We love it when we come across a couple who’ve clearly got their own sense of style down pat. Super cool bride Lior and groom Toby, both of whom work in TV and film, describe their Jewish wedding aesthetic as “English garden party with a touch of modernity,” and did they ever pull it off!
Think sweet pastel florals in of-the-moment geometric plant stands (in rose gold, natch). Mama Photographers captured it all SO beautifully. (Not to mention their stunning venue, with views of the entire Tel Aviv coastline! Color us just a teensy bit jealous.)
And as if there wasn’t enough going on in the style department already, Lior’s dress–custom made by Hazan Zukerman–took the bride’s mother’s wedding gown as inspiration and added some serious boho flair to the ’80s vintage charm for an ultra-unique look that’s of the moment and classic all at once.
Oh, and make sure you check out Lior and Toby’s awesome signature cocktails. We’ll take a Petal’s Treat (named after the couple’s dog!!) on the rocks, please!
A Seaside Venue
Lior, the bride: We got married at Bayit Al Ha’Yam (House on Sea) in Jaffa, with the chuppah at dusk.
We picked the venue because it overlooks the whole coastline of Tel Aviv and the style of the venue (elegant and intimate) fit with our vision.
Modern English Garden Party
Being Israeli myself, while Toby is English, we really wanted to combine both cultures and celebrate the uniqueness of the different traditions.
Our concept was English garden party with a touch of modernity – lots of geometric lines and rose gold, combined with pastel-colored flowers and fabrics.
It was very important to us for the theme to be carried out from the first stages of the invites to the day itself. Our graphic designer was in close contact with our venue designer, and they made sure our vision was kept throughout.
It was also important to us to incorporate tradition and create sentimental value in the small things. We placed lavender stems on each plate next to the menu, in memory of our grandparents. My bouquet was designed as a replica of my mum’s bouquet on her wedding day, and my dress was designed with hers in mind.
The event itself started on the rooftop where we had a cocktail reception (we named each cocktail ourselves) with music played by a jazz saxophone player. Then we had the chuppah and after that we had a formal reception with food stations (and more cocktails!), still on the roof.
At 8:00 we all went downstairs into the venue and kicked the party off with Have Nagila, followed by a formal dinner and lots more drinking and dancing in between. The wedding went on till 4:30am and was without a doubt the best day of our lives.
Florals and Geometrics for the Invitations
Our invitation was designed to fit the concept of the wedding. combining geometric lines with flowers and pastel colors.
A Hazan Zukerman Dress
My dress was designed by two incredibly talented women, they’re called Hazan Zukerman. I only tried on one dress before I met with them, and the instant I met them I fell in love both with them and their vision and style. I really wanted a dress that would resemble my mum’s wedding dress, but I wanted to combine it with a bit of a boho look – very flowy, yet elegant and timeless.
Sapphires and Diamonds
I wore my mum’s sapphire and diamond cluster earrings and a sapphire and diamond yellow gold bracelet, which I bought myself as a wedding present. My engagement ring was also passed down to us from my mum.
Hair + Makeup
I met up with my amazing hair and makeup artist a few months before the wedding and decided to go for a boho yet clean and elegant look to match the dress and the whole wedding concept. We decided on a high wavy ponytail with braids woven in.
The handsome groom
The handsome groom wore a light dusky blue Ted Baker suit. It was such a struggle to find a lighter shade suit as while we were shopping for it it was still winter in London. Eventually we stumbled across this amazing suit and decided it was perfect. We always wanted a dusky blue suit as it was a summer wedding. To further match the concept we went with a Ted Baker flowery tie + pocket square.
Bridesmaids in Pastels
I had 2 bridesmaids – Toby’s sister and my cousin – and my sister was my maid of honor.
All three of them wore the same color. They all had a pastel top, which complimented the whole color scheme; the bridesmaids had the same design and the maid of honour had a different one.
Tradition Meets Modernity
We had a traditional Jewish chuppah but also read out personal vows to each other. We had half an hour of Jewish dancing, which included our guests lifting us up on chairs and throwing Toby into the air!
A Personalized Ceremony
We read out vows to each other and I insisted on giving Toby a ring too (which is not usually done in Jewish tradition). My favorite part was walking out with my mum and dad to the song Imagine by John Lennon, and seeing Toby very emotional and tearful.
L.O.V.E.
Toby and his parents, followed by the bridesmaids and the groomsmen and flowergirl, walked in to Pachelbel’s Canon. I walked in to Imagine by John Lennon, covered by Boyce Avenue.
Our first dance was L.O.V.E. by Michael Buble.
Our fabulous photographer…
We chose Mama Photographers because we clicked with them instantly. Aside from that fact they both manage to capture very special and fun moments, they are also good at directing couples, and they made us feel SO comfortable – something we definitely needed as Toby is very camera shy!
…and videographer
Our videographer is called Dima Gil. He brought his drone along too, so there’s some amazing shots of Tel Aviv from the sky.
A Fab Cake
We had the most incredible cake designer! She was so lovely and came up with great ideas from the get-go. The bottom cake was French vanilla sponge with raspberry cream and the top tier was a gluten-free one of maple syrup sponge and dark chocolate ganache. The design was made to match the aesthetic of the wedding. Also, instead of having the usual cake topper we went with the heading of “Finally” because I waited for Toby to propose for ages! 🙂
An All-Night Party
We had the most amazing violin and saxophone player!! He played jazz music during the reception and then joined the DJ as a “live on DJ” at the party. Our DJ was incredible too and kept everyone on the dance floor till 4:30am!
All the Favors!
As our wedding favor to the guests we donated a sum of money to Parkinson’s UK and enclosed the donation note in peach-colored envelopes on the table.
We had a magnet stand – the guys were called Trend54, they took pictures the whole evening and printed them out then and there on magnets that were presented on a special stand for the guests to take home. The magnets had a special frame that we designed.
We had several stands with essentials for every Israeli wedding – personalized kippahs, stiletto protectors for the girls (as it was a deck up on the roof), white folded fans for the heat, and an information sheet explaining about the Jewish wedding for those who’d never been to one.
Following Israeli tradition we also supplied white flip flops during the party for all the women.
We even brought in our own straws that we ordered to match the theme, and made sure they were cardboard for the environment.
Photo as Guestbook
We had a station with a framed picture of us for out guests to sign, with a “For our Memories” sign, surrounded by other pictures of us with our dog, Petal, who couldn’t attend the wedding.
English Traditions
In true English tradition, we had formal speeches and a top table which had a unique design to it from all the other tables.
My mum’s speech was the highlight of the evening – she got a standing ovation! She managed to be funny but touched on a lot of emotion.
A Tropical Honeymoon
We’re doing our honeymoon next year. Planing on going to St. Lucia, Antigua, and Orlando, Florida, to finish the trip in Disneyland 🙂
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
If you’re planning a wedding abroad and don’t intend to use a wedding planner, make sure you have a family member or friend who’s willing to help and liaise. My sister helped us, and we couldn’t have done it without her. Also – don’t meet with more than two possible vendors for each category, as it can be very overwhelming.
Lior & Toby’s little white book
Photography – Mama Photographers
Videography – Dima Gil
Venue – Bayit Al Ha’Yam
Bride’s dress – Hazan Zukerman
Groom’s attire – Ted Baker
Hair + Makeup – Roni Even
Flowers – Mood Designs
Graphic designer – My o My
Catering – Mazal Talle
Cake – Tamar Al Ha’Har
Bar – Duckface
Saxophone – Guy Wittenberg
DJ – Idan Harris
Magnets – Trend54
