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A Tuscany-meets-Israel floral Jewish wedding with a Vera Wang bride at Baya’ar, Israel

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Friday is finally here – and we’re celebrating the imminent arrival of the weekend in style, with a proper feast for the eyes: Italian couple, Tania and Micael’s, enchantingly floral Tuscany-meets-Israel real wedding. 

There’s so much to love about this impeccably designed, dreamy celebration that we’re not sure where to start. First of all, a big round of applause is owed to groom, Micael, for his romantic surprise Paris proposal. We’re even clapping loudly enough to drown out the collective huffy sighs of all the partners for whom the bar has just been spectacularly raised. Well done, Micael! 

We’ve featured the absolutely enchanting Israeli venue, Baya’ar, many times on the blog now and with good reason. Every single one has been simply magical, and Tania and Micael’s day was no exception. Every detail, from the breathtaking floral arrangements (including the Chuppah to end all Chuppahs) was simply perfect and captured beautifully by photographer Ilan Mor.

Gorgeous Tania was a picture of fashion-forward bridal style in her show-stopping Vera Wang gown and to-die-for Yves Saint Laurent heels. 

The couple did so much to ensure their guests had the time of their lives, including booking our amazing Smashing Supplier, Legend Band, from Caliente, and setting up a flower station, where guests were treated to custom-made flower bracelets and flower crowns! What a brilliant idea!

Don’t forget to watch the incredible work of art created by videographer, Camellia at the foot of the post. We particularly enjoyed the unforgettable shot of Micael smashing the glass – well worth sitting down for a proper watch! 

Over to Tania now for the full story on her and Micael’s beautiful nighttime wedding. 

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How we met

Tania, the bride: I am a fashion buyer and my husband, Micael, is an accountant. We met five years ago and we immediately connected. But after two years, we decided to go our separate ways, until May 2015 when we decided we couldn’t be apart. We started dating again and this time was different. On December 24th at five in the morning, I received a call from Micael telling me that I had to wake up and be ready in 10 minutes.

He covered my eyes and took me to the airport! I didn’t know where we were going until we landed in Paris, where he took to the front of the Eiffel Tower and proposed in the classic way… the rest is history.

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A music and art-filled Jewish wedding with Monique Lhullier and Jenny Packham gowns at the Great Synagogue and Four Seasons Hotel in Florence, Italy

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Spring has sprung and we’re delighted to share our first real Jewish wedding of April – and what a way to kick off the month! Today’s cultured couple, Tara and Ben, decided to get married in one of the great art history capitals of the world, Florence, Italy.

Not only that, but their ceremony was held at the stunning and world-renowned Great Synagogue in the heart of the city and their reception at the prestigious Four Seasons Hotel. For Tara, who has a degree in History of Art, this was the definition of a dream destination wedding.

The couple’s music-filled Jewish ceremony included sensational Smashing Supplier, chazan Simon Cohen, who the couple flew in especially so that they could enjoy his beautiful voice.  

Bride Tara looked every bit the classically beautiful bride in not one but TWO incredible dresses. First in her elegant Monique Lhullier gown, which she wore for the ceremony and then in her Jenny Packham party dress.

The laid-back, loving atmosphere of the day, including the epic fireworks display the couple arranged to surprise their guests, was captured by the brilliant David Bastianoni, whose wonderful work has been featured many times before on the pages of STG.

We’ll pass you on to beautiful bride Tara for the lowdown on her and Ben’s beautiful day!

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An art history lover’s dream venue

Tara, the bride: It’s hard to describe the magic of walking down a little side street, turning a corner, to be suddenly faced with the Duomo faà§ade and one the grandest synagogues in the world. So much beauty in one city and, for us, it was the perfect place to get married.

The Four Seasons had it all — The hotel is made up of a 15th-century Palazzo della Gherardesca and an ex 16th-century convent called Il Conventino, set within acres of beautiful gardens in the heart of the city.

I have a degree in History of Art and we are both lovers of classical music. Having visited Florence a number of times, it was always on our wish list. So where else to marry but at a music-filled ceremony at the Great Synagogue in the heart of the City of Florence?

Afterwards, just five minutes away, we were strolling among our 170 guests in 12 acres of stunning gardens at the Four Seasons Hotel, the former Palazzo Scala Della Gherardesca dating from the time of Lorenzo il Magnifico.

The green avenues, lined with Renaissance sculptures with fabulous views of the Duomo and the Chianti hills, were the perfect backdrop for what we wanted – an elegant outdoor reception followed by a casual dinner under the stars and fun night of partying.

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A relaxed, fun atmosphere

We wanted a traditional wedding done in a more casual and carefree way. Elegant but fun was the message of the weekend. All our guests were in holiday mode, so were relaxed. We didn’t use a wedding planner, but the staff at the Four Seasons were fantastic with helping us plan the day.

Music was a constant theme throughout the wedding, and we felt strongly about creating an informal and casual atmosphere during the dinner in the gardens. To do this, we created a Spotify playlist of our favourite songs to be played during the dinner.

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A bohemian Jewish wedding bringing the outdoors inside at Lourensford Wine Estate, Cape Town, South Africa

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Today’s stunner of a real wedding comes all the way from Cape Town, South Africa, and is, unbelievably, only our second STG South African real wedding. Needless to say, if this is the level of wedding pretty coming from that part of the world, then we’d definitely like to see a lot more, please!

