We love it when a couple really goes all out to create a unique, one-of-a-kind Jewish wedding that’s truly a reflection of who they are as a couple. And that’s exactly what Israeli couple Amit and Orr did – with some help from the masterful planning team at Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Bebke Productions.
Bebke helped the pair put together a fun, non-traditional festival-themed celebration of their love, complete with plenty of bright colors and neon, a variety of short performances – including a water show and a fire show! – a DIY cocktail stand, and even a hookah area. Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Maasia provided a delectable dairy menu, featuring a range of dishes from luxe classics like caviar to carnival-appropriate treats like French toast and sloppy Joes!
Amit and Orr opted to go non-traditional for their ceremony too. Instead of a rabbi, they opted to bring in a standup comedian to officiate (yes, really!), and in place of a traditional chuppah they went for a geometric floral backdrop.
Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noam Salach captured the day in all its vibrancy so perfectly, and he made the camera-shy couple feel completely at ease. We’re pretty sure you’ll agree he captured some truly incredible moments, as did videographer Guy Lahav.
We’ll let the bride – who started out the day in an Ella Levy dress before changing into a pants and top ensemble by Shani Zimmerman – fill you in on the rest…
Planning Perfection
Amit, the bride: We knew from the first moment that we wanted to make a different wedding and give our guests a special experience – one that you don’t see every day. It was clear to us that there would be no event hall, no slow dance, and that this would not be a “wedding” like everyone else’s.
But among all these “no”s – what did we want to say yes to? We did not know. One thing we knew – in this area there are a pair of magicians, called them Inbar and Gev, or by their professional name Bebke Productions. Inbar and Gev know how to take a range of requirements, whatever they may be, and make them a reality.
As part of our desire to make our guests a special experience, we wanted a wedding that would incorporate accommodation. Inbar and Gev searched and showed us lots of places that could bring all our desires to fruition – and we finally found the Elma Hotel.
From the first moment we entered the hotel, we realized that we were going to get married there. The crazy landscape this place offers together with the modern design creates exactly the harmony we were looking for.
We rented several spaces throughout the hotel, with each space being used for a different part of the wedding. The wedding included about 350 guests, and about 100 of the guests stayed to sleep and continued to spend the next day with us at a pool party.
A Comic Chuppah
Every detail of the wedding was designed by Bebke in a way that would fit our specifications. Inbar designed the wedding form the beginning to the end – through invitations, event signs and branding and design throughout the hotel.
The wedding began with a short gathering in the elegant European style, combined with rotating waiters distributing dishes such as fine fish, kaddai and caviar.
After about an hour, we held the chuppah ceremony (delivered by a stand up comedian!). From the chuppah we rode in a hotel golf car carrying a “just married” sign and ringing cans.
When the official part was over, we moved on to another section of the wedding which was hidden from the guests, the festival area. There the design was colorful and alive with lots of lighting and even neon signs. To add interest, we brought in 3 short performances by the Jannah Band – a show of instruments, a water show, and a fire show. In addition, we had a DIY cocktail stand so that guests could create the perfect cocktail for themselves. We also had a hookah section where the groom spent most of his time. Carnival!
The last part was the party. Inbar deployed a brightly colored PVC carpet on the floor to bounce the atmosphere. There is no doubt that Bebke’s attention and their concern for every detail made our wedding different, special and tailored to us!
Invitation
Our invitation was designed to fit with all the wedding branding. The wedding was in a festival atmosphere, so the invitation was designed as a ticket to the festival (with part to be ripped off, barcode and everything). We wanted to broadcast to guests from the invitation stage that they were heading for a wedding festival experience.
Two Outfits
My dress was by designer Ella Levy. Her gowns have a fine, classic and clean line. Ella is the first designer I met, and after meeting several others in the end I returned to her because I realized I had found one. Throughout the process, I was impressed by the attentive and professional service, and together we designed the dream dress.
I designed my second garment at Shani Zimmerman. The garment was a mix of pants and tops in a cool cut and matched perfectly with our wedding vibe. Shani is a first class designer, made me look gorgeous, and was just having fun with her throughout the process!
Hair + Makeup
Makeup – Liat Trainer. Liat was among the only suppliers I chose without thinking twice. Liat is an angel! She brings with her perfect energy, calm and relaxed but professional and uncompromising. Liat made me look as gentle and natural as I wanted, and I would choose her again without thinking twice!
