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An Avital Saporta Bride for a Front Yard Jewish Pandemic Wedding in Tel Mond, Israel

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Noam-and-Michael-Israel

Since the pandemic began, we’ve seen lots of backyard weddings. But we’re pretty sure Noam and Michael’s is our first front yard wedding. Why is that relevant, you ask?

Well, Michael just happens to live across the street from a playground, and on the big day, in addition to the couple’s invited guests, they ended up with a couple dozen little observers taking in the action – how cute is that?!

The couple, both students at Bar Ilan University, had originally planned a big wedding, but COVID forced them to rethink their plans (and date, thanks to Israel’s second lockdown). Michael’s garden may have been chosen because due to the circumstances, in the bride’s words, “it was the only place were able to legally get married!” – but luckily it happens to be totally gorgeous, and was really just about an ideal place to carry out the original theme, which was a magical forest combined with rustic elements.

In addition to their 50 in-person guests, Noam and Michael livestreamed their day to friends and family across the globe – at one point, 750 people were tuning in! And throughout the day, the pair took time to chat with their virtual guests through the livestream.

It goes without saying that we’re obsessed with the stunning photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman. Due to a last minute change of date, the couple ended up having to find a photographer in just a few days, and were they ever lucky that Herschel was available! As always, his photos are so full of love and emotion while also managing to capture all the details of the day absolutely exquisitely.

Noam-and-Michael-IsraelNoam-and-Michael-IsraelNoam-and-Michael-IsraelNoam-and-Michael-Israel
How We Met

Noam, the bride and Michael, the groom: Our story begins in 2015 when we both started new chapters in our lives. Michael had just immigrated to Israel and went to study Hebrew in the North of Israel where Noam had just started her national service in guess where? The exact same place! We became best friends, but duty called and Michael started the army while Noam went away to Australia for her second year of national service.

The friendship didn’t end and when both those experiences were over, our friendship turned into something a little more special and love blossomed. Since then, we’ve been together for the last 3 years.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

An Acquachiara Bride for a Magical Pandemic Jewish Wedding at Villa Miani, Rome, Italy

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Diletta and Stefano, Villa Miani, Rome, Italy

How gorgeous is this incredible chuppah?! We’re totally and completely obsessed with the all-white floral masterpiece Diletta, an architect, and Stefano, a consultant, dreamed up for their big day. Everything looks SO perfect, you’d never guess they had to drastically change their plans midstream due to COVID – including a change of venue to better accommodate their reduced guest list.

Luckily, the pair ended up at beautiful Villa Miani, one of our very favorite Roman venues, and with some help from their wedding planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Deborah di Castro, and their vendor team, everything came together perfectly – despite the uncertainty that came with planning amidst fears of a new lockdown. (As it happened, Diletta and Stefano’s wedding date fell at a time when cases were low in Italy – but one month later, Rome was back in lockdown.)

Diletta had a strong vision for her wedding from the get-go: a sophisticated all-white look, carried out in her florals, that fabulous chuppah, and of course her Acquachiara gown, adorned with hundreds of white fabric “petals.” Don’t miss all the exquisite details in Azeta‘s photos and Sesame Films’ trailer.

Diletta and Stefano, Villa Miani, Rome, ItalyDiletta and Stefano, Villa Miani, Rome, ItalyDiletta and Stefano, Villa Miani, Rome, ItalyDiletta and Stefano, Villa Miani, Rome, Italy
How we Met

Diletta, the bride: We met at a friend’s party.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Sottero and Midgley Bride for a Jewish Wedding at Pleasant Creek, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

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Jordana and Josh, Pleasant Creek, Canada

Just about every 2020 couple has a story. But not every couple’s story takes them from synagogue to horse ranch. That’s exactly the trajectory Toronto couple Jordana, who works in digital marketing, and Josh, a construction project manager, took in their wedding planning journey.

Their original plans for a 400-person black tie synagogue wedding in May 2020 were thwarted when COVID hit. Initially, the pair postponed to September, and then November. In July, Josh’s mom told them about a gorgeous horse ranch not too far from Toronto. While they had no intention of changing their plans, they decided a trip out to the ranch would be fun, and went to take a look.

But the second they saw the place – rustic barn, tall trees, horses grazing and all – Jordana and Josh knew Pleasant Creek was where they wanted to get married. And, as a bonus, at Pleasant Creek their wedding could be held outdoors – which meant, at the time, that they were allowed 100 people (with social distancing measures in place and COVID testing for the wedding party). Jordana and Josh set a date for September 2020, giving them just two months to plan a totally different wedding, this one rustic chic and outdoor rather than black tie.

It can’t have been easy making such a dramatic shift in such little time – but Jordana and Josh totally rocked it. We adore the boho rustic style they pivoted to – don’t miss their incredible chuppah! – and their ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Attias was the absolute perfect fit. Don’t miss all the gorgeous details in Purple Tree’s photos and ZiMakesFilms’ trailer.

Read on for all the details of this wonderful day from the bride, who looked positively ravishing in Sottero and Midgley…

Jordana and Josh, Pleasant Creek, CanadaJordana and Josh, Pleasant Creek, CanadaJordana and Josh, Pleasant Creek, CanadaJordana and Josh, Pleasant Creek, Canada
How we met

Jordana, the bride: Josh and I first met at Western University while we were both in our second year. Although he grew up in Toronto, Josh moved to New York before high school and was studying in Manhattan for his first year in college when he decided to move back to Canada. Luckily for me, one of my best friends went to summer camp with Josh when she was younger, and she thought we would be a great match. Turns out she was right!

We dated all throughout University and decided to move in together in downtown Toronto a couple of years after we graduated. Josh pursued a career in construction management and is now a construction project manager for a development company in Toronto, and I pursued a career in digital marketing. On our trip to Jamaica, Josh sneakily brought an engagement ring with him and set up a beautiful gazebo leading into the ocean to pop the question. He had the aisle filled with lantern candles and flowers, with a beautiful candle-lit dinner at the end and our own personal chef and photographer. It was perfect!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Kelly Faetanini Bride for a Rustic Romantic Oceanview Jewish Wedding at Seacoast Science Center, New Hampshire, USA

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Tara & Avi, Seacoast Science Center, New Hampshire

Like most 2020 couples, Tara, a registered nurse, and Avi, a government contractor in counterterrorism, went through several changes of plan before they finally got to throw the Jewish wedding of their dreams. The DC-based couple, who both grew up in the Boston area, had initially planned a Memorial Day wedding on the North Shore of Massachusetts – until COVID hit. Next, they postponed to Thanksgiving – but just seven weeks before the date that became their wedding day, they decided to bump things up to Labor Day.   

And we’re so glad they did, because the end-of-summer date was the perfect time of year to get married outdoors at Seacoast Science Center on the gorgeous New Hampshire coast. When you’ve got the ocean as a backdrop, you don’t need much in the way of décor – but nonetheless, we’re obsessed with Tara and Avi’s gorgeous birch chuppah, which fit into the natural landscape so seamlessly. Don’t miss the breathtaking images by Alex Gordias Photography and Bob Accettulo’s moving trailer.

The couple had a traditional Modern Orthodox ceremony – with a few added touches to reflect their contemporary values. We love that, in addition to calling seven men up to the chuppah to recite the sheva brachot per Jewish tradition, they opted to also invite seven women up to read Torah verses selected by the couple. We’re also in love with Tara and Avi’s exquisite ketubah by mega-talented Israeli artist Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noa Attias.

We’ll let Tara fill you in on the rest…

Tara & Avi, Seacoast Science Center, New HampshireTara & Avi, Seacoast Science Center, New Hampshire Tara & Avi, Seacoast Science Center, New HampshireTara & Avi, Seacoast Science Center, New Hampshire
How we Met

Tara, the bride: We met when we were 12 years old and went to the same sleep-away camp and middle and high school. We dated when we were in 9th grade for a short period of time and then rekindled our relationship when we were both camp counselors at Camp Yavneh  in 2015 and have been together ever since!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Pronovias Bride for a Picture Perfect Jewish COVID Wedding at Larz Anderson House, Washington DC, USA

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Merav-Dmitri-Larz-Anderson-House-DC

Merav and Dmitri’s Jewish wedding was SO incredibly dreamy, if not for the personalized masks and “vaccine” shooters we’d never have guessed it took place during the pandemic.

We’re obsessed with their gorgeous venue, Larz Anderson House in downtown Washington, DC – a spot the couple had looked at and loved when they first started planning, but eventually rejected because it couldn’t accommodate their pre-COVID guest list.

Once the pandemic hit and they had to scale things down, though, the Anderson House became a viable option. We’re not sure which we love more, the lush garden where Merav and Dmitri held their outdoor chuppah or the beautiful ballroom they used for their reception. Don’t miss a single detail in Adam Mason’s luminous photos or Wise Films’ wonderful trailer.

We’re also in love with Merav and Dimitri’s fabulous ketubah by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ink with Intent. The couple searched long and hard for a ketubah that felt truly them, and when they stumbled onto one of Ink with Intent’s past ketubot featuring text printed over a picture of the couple, they knew that was the direction for them. Needless to say, the pair adore their ketubah, and it now graces a wall in their home as a special piece of art.

We’ll let the bride, who looked so elegant in Pronovias, take it from here…

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How we met

Merav, the bride: Dmitri and I originally met in 2008 through a mutual friend, but we didn’t know each other well and only saw each other sparingly over the years. When he moved down to Washington, DC to start a data analytics company, we reconnected over coffee and we started working together to make the dream a reality.

Together, we worked at WeWork Chinatown (where we did our pre-wedding photo shoot!), 7 days a week, through holidays and snowstorms to build our company. Today, we have 40 employees and a growing business.

As our respect and trust for each other grew, so did our relationship. A year and a half after working together, we started dating. After 4 years of growing our company together, moving in, and adopting two cats, Dmitri proposed at a private dinner on a beautiful beach in Mexico.Continue ReadingContinue Reading