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There’s not much we love more than seeing a couple fuse two diverse backgrounds into one beautiful Jewish wedding. Add some jawdroppingly gorgeous scenery into the mix, and we’re more than sold. So needless to say, we fell head over heels when we first set eyes on Soreliz and Rob’s rustic wedding in the beautiful California redwoods, full of intention and symbolism reflecting the couple’s values, cultures, tradition, beliefs.

Rob comes from an Ashkenazi background, while Soreliz’s is a mix of Sephardic and Catholic, and all these traditions – plus some Buddhist and indigenous practices – came together to make one very special day. The ceremony was mostly in accordance with Jewish tradition, but Soreliz and Rob put their own spin on many aspects of the day. For instance, they chose to have a two-way badeken, where Rob placed a crown on Soreliz’s head and in return Soreliz placed a kippah on Rob’s.

Soreliz and Rob also picked a fabulous ketubah with tons of personal meaning to who they are as a couple, designed by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Nava Shoham. The duo opted for her rainbow tree design, both for its vibrant colors and for the special meaning trees have for them, and they couldn’t be more thrilled with the finished product – or with Nava’s professionalism and creativity throughout the process!

Do have a scroll through Manuel Ortega’s wonderful photos of this unique Jewish wedding – and read on for more of the story in the bride’s own words!

How We Met

Soreliz, the bride: We are retired psychotherapists. Our journey began in mid-December of 2018 when Rob, seeking to network with fellow psychotherapists to grow his private therapy practice, decided to post an email on a therapy listserv that Soreliz saw. When Soreliz read Rob’s post, she felt curious and intrigued by what Rob had written, especially his connection to nature, his interest in nature-based therapy, and his Buddhist meditation practice. Upon seeing his photo in his email signature, she felt an urge and intuition that she should connect with him, even though she thought, “he could be gay or married, but one never knows.” There was something in his eyes and his smile that intrigued her.

Boy, was she glad she followed her intuition. When Rob received Soreliz’s email, he felt glad to receive it and was thinking of the proposed meeting strictly as a networking meeting, which ostensibly, it was. Curious to know a little more about this woman he was about to meet, Rob did a little background research on Psychology Today and found Soreliz’s professional profile to be both unique and intriguing, and her photo more than attractive, which never hurts in a networking meeting. Wink, wink.

Rob and Soreliz met at Cole Coffee in Rockridge, Berkeley, CA, for a networking conversation to learn more about each other’s work. After about an hour of professional banter, both Rob and Soreliz were curious to find out more about each other, and so the conversation became more personal. Soreliz felt that Rob was very grounded, found his travel stories fascinating, and noticed a sense of calmness about him. During the conversation, Soreliz was glad to discover that Rob was single. And she realized there were lots of common interests between them—spiritual practice, love of nature, psychotherapy, and a passion for travel and adventure. Moreover, there was a flow and ease to their conversation, and she noticed an undeniable attraction to him. Soreliz also loved Rob’s abalone necklace that he frequently wears. The fact that he wore it spoke to his connection to nature and resonated with Soreliz’s love of all things related to the ocean, as the double water sign that she is.

Rob found himself impressed by Soreliz’s courage in leaving her stable job of 14 years at Oakland Children’s Hospital as a community-based, mental health social worker and setting off on her own path, taking the risk to open her own private psychotherapy practice. Rob found Soreliz to be down-to-earth, very present in herself, open, and a good listener. Rob appreciated that Soreliz wanted to talk on a more personal level to get to know him more. He also noticed the beautiful light blue floral-patterned tunic that she was wearing and the contrast it made with her beautiful light brown skin. Her direct gaze captivated him. As the conversation organically transitioned from professional to personal topics, Rob became increasingly interested in finding out more about this attractive young woman who bought him hot chocolate, always a good move with Rob.

This “networking meeting,” turned into a four and a half hour flowing interaction, but it did not feel like a long time because both were so absorbed in the conversation. After the meeting ended because Soreliz had to go feed her son, it started to rain, so Soreliz asked Rob if he needed an umbrella. Rob said, “No, it’s not raining that hard, I’ll be okay.” (Rob can be a little bit shy when he first meets someone.) As they were about to part ways, Soreliz told Rob that she would like to see him again. Rob seemed caught off guard by Soreliz’s directness, and was also trying to keep a professional demeanor, so he did not directly respond at that moment. However, Rob liked the idea of walking under the umbrella together to his car and quickly changed his mind. 45 minutes after parting ways, Rob sent a follow-up email to Soreliz with some information about a photographer they had discussed during the meeting, saying he “so enjoyed their conversation,” and “looking forward to seeing you again soon.” (Hint hint). And the rest is history.

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