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Michelle & Robin | Beach Party Jewish Wedding in Caesarea, Israel

24/09/2013 by Karen

beach-party-wedding
Today’s lovely couple, Michelle and Robin, met 10 years ago on an FZY Israel summer tour,  so it seemed fitting that they’d return to get married in Israel, and they did it in style. They chose one of the most spectacular beachside venues I’ve ever seen:  Al Hayam in Caesarea, Israel – totally breathtaking stuff, right on the seafront with Roman ruins all around.

From the start the couple knew that their dream wedding would have to be by the beach and hired Israeli wedding planner Nikki Fenton to help them bring their wedding day vision to life. There are lots of lovely creative ideas to glean from this wedding, as well as thoughtful touches for guests like a welcome pack that included sun cream, a  map of Tel Aviv, information on local shops and restaurants and then at the actual wedding, guests were given fans and flip flops, as well as lots of midnight sustenance like hot dogs, sweeties and ice lollies to keep them going all night long!
Jewish Wedding in Caesarea Israel 22
A VENUE BY THE SEA + A PURPLE AND WHITE COLOUR SCHEME
Michelle, the Bride: We chose a venue called Al Hayam  in Caesarea.  We knew we wanted a beach venue and Al Hayam has the added beauty of being surrounded by Roman ruins next to the sea. Within 5 minutes of meeting our amazing wedding planner, Nikki Fenton, she knew exactly which venue we would fall in love with and she was right!

We chose a colour scheme of purple, white and silver – we loved the idea of purple and white flowers everywhere and we ran the colour scheme right from the beginning with the Save The Date cards and Invitations arriving in purple organza bags with shells at the bottom of each bag.
Jewish Wedding in Caesarea Israel A Jewish Wedding in Caesarea Israel 12 Jewish Wedding in Caesarea Israel 13
A PURPLE AND WHITE FLORAL CHUPPAH
Nikki introduced us to an amazing event designer, Natalie Mann  who designed all aspects of our wedding. When it came to the chuppah she gave us options of the different types of flowers we could use. Natalie met us at the venue and took us through hundreds of pictures to inspire us with our chuppah design. We decided on purple and white flowers (lizianthums, roses and gypsofilia) across the top of the chuppah with two smaller arrangements to match on the inside back legs. Flower arrangements were placed on either side of the chuppah and we also had purple flowers on the back of each chair.

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How much time do we allow for the Jewish Dancing section of our wedding?

11/09/2013 by Karen

DEAR KAREN WEDDING Q2
Hi MeLena

The hora  is one of my favourite parts of  a Jewish wedding – everyone that you love and care about dances around you, participating in your joy and celebration as you try not to fall off your flying thrones! I say live it up  but  I think the answer to how long for, depends on the type of guests that you’ve invited.

If it’s a predominantly Jewish crowd who have been to many Jewish weddings before your big day, they are going to throw themselves into it and probably want 30 minutes worth to work up a huge sweat and go wild! That could either be encompassed into all one set, or split into two sets of 15 minutes.

However, if there are going to be quite a few non-Jews who may have never experienced the Hora before than I think that a shorter set of  approximately 10 minutes is better as there won’t be quite the same vigour from every guest, and not everyone will have the confidence to throw themselves into the Jewish dancing the first time they experience it.

The great thing about an iPod playlist is that you can arrange say 30 minutes worth of hora dance music and just wind it down at any point if you feel the momentum is dropping or people are ready for a break. It’s definitely better to allow for more and give the ‘cut’ signal to the DJ if you feel like it’s time to stop.

In terms of your iPod Jewish music playlist, get the party rocking by checking out these cool alternative versions of Hava Nagila, the Hora and other Jewish Wedding music  and this one that collates the  best versions and remixes of  Hava Nagila.  There are loads of non-traditional versions to choose from that maybe better match your personality as a couple, or your wedding theme, than the traditional ‘fiddler on the roof’ style versions. Listen to them all , take your pick, and have a wonderful Jewish wedding music set!

