• About
  • Find a Vendor
  • Submit
  • Advertise
  • Brides Club
  • Your Jewish Life
  • Contact

Smashing the Glass | Jewish Wedding Blog

Inspired Jewish Weddings

  • Real Jewish Weddings
    • City Chic
    • Fashion Forward
    • Outdoor
    • Destination
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • France
      • Beach Weddings
    • Super Luxe
    • Budget
    • DIY
    • Same Sex
    • Covid Weddings
  • Jew-ish Weddings
    • Real Jew-ish Weddings
    • Jewish-Catholic Weddings
    • Jewish-Chinese Weddings
    • Jewish-Christian Weddings
    • Jewish-Greek Weddings
    • Jewish-Hindu Weddings
    • Jewish-Humanist Weddings
    • Jewish-Irish Weddings
    • Jewish Japanese Weddings
    • Jewish-Muslim Weddings
    • Same Sex Jew-ish Weddings
  • Inspiration + Guidance
    • Engaged? Start Here
    • Ceremony
      • Chuppah ideas
      • Jewish ceremony music
      • Jewish wedding ceremony 101
      • Jewish ceremony traditions
      • Ketubah Ideas
      • Jewish wedding legalities
      • Jew-ish ceremony ideas
    • Reception
      • Music
      • Speeches
      • Entertainment
      • Venues
    • Food & Drink
      • Kosher catering
      • Wedding cakes
      • Drinks
    • Decor
      • Decorations
      • Favours
      • Floristry
      • Guestbooks
      • Stationery
    • Style
      • Brides dresses
      • Shoes & accessories
      • Grooms
      • Bridesmaids
    • Advice
      • Converting to Judaism
      • Real blogging brides
      • Dear Karen…
    • Honeymoons
    • STG Live
    • Five Minutes With
    • Wedding Must-Haves
    • Wedding Consultancy
  • Jewish Brides Club
  • Find a Wedding Vendor
Home > A super cool bride wearing bridal separates for a minimalist wedding at Caliph in the Old City of Jaffa, Israel

A super cool bride wearing bridal separates for a minimalist wedding at Caliph in the Old City of Jaffa, Israel

06/11/2015 by Karen

bridal-separates
Today’s Australian bride, Emma,  is breathtakingly  beautiful  and thoroughly  rocks her two piece ready-to-wear wedding outift  and bridal accessories to match. I mean you just can’t help but gawp at her stunning good looks, super chic wedding separates and gold heeled Prada sandals.

The whole day is  simplicity done perfectly. If you don’t want anything fussy  on your day you can’t go wrong with following their raw, minimal style. It’s all so simple, elegant, pretty, and relaxed, and perfectly executed in every way.

Emma is from Australia and Yoni comes  from Israel, and the couple chose to get married at  Caliph in the Ancient city of Jaffa, near Tel Aviv  in Israel.  The stunning but uncomplicated  venue provided a jaw-dropping  coastal back drop for their neutral  colour scheme and minimal  decor.

If you’re a contemporary bride who wants to push the envelope on your wedding day, take a cue from Emma’s chic bridal style and consider ready-to-wear trends like bridal separates. The best part? Unlike a traditional  wedding dress, you can wear bridal separates again and again!

The  gorgeous set of images, as crisp and cool as the big day itself, are by Ben Kelmer.

Without further ado, I give you the à¼ber cool Emma and Yoni.

Jaffa Israel wedding
how we met

Emma, the Bride:  Yoni used to own a cafe that was my local coffee shop. He asked me out numerous times and eventually I said yes! After our first date, we basically saw each other every single day right up until this day…

Jaffa Israel wedding
A  venue by the sea in Tel Aviv-Jaffa

When Yoni and I started planning our wedding, I was desperate to have an open air venue with one long table and a dance floor under a sea of fairy lights. Unfortunately, due to it being in July and also with the amount of guests we had from overseas (about 110) we couldn’t find the right place and changed to having an outdoor ceremony and then indoor dinner and dancing. We still managed to have long table, but there were three instead of one.

We chose to get  married at the Caliph in Jaffa. After seeing about eight or nine other venues, this one caught our attention and whilst it wasn’t an open air venue as we had originally hoped, we fell in love with the building, garden and view of the coast.

