You’d never believe it to scroll through their stunning photos, but Elsie and Yonatan planned their fabulous Jewish wedding from start to finish in just 80 days!
The couple, both olim looking to celebrate their love not only for each other but for their home in Israel too, found the perfect team of vendors to make the day of their dreams come true on a tight timeline – in Elsie’s words, “This country is full of people who want to make a simcha happen, and I got so much help from every vendor who was excited to be a part of our day.”
Grace Events – Event Hall in Rishon Lezion provided the perfect setting for the big day – beautiful nature, close enough to Tel Aviv to be convenient for guests flying in from abroad, perfectly sized for the couple’s smaller (by Israeli standards) guest list, and, last but not least, boasting great food!
Elsie and Yonatan knew they wanted Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman to capture their special day. In Elsie’s words, “Herschel is the most recommended photographer in every bridal group I joined!. His lighting and framing made every photo seem so naturally perfect without the need to retouch or edit them barely at all. He also accommodated our desire to have pictures taken in Jerusalem and meet us at our venue across the entire country in Rishon later that day!” It doesn’t get much better than that!
Read on for the rest of the story in Elsie’s own words…
How We Met
Elsie, the bride: We both got hired to work at Mikes Place, a bar on the beach in TLV, for the summer. I had just made Aliyah and moved into an apartment in Yafo, and while I was getting introduced to the staff, my wallet was stolen. I lost all my American and Israeli IDs and cards and I was so saddened.
Yoni went up and down the tayelet looking to see if it had been dropped – he even pulled up security camera footage at the bar to see if he could spot the person who took it. He instantly became my first real friend in Israel and we’ve been inseparable ever since.
Venue
We went with Grace Events – Event Hall in Rishon Lezion. We knew we would likely have some family coming from abroad, and a lot of friends from TLV, so we picked Rishon area.
We wanted something that felt nature-y but not a 2 hour drive north. We needed a smaller space as well, with under 200 guests we didn’t want the place to feel too empty! Food was really important to us as well, and the tasting confirmed that they weren’t doing the typical catering at larger weddings – the food, shared plates, variety of sides and snacks, it was all delicious. We got so many compliments on the food!
Planned to Perfection
We knew that negotiating with Israeli vendors could be challenging, and that managing all the activities of the day would be overwhelming, so we hired Gilda of Epic Events.
Gilda thought of extra touches like a menu printed in English, with a willow frond, and helped with lighting the chuppah and decorating – I didn’t want a ton of bright colors and flowers, preferring natural tones and greens, and it resulted in feeling like it was spring even though our wedding was in February.
Hair + Makeup
Neta is the only person you want there on your wedding day. She is such a genuinely kind person! She is 100% focused on the bride and her needs, and she works fast but thorough. My hair was perfect the entire day.
My makeup was done by Maya Raz.
A Mika Bridal Dress
I was searching online for inspo pics for a long sleeve, vintage looking gown: I wanted a dress where future generations looking back on our photos would still think the dress was classic, not trendy.
I found a really elegant design by Mika Bridal in TLV. At first I didn’t think to actually go try on the dress I had liked the look of, but after going to several other stores, showing them the inspo pic, and being disappointed in the options they presented, I went to try on that dress. It was the perfect blend of modest, timeless, and flattering.
Ceremony & Chuppah
We kept it really traditional, but for me it was special to have my mom and sister under the chuppah with me.
I converted to Judaism so I was worried my non-Jewish family wouldn’t be able to participate in our ceremony, but our rabbi, Ariel Konstantyn, ensured that they could be a part of 100% of the ceremony and that looked and felt like a 100% Jewish wedding.
Ketubah
Long before I met Yoni I always wanted a ketubah: a contract, an artwork, a piece of Jewish history… I fell in love with an artist who did water color ketubahs, but after looking through the designs with my husband, we couldn’t settle on one we both liked.
I went on Etsy and found an artist, Chavi Feldman, based in Modiin where we live, and when Yoni and I both looked through all her designs, we both unanimously picked the same one! The outer border is of the old city in Jerusalem, the home of the Jewish people. It represents why we made Aliyah and our commitment to each other and to Am Yisrael.
Our music choice
I wanted to have live music but in looking at options for bands, we knew our wedding party would go late and we would run over the hours.
We decided to get a piano-bass duo, Deborah Jazz Artist, for the kabbalat panim / chuppah so that it would set up romantic vibes and provide some entertainment during the reception for guests, and the DJ, Adam Lev, was recommended by a friend who knew our music style included everything from R&B to rock music to disco tunes. Adam did amazing. We got SO many compliments from guests on the great music!
Flowers
Flowers were not important to me, I must confess!
Photographer and videographer
Herschel Gutman is the most recommended photographer in every bridal group I joined! Gilda our planner worked with him a ton as well, so we felt their synergy would be helpful on the day and there wouldn’t be clashing perspectives.
His style covers dati weddings as well as modern couples so we felt he would work well with us as somewhere in between. His lighting and framing made every photo seem so naturally perfect without the need to retouch or edit them barely at all.
He also accommodated our desire to have pictures taken in Jerusalem and meet us at our venue across the entire country in Rishon later that day!
I also wanted to have a special bridal shoot with my mom and sister while we were getting ready. Ariel is a friend of my sister-in-law and she isn’t specifically a bridal photographer, which actually made the final result super edgy, high end, and my favorite pictures of my dress!
Extra Details
One memory that stands out for us is the tish:
Yoni, the rabbi, his father and 2 witnesses all read and signed the ketubah, and then our mothers, with a hammer, smashed a plate. Watching our parents have such nachas for our union was very emotional, and watching our moms smash the plate with surprisingly a lot of fervor brought me a lot of joy.
We also used POV Camera app to allow our guests to take their own “instant” pictures of the event, and some of the event staff ended up taking pictures of “behind the scenes” at our wedding, it was really special because you simply can’t be at every table, enjoying every moment with every guest, but letting the guests share pictures let us see our wedding through their perspective.
Honeymoon
We did a mini-moon at Hotel Beresheet in the Negev: it was so peaceful, relaxing and beautiful! But our main trip will be heading to the US this summer for a “road trip” across the states to see as many baseball games from different stadiums as we can!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
I only had 80 days to plan our wedding. As a convert, the Beit Din approved my conversion but required us to get married within a few months so that I could do my mikveh once for both the conversion and the wedding. It doesn’t seem like a ton of time to plan a wedding… but this country is full of people who want to make a Simcha happen, and I got so much help from every vendor who was excited to be a part of our day.
It can be hard not to obsess over all the little things but guests will only remember – and talk about – the food, the music, and the fun.
ELSIE AND YONATAN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Herschel Gutman {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Bridal party photography – Ariel Peretz
Ketubah – Chavi Feldman
Venue & Catering – Grace Events – Event Hall in Rishon Lezion
Planner – Epic Events
Bride’s dress – Mika Bridal
Hair – Neta
Makeup – Maya Raz
DJ – Adam Lev & Deborah Jazz Artist
Rabbi – Ariel Konstantyn
Honeymoon hotel – Hotel Beresheet
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.
