We always love hearing how couples go about choosing their Jewish wedding venues – and Eliora and Nathan’s story is just so much fun! The bride, who’s finishing up a BA in archaeology and geography at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the groom, currently working as a security guard while he studies to be a tour guide, are passionate about ancient history – so much so that they knew incorporating it into their big day was a must!
Living in Israel, Eliora and Nathan are lucky enough to be close to Yericho, one of the world’s oldest cities – perhaps THE oldest, dating back over 10,000 years. So they opted to wed at The View of the Jordan in Mitzpeh Yericho. And the setting was far from the only personal touch the couple incorporated into their day: in honor of their shared commitment to Zionism, the pair opted for a blue and white color scheme, and even draped an Israeli flag under their chuppah so they could literally marry underneath it. And how sweet is it that Nathan played guitar himself to accompany Eliora’s walk down the aisle?! We can’t get over all the joy and emotion spilling out of each and every one of Herschel Gutman Photography’s incedible images.
These two also happened to get married in early March 2020, just as Israel was tightening up its COVID-19 restrictions – literally, new regulations were issued DURING the celebration. Lucky for Eliora and Nathan, that means they just squeaked by without having to make major modifications to their big day, though they did place hand sanitizer, gloves and wipes on every table as a precaution.
We’ll let the bride fill you in on the rest…
Ancient History
Eliora, the bride: The hall we got married in is called The View of the Jordan in Mitzpeh Yericho. We chose it due to the location, close to Jerusalem where most of our family and friends would be arriving from. In addition I study archaeology and I wanted a hall near an ancient city, and there is no older city than Yericho, dating back about 10,000 years – in most academic circles it is considered the oldest city in the world.
An Israeli Wedding
We are both very Zionistic. Therefore, the color scheme was blue and white and we got married under an Israeli flag.
In addition due to current events, in some way COVID-19 was the theme. For precautionary measures we had hand sanitizer, gloves and wipes in the center of every table.
Zionism in the Desert
Our invitation was designed by one of my best friends, who is a graphic designer: Sarah Kirschner. She chose a beige background in an effort to capture the texture and feeling of the Judean desert, where Yericho is located. She then surrounded our names with blue flowers and wrote the text in white so as to capture the Zionist theme of the wedding.
Hair + Makeup
My hair was done by my cousin Adina Wolf, who does hair and sheitels in America. My make-up was done by my friend Jennifer Schiff. I wanted a natural look and both of them know me and my style well and therefore I knew I could trust them to enhance my natural beauty and not transform me into someone else.
Dress
I had two criteria when I started looking for dresses: 1) to be comfortable enough to dance all night in 2) nothing with tulle fabric. In addition my mother wanted me to ensure that my dress was modest enough so that every member of my family coming would feel comfortable. I found a small shop in Hulon called Regaim B’Lavan, run by the sweetest Russian/Romanian woman named Tanya. She originally had a store in Tel Aviv in which she would sell all kinds of gowns.
As she realized that many religious girls were asking her to add sleeves she realized that there was a lack of stores that catered to modern Orthodox girls in Israel. In Jerusalem there are many shops for the Orthodox but the dresses are all poofy and suffocating due to the way in which they are built to cover everything and every movement. While in Tel Aviv there are many shops for secular girls with dresses that are low-cut and have no sleeves.
Honestly I went on a whim, I had planned to buy a dress second-hand, but the moment I put on the first dress she handed me I knew it was the one. My friend who came along for moral support told me that if I looked for another dress I was being foolish. Tanya gave me a very personal service and added beading over the entire bodice according to what I wanted. I highly recommend her, mostly due to her personality and personalized attention to every customer.
Accessories
Since I wanted a dress that I could easily dance in, I didn’t want a train. However, I have always found a train to be elegant. Therefore I opted for a cathedral style veil. When I mentioned this to Tanya at Regaim B’Lavan she picked out the perfect one to go along with the design of the dress and she added beading to go along with the beading on the dress.
The hair piece that held the veil in place was lent to me by my cousin, who came in from America and did my hair. My cousin is really the unsung hero of the day. Not only did she fly in only a few days before but due to the pressure on the plane her tooth became impacted and despite the pain she woke up early in the morning to do my hair!
