Amidst the sorrow, anger, and heartbreak, we will never stop celebrating Jewish continuity because that is exactly what we are fighting for. Today’s real wedding is all about bringing Jewish joy into a dark time – something we could all use more than ever this week.
Israeli couple Dalya, a data analyst, and Zach, a student and sales advisor, were originally scheduled to make things official on October 22, 2023. After October 7, they knew they had to postpone – but when their new Jewish wedding date rolled around in January, they were more focused than ever on bringing the light.
Dalya and Zach’s wedding was an emotional reunion with loved ones from abroad and friends serving in the army who got the night off to join their celebration. A highlight of the chuppah was a special prayer for the protection of the state of Israel and IDF soldiers – including Zach’s beloved brother.
Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman photographed the day and captured every moment of joy so perfectly. In Dalya’s words, “Herschel delivered on all fronts, capturing candid, dramatic, fun, and natural shots. He was also fantastic at improvising. On the day of our wedding, it was pouring rain, and he creatively used umbrellas to give us some of our favorite shots. He made sure the photos looked stunning despite the weather, capturing the moment and the beauty of the hall perfectly.”
This was such an incredibly special and meaningful day – in the bride’s own words, “Being able to have a wedding during some dark times in Israel was the greatest way to show our enemies that we will always win and overcome anything they want to challenge us with.” Now over to Dalya…
How We Met
Dalya, the bride: I moved to Herzliya, Israel on October 22, 2022. During my first weeks in Herzliya, Zach would come up and make small talk. When Chanukah arrived, Zach and his roommates hosted a community event. My roommate messaged me, asking if I was coming. I decided to join my friends at the event. There, Zach approached me, we started talking, and the rest is history. About a week into dating, Zach told me he would marry me, and little did I know that a month into our relationship, we would already be meeting each other’s parents.
Tropical Vibes
We got married at Gioia Mia, located in Kibbutz Nachshonim. We chose this venue because we fell in love with its tropical destination-like feeling when we visited. The original wedding date was scheduled for October 22, 2023, which was supposed to be a perfect night for an outdoor chuppah. There was plenty of greenery, flowers, palm trees everywhere. Additionally, the food at Gioia Mia was a amazing—after our tasting, we couldn’t walk because we were so stuffed. On the day of the wedding, it began to rain so we couldn’t have the outdoor chuppah.
However, that was a not a problem since the hall was equipped to create an indoor chuppah. The indoor chuppah was against brick and had such a cool vibe.
Due to the war breaking out on October 7th, we had to reschedule our wedding. Gioia Mia was incredibly accommodating during this challenging time, helping us find a new date and ensuring that all our plans could be smoothly transitioned. Their support and flexibility were invaluable, making our special day still feel perfect despite the unexpected changes.
Theme & Wedding Planner
We worked with Gilda Posner from Epic Events Israel, who is a family friend of Zach’s family and played a key role in bringing our dream wedding to life. Gilda took us to Gioia Mia and introduced us to vendors she knew we would love. She was incredibly attentive to every detail and worked tirelessly to get us the best deals with the best vendors. Her expertise and connections made the planning process seamless and enjoyable.
Due to the war, all of our wedding plans needed to be changed and Gilda was amazing during this challenging time. She rearranged all of our wedding plans, ensuring that everything was rescheduled for the new date. Gilda’s support, flexibility and the feeling of having her behind our backs were invaluable, and she made sure we had the perfect day!
Our entire wedding was truly significant. From pushing off the wedding because of the war that broke out 2 weeks before our original wedding date to finally being able to find a new date and get married. We were devastated from the events that unfolded on October 7th and we were left unsure when we would be able to get married with our family and friends since flights weren’t operating as usual.
When our wedding date finally came we were able to see lots our friends who we have not seen for months, many of whom got the night off from the army to come join us at our simcha and for our families and friends that traveled to Israel in the middle of a war. We felt everyone’s happiness that we were finally able to get married, and being able to have a wedding during some dark times in Israel was the greatest way to show our enemies that we will always win and overcome anything they want to challenge us with.
Invitation
My family friend from New York who actually designed and created my Bat Mitzvah invitation also created our wedding invitation. She was able to create exactly what we were looking for in terms of colors, formatting, and she ensured that the Hebrew version of the invitation was formatted and designed properly.
Hair + Makeup
For my hair and makeup, I chose Liz Vernick after looking through her Instagram and having a trial. I knew she was the right person for me. Liz understood that I wanted to feel like myself, but in a bridal form, and she perfectly created that vision. She was incredibly calm and supportive, reminding me to eat and drink, and helping me get ready for the big day. Liz made me feel so beautiful, and both my hair and makeup stayed flawless through the rain and dancing. Instagram:
Dress
My wedding dress was from Miri Couture in Jerusalem. The store has the most amazing gowns you can rent out and customize to your liking. Funny enough, I found my dress before we got engaged. Since our wedding was international for our families, we had the wedding hall set in April and got engaged in June. I wanted to find the perfect dress as soon as possible. I went to Miri Couture and showed them the gown I had seen on their Instagram.
When I first visited, the dress I wanted was rented out, so I had to wait. While I was there, I tried on another dress, and it turned out to be everything I wanted. Everything about it screamed me—it had long lace sleeves and a two-tier gown, it looks very regal. My last dress fitting was scheduled for October 8th in Jerusalem, but due to the circumstances we had to reschedule. The store was incredible and held my gown for our new wedding date.
Accessories + Shoes
My shoes have an amazing story behind them. I had a specific vision of only wanting closed-toe heels that weren’t just simple heels. My mother and I went to Bloomingdale’s and found the perfect pair, but they didn’t have my size. We then searched store after store to find the one shoe we wanted. The jewelry, I wore was super special to me. My mother bought me a pair of earrings that I can wear fresh for the wedding.
Then she also brought pieces of hers and my grandmother, so I can incorporate both of them. During the chuppah, it is a segula, to give out your pieces to people who want to find their “the one”. So I had just the right amount of pieces to give to my bridesmaids.
Bridesmaids
I had my close friends from Israel and America as bridesmaids, and they wore stunning hot pink dresses. The bright color looked amazing against the greenery of the venue. Each bridesmaid choose their own dress, and looked amazing. My bachelorette party was on October 6th, just 15 days before the original wedding date. Little did we know what would happen the next day.
My bridesmaids were always there for me, during this time and even created a mock Shabbat Kallah (Shabbat before the wedding) for the original date. One of my bridesmaid, my best friend from childhood, surprised me the Friday before the wedding. It was one of the most unexpected surprise and brought such a light to the celebration. My sister, also, an honorary bridesmaid, also surprised me with my nephew for the big day.
Ceremony & Chuppah
Our wedding’s original date was October 22, 2023, the anniversary of the day I moved to Israel. However, after the events of October 7th, we knew we had to postpone it. We were not in a celebratory mood, and it was important to have our family and friends present, many of whom could not fly in for the original date. Additionally, some of our vendors and many of our friends and family were called into reserves (Miluim). Zach was busy delivering supplies to army bases daily, starting from October 9th. We rescheduled the wedding for January 14, 2024.
The chuppah was incredibly meaningful to us. Our singer was serving in the North at one point, our DJ was part of an emergency response team, and Zach’s brother was deployed both up north and down south, with many of our friends in the army in various locations. We included special prayers for the protection of our soldiers and the state of Israel. During the prayer, Zach called up his brother to be part of the moment.
We also stood under Zach’s grandfather’s tallit, a Holocaust survivor who must have been smiling to see his family building a future in Israel. Every pause during the chuppah was filled with the energy of our guests. Despite the circumstances, everyone was so happy to have a simcha. It was a moment of joy and unity that we will never forget. We got our ketubah from Tzohar, the rabbis in Israel.
Our music choice
For our wedding, we had the pleasure of having Shlomo Lipman as our singer and DJ Benji Scharf for our entertainment. Shlomo performed during the chuppah and our first dance. Despite serving in the Reserves, Shlomo made it to our wedding, which was incredibly meaningful. His powerful and heartfelt voice created such a vibrant and meaningful experience, adding a special touch to our ceremony. Having someone who fights for this country sing us down the aisle, demonstrating that we triumph in happiness, was a powerful experience. DJ Benji was equally amazing.
He perfectly understood our diverse music tastes and kept the crowd moving all night. His ability to read the crowd and play the right music at the right time ensured that the party never stopped. Benji matched the vibe perfectly, creating an atmosphere of joy and simcha that everyone enjoyed.
Flowers
Our florist and designer, Shira Events Design, truly brought our vision to life. We wanted to create a white wedding, that focused on elegance and simplicity. Shira was amazing in taking my ideas and transforming them into reality. She carefully designed the bouquets, buttonholes, and table centerpieces to blend seamlessly with the hall’s décor, creating the best possible appearance. Additionally, she was mindful of not wasting flowers, making sure that every bouquet and centerpiece was used thoughtfully and beautifully.
Photographer and videographer
Our wedding planner, Gilda, recommended Herschel Gutman as our photographer, and we couldn’t have been happier with his work. Before the wedding, he took the time to understand exactly what type of shots we wanted. Herschel delivered on all fronts, capturing candid, dramatic, fun, and natural shots. He was also fantastic at improvising. On the day of our wedding, it was pouring rain, and he creatively used umbrellas to give us some of our favorite shots. He made sure the photos looked stunning despite the weather, capturing the moment and the beauty of the hall perfectly.
Our videographer, Tal Herman, was recommended by Herschel, and we were thrilled with his work. Tal did an incredible job, ensuring that every significant moment was beautifully captured on video and created a beautiful wedding video.
Food
The food was catered by the hall. It was amazing! All my friends came back reporting how good the food was.
Wedding List
We used Bloomingdales, Amazon, and an Israeli registry site called Labayit. We looked at many of our friends’ registries from their weddings so we could figure out what we wanted to add onto ours. It was a lot of fun being able to add whatever you want to these sites in hope that people would buy those gifts for you.
Honeymoon
We are hoping to go to Thailand in September. With our busy schedules—Zach working full time and being in school, and me working full time—we are looking forward to spending uninterrupted time together. We can’t wait to unplug, enjoy each other’s company, and explore a new country.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
My best piece of advice it to really take in the moment. The Friday before the wedding, my best friend from New York surprised me and showed up at my apartment. She was there to be there with me and help me get ready. We started the wedding day with prayers and breakfast and just a sense of calmness
DALYA & ZACH’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Herschel Gutman {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Videography – Tal Herman
Venue – Gioia Mia
Planner – Epic Events Israel
Bride’s dress – Miri Couture
Bride’s shoes – Badgley Mischka
Hair + Makeup – Liz Vernick
Flowers – Shira Events Design
DJ – DJ Benji Scharf
Singer – Shlomo Lipman
Catering – Gioia Mia
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.