Hair – Dvir Levy. Dvir I found through a word of mouth recommendation, and by the first date he realized he was dealing with a crazy wedding and was happily flowing with it. Dvir made me a low ponytail hairstyle and later we changed to a scattered hairstyle. The hairstyles were stunning and held perfectly!
The handsome groom
Groom suits really weren’t part of the wedding preparations. Orr wore white shorts and a button-down white shirt, combined with a belt and blue moccasins. Immediately after the canopy, Orr changed into Birkenstock sandals.
Bridesmaids
My three best friends accompanied me the day before the wedding and during the day itself! They weren’t traditional bridesmaids, in that they didn’t have to come for a photo shoot or wear a special outfit; they were just there to have fun.
Chuppah
From the first moment, our producer Inbar suggested we not do a traditional canopy, but rather a geometric shape as a backdrop. They built a perfect circle that was wrapped in flowers and leaves and looked like it was taken straight from Pinterest.
Ceremony
We wanted the chuppah to reflect our character and relationship. That’s why we contacted standup comedian Omar Burstein to deliver our ceremony. Omar is simply a genius. He wrote a ceremony that managed to perfectly integrate the excitement of the chuppah together with funny sections about us and our relationship. Omar made us a light, funny and exciting ceremony. We want to believe that we were able to create a ceremony where no one messed with their cellphone out of boredom.
Our music choice
Canopy entrance song – ‘Mine’ by Bazzi. We created a remix that combines the acoustic version of the song with a more rhythmic version, so the entry started exciting in the slow part and continued into the rhythm section. Credit for remix building belongs to Ethan.
Exit Song – ‘Shup Up and Dance’ by Walk The Moon.
Flowers
Flowers were indeed a very significant part of the wedding! There were flowers everywhere, including the canopy itself, designed by Inbar and Gev.
Photographer
Noam Salach is inimitable. We are a couple who were not very used to being in front of the camera, but he assured me everything would be okay and that’s what happened. Noam is a pure soul, a professional who knows how to adapt to the couple facing him and to take the right pictures. Noam was attentive to every request or comment, took note of the things we emphasized as important to us, and managed to take exciting photos and capture magical moments.
Videographer
Guy Lahav. Guy was a prince. Charming and attentive throughout the day. Guy is amazing.
Food
Maasia! Wow! We put together a special milky menu to suit the nature of the event. At the reception, they served small, tasty dishes such as fine fish, kaddai, caviar and more. The rest of the festival menu included dishes such as French toast with Dutch sauce, Curason with mashed egg, dough and fries stuffed potato, polenta fish fillet, black bun bun with sloppy Joe, and more.
Maasia brought out dishes that looked like they came straight out of a top chef’s restaurant, and according to guest comments – the taste didn’t fall off that level either. Too bad we didn’t get to eat anything!
Entertainment
During the food market, there were 3 drumming performances by the band Janna. The first show was when band members wore chefs clothes and drummed on pots and pans, the second show was water drumming, and the third was fire drumming.
There was also a DIY cocktail stand during the food market so guests could put together the perfect cocktail, and a hookah stand.
At one point there was a screening of the wedding videos – and here, too, Inbar went wild and chose to project them on one of the hotel’s walls.
Favors
At the coffee stand, guests got cups and branded crackers so they could snack on the way home.
An ‘Unusual Wedding’
The whole wedding can be defined as unusual. From the time of arrival, guests were slowly exposed to various details. The wedding told a complete story and included lots of things that completed the experience, from branded intention signs, through branded wipes, branded gum and more… guests who stayed over were given room to spend the night. The next day at the pool party, they had to show the branded bracelets they received so they could access to take whatever they wanted from the buffet.
Honeymoon
A month in South Africa and Mauritius!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Use Bebke! They make dreams come true!
Amit & Orr’s little white book
Photography – Noam Salach
Wedding planner and production – Bebke Productions {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Catering – Maasia
Videography – Guy Lahav
Venue – Elma Hotel
Bride’s dresses – Ella Levy and Shani Zimmerman
Bride’s accessories – She Ra Jewelry
Bride’s shoes – Republic Footwear
Groom’s shoes – Birkenstock
Makeup – Liat Trainer
Beautiful and vibrant colours! Fantastic work and very well documented!