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A Laduree-inspired Jewish Wedding of Two Amazing Event Designers at Pekan Garden, Kibbutz Ramat Hakovesh, Israel

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So on Monday we saw a gorgeous destination Jewish wedding where the event planner bride decided to take a hands-off approach, turning the bulk of the work over to her amazing planner to ensure the wedding stayed stress-free. Today, we’ve got the wedding of not one but TWO mega-talented event designers/planners where the couple decided to go all in on their big day.

When we say all in, we really do mean all IN! Bride Tom and groom Matan, who together run Tomka Designs in Israel, were on the job 24/7 in the weeks leading up to the wedding, and even the day before they put in a 12-hour session at the venue.

But all that hard work paid off in a BIG way. The couple’s ultra-romantic Laduree-inspired wedding was nothing short of magical, with epic flowers, candles, soft pastels, and, of course, some seriously impressive macaron towers.

We’re totally obsessed with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ran Bergman’s photos — and to look at them, would you ever guess the wedding fell on a day with absolutely appalling weather? It rained nonstop on Tom and Matan’s wedding day, meaning their original plans for an outdoor photo session were out. But like the true pro he is, Ran stayed calm and scouted out an alternate location for the portrait session that just might have turned out even better than Plan A would’ve: a local patisserie! Okay, so it’s not Laduree, but it’s still pretty adorably on theme.

It just goes to show that a really talented photographer (which Ran most certainly is!) will be able to take amazing photos on even the most dismal of days — so don’t be so quick to snub that winter date your dream venue has open.

Now over to Tom, who looked simply smashing in her gown by Israeli designer Gali Karten…

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How We Met

Tom, the bride: Matan and I have been best friends since the age of 15. We were in the same class in high school, lived together in an apartment through our bachelor’s degrees, travelled all around the world together etc…

What seemed to be obvious to everyone around us took us 15 years to realize.

2.5 years ago, alongside a beautiful friendship, we became business partners — we are the proud owners of Tomka Designs, a company for wedding designs in Israel. This partnership turned to be the best decision we ever made as it led to a beautiful love story.

After a year of working together, something we can’t really explain happened and a close friendship turned into a strong relationship. At the age of 30, we both knew “this is it” and that we were heading for a wedding.

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A Made With Love Bride for a Luminous Jewish Wedding on the Beach at Kochav Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

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What is it about beach weddings? Whether they’re in Israel, Florida, or somewhere further afield, we just cannot get enough of them. That blue water, the sound of the waves… throw in a palm tree (or several) and we’re sold.

And oceanside venues don’t get much dreamier than Kochav Hayam, where Milen who works in HR, and Arad, an accountant who also owns a judo club, held their stunner of a Jewish wedding.

From the exquisite sunset ceremony to the magical twinkly lights in the indoor reception hall to the lovely floral chuppah decked out in white flowers and greenery, it’s a seriously beautiful day — captured so exquisitely by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, who worked his photographic magic to capture the most luminous, elegant images.

Videographer Roey Harazy was no slouch either — he surprised the couple with a drone (!) on the day, which he used to capture some absolutely breathtaking footage of the Caesarea coastline.

Milen was the epitome of a radiant bride in her two dresses — one for the ceremony that she custom designed from a simple gown with the help of a seamstress, and the other (for the reception) from Made With Love — and we’re delighted to put you in her capable hands for the rest of the story…

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How we met

Milen, the bride: We both graduated from IDC – we met in the cafeteria!

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A Vineyard Festival Wedding Featuring Two Brides in Limor Rosen and Tamara, South of Tel Aviv, Israel

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This wedding! Today’s Jewish wedding is what summer festival wedding dreams are made of. Mor, the CEO of a rock climbing gym, and Rotem, a software engineer, had the dreamiest ever Israeli vineyard wedding, expertly captured by photographer Roman Balashov and videographer Guy Lahav.

We’re obsessed with their minimalist magical chuppah — which the brides credit to their amazing planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Bebke. With just a few artfully placed bottle vases full of flowers and greenery artfully draped from the poles, it shows you don’t have to go for something crazy ornate to make a big impact.

We also love that the couple crafted an ultra-personal ceremony incorporating Jewish tradition with their own personalities and values. The brides’ sisters officiated, and rather than saving speeches for the meal, Mor and Rotem decided to include them during the chuppah — including an incredibly emotional one by Mor’s mother. We love the idea of making speeches a part of your ceremony — such a special way to involve important people, and to inject some individuality into the proceedings!

Both brides were perfectly decked out in boho chic splendor, with Mor in Limor Rosen and Rotem wearing Tamara. Oh, and did we mention that they chose “I Kissed a Girl” as their recessional?! LOVE!!!!

Now over to Rotem…

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How we met

Rotem: We met at Ben Gurion University when we both started biotechnology engineering studies.

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A Super Spiritual Enchanted Garden Jewish Wedding with an Epic Old City Photoshoot at Bezzela Hahar on Moshav Machasiya, Israel

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You know we love it when a couple really focuses on bringing out the spiritual side of their Jewish wedding. And lucky for us, that’s exactly what Australian-turned-Israeli couple, Rachel and Yehuda, did in planning their traditional day.

Capitalizing on the beauty and holiness of their adopted home, this duo opted for a venue that just exudes Israeli charm. Bezzela Hahar’s stunning outdoor grounds made for the dreamiest enchanted oasis setting, between the lush greenery and abundant Jerusalem stone — and it could not have been more perfect for the couple’s ultra-meaningful sunset (!) chuppah.

Also amazing is the post-wedding nighttime photoshoot in Jerusalem’s Old City Gilad Mashiah orchestrated for Rachel and Yehuda. This spiritual pair wanted to conclude the celebration with prayers at the Kotel (Western Wall), which just happened to provide a backdrop for some truly, amazingly touching photos.

Oh, and we’re obsessed with the fact that the couple set up a live feed of their ceremony for friends and family who couldn’t make it in person. Such a wonderful way to keep your loved ones in the loop, especially if you have lots of family overseas like Rachel and Yehuda did. Their grandparents who weren’t able to travel even ended up holding a viewing party for their friends back home — awww!

Now over to Rachel, who lived out all her Disney princess fantasies and then some in her magical, modest Tali Shurin wedding dress…

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An Enchanted Garden in Israel

Rachel, the bride: We got married at Bezzela Hahar on Moshav Machasiya. We were looking for a place with a beautiful outdoors for the chuppah, and seating space indoors, and Betsela Hahar immediately gave us the impression of an enchanted garden, whimsical and breathtaking. The location worked for