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A Berta and Dana Harel Bride for a Romantic Italian-Inspired Jewish Wedding at Hagiva Event Garden, Givat Brenner, Israel

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Okay, HOW incredible are Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Jossef Si’s photos of today’s Jewish wedding?The composition, the lighting, the emotion… they’re somehow totally natural and full of personality, yet also look like they could’ve come straight out of the pages of a glossy magazine.

It doesn’t hurt that Nofar, a project manager, and Zahi, a developer, are a super stylish couple – though believe it or not, they actually hate having their pictures taken, and they put the effortless, natural shots they ended up with down to Jossef’s calming demeanor and warm sense of humor.

Neither does the bride’s stellar fashion sense: she wore not one but two incredible Israeli designers, starting the day in Berta, and later changing into a shorter, lighter, party-ready number by Dana Harel.

And we also love that Nofar made a spontaneous on-the-spot decision to give a wedding speech! We’ll let her fill you in on the rest of this fab day…

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How we met

Nofar, the bride: We first met after Zahi sent me a message and my cousin decided to answer him (although I wasn’t a great believer that I would ever meet my half). After a few minutes of texting from my cousin, I realized ‘this guy is special’.

The first date finally came. I had decided to call it off (typically me…), somehow Zahi convinced me to come and my cousin insisted, as she said ‘worst case you will drink a good beer/wine’… I told Zahi I would come alone without him picking me up from my house, but as I arrived at the place I thought was the location I got stuck and spent 20 minutes looking for a way out of the street where I parked my car…so..I had to tell Zahi eventually to come and look for me.

He came on his motorcycle, took his helmet off, we burst out laughing, and everything is history… ☺

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A Musical Boho Jewish Wedding at Sofia Garden, Beer Sheva, Israel

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We love it when a couple puts their personalities and passions at the center of their wedding planning. Like today’s wonderful pair, Anna, a physical therapist, and Hagai, a lawyer, did – they’re both obsessed with music, and did it ever come through in their big day!

Between a band, a DJ, a performance by a mega-talented friend, and even a surprise song by the groom himself (dedicated to the bride – aww!), this Jewish wedding was truly alive with the sound of music – and heartfelt emotion. How beautiful is it that Anna and Hagai opted to read aloud letters they’d written to each other under the chuppah?

We also adore this wedding’s boho vibes, from the outdoor garden setting to the bride’s laid-back gown to the chill décor – much of which was created and arranged by the couple and their friends! We’re especially crazy about the the dreamcatchers the couple placed behind their simple chuppah. Photographer Lior Rotstein and videographer Yael Weinberg captured everything so beautifully.

We’ll let the bride fill you in on the rest…

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How we met

Anna, the bride: We met 5 years ago, when I was still a student. During my studies I worked as a bartender in a pub and Hagai would come in a few evenings each week to catch up. It did not immediately develop into a love story. Then we went out together with some other friends to a music show, and we discovered that we had lots in common. And that’s how the love story started.

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An Essense of Australia Bride for a Sunset Jewish Wedding at Cochav Hayam in Caesarea, Israel

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Okay, we just can’t even with that sunset chuppah. Truly the stuff Jewish wedding dreams are made of. But would you believe it if we told you that wasn’t even the most remarkable thing about the incredible wedding of STG Brides Club member  (and blogging bride) Lindsay, an insight manager at a media agency, to groom Dan, an account manager working in corporate events?

So first of all, we’re OBSESSED with Lindsay and Dan’s table plan: they got a polaroid of every guest, then wrote a personal note on the back. These were all laid out for guests to collect as they came in and find their table numbers. Genius!

We’re also super inspired that these two worked with non-profit Israel Blooms, an organization that will collect flowers leftover at the end of the wedding and repurpose them into small arrangements that they distribute in hospitals and old age homes. What a meaningful (and easy) way to spread the joy of your big day!

The couple’s photos from Idan Canfi and video from Ruslan Shane are simply sensational, and we love that Lindsay and Dan opted to have a separate couple’s photoshoot a couple of days after the wedding – this allowed them to get some dreamy portraits without them having to take time out of the wedding for photos. Such a smart idea!

