We love it when a couple puts their values first when planning their Jewish wedding. That’s exactly what today’s gorgeous Israeli couple, Talia and Shawn, did. The pair didn’t feel comfortable marrying through Israel’s rabbanut, in light of the lack of marriage equality in the country, so they worked to craft an alternative that was in keeping with their values yet still incorporated Jewish tradition in a way that was meaningful to them.
Talia and Shawn opted to make things official via a City Hall wedding while on holiday in NYC (so fun!), and then back home in Tel Aviv worked with a secular rabbi to plan their Jewish celebration, which combined tradition – smashing the glass, a gorgeous chuppah that’s been passed down through the groom’s family ever since his grandparents made it for his parents’ wedding – with personal touches, like the vows the couple made to each other and the tailor-made blessings they received from their family and friends in place of the traditional seven blessings. We also love that they wrote their ketubah text themselves!
We’re obsessed with the couple’s incredibly cool, contemporary photography from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ben Kelmer – the way he captures emotion and authentic moments while also somehow producing images that wouldn’t look out of place in a glam glossy magazine is really something.
Now over to the bride, who looked effortlessly elegant in her gown by Eisen Stein and party dress from Nili Lotan…
How we met
Talia, the bride: We have been together for 9 years. I am a dentist and Shawn is a lawyer… We met through a good friend of mine from the army who went out with Shawn’s friend. They didn’t work out as a couple, but we’re still together! We asked both of them to greet us together (as part of the 7 blessings) as a token to their brief relationship that led us to meet and eventually get married.
Sunset Wedding
We love Tel Aviv and we knew from the start that our wedding would be close to home. We chose to get married at Avigdor 22 because we wanted to get married on a Friday afternoon at sunset (we did a secular ceremony) so we needed a non-kosher venue. It does not hurt that the food there is excellent, and we love its urban atmosphere.
Floral Invitations
I really love flowers and wanted something that would be more elegant and classic in contrast to the urban style of the wedding. My sister designed our invitation.
Eisen Stein and Nili Lotan Dresses
I did not have much time to shop in person so I did all of the searches online. My first dress is by the designers Eisen Stein, I got it for sale and this was actually the second dress I tried on.
We went to New York a month before the wedding to visit friends and also to get married in City Hall. One of our friends that lives there studied fashion design and I love her style, so I asked her to help me find a second dress for the party. She took me to Nili Lotan‘s shop, and after I tried it on it was decided that this is the dress.
Accessories
I wore a pair of earrings by Keren Wolf.
Hair + Makeup
I chose a natural and romantic look.
The handsome groom
He wore a Boss suit we bought in New York.
A Family Chuppah
Although we chose not to conduct our wedding through the rabbanut, it was important for us to have a traditional chuppah with a small touch of our own.
Shawn’s parents received the chuppah for their wedding from his grandparents, and all family members who have married since then have used this chuppah.
The dominant red cloth on the backdrop of the Tel Aviv buildings was fine in terms of design, and delicate candles were added lining the aisle.
Ceremony
We chose to marry in a civil manner in New York because we do not understand the lack of equality faced by various citizens who cannot marry in Israel.
We held our wedding ceremony with a secular rabbi, Yossi Schles.
We wanted to hold a wedding ceremony according to tradition, but with a personal touch of our own, so we made vows to each other and instead of the usual seven blessings, we received tailor-made blessings from our family and friends. We also wrote the ketubah ourselves.
Our music choice
Our chuppah song was the ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ by Van Morrison, which was performed by a signer named Geva. He preformed a slower and more romantic version accompanied only by his guitar.
And the song that was played right after Shawn broke the glass was ‘Whole Lotta Love’ by Led Zeppelin.
Our DJ was Tomer Meisner.
Flowers
My first choice would have been peonies and dahlias, but unfortunately this was not the season. At the reception held in the parking lot, I chose more bright and happy colors. Later, when we arrived at the hall for the rest of the event, I wanted more of an elegant and celebratory atmosphere, so we chose different shades of white.
Photography
Ben Kelmer – he was the photographer at my sister’s wedding and also in a wedding of good friends of ours (by the time we got to our wedding, we had already gotten to know him quite well!). We loved his natural photography and the way he catches authentic moments in his photographs.
Food
We wanted to experience the urban atmosphere fully, so the reception and chuppah were held in an empty garage near the wedding venue. The design was elegant in order to moderate the roughness of a parking lot. Erez and Hanan from the catering together with the event designer Yado arranged it just as we imagined, with various food stalls on each side, and each stall was matched with a refreshing cocktail in an amazing design.
Since it was Friday night, it was decided to hold a kiddush ceremony before the meal, under the direction of Shawn’s grandfather, who does the kiddush every Friday.
Honeymoon TBD
It has not been decided yet, but the final two options are Thailand or Morocco.
Advice to couple currently planning their wedding
Take everything lightly, at the end of the day the most important thing is to remember that you’re with your closest friend and family who have come to rejoice with you and celebrate.
Do not forget to eat!
Talia & Shawn’s little white book
Photography – Ben Kelmer {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Videography – Uri & Tamar
Venue – Avigdor 22
Event designer – Yado & Aylona
Bride’ s dresses – Eisen Stein and Nili Lotan
Brides’ accessories – Keren Wolf
Groom’s attire – Hugo Boss
Hair + Makeup – Fedor Hair and Noga Tamir
Catering – Erez and Hanan
DJ – Tomer Meisner
Celebrant – Yossi Schles
