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Real Jewish Brides – Amanda: My New Perspective

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Amanda will be marrying Adam on 25th March 2018 in a Jewish wedding at Braxted Park, UK.

THREE FACTS: (1) Amanda & Adam met outside in a bar in Tel Aviv (2) Adam has a ridiculous sense of humor (as described by Amanda!) and we love him all the more for it (3) Amanda & Adam’s wedding is 100% focused on all the people and things that mean the most to them. You can click here to read all Amanda’s planning posts to date.


Eight weddings in 15 months…

It most certainly is wedding season in the Yaffe-Parker household. In the 15 months between our engagement and our wedding, Adam and I will have attended no fewer than 8 weddings and, one manic week in September. We actually attended 3 weddings in 3 different cities, across 2 different countries.

So it really is fortunate that we love attending weddings. There’s something about celebrating the marriage of close friends through song, dance and food that never gets old. In fact, I’d bet that if you watched the highlights of any weddings we’ve been to, you’ll see Adam and I throwing shapes like madmen.

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Image: Adam Van Bunnens

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Real Jewish Brides – Amanda: Top Tips For Bridesmaid Dress Shopping

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Amanda will be marrying Adam on 25th March 2018 in a Jewish wedding at Braxted Park, UK.

THREE FACTS: (1) Amanda & Adam met outside in a bar in Tel Aviv (2) Adam has a ridiculous sense of humor (as described by Amanda!) and we love him all the more for it (3) Amanda & Adam’s wedding is 100% focused on all the people and things that mean the most to them. You can click here to read all Amanda’s planning posts to date.


Shopping with my Bridesmaids

In my opinion, there’s no better feeling than coming home from a shopping trip with a new dress… or three. There’s something about the smug sense of achievement that comes with a successful shopping trip, made even better if you had no intention of buying anything. For me, wedding dress shopping was the epitome of this feeling. I had never expected to find something and so, with no pressure at all to buy ‘the dress’,  I managed to come away with something I absolutely loved. It was the dream scenario (but without the drama of Say Yes To The Dress). 

But with wedding dress shopping, there’s one dress, one person and one opinion. It’s about finding something you love and are comfortable in, and can imagine yourself getting married in. It is not about finding dresses for four separate individuals, each with their own personality and style. It also tends to be less rushed, because it’s one of the first things brides-to-be will do! 

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Real Jewish Brides: Amanda – Planning a Jewish Wedding That’s Not Dictated by ‘Shoulds’

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Amanda will be marrying Adam on 25th March 2018 in a Jewish wedding at Braxted Park, UK.

THREE FACTS: (1) Amanda & Adam met outside in a bar in Tel Aviv (2) Adam has a ridiculous sense of humor (as described by Amanda!) and we love him all the more for it (3) Amanda & Adam’s wedding is 100% focused on all the people and things that mean the most to them.


“Wait… but why?”

Adam: “Are there any other roles we can give out on the day of the wedding?”

Amanda: “Well, there’s always the toast to the Queen…you know…where you sing the national anthem….*trails off*”

Adam: “Wait, you do what?! But why?!”

Amanda: “Sing the national anthem?

                                   …actually, I have no idea why we do that…it does feel weird when you say it like that. My mum will know…”

*Calls mum*

Amanda: “Mum, why on earth do we toast the queen and sing the national anthem at weddings?”

Mum: “Good question…I always remember it being a signal to the smokers that the speeches were over so they could go outside.”

Amanda: “But that can’t be the actual reason…

Mum: “Hmm no, it can’t be. I’m actually not sure… ?”

(As it happens, after a bit of further research, I discovered that the toast to the Queen is deemed a mark of respect for the country we live in, immediately following the toast to the State of Israel. I’m still not sure if anybody outside the UK has these traditions? I don’t ever remember hearing of a Jewish wedding in the USA where they sang the Star Spangled Banner…. 

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Real Jewish Brides: Introducing Amanda + Adam… how they met to the present day

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Today on the blog we’re introducing our 4th gorgeous bride from our crop of 2017 and 2018 Real Jewish Brides! Please give a warm welcome to Amanda who will be marrying Adam on 25th March 2018 at Braxted Park, UK.

THREE FACTS: (1) Amanda & Adam met outside in a bar in Tel Aviv (2) Adam has a ridiculous sense of humor (as described by Amanda!) and we love him all the more for it (3) Amanda & Adam’s wedding is 100% focused on all the people and things that mean the most to them.

REAL-JEWISH-BRIDES_Amanda
How We Met

Both Adam and I will tell you that we weren’t attracted to each-other when we met outside a bar in Tel Aviv. In fact, we spent the entire evening trying to set our friends up. This led to hours of drunken giggling together as we discussed how excellent our matchmaking skills were. (Needless to say, they had no interest in each other). At 3am we were still high-fiving and I really felt like I had made a new friend.

A few days later, his friends were hosting a BBQ and he asked us to come along. A bottle of wine later and I was starting to wonder if this tall blonde man could be somebody I might like to see at home in London.

I was drawn to Adam’s ridiculous sense of humour and whilst he never managed to convince me that his job included ‘picking up penguins who have fallen over’, his silliness and laid back nature are still my favourite things about him now, almost 3 years later.

Our First Date

Our first official date was carefully planned by Adam at St Catherine’s docks in London, at the height of summer. But my favourite story from our early days took place just 4 days after we’d met.

We were back in London and Adam showed up to the local pub quiz where I’d told him my friends and I were regulars. He stuck out like a sore thumb in his suit and tie, but soon broke the ice with my friends by offering them all a pad of paper and a pen that he’d brought with him, ‘just in case’.

I think it’s fair to say that when he handed me the jar of pickles he’d bought on the way, my heart melted a little bit. Forget chocolates and roses, pickles are the way to my heart!

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