Karen x


Do you have a wedding-related question that you’d like me to answer in Dear Karen? Either email me or leave it in the comments section below. I look forward to hearing from you!

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The best non-traditional versions of ‘Hava Nagila’

11/09/2013 by Karen

The traditional  ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ style versions of Hava Nagila    are not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, so why not choose a more original and fun variety for  your Jewish wedding playlist?

Choose a Hava Nagila (or ‘Have-a-tequila’!) that you feel reflects you both or fits the theme of your wedding.  Below I’ve sourced everything from a Cuban style version to American Jazz to Beach Party to Techno style renditions. And further down the page there’s some awesome YouTube versions to watch by Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond, a Bollywood Hava Nagila, and a few more spectacles!

HAVA NAGILA BY  ALEX M vs. MARC VAN DAMME
Listen

A techno version of Hava Nagila that will get the party *pumping*!
Hava Nagila Techno

HAVA NAGILA BY  THE BARRY SISTERS
Listen

Hava Nagila with a  40s American jazz twist
Havana Nagila AMERICAN JAZZ

HAVA NAGILA BY  TERRA FOLK
Listen

Hava Nagila with an Irish folk band twist.
Havana Nagila Terra Folk

HAVA NAGILA BY  HAVANA GILA
Listen

Hava Nagila in a Salsa/Cuban fusion style. Very classy!
Havana Nagila

HAVA NAGILA BY  JOE BROWN
Listen

A bluesy version of Hava Nagila that starts slow and then really kicks in
Hava Nagila Joe Brown

HAVA NAGILA BY  MUNICIPALE BALCANICA
Listen

Hava Nagila with a Balkan Gypsy twist
Hava Nagila Balkan Gypsy Twist

HAVA NAGILA BY SCOTT WILSON
Listen

Hava Nagila with a Middle Eastern guitar twang!
Hava Nagila Guitar

 

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5 great wedding planning reads for no-nonsense brides

06/09/2013 by Karen

Inspired by Sara’s wonderful advice to read The Conscious Bride by Sheryl Paul  from her wedding report yesterday, I have put together a selection of books that I feel will inspire, educate, guide and entertain you on your way to creating a  wedding day that best reflects your taste and your relationship. There’s a wide selection here, from books on how to create a wonderfully unique Jewish wedding, to keeping your sanity along the way, to wedding eye candy inspiration to planning a destination wedding.

1 BEST FOR… NO NONSENSE WEDDING PLANNING
A Practical Wedding  by  Meg Keene
This is Meg Keene’s book from A Practical Wedding blog fame (apracticalwedding.com)  and it helps you plan your wedding from beginning to end in a useful, sane, no-nonsense way.  It walks you through everything from figuring out your relationship with tradition,  finding a venue, how to afford a wedding without cutting the guest  list, how to communicate decisions with your family, and most importantly,  how to pinpoint what matters most to you and your partner.

She’s also got some well-written articles from past brides interspersed throughout the book which makes for useful ‘real bride’ reading. Highly recommended if you believe what really matters on your wedding day is what you’ll remember when you’re old and grey, so not so much how it looked, but how it felt.

2 BEST FOR… HOW TO ADAPT TRADITION TO PERSONALISE YOUR JEWISH WEDDING
The Creative Jewish Wedding Book by Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer
The best of the ‘Jewish wedding’ books out there, Kaplan-Mayer writes engagingly and accessibly, tackling family dynamics,  food, music and ritual objects like the ketubah and chuppah (“something oldish, something newish, something borrowed, something Jewish”).

There’s special emphasis on interfaith and same-sex couples with practical suggestions for diminishing possible tensions to help family and guests feel at ease.
3
BEST FOR… DIY WEDDING TIPS AND INSPIRATIONAL WEDDING EYE CANDY
Style Me Pretty Weddings by Abby Larson
A must for every bride who wants her wedding day to express her own vision of her special day, and who doesn’t?  The author, Abby Larson, is the founder of savvy wedding blog, Style Me Pretty, and along with her team has covered over 5,000 real weddings. Her book is full of gorgeous pictures and captures numerous clever DIY ideas and provides “Style Tips” at every turn highlighting those small but important details that make a wedding truly personal and one-of-a-kind.

