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A Backyard Jewish Micro Corona Wedding in Katamon, Jerusalem, Israel

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Beth and Mattan, Corona wedding, friends garden in Katamon, Israel
We were totally blown away when we first saw the photos by Mama from this gorgeous Jewish corona wedding. When Beth, a special education teacher at an American school in Israel, and Mattan, a lawyer at a high-tech company, realized they were going to have to overhaul their wedding plans due to COVID-19, they turned to Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Michal K. Events Israel to plan the micro wedding of their dreams.

With only fifty guests legally allowed to attend – and some VIPs, including the groom’s parents, were sadly unable to fly in from the US – Beth and Mattan’s wedding looked pretty different than the one they’d originally planned. But after swapping out their original venue for a friend’s backyard and implementing some creative measures to make sure everyone could celebrate safely, it was just as beautiful and memorable a day as any big pre-COVID bash.

With some clever touches – like serving each guest a boxed kids meal from a local burger place (planner Michal’s idea!) – and plenty of socially distanced dancing, this wedding was one for the books. And those who couldn’t be there in person were able to watch the ceremony on  Zoom (you can catch the recording here). 

If you’re planning a micro wedding of your own, you won’t want to miss the masterclass that their planner, Michal, is leading inside Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club tomorrow, Thursday July 9! She’ll be covering everything from platform options and tech to how to make a socially distanced Hora fun and beyond – and based on this incredible wedding, there’s no one we’d trust more on the subject!

There’s lots more we could say about this joyous wedding, but we’ll leave it to the bride – who looked lovely in Michal Taylor – to tell you the rest of the story…

Beth and Mattan, Corona wedding, friends garden in Katamon, IsraelBeth and Mattan, Corona wedding, friends garden in Katamon, IsraelBeth and Mattan, Corona wedding, friends garden in Katamon, Israel
How we met

Beth, the bride: We met through a friend. Mattan had just gone out with her, and I was friends with her. However, we had both lived in Washington Heights, NY, at the same time and had similar social circles. We even had Shabbat meals in each other’s apartments when the other wasn’t there.

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Real Jewish Brides: Jos on the Coronacoaster

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Jos will be marrying Daniel on 1st November 2020 at Hackney Town Hall, London, UK. Click here to read all Jos’ planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Before meeting Daniel, Jos was known for her torrid dating tales – so much so that her friends used to call her Bridget Jonestein! (2) Daniel proposed to Jos in the Greek island of Naxos! (3) Jos is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!


Coronacoaster
Verb

The ups and downs of your mood during the pandemic. You’re loving lockdown one minute but suddenly weepy with anxiety the next.

“It truly is an emotional coronacoaster”.

My two favourite activities are making plans and making lists. Before Coronavirus hit, I would fill our diaries weeks and months in advance, and like all the other extroverts, this long period of ‘social isolation’ is quite hard. We also made the unsurprising decision to push back our wedding a few weeks ago.

It became increasingly clear that it would be unlikely that we would be able to have our wedding as we planned it, and it was most important to us that our friends and family felt safe celebrating with us. What is most difficult is living with uncertainty. Will things be ok, will we need to push back again, and frankly, how do we need to rethink our carefully laid plans in order that we don’t continuously delay our future.

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Real Jewish Brides: Alexandra On how she spent her Original Wedding Date

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Alexandra will be marrying Ian in May 2021 at La Corte Dei Messapi in Ostuni, Puglia, Italy. Click here to read all Alexandra’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: THREE FACTS: (1) Alexandra and Ian are planning an intimate black-tie destination wedding for 60 of their nearest and dearest in Puglia, Italy. (2) Alexandra is Jewish, and Ian is in the process of converting to Judaism. (3) Alexandra is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

When I first sent out the email about postponing the wedding I was sort of zen about it. I realized that this is how things had to be and that we would have an amazing wedding next May (it now may be May 2022 depending on how things pan out virus wise). The zen quickly wore off and I was crying over Swedish pancakes at my parents’ house a few days later. What can I say – it’s a process!

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Real Jewish Brides: Charlotte on planning in lockdown

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Charlotte will be marrying Adam on 25th April 2021 at Swynford Manor in Newmarket, UK. Click here to read all Charlotte’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Adam proposed to Charlotte on holiday in Cyprus (2) Charlotte and Adam met at work in London (3) Charlotte is a member of STG Brides Club!

CHARLOTTE AND ADAM
Just before my last blog was written and posted we were plunged in to lockdown and the world as we knew it became a very different place. When I wrote my first blog I was so excited for the wedding, excited that we would be able to celebrate our marriage, that we would no longer be separated from our families but now, 3 months later, the excitement is somewhat distant.

Thinking back to a few months to the beginning of February we had our engagement party. Adam and I were not particularly bothered one way or the other if we had an engagement party but my parents thought it would a nice idea, and looking back, we are so glad we did! We had the most amazing night and created some unforgettable memories with our friends and family.


With the looming thought that we might not be able to celebrate our marriage in a similar style we are so happy that we took the opportunity to celebrate our engagement so we have memories we can treasure and to keep us going through this strange and emotionally unsettling time. It really has taught us not to take things for granted and to cherish to moments we have with our family and friends.

Adam and I are fortunate that our wedding is planned for April 2021 so we have not had to postpone. The wedding planning is still taking place but the processes we are taking are not what we expected.    

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Real Jewish Brides: Alexandra On Postponing her Wedding

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Alexandra will be marrying Ian in May 2021 at La Corte Dei Messapi in Ostuni, Puglia, Italy. Click here to read all Alexandra’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: THREE FACTS: (1) Alexandra and Ian are planning an intimate black-tie destination wedding for 60 of their nearest and dearest in Puglia, Italy. (2) Alexandra is Jewish, and Ian is in the process of converting to Judaism. (3) Alexandra is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!

In a turn of events that will surprise no one due to what the last month has looked like under quarantine, we had to postpone our wedding that was to be on 5-10-20. It was the perfect date but it was not meant to be. Everything was ready to go. We just had to do a few more small things like write our wedding vows, buy gifts for the parents and the bridesmaids, get my wedding dress fitted, and accessorize Ian’s tuxedo.

While it’s very disappointing to have to pull the brakes, we have been trying to focus on the bright sides. What’s nice about being so far along in the process is that we are way ahead of the game for next year. It also gives us time to think of new fun details to add to the wedding. 

  

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