Friday is finally here – and we’re celebrating the imminent arrival of the weekend in style, with a proper feast for the eyes: Italian couple, Tania and Micael’s, enchantingly floral Tuscany-meets-Israel real wedding.
There’s so much to love about this impeccably designed, dreamy celebration that we’re not sure where to start. First of all, a big round of applause is owed to groom, Micael, for his romantic surprise Paris proposal. We’re even clapping loudly enough to drown out the collective huffy sighs of all the partners for whom the bar has just been spectacularly raised. Well done, Micael!
We’ve featured the absolutely enchanting Israeli venue, Baya’ar, many times on the blog now and with good reason. Every single one has been simply magical, and Tania and Micael’s day was no exception. Every detail, from the breathtaking floral arrangements (including the Chuppah to end all Chuppahs) was simply perfect and captured beautifully by photographer Ilan Mor.
Gorgeous Tania was a picture of fashion-forward bridal style in her show-stopping Vera Wang gown and to-die-for Yves Saint Laurent heels.
The couple did so much to ensure their guests had the time of their lives, including booking our amazing Smashing Supplier, Legend Band, from Caliente, and setting up a flower station, where guests were treated to custom-made flower bracelets and flower crowns! What a brilliant idea!
Don’t forget to watch the incredible work of art created by videographer, Camellia at the foot of the post. We particularly enjoyed the unforgettable shot of Micael smashing the glass – well worth sitting down for a proper watch!
Over to Tania now for the full story on her and Micael’s beautiful nighttime wedding.
How we met
Tania, the bride: I am a fashion buyer and my husband, Micael, is an accountant. We met five years ago and we immediately connected. But after two years, we decided to go our separate ways, until May 2015 when we decided we couldn’t be apart. We started dating again and this time was different. On December 24th at five in the morning, I received a call from Micael telling me that I had to wake up and be ready in 10 minutes.
He covered my eyes and took me to the airport! I didn’t know where we were going until we landed in Paris, where he took to the front of the Eiffel Tower and proposed in the classic way… the rest is history.
A magical Israeli wedding venue at Baya’ar
Me and my husband Micael are Italian and we live in Milan. We got engaged in Paris on the 24th December 2015 and, immediately after the engagement, we started thinking about where to get married. Italy has amazing venues and beautiful locations, but our heart was set on Israel.
We wanted to get married in Israel, even though most of our guests were coming from Italy. Israel has a magical atmosphere. We visited different venues in Israel, but when we saw Baya’ar, we immediately fell in love. We where a little bit scared, because it wasn’t so close to Tel Aviv and we decided to marry in October, so there was a chance of rain. But, in the end, it was the only venue in which we really wanted to get married.
A romantic design scheme with echoes of Tuscan charm
I had the good fortune to meet Nofar Sharabani, my wedding planner. From our first meeting, we immediately connected. She was my wedding planner, but she became a close friend of mine. She succeeded in making our dream come true. I wanted an elegant and sophisticated wedding with a touch of romance that evokes a Tuscany atmosphere. I wanted lots and lots of flowers, lights and chandeliers with pastel colours.
With Nofar, we thought through every single detail that made the weekend celebrations so amazing. It wasn’t easy but we made it!
We created a special layout for the wedding and we made a lot of small keepsakes and favours for the guests, like a welcome gift bag containing shabbat candles, something to eat, the programme for the weekend and sea dead salt.
Nofar created a Pinterest board and we start sharing all our ideas. In the end, everything we’d imagined became a reality.
Simple and elegant invitations
The invitation was really simple but elegant. We had it made in Italy at Pettinaroli’s, the oldest and most well-known invitation shop in Milan, established in 1881.
Natural makeup and creative hair
My makeup was done by Nurit Chen. She was very professional and kind. She made me feel comfortable and she reassured me on my special day. I wanted something natural.
My hair was styled by Ohad Dagan who knew exactly what would look best on me with my hair. I loved his creativity and the results.
A Vera Wang dress
I bought my Vera Wang gown from a shop in Milan. I’ve always dreamed of a princess dress, and, after trying a lot of dresses, I finally found it. It’s like everyone says: when you find the dress, you immediately feel it.
