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A Whimsical, Laid-Back Jewish Wedding Day Bursting with Color at Collingwood, Ontario, Canada

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Today’s real wedding had us wondering – how can a big day this laid back be SO pretty?? There’s something to be learned from letting go of worry and doing things exactly as you want to do them – it will work out perfectly on its own, because it will be everything you truly want.

Asha and Matt’s four-day Jewish wedding camping extravaganza took place in Ontario Canada. Bursting with color, life and what looks like an extraordinary amount of fun, the couple and their guests shed their shoes for a chilled-out extended celebration. 

With dreamy, romantic floristry and a whimsical, bohemian look (including a wow-factor wooden chuppah, adorned with floral arrangements) the whole day looked like something from the pages of a Midsummer Night’s Dream!

Gorgeous bride, Asha, found her perfect dress by Dress The Population at Nordstrom, and finished it off with a beautiful bespoke sari veil and a fabulous flower crown. She looked like a fairy princess – and a ridiculously happy one at that.

Guests lay on blankets for storytime speeches, and were treated to an ice cream van mid-afternoon. The whole thing sounded so wonderfully relaxing, we wish we’d been there!

Outstanding Recommended Vendor, Niv Shimshon, made the most of the stunning scenery, capturing some truly epic images that we just CANNOT stop staring at! And Keren Rosenberg‘s film below is SO beautiful. An absolute must-watch…

It’s Asha’s turn to take over the blog for the full writeup of her and Matt’s fun-loving Jewish wedding day. We’re pretty sure you’re going to want to steal every last detail, so don’t say we didn’t warn you, and enjoy! 

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Jewish wedding Collingwood, Ontario, Canada   Jewish wedding Collingwood, Ontario, Canada Jewish wedding Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
How we met

Asha, the bride: How we met is a favourite story of mine! Matt is the best friend of one of my cousins. I used to come to Toronto every summer (from when I was about nine) for a family camping trip.

When I was 17 and Matt was 19, he came over to hang out with my cousin, and we met for the first time. That day, Matt loudly announced in front of everyone that he would marry me one day. We remained friends for years, always chatting through instant messenger apps every few months, and always hanging out at my family’s house when I visited Toronto.

Seven years later, we started speaking more seriously and lo and behold, I moved to Toronto. We were engaged and had bought a home together within six months… when you know, you know.
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A Chinese / Jewish “Chewie” Star Wars-Inspired Wedding With a ‘Shabbatical’ at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Colorado, USA

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Ever wondered what we mean when we say “your Jewish wedding your way?” Well, luckily, Quan and Jesse have created the perfect example of what that looks like – a totally unique celebration that perfectly represents them as a couple (and Star Wars!!).

To celebrate bride Quan’s Chinese heritage, and groom Jesse’s Jewish background (and, of course, love of Star Wars), the couple affectionately dubbed their big day their “Chewie wedding”. How cute is that?? 

Splashed with bright color, just how Quan likes it, the Jew-ish wedding was held at a total dream location, Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Not only did that mean a backdrop of a breathtaking Colorado landscape, but it was also full of personal meaning to the couple, who spent much of their early relationship there. 

In fact, every choice the pair made, and every last detail, had sentimental value and personal significance, creating a wedding that was just for them and their loved ones. We’re not crying, we just have something in our eye!!

Oh, and if they weren’t already inspirational enough, both Quan and Jesse have taken a break from their respective high-flying jobs to, in the spirit of their seven blessings, travel the world, in what they have creatively, and brilliantly, named their “shabbatical“.

We all make commitments that we wholly intend to keep, but then find life gets in the way. Jesse and Quan have proved that nothing can keep you from your dreams, and they have absolutely taken their commitment to treating each day like shabbat for a year seriously. In fact, you can even follow their adventures on Instagram! 

There’s so much to gush over, but it’s already time to hand over to proud groom, Jesse, for the full account of the day, illustrated with a sensational spread of images by Once Like a Spark.

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A venue with personal history

Jesse, the groom: We were married at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. We actually had the venue booked before we were engaged. Jesse was working with a jeweler to design the engagement ring and we both knew we wanted a short engagement and a wedding before the Colorado winter.

We started looking for venues and made a call to Red Rocks. The venue usually books more than a year in advance, so we were really surprised and lucky to find out that someone was late turning in their deposit and a September date was potentially available. Fortune was in our favor and the events manager called us two weeks later to give us the date: Sept 10th.

Red Rocks has a lot of significance for our relationship. Immediately after our first date in February, I went home and bought tickets to summer concerts at Red Rocks. I knew that I would be taking Quan to those concerts. Some of our favorite dates were during the summer concerts we attended at Red Rocks.