Shoes
I had two pairs of shoes. For walking down the aisle I worn medium sized sling back heels that I borrowed from one of my mom’s good friends. For most of the wedding I wore flat white lacy sneakers, to make sure I would be able to dance till I dropped.
The handsome groom
The groom wore a black three-piece suit from a suit store called Ohha in Ramot, Jerusalem. The groom has a friend who used to work there and put in a good word for him to the owner. I swooned over the contrast between the dark suit and the groom’s light blue eyes.
Bridesmaids
I have never been a supporter of the idea that a bunch of my friends need to shell out money on dresses and makeup. However, there were about 9 girls with whom I am very close and each of them insisted on helping me with various things during planning. In addition they threw me a wonderful bachelorette party. I did not have them walk down the aisle, as we wanted a short and sweet ceremony, but they all wore blue, so as to go along with the Zionist theme.
Ceremony
Our ceremony began with Nathan, a very talented guitarist, playing ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love With You’, (the same song had played upon proposing) as I walked down the aisle. This was followed Nathan’s rabbi giving over a short and touching speech. In addition the talit Nathan was given under the chuppah had belonged to the my deceased grandfather with whom I had been very close. We are not into all the frills, our only desire was to be married under an Israeli flag.
Ketubah
We commissioned the talented ketubah artist Yitzchak Ben Yehuda. His designs are very personalized to each couple and he treats every Ketubah he paints as if it is the last one he will ever do, thereby putting his heart and soul into the creation of each one.
Our music choice
During the first dance the music was fairly classic Jewish songs. The second dance was kicked off with the groom playing ‘Eishet Chayil’ and ‘Marry you’. For the most part the music consisted of modern pop, rock and ‘golden-oldies’ such as Elvis and the Beatles.
Photographer and videographer
Herschel Gutman Photography is a well-known photographer among the Anglo community. We had seen multiple examples of his work from our friends’ weddings, and the photos he took were phenomenal. We used the videographer Daniel Malachi who was recommended to us by Herschel and our wedding planner.
Entertainment
Nathan, being a musician, wanted to ensure that we would have live music. Therefore after a quick search on Facebook for wedding bands, he saw that The Rimonim Band was a very popular option. After speaking to the lead singer, he understood that they were talented and professional and made the decision on the spot.
Favors
We had the classic photo magnets. Simply because a photo is a stronger memory than anything else.
Honeymoon
Unfortunately we have not been able to go on a honeymoon. We got married Thursday March 5th. During the wedding the COVID-19 laws in Israel got stricter: the first group of regulations came out prohibiting foreigners to be at an event of more than 100 people. Due to the fact that this occurred during our wedding, we were very lucky that our wedding was not really affected.
The following week we enjoyed Sheva Brachot and Purim from home. We had planned to go to Eilat for a small honeymoon after Purim, but unfortunately we had to cancel due to COVID-19. We are very much looking forward to things returning to normal so that we may go on a truly amazing honeymoon.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Wedding planning is stressful on all ends. Joining together two families will always cause clashes and a unique set of challenges. It is important for the bride and groom to never forget that they are marrying each other, and not their families. Therefore, the bride and groom should make sure to slow down and take some time for themselves; go on a date, picnic, spend the night having a movie marathon, etc.
In many ways there is a bit more pressure on the bride, simply because everyone expects the bride to have an image of her dream wedding in mind. If the bride does in fact have a specific dream wedding in mind, it is important to remember that sometimes compromises need to be made and that is okay, it will not make the day any less special. It is important to focus on the big picture, unifying with the person who makes you whole in life.
ELIORA & NATHAN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Herschel Gutman Photography {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Videography – Daniel Malachi
Venue – The View of the Jordan
Event Coordinator – Shoshana Falik Roth
Bride’s dress – Regaim B’Lavan
Bride’s accessories – Regaim B’Lavan
Hair + Makeup – Adina Wolf, Jennifer Schiff
Band – Rimonim Band
Ketubah – Yitzchak Ben Yehuda
Photo Magnets – Michael Laurence Photography
Smash The Glass Pouch – Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}
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.