Yves Saint Laurent shoes
At the wedding, I wore Yves Saint Laurent Tribute shoes. They were light beige with 13.5cm heels. I needed high heels because of the dress. I loved the shoes and they were super comfortable.
The handsome groom
Micael wore a tailored suit from Palzileri, a well-known Italian brand. He and his closest friends and family also wore a light blue tie from Marinella. He looked perfect!
Bridesmaids in Vera Wang
I had six bridesmaids, all wearing the same dress from White By Vera Wang. They looked beautiful in their light beige dress and perfectly complemented the wedding colour scheme.
A show-stopping Chuppah
I wanted a big Chuppah with a lot of white flowers. I looked everywhere and, in the end, Hilit Gordon created the Chuppah of my dreams.
An outdoor ceremony in white and green
For the ceremony, I wanted the colour scheme to be white and green. We provided all the men with a white kippah made by Simcha Kippot, and we gave the ladies white pashminas.
A handmade Ketubah
The Ketubah was handmade and painted by Jenny’s Fine Art. We chose the picture and she painted it perfectly.
Upbeat musical energy
For my entrance, I decided on the song Boi Kala, and for our first dance we chose All Of Me by John Legend. For the entertainment, we had Legend Band, from Caliente. They were simply amazing! Five singers and seven musicians with beautiful voices and good energy.
Unforgettable floral arrangements
Our florist was Hilit Gordon, who created a unforgettable wedding. I knew what I wanted: lots of flowers, large and tall flower arrangements on some tables and smaller arrangements on others smaller. Lots of chandeliers. Two big tables with special decorations. Hilit also suggested some ideas that were perfect. Nofar also helped a lot. The results were incredible.
Our fabulous photographer
Nofar suggested Ilan Mor. We had an appointment where he showed us his work and we immediately loved it. He has a special touch: he looks for every detail and captures all of the special moments. He made me feel very comfortable and also Micael, who is not a fan of having his picture taken. Thanks to his work, we have a lifetime beautiful memories.
…And videographer
For our videographer, we chose Camellia. They where also amazing, very professional and they captured every single special moment. We loved the short trailer they made for us.
Gourmet catering
The catering was Meggi Ve Tuly. We were immediately convinced by them from the first dégustation we had. They created unique, gourmet food with the perfect presentation. They were always available and answered all our questions – and there were a lot! All of our guest also loved the food!
Extra touches
We had a lot of entertainment and special extra touches for our guests:
- A flower station where guests could have flower bracelets and crowns made (by Hilit Gordon)
- Polaroid magnets from Ben Dosa
- A photo booth from Hakufsa
- A personalised hangover kit
- Jazz music for the cocktails by Legend Band
- A beautiful candy bar designed by Nofar Sharabani
- For the after party, we had the DJ Adidor by Atisuto. He is really great and plays beautiful music.
Making the most of the Israeli location
We organised a beautiful shabbat dinner at The Hilton in Tel Aviv.
The day after the wedding, we had a brunch for our guests at the most beautiful beach, perfect for the “hangover” of the day after.
My sister, Shany, was with me the whole time and she helped me so much emotionally when it came to handling all the stress.
The wedding was special because of all our guests that flew to Israel to attend. For a lot of them, this was the first time they’d visited and they loved Israel!
Advice to brides and grooms currently currently planning their wedding
Don’t worry about anything. Just enjoy the day, because it goes really fast!
Tania & Micael’s little white book
Photographer – Ilan Mor
Videographer – Camellia
Wedding Planner – Nofar Sharabani
Venue – Baya’ar
Bride’s dress – Vera Wang
Bride’s shoes – Yves Saint Laurent
Groom’s attire – Palzileri and Marinella
Hair + Make-up – Ohad Dagan and Nurit Chen
Flowers – Hilit Gordon
Band – Legend Band, from Caliente
Deejay – Adidor by Atisuto
Caterer – Meggi Ve Tuly
Invitations – Pettinaroli
Ketubah – Jenny’s Fine Art
Kippah – Simcha Kippot
Shabbat dinner at The Hilton