We fell in love in the Colorado outdoors – not only at Red Rocks, but also hiking and ski trips in the Rocky Mountains. For us, Red Rocks was the iconic Colorado venue where we wanted to host our family and friends so that they could also take in the beauty of the great outdoors of Colorado. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Meital Zano Bride for a Jewish Gender-Equal Wedding at Kibbutz Ruhama, Israel

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We are totally and utterly obsessed with today’s double smashing of the glass – seriously how cool are Limor and Tom above?  They both participated in all the rituals, and both smashed the glass. We highly approve! 

Israelis are notoriously chilled out about their weddings, and everything still comes together absolutely beautifully. We’re sure there’s a lesson in there somewhere! Limor and Tom’s personalized Jewish wedding was no exception, conducted on the lawns of the kibbutz they call home.

Chic, understated and oh so cool, the wedding was a real stunner, with the gorgeous natural surroundings setting the stage for the carefully selected dà©cor details, including a ‘something borrowed’ chuppah and a flower station, so that guests became walking decorations.

Lovely bride, Limor, looked a vision in her Meital Zano fashion-forward dress and shawl, with groom Tom kitted out with a chic smart-casual combo from Zara. 

Photographer Sahar Hai Ahava, captured all of the adorable details and the emotion of the day, with some classic, Israeli cool shots thrown in for good measure. It’s time to hand you over to Limor for the full writeup. Be warned – there’s a LOT of pretty to look at – we urge you all to get Pinning.

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Jewish wedding Kibbutz Ruhama, Israel
Home is where the heart is

Limor, the bride: We got married in the gardens of kibbutz Ruhama, our home. We live in southern Israel and the kibbutz is located in a beautiful nature reserve. We chose to invite our family and best friends to the place we love the most.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A DIY ‘Jew-Bu’ Wedding at The Wildflower Barn, Driftwood, Texas, USA

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There’s no two ways about it, Rachel and Michael’s gorgeous Texas Jew-Bu wedding ticks all of the STG boxes. Creative? Tick. Cool? Tick. Unique? Tick. Emotional? Tick. The couple’s quirky, alternative vibe was evident in every little detail.

With a little help from some very crafty friends, acupuncturist-moonlighting-as-an-office-manager, Rachel and product manager / DJ, Michael put their personalities into all of the DIY touches, from their origami cranes to their Tibetan prayer flag chuppah, their sunflower centerpieces to their gorgeous home baked cakes, courtesy of a friend.

Rachel looked every bit the beautiful bride in her stunning, textured Theia Couture gown, chosen for its immense huggability (totally a word), which we think is just adorable. We also have total style envy over her cute cat-eye makeup look and lashes!

The day was recorded for the ages by fabulous photographer, Caitlin McWeeney, we hope you enjoy the images, and Rachel’s brilliant write up, as much as we did.

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How we met

Rachel, the bride: We met at a party in May of 2008. Michael was DJing. I danced. The rest is history!

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Nature-themed Jewish wedding at Riverdale Community Hall, Edmonton, Canada

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It seems strange to talk about a personalized wedding, given that committing the rest of your life to another human being is about as personal as it gets, so, fundamentally, all weddings are personalized. But some couples take it to a whole other level, injecting the essence of who they are as individuals, and a team, into every moment and every detail of their big day.

Leila and James did exactly this. The family-oriented pair celebrated their heritage, personalities and interests in each choice that they made. This strong unit, and the love that would surround them as they journeyed on into married life, was evident in every word and every beautiful image by FO Photography.

There is no better interior (exterior) decorator than Mother Nature, and the nature-themed wedding brought the best of the outside indoors, with forest-inspired centerpieces (created with a little help from a bonafide zoologist friend).

In addition to a personal zoologist, James and Leila’s creative cast of friends helped provide custom cocktails, created by a culinary artist pal, jars of vanilla extract as favours, with the vanilla beans brought back from a trip to Madagascar by a friend, and an international Chuppah, celebrating the couple’s respective heritages, sourced by the bride’s mother.

Added touches included HUE lighting to create an atmosphere (used with enthusiasm by the couple at home) and personalized vows, with the subject matter and key themes in common, but the final content as a surprise for one another.. 

We’ll hand over to beautiful bride, Leila, for her report on the big event. Take it away, Leila! 

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A nature-themed wedding

First and foremost, our wedding decorator was amazing. She is a good friend of ours, and worked with our limited budget to make our wedding incredibly beautiful.

She is the artist behind ID Bohemia and she did an amazing job. She helped us navigate all sorts of unknown channels, and we are so grateful for her friendship and her artistic eye for design. We had a nature theme, and our colours were green, gold and fuscia.

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