Jaffa Israel wedding
A minimalist , neutral feel to the day

Our colour scheme was very neutral and minimal. Mainly we used natural linen, raw wood and cream.

Jaffa Israel wedding
invitation design

I looked at a lot of invitation designs online and then selected a sort of style I wanted, chose the font and anchor symbol and then our digital art director at work whipped them up in a couple of days!

Jaffa Israel wedding
hair + make up

Inbal Masas did  my hair and makeup and we decided to go for quite a minimal, paired back look with a centre part low pony tail and dewy ‘natural’ looking skin.

Jaffa Israel wedding Jaffa Israel wedding
A two piece wedding  outfit

My dress was The Row and I bought it online via Farfetch.com. I was adamant I didn’t want a traditional wedding dress and instead chose this from their ready-to-wear  collection. It was the second thing I tried on, and the process was super easy other than a few alterations after the purchase.

bridal separates
A special dress detail  to honour both my grandmothers

My mum sewed both my grandmother’s wedding rings in to the seam of my dress as they passed away and couldn’t be there on the day. It was very special!

sew rings into dress
Wedding jewellery and accessories

I opted last minute to get a veil and my lovely friend Nerida Winter  whipped me one up in a matter of days. I also wore diamond stud earrings that were a gift from Yoni’s family, and a Cartier fine diamond necklace that was a gift from my mother.

Jaffa Israel wedding
Gold heeled  Prada sandals

I wore a simple gold heeled  Prada sandal. Shoes were much tougher to find than the dress.

Jaffa Israel wedding
Getting ready with both of our mums

Both of our mums got ready with the bridesmaids and me on the day, and we tried to involve them as much as possible all along the way. I was very concerned that they stay in touch with all of the ideas and not feel like we were abandoning them. I’m pretty sure it worked!

Jaffa Israel wedding
The handsome groom

Yoni  wore a navy Acne slimline suit, Acne linen shirt and Hugo Boss derbys. It was the only suit he tried and it fit him perfectly!

Acne groom
bridesmaids in black

Initially I wasn’t going to have bridesmaid, however my sister convinced me as the day got closer, as more of a fun thing to do leading up to the event. I gave them a bit of a brief (black spaghetti strap dress) and they all nailed it!

bridesmaids in black
chuppah design

We wanted the  simplest/most raw-looking chuppah we could get.

Jaffa Israel wedding Jaffa Israel wedding
Wedding music

Our music really made the night! Everyone danced like no one was watching. It really truly blew me away… For our aisle song we had Wonderwall (the Ryan Adams acapella version), and our first dance was My Girl by the Temptations. The rest of the night was a mix of old and new, dances floor classics such as Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and RnB, soul and a touch of jazz.

Jaffa Israel wedding Jaffa Israel wedding
Flowers

Flowers were difficult. I work with some amazing florists in Australia and couldn’t get quite what i wanted on the ground in Israel. It was also the wrong season for a lot of the flowers I would have liked, but in the end I went for long stemmed David Austin cream roses and they were divine…. At the end of the day, a flower is a flower and they all make people happy.

Jaffa Israel wedding
Our fabulous photographer

Our photographer pulled out two months before the wedding, and so we managed to find Ben Kelmer. He has a great eye, and shoots everything from interesting perspectives. I was out-of-this-world impressed and really treasure some of the moments he managed to capture.

Jaffa Israel wedding Jaffa Israel wedding_0167
the most amazing (looking and tasting) kosher wedding cake

Yoni’s cousin makes incredible desserts, so I asked her to take control of arranging the cake and gave her a pic of the kinds of things I liked. She managed to get a friend, Dalit Kaplan, to whip up the most amazing (looking and tasting) kosher cake and I wish I could go back in time and have a bigger slice. It was delicious!

cake
Entertainment

We chose to you a DJ Bagus after meeting with him earlier in the year. He was all-time and the dance floor was epic!

Jaffa Israel wedding
Calling on friends and family to help with our big day

I had been told by other brides to delegate as much as possible to reduce stress and I definitely called in a few favours!

Yoni’s father basically arranged everything and finalised all of the nitty gritty stuff with the venue. He was a Godsend and we could not have managed without him! Also,  Yoni’s sister got married in January, so I asked for a lot of advice from her and she passed on the details on Inbal (my hair and make up artist) and also of the photo magnet company, Memagnetos.