When presented with a chuppah this breathtaking, it seems ludicrous not to talk about it first, and, frankly, this divine design deserves all the positive adjectives. Decadently draped in fresh flowers, it’s so astounding that you’d be forgiven for almost failing to notice the awe-inspiring mountainous backdrop of Gavin and Kelly’s Jewish ceremony.

Beautiful bride, Kelly, looked a million bucks in her sublime custom-made, boho-inspired dress, flanked by no fewer than 12 bridesmaids.

With a natural ethos in mind, Kelly’s brief for wedding planner, Veronica, from Petals Group, was to bring the outdoors inside, which Veronica managed with aplomb.

The day was immortalised in images by much-sought-after photographer, Shanna Jones who did such a phenomenal job that she earned one of the most passionate reviews of a supplier we’ve published on these pages. We can certainly see what all the fuss is about — just look at this spread, a picture of perfection.

We’ll pass you over to Kelly’s capable hands to tell you more about her and Gavin’s ethereal and whimsical wedding day.

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An idyllic Cape Town venue

Kelly, the bride: We got married at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West, Cape Town. Gavin is originally from Cape Town, which really is one of the most beautiful places in the world, so we decided to look at venues there. We loved the relaxed and informal, homey feel of Lourensford and we knew we wanted to get married there from the second we viewed it.

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Bringing the outdoors inside

We knew what we wanted from the beginning. We wanted a very earthy, natural boho look and feel. We wanted it to be understated and nothing over the top. We knew we wanted flowers, but, more so, we wanted greenery. If we could have done the whole wedding outside we would have, but with Cape Town weather being temperamental it wasn’t worth the risk, so we wanted to try bring outside inside. We used, Veronica, from Petals Group. She was outstanding and we could not have done a thing without her. She really guided us throughout the process.

Overall, what we really wanted was our wedding not to be a big show. We wanted it to be small, intimate and authentic and really just to celebrate our love. Every part of my day felt sincere and genuine and all the love and care for me and Gavin was so present. I think people felt that sincerity, and enjoyed the evening because of it. That’s what made it special to me.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A picture-perfect Jewish wedding overlooking the sea, with an Enzoani gown at Los Monteros Golf and Spa Hotel, Marbella, Spain

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Our absolute favourite thing about destination weddings is that, without fail, they provide epic, awe-inspiring scenery, and today’s beautiful destination celebration in Marbella, Spain, is certainly no exception.

Lizzi and Mark met through a family connection and quickly fell in love. Set in Spain as the perfect backdrop for their big day, the couple enlisted incredible Smashing Supplier, optimum weddings by The Weddings Company to help them to liaise with their suppliers overseas and make their dream day happen. It goes without saying that Lizzi and Mark were overjoyed with the results.

The ceremony took place overlooking the sea with mountains in the distance — the postcard-ready picture was framed by the couple’s stunning Chuppah, with its beautiful floral arrangements. What more could anyone want?

There’s a lot to love about Lizzi and Mark’s big day, but we simply have to mention the phenomenal vibes of the Israeli dancing — as you can see from the pictures, the party was definitely buzzing, and nobody held back!

Fireworks filled the sky as the pair cut their cake, creating a Hollywood-perfect romantic moment to remember forever.

The wedding was shot by Your Wedding Moments.

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How we met

Lizzi, the bride: Funnily enough, we met at my brother’s wedding in Israel in 2014. I thought I knew all of his friends, but turns out… I didn’t. Not his one Northern friend from Leeds. We met, there was an instant chemistry, he then moved down to London, and the rest is history.
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A bespoke Shadive’s Brides dress at a party-it-up-atmosphere wedding at Terra, Caesarea, Israel

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It goes without saying that we adore an Israeli wedding — and somehow it’s even more special when the couple have chosen to travel to Israel to say “I do”.

Secondary school teacher, Katie, and business owner, Mark, got married at Terra in Caesarea, Israel. Despite coming down with a horrific stomach flu on the day, love won out and Katie still made the very best of the situation, looking back on her big day with love.

I was particularly moved by Katie’s sincere and heartfelt words about her decision to get married in Israel. She writes so eloquently that I won’t step on her description here, but it’s perfect and definitely worth sitting down with a cuppa and reading.

At 5ft2”, Katie struggled to find the perfect dress until she went bespoke with Shadiye’s Brides in Islington. Seeing the end result, we think it was a match made in heaven — just how gorgeous did she look?

Smashing Supplier Live Band and DJ, Caliente, created an electric atmosphere until 4.30am and the whole wedding was peppered with brilliant, thoughtful ideas. For example a designated kids’ corner with fun activities to keep little ones entertained, a flower station, bags of sweets for a middle-of-the-night pick me up and so much more. It’s clear that Katie and Mark considered their guests’ feelings and the importance of their experience at every turn. 

The magic of the day was captured by STG regular – Ronen Boidek, videographer – Canelà© (don’t miss out on the wonderful wedding video at the bottom of the post) and Katie herself with her fabulously descriptive account. Over to Katie for more on her Israeli wedding day.

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How we met

Katie, the bride: We met at university. For the first six months we were together, Mark managed to say ‘this is nothing serious’ on every single date. Charming, I know. Joke’s on him though — this marriage is for life!

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