Talk about a multicultural wedding: today’s bride Lesley’s from southern California, while groom Rony hails from Santiago, Chile. The pair met while living in Tel Aviv, and shortly after getting engaged they moved to Paris for work!
Lesley and Rony knew they wanted to keep things simple and intimate while bringing all these strands of their lives into the celebration, and so they opted for a 40-guest wedding at Lesley’s parents’ home in southern California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Despite some unexpected complications – the morning of the wedding was so windy that the chuppah had to be moved twice! – the whole day was so perfectly joyful, and the couple’s photographer, Phil Tripoli, captured it exquisitely.
Read on for all the details of this very special day in the couple’s own words…
How We Met
Lesley, the bride and Rony, the groom: We were both working in high tech in Tel Aviv. Rony is a software developper and Lesley is a product marketer. We met during Covid in 2020 and because of the tight restrictions in Israel, we had to be creative about our dates being in open spaces (like the beach or the dog park with Lesley’s two dogs) and we didn’t even go to a restaurant or a bar together until 4 months into dating.
Lesley is originally from southern California and Rony is from Santiago, Chile, although they both grew up with emotional ties to Israel (Rony’s parents lived on a kibbutz for a decade in the 1970s, and Lesley’s father had spent time on a kibbutz in the north in the 1960s).
An Intimate Wedding
We knew wanted a wedding that was modest, simple, and intimate with only about 40 guests from Chile, the US, and Israel. We decided to get married at Lesley’s parents’ home in Ventura, California which overlooked the Pacific Ocean, also with the hopes that it would be possible for Lesley’s 100-year-old grandmother to attend (sadly she passed just 3 months before).
A Multicultural Wedding
We got engaged in Paris, France in September 2022 knowing that in a few months we’d be moving there for work. Now with 4 different cultures and languages between us (Jewish Israeli, Chilean, American, and French), it was important to incorporate all of them into our wedding – with the emphasis on Israeli since this was the foundational and common culture between us.
We wanted an autumn wedding, so between finding the right date for our guests and the rabbi, we ultimately chose Thanksgiving weekend – November 26, 2023. We even had a big Thanksgiving meal with our two families, which was the first time our parents and siblings had met!
We chose eucalyptus, terracotta, and cream for our colors, using mostly dried flowers to create the table settings and the baskets along the aisle to the chuppah. This palette was also reflected in our ketubah design.
Hair + Makeup
I wanted my hair up as I had a backless dress. But I didn’t want anything too tight or stiff and I decided on a low bun that was quite loose. I found Blushing Beauty as a recommendation from a friend who got married in the area, and since I didn’t live locally, I felt this was the best choice!
A Miphai Dress
I wanted something very clean and elegant with long sleeves and an open back. Keeping in mind with the simplicity of our wedding, I wanted a dress that reflected this. I found a dress online from a Spanish company called Miphai. The back and the skirt was exactly what I wanted, and I found a seamstress in Paris to create the sleeves, cuffs, and belt that I had imagined.
Accessories + Shoes
Before my grandmother passed, she had given me so much of her jewelry, particularly some of the earrings and necklaces that she wore on a more regular basis. The only piece of jewelry I wore were her earrings, each earring made up of two large ovals that curved outward. I actually found two very cheap veils to use. The top one that went over my face for the chuppah had lines of pearls only around the edges, and the veil that remained over my back had pearls scattered across the entire veil. My shoes were from a small boutique in Paris. They were goldish platform sandals.
Ceremony & Chuppah
We’re not religious, but we’re very attached to our Jewish and Israeli culture, so we were set on having a typical Israeli chuppah. Both of our parents walked us down the aisle and we didn’t have bridesmaids or groomsmen. The ceremony included the seven circles, drinking of the wine with our mothers, sheva brachot, and the rabbi reading the ketubah in traditional Aramaic. We found our rabbi through the Beit Din of Los Angeles, and we couldn’t have had anyone better.
Rabbi Mordechai Teller is full of personality, jokes, fun, and above all is kind and accepting of everyone. The chuppah was made of birchwood and we used a local florist to create a vine of eucalyptus leaves. We also fastened the rabbi’s tallit to the top. The morning of the wedding was exceptionally windy, and the chuppah had to be moved twice to avoid the huge gusts coming from the cliff.
The ceremony was even pushed back about 30 minutes because of this. And suddenly, when we started the ceremony, the wind calmed down for the entirety of the ceremony before picking back up again afterward.
Ketubah
We found our ketubah artist, Once Upon a Paper on Etsy. We wanted something that was in the realm of eucalyptus, with lots of greens and specks of terracotta and cream. As we were having a orthodox ceremony we had to ensure the text (Hebrew lettering in Aramaic) was correct and kosher with the rabbi.
Our music choice
Our friend, Inbar, was our DJ for the entirety of the wedding, with help from other friends during the party. From the start of the kabalat panim, guests were welcomed by classic Israeli music like Arik Einstein, Kaveret, and Oshik Levy. For the party, we played a mix of modern Israeli, American, and Chilean music.
Flowers
My bouquet was created around our colors of terracotta and cream, with eucalyptus (both the color and the leaves). Rony’s boutonniere was similar. The chuppah floral arrangement was a fully frontal vine of eucalyptus leaves and other greenery Lesley created all of the centerpieces and the baskets lining the aisle to the chuppah with dried flower mixtures in the color palette*
*Unfortunately due to the intense wind of the day, most of the floral arrangements fell over and had to be moved around, and we didn’t get any pictures of them.
Photographer
Lesley’s cousin’s partner, Phil Tripoli, is a professional photographer/videographer so we used him to capture the day’s moments.
Food and cake
Keeping in line with our four cultures, we tried to incorporate all 4 into our food and beverages; French cheeses for appetizers during the kabalat panim, Latin-American food for the main meal, French crepes and Black and white cookies for dessert, Specialty coffee for the entirety of the party, Kosher wine from a local winery
Extra Details
The wedding was exactly what we wanted and nothing like what we expected (thanks to the wind!). It was simple, intimate, and low pressure – for us and for the guests. The most stressful part was the heavy wind, but even that calmed down enough for us to have our ceremony overlooking the ocean. Our friends were so helpful in setting up, orchestrating and organizing logistics (from the welcome sign to setting up the Zoom for our friends/family in Israel, Chile and France). The rabbi was a true team player in helping with all the pre-wedding and day-of practicals.
Honeymoon
We’re not planning a big honeymoon but we did go on a small honeymoon to Torres del Paine (Patagonia) when we were in Chile visiting Rony’s family in May 2023. We stayed at Explora Torres del Paine (and we highly recommend it!)
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Enjoy the small moments! Things are going to go awry and there is no such thing as perfection, but what’s perfect is whatever the day brings. Laugh, smile, and take a deep breath before letting anything affect your day!
LESLEY & RONY’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Phil Tripoli
Ketubah – Once Upon a Paper
Bride’s dress – Miphai
Hair + Makeup – Blushing Beauty
Flowers – Fleur de Rye
Catering – Martino’s catering
Crepes – L’Authentic Blend
Cookies – Bea’s Bakery
Coffee – Rooster Coffee Cart
Wine – Herzog Wine Cellars
Honeymoon – Explora Torres del Paine
Rabbi – Rabbi Mordechai Teller
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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