Jaffa Israel wedding

Advice to other brides and grooms

This is a hard one as I never really loved or fully immersed myself fully in the planning of the wedding… It was never my dream to get married, however I think as long as you are organised there will be no need to stress (much!).

You will definitely have A LOT of moments where you feel overwhelmed, but work out what means most to you and then focus less on the rest.

Delegate; that was a great pieces of advice I had. Do not try and do everything yourself!

Remember that at the end of the day, you are going to get married, and that is all that matters regardless of if the food tasted good or the vases weren’t right.

Also, constantly stop and breathe and look around as you will never experience this again!

Jaffa Israel wedding

Emma & Yoni’s  little white book

Photography —  Ben Kelmer
Venue —  Caliph
Brides’s two piece outfit  —  The Row from  Farfetch.com
Bride’s veil —  Nerida Winter
Bride’s shoes  —  Prada
Groom’s attire —  Acne
Hair + Make Up —  Inbal Masas
Cake  —Dalit Kaplan
Photo magnets —  Memagnetos

Share this post:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Real Jewish Weddings, Israeli Weddings Tagged With: Fashion Forward, Israel, Israeli Weddings, Prada shoes, wedding separates, Two piece wedding dress, Ben Kelmer Photography, Caliph wedding venue, bridal separates

You might also like...

  • Deborah & Alex | Secret Garden Jewish Wedding at Baya’ar, IsraelDeborah & Alex | Secret Garden Jewish Wedding at Baya’ar, Israel
  • Ruth & Steven | An ‘English afternoon tea garden party’ daytime Jewish wedding in IsraelRuth & Steven | An ‘English afternoon tea garden party’ daytime Jewish wedding in Israel
  • Ravit & Sam | Elegant & Intimate Israeli ‘white wedding’ at Beit Andromeda, Jaffa, Tel Aviv, IsraelRavit & Sam | Elegant & Intimate Israeli ‘white wedding’ at Beit Andromeda, Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel
  • Adi & Amir | Rosh Hashana theme Israeli Wedding at Sadot, IsraelAdi & Amir | Rosh Hashana theme Israeli Wedding at Sadot, Israel
  • Rachel & Moshe | Intimate and joyful Israeli wedding organised in just 3 months at Lauren’s Gallery, Old Jaffa, Tel Aviv, IsraelRachel & Moshe | Intimate and joyful Israeli wedding organised in just 3 months at Lauren’s Gallery, Old Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel
  • Considering getting married in Israel? Then I’ve found your perfect wedding plannersConsidering getting married in Israel? Then I’ve found your perfect wedding planners

About Karen

Loves great design, cityscapes, berry cocktails, and the word “yes”. Founder and editor of Smashing The Glass. Follow me @SmashingTheGlass

Jewish Weddings by Country

Vendors We Love

Weddings by Colour


Jewish Wedding Gift List


Awesome Jewish Gifts

Vendors We Love

Get posts directly into your inbox

Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

Biscuiteers Baking Company
Liberty London
Mr And Mrs Smith Honeymoons
Kate Spade UK Limited
Monica Vinader

Today’s Top Posts

  • Win a Luxury Three Night Stay for Two in Kosher Paradise at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, the Caribbean’s Ultimate Jewish Wedding Destination
    Win a Luxury Three Night Stay for Two in Kosher Paradise at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, the Caribbean’s Ultimate Jewish Wedding Destination
  • Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained - The Chuppah
    Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained - The Chuppah
  • Dates in 2023, 2024 and 2025 to avoid for a Jewish wedding plus a 12 Month Wedding Planning Monthly Checklist
    Dates in 2023, 2024 and 2025 to avoid for a Jewish wedding plus a 12 Month Wedding Planning Monthly Checklist
  • Chuppah ideas
    Chuppah ideas
  • Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained
    Jewish Wedding Traditions Explained

Subscribe by Email

Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

Connect

Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
Pinterest
YouTube
Twitter
Advertise
Mailing List
Email Karen

Receive Smashing The Glass posts via Email

Enter your email address below and get the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

closeWin a Luxury stay at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, the Caribbean’s Ultimate Jewish Wedding Destination

All content © Smashing The Glass 2023