Oh, and did we mention that Lindsay and Dan are working with the incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Abby Taubman of Colletts Travel to plan their honeymoon to Australia and Thailand next year?

Now over to the bride, who looked lovely in her Essense of Australia dress…

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How we met

Lindsay, the bride: We met through my cousin’s wife. She was an old school friend of Dan’s and decided that we would be a great match – and she was right!

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A Laid-Back Destination Jewish Wedding with a Rugelach Tower at The Lawrence in Old Jaffa, Israel

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Is there anything better than a Jewish wedding in picturesque Old Jaffa? Between the historic architecture and the ocean views and the chill Israeli vibes, we’re pretty sure the answer is a resounding no! If you don’t believe us, just look at the incredible photos of STG Brides Club member Dianne, who is completing a surgical residency, and lawyer groom Shaya’s big day captured by mega-talented Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ronen Boidek – according to the couple, booking him was one of the very best decisions they made during wedding planning. And we couldn’t agree more!

And while you’re at it, check out the awesome trailer from videographer Vladimir Tkach.

With such a stunning setting, Dianne and Shaya knew they wanted to keep their décor simple, favoring greenery and white florals that complemented the historic space – and they found the absolute  perfect person for the job in Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Yana from Craspedia Events. We’re totally obsessed with the bouquets, centerpieces, and decorations she created.

And we’re positively drooling over the delicious menu from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Maasia Catering, who put together a delectable modern Mediterranean menu, complete with fun interactive food stations.

Oh, and we can’t turn you over to Dianne before we tell you about one more awesome touch: instead of a traditional cake, Dianne and Shaya opted for a rugelach tower. Yes, you heard that right – in honor of the groom’s favorite sweets from Jerusalem’s famed Marzipan Bakery, these two celebrated with three tiers of chocolate and cinnamon rugelach goodness – with a small cake on top, for tradition’s sake.

Ok, now over to the bride!

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How we met

Dianne, the bride: While I am from Vancouver and Shaya is from Montreal, we met in Toronto while I was doing an elective as a medical student and Shaya was there for work. We did not think we were going to see each other again after I flew home, but here we are!

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A Limor Rosen Bride for a Meaningful Family-Centered Jewish Wedding at Ba’yaar, Israel

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We adore the magical forest vibes of today’s Jewish wedding at incredible Israeli venue Ba’yaar. This is one stunning celebration, no question – and the couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ran Bergman, captured all the emotion and beauty of the day in his signature style.

But the thing that REALLY warms our hearts about how Shira, an occupational therapist, and Jonathan, who works as a political consultant, celebrated their marriage is the way they made their big day all about tradition and family – while making sure their own personalities always shone through.

Take the ceremony. For Shira and Jonathan, there was no question that crafting a personal, moving, yet traditional ceremony was priority #1. To make sure their ceremony truly spoke to who they are as a couple, the pair each spoke under the chuppah, shared individual vows to each other, and exchanged rings. We also love that in between the traditional 7 brachot said by men, they asked 4 women to each add their own personal blessing.

And then there’s the couple’s incredible paper cut ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Danny Azoulay Art– truly a work of art!

But what really, REALLY blew us away about this ceremony was something we don’t usually remark on: the groom’s wedding band. Jonathan used his grandfather’s wedding ring from before World War II, to his first wife who perished in the Holocaust along with the couple’s two young children. What an incredible heirloom to pass down through the generations. 

There’s so much more to say, but we’ll let the bride (who wore an absolute stunner of a gown from wonderful Israel designer Limor Rosen) take it from here…


A Magical Forest 

Shira, the bride: We scoured throughout Israel to find something that conveyed a feeling of magic while also providing the highest quality. When we walked into Ba’yaar we knew we found it. Nothing compared to the feeling you get of walking into a magical forest when you walk into their perfectly lit and beautiful garden of orange trees and blossom. Additionally, they stood out with the very high quality food, technology and professional staff.

We got married in spring, and another important factor was a stunning indoors due to what turned out to be a realistic fear of rain. The spectacular glass incased room surrounded by lit greenery was exactly the combination of class and nature.

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