We’re always obsessed with Israeli oceanside weddings…. especially when they’re smack dab in the middle of picture-perfect Old Jaffa. Like the gorgeous Jewish wedding of Olga, a graphic designer, and Chen, a programmer, which we’re totally and completely obsessed with.
It’s hard to go wrong when you’re starting out with a venue like Beit Andromeda. Throw in cool, contemporary photography with just a little bit of edge from mega-talented Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Gamba Photographers (the couple have known Gamba’s Avihai since their military service!), and you’ve pretty much got a slam dunk.
And that’s before we even get into the awesome touches the couple added to reflect the fact that their wedding was the day before Rosh Hashanah – in honor of the holiday, Olga and Chen adopted the themes of blossoming and new beginnings, and added sweet details from honey jar favors to fun dancefloor props embellished with floral and fruit motifs (handmade by the bride and her friends in the buildup to the big day – love that!).
We also love the couple’s commitment to making sure they crafted a wedding that truly reflected who they are – so in line with what we believe her at STG, and what we want to make sure all brides (and grooms) to be have the tools to accomplish for themselves. That’s why we’re so excited about our first-ever FREE Jewish Wedding Planning Bootcamp, starting this Monday, June 3 – it’s going to be truly unmissable, so if you’re planning a Jewish or Jew-ish wedding, do sign up!
Now back to Olga, who looked effortlessly romantic in her two-piece Nitzan Krispil…
How we met
Olga, the bride: We met during our military service at a mutual friend’s birthday party, and got married 6 years later.
A Jaffa Wedding
We wanted to get married in Jaffa, we really loved the look, the ocean and the atmosphere. We checked a few places in Jaffa and we liked Beit Andromeda the most, both because of its look and because of the way we were treated by the wonderful staff. We wanted a place that was not too big, and would be intimate for our wedding, and it was a perfect fit.
A Sweet New Marriage
Because the wedding was the day before Rosh Hashanah, we wanted the design and the feel to be of blossoming and new beginnings. We designed the wedding invites as such, and also designed small honey jars as gifts for the guests. Also our ketubah was in the spirit of blossoming and renewal.
Invitations by the Bride
I am a graphic designer by profession, so the invite design was important for me. I illustrated the invite myself using acrylic paints, and I also designed other branded details for the wedding.
Hair + Makeup
For hair and makeup I chose Michal Lesman. I wanted light makeup and an updo hairstyle.
A Nitzan Krispil Dress
The dress is by Nitzan Krispil, I was following her on Instagram a long time before we even got engaged, and I knew that when the moment came I would get in touch with her. I really like her feminine and romantic style.
It was important for me that the dress was comfortable, and I didn’t want to feel like I was wearing a costume. I wanted to feel like my day to day self, just more beautiful. I picked both the skirt and top from Nitzan and I felt wonderful in them.
Comfy Shoes
With the shoes I continued with my wish for comfort. I chose a shoe with a very small heel. In my day to day life I don’t wear heels, and I wanted to make sure that on such a stressful day, I would feel like myself. The shoes were vintage pink, and they went well with the romantic style of the dress.
The handsome groom
Chen, the groom, wore a blue suit by Blue Navy. The blue color was fitting with the atmosphere and colorful vibe of Jaffa and its coastline.
A Meaningful Ceremony
In our ceremony we chose to read to each other, and that was the most moving part of the ceremony for both of us. It was very hard to hold back the tears, and we were very emotional when talking. This was also the most memorable part of the ceremony both for us and for the guests.
Our secular rabbi, Nardy Grun, crafted the ceremony around the idea of the upcoming Rosh Hashanah holiday, and the theme of new beginnings.
I also designed the ketubah.
Photographer
We had Gamba Photographers to do our photos, we both knew Avihai since our military service, and had been following his work ever since. Apart from loving his work, we knew it is important to feel at ease and comfortable around your photographer, and we knew that with Avihai we would feel that way.
Honey Favors
We gave our guests small jars of honey for Rosh Hashana as they left the wedding. I designed the jars.
Dancefloor Props
The dancing and party part of the wedding was important to us, because that is our favorite part whenever we are guests at weddings!
We handed out props like hair bows, hats and glasses (also in the Rosh Hashana spirit, they were designed with flowers and fruits). My friends helped me make the props for months before the wedding, and it was also fun time spent with them, and the guests loved it. Till this day it is fun arriving at homes of friends or family and recognising some of those props, that we found out many people saved from our wedding.
Honeymoon in Vietnam and Laos
For our honeymoon we flew to Vietnam and Laos. We wanted a destination that would combine interesting culture, excursions and great landscapes. It was indeed great!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
The thing that helped me most was feeling as comfortable and as close to my day-to-day self as possible. I got ready for the wedding at our apartment, we took our photos close to home, I chose a comfortable dress and shoes. It is a very special day, but when you do it in a way that is most like you, it is much less stressful and much more fun!
Olga & Chen’s little white book
Photography – Gamba Photographers
Venue – Beit Andromeda
Bride’s dress – Nitzan Krispil
Hair + Makeup – Michal Lesman
DJ – Elad Ron of Zebra Music
Hi, found your Blog totally by accident but have to say that I absolutely love that wedding dress!