What do the words “fairytale wedding” evoke for you? For some, they conjure images of opulent castles, extravagant gowns and dreams come true. Colette and Rob’s fairytale took a wonderful twist away from the clichà©, through enchanted forests in a truly magical woodland-inspired celebration (check out the themed chuppah — it’s just sublime).
The backdrop for the big day was Baya’ar, a breathtaking Israeli nature reserve. We’re thrilled to say that STG had the immense honour of playing a big role in the venue selection, as the happy couple had come across it before right here on the blog.
Aside from the absolutely stunning aesthetic (including a breathtaking wedding dress by a hot new Israeli designer, and the cutest flower girls), captured by photographer Ronen Boidek, the wedding was also full of heart. Colette had been through a tumultuous time, surviving cancer before meeting the love of her life, and so seeing her walk down the aisle was an incredibly emotional moment for her whole family.
We’ll hand over to Colette to tell us more — it goes without saying that everyone at Smashing the Glass wishes the happy couple a long and wonderful married life together.
How we met
Colette, the bride: Rob went to university with my brother, we then had a drunken night in a very tacky bar in London!
A touch of luxury at Baya’ar, Israel
Originally I wanted an all outdoors venue, something rustic and more ‘Israel’ but Rob had his eye on Baya’ar, he fell in love with the venue’s lighting and luxurious feel. Once I met the two owners I too fell in love and couldn’t be happier we chose Baya’ar as our wedding venue.
Our creative wedding planner
Our wedding planner was a wonderful woman called Lisa from BE Group TLV. She directed us perfectly ensuring we worked with an amazing range of vendors. She guided us to find the perfect balance of rustic to fit the venue. We are a little bit clueless and not the most creative couple.
Rustic-look invitations
We sourced our invitations from Lucy RSVP. I loved them so much! Lucy got exactly the rustic look I wanted without it being crazy money. She’s such a great girl.
Hair and makeup
A gorgeous guest who is an amazing TV and wedding makeup artist, Shelley Greenham, did my make-up on the day.
A Liz Martinez Dress
I’m a little bit obsessed with my wedding dress designer. She’s 25 years old, Israeli and truly a special talented young lady — Liz Martinez. Since purchasing my dress in Israel she now stocks in London. Her designs are so unique; the whole experience couldn’t have been more special.
Subtle accessories
I wanted something simple. I found flower hair pins by Britten Weddings on Not On The High Street which were just perfect!
Elevate good times, come on!
I NEED ELEVATION! My shoes are green-y gold (to match the forest theme) and I’m completely in love with them apart from the fact they’re not the most comfortable shoes going. I bought them from Rupert Sanderson.
Adorable flower girls
I wanted them comfy and matching my dress as much as possible. They wore cute little dresses from Monsoon and flowers in their hair.
Our enchanted forest Chuppah
I wanted something in keeping with the woody forest theme but totally trusted our production genius Chris Weys as I’m slightly clueless when it comes to design. The Chuppah was the most important part of our day and something we worked hardest on prior to the big day.
Our spiritual ceremony
We were obsessed with our Chazan — Ben Snof. He created such a special atmosphere. We became exceptionally close with our Rabbi and Rebbetzin, they taught us the meaning of the day and ensured our build up and day was as spiritual as it possibly could have been.
My brother ‘Oya’ played a massive role in our day, some would say it was a wedding for him as well as us! He was the master of ceremonies and showed off his voice by singing with my G-d mum Annie later on in the evening. Both have incredible voices and made the party even more personal.
Music and entertainment
We had the most fun choosing our Chuppah music. I LOVED every song we had and still re-listen to the music over and over.
Our first dance was Bob Marley Is This Love. We both adore the song and were quite conscious not to choose anything too cheesy!
We had an incredible DJ, DJ Eran Barnea who made our party beyond amazing. He’s an exceptional DJ who made our wedding party what it was, he’s a special guy. We pray we have a friend’s wedding who uses him so we can appreciate him all over again.
Intimate floral designs
Chris Weys took control on making the hall look as pretty as possible. I was most insistent on closing the hall in as much as possible. Baya’ar is huge, so I was conscious of making it feel as intimate as possible.
Our fabulous photographer and videographer
Our photographer was Ronen Boidek. WOW. I can’t recommend him highly enough. He captured the day perfectly and is so much more than just a photographer in my opinion. He’s an absolute pleasure to work with and someone I hope to stay in contact with for a very long time.
Our videographer was an incredible guy called Niv Musman.
The importance of the family
I’ve been through a lot. Prior to meeting Rob I was diagnosed with cancer. I suffered for two years which as tough as it was opened my mind and heart to religion and gave me a massive sense of purpose and understanding. For my parents and brother, seeing me walk down the aisle was something they simply dreamed of and the emotion for them and my closest friends was certainly intensified. I’m unbelievably close with my family and couldn’t feel prouder to have extended what we have and welcome Rob’s side in who are just beyond special.
Advice to brides and grooms currently planning their wedding
More than any vendor, I feel it’s most important to have a decent photographer. Photos are something you can’t add to and change. Stress as little as possible, on the day everything is insignificant it’s just about the people you love most.
Colette and Rob’s little white book
Photographer – Ronen Boidek
Videographer – Niv Musman
Venue – Baya’ar
Wedding planner – BE Group TLV
Bride’s dress – Liz Martinez
Bride’s hair pins – flower hair pins by Britten Weddings on Not On The High Street
Bride’s shoes – Rupert Sanderson
Bracelet – Monica Vinader
Groom’s attire – suit from Tailor Made London and shoes from Church’s
Flower girls dress – Monsoon
Make-up – Shelley Greenham
Flower and production designer – Chris Weys
Chazan – Ben Snof
DJ – DJ Eran Barnea
Invitation – Lucy RSVP
Greatest day in history
Dad of bride if course