitement and happiness of the day, despite our nervousness that a siren would sound and mean we couldn’t go ahead with our plans.
We left the house feeling beautiful and so excited for the wedding, thanks to both of them.
A Mia Pava Dress
Mia Pava designed the dress following my brief that I wanted something simple, clean and elegant. My final appointment was at the very start of the war and Mia made a special trip to open her shop for me and 2 other brides who were due to be married that week. Despite an air raid siren going off during our appointment, Mia gave me as much attention as any other bride, determined that the war wouldn’t make us rush and ensuring I left 100% happy with my dress.
Ceremony & Chuppah
Nearly all of our guests were affected personally by the war. Some lost friends and relatives on October 7th or had a personal connection with those abducted. Close to 3/4 of our guests, ourselves included, had children, spouses, siblings or parents serving in the IDF. We were determined that our wedding not serve as a form of escapism from the “matzav” (reality), but rather acknowledge all those whose ongoing sacrifices had made it possible for us to celebrate our wedding in Yerushalayim.
After the reading of the ketubah the shofar was blown. A wedding is thought of as a Yom Kippur for the bride and groom. The shofar is blown on Yom Kippur, as well as when going out to battle, and so it seemed very symbolic doing this under our chuppah, held when Am Yisrael was at war. As its sound rang out in the Jerusalem night, we all closed our eyes and offered silent prayers to Hashem.
We then included the prayers for the safety of our soldiers, the State of Israel and the hostages. There wasn’t a dry eye when teenage prodigy, Chaim Zippel, sang those prayers. Our ketubah was designed by Jerusalem based artist Sharon Binder.
Our music choice
We were lucky to have Shai Barak and his band, Xtaza, playing at our wedding. Shai arranged for a harp player and violin at the reception and he also doubled as the DJ on the dance floor.
Photographer and videographer
We were thrilled to have Herschel Gutman as our photographer. Not only did he capture beautiful images with his masterful use of light, he was also warm, kind and an absolute pleasure to deal with from start to finish. After working with Herschel it is difficult imagine hiring any other photographer.
Our videographer was Tal Herman who brought along his drone. Tal has incredible talent and a knack for choosing the right frames and angles. Our highlight video was ready within record time and required very little additional editing, which he was more than happy to do, and did so almost immediately.
Many of our family and close friends were unable to travel to Israel for the wedding and Donny Wezler did the live stream. This was a fantastic way for people to feel a part of the celebration
Extra Details
By the time of our wedding, many of our guests were besides themselves with worry over their loved ones who were in Gaza or on the border with Lebanon. We gave each of these guests a gift box of cocktails along with a handwritten note expressing our gratitude for their participation in our simcha. We told them, however, that our joy cannot be complete under the current circumstances and that they should drink a l’chaim with their loved ones when they return safely home from the battlefield.
We didn’t realise how moving this would be for people and to this day we are still receiving pictures and videos of happy families reunited drinking the delicious cocktails supplied by Ben & Tonic.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
At the initial stages of planning our wedding (before the war broke out) we tended, as most couple do, to focus on ourselves and the myriad of details we felt were necessary to make our day special. We stressed unnecessarily about trivial matters, sometimes leading to disagreements. However, once we had postponed our wedding and started planning the second time round, our focus totally changed.
We no longer worried about how we would experience the day, but rather how our guests would be able to fully participate in the simcha, given all the pressures and stresses they were facing. We became more concerned about giving joy to others, as opposed to making ourselves happy. Interestingly enough, this switch gave us the greatest joy and the ability to focus on that which is truly important
DANIELA & ZEV’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Herschel Gutman {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Videography – Tal Herman
Ketubah – Sharon Binder
Venue – The Agam at the Botanical Gardens
Bride’s dress – Mia Pava
Hair + Makeup – Leah Neppe and Gabi Wiener
Band – Shai Barak, Xtaza
Singer – Chaim Zippel
Live Stream – Donny Wezler
Cocktails – Ben & Tonic
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.