It’s an American publication, but the ideas are equally suitable for a British wedding and it would make a great gift for yourself or any engaged friends.

4 BEST FOR… PREPARING FOR A DESTINATION WEDDING
The Knot Guide to Destination Weddings by Carley Roney
This book breaks down in a very practical way, the process of planning your wedding from afar. There are tips from deciding on your destination to whether or not you should fly in your rabbi and all the legal and practical considerations in between. A nice touch is hearing from real-life couples who have been through the experience and share the lessons they learnt. There’s also lots of expert opinion on all kinds of subjects and numerous checklists to help you stay organised and on top of everything. A practical and inspiring read.

BEST FOR…  THOSE THAT DON’T HAVE THE TIME TO ALLOW THEIR WEDDING TO TAKE OVER THEIR LIFE 5
How to “I Do”: Planning the Ultimate Wedding in Six Weekends or Less by Lefevre and Cudanes
Most of us don’t have the time or inclination to create a wedding worthy of Hollywood production, and the  authors who are professional planners fully understand this. They explain step-by-step and weekend-by-weekend how to pull off a beautiful, successful, and memorable event in a really short, succinct amount of time. Overall a great book for making you feel in complete control and ready for your big day.


Are there any other books that you’ve loved that have helped you with your wedding planning? Let me know in the comments section below. I’d love to hear!

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Rachel & David | Garden Party Jewish Wedding at Home in London

03/09/2013 by Karen

LONDON JEWISH WEDDING 64
Back garden weddings always look so cosy, warm and welcoming and today’s is no exception. There are so many things that I like about this wedding — the homely setting is perfect and I love all the budget-friendly DIY ideas from the quotes attached to the drinks straws, to the colourful photo booth / guest book idea,  to the pashminas on hand to warm up the guests – so  very thoughtful! Rachel and Davids’ families and friends look like a really lovely, happy group of people, and it’s an overall joy to view this wedding through the eyes of their truly fantastic photographer, Dominique Bader.

Rachel and David met when she was invited to his 30th birthday party by mutual friends. She didn’t know that there was a theme (1980s TV and films) and that he would be dressed up as Tom Cruise from Top Gun in a flight suit. The first thing he asked, after looking at her non-costume, was who she had come dressed as. Twenty minutes later she gave him a delayed response and did an impression of the car voice from Knight Rider. They didn’t stop talking from that moment onwards…
LONDON JEWISH WEDDING 5 LONDON JEWISH WEDDING 9 LONDON JEWISH WEDDING 22
VENUE AND THEME
Rachel, the Bride: The wedding was at my parents’ house where I grew up. It was funny how Friday evening dinner at my parents also became about going to see the venue! The house has a beautiful garden so we simply went with a garden party theme and picked a colour palette of soft greens, whites and pale pinks. I think it’s good to have a loose colour scheme to help create a cohesive look, but one shouldn’t be too worried about it — guests brings the colour and in our case, my 4 year old nephew Theo decided to wear a Fireman Sam costume in pillar box red!
LONDON JEWISH WEDDING MENU
GARDEN PARTY THEMED INVITATION DESIGN
The invitation design process was the unique part! I was writing about design at the time and have always been fascinated by print. I also thought that the invitation sets the tone of the wedding and searched for a long time for existing garden party themed designs that felt right for us.

I ended up appointing Australian graphic designer Tabitha Bray (who I discovered through a blog) to design a bespoke floral motif and illustrated map. Closer to home, graphic designer Rebecca Leggett created the most beautiful calligraphy for the main invitation and printed the invitation suite in Dorset. Paperless Post might have been an easier route, but we loved the end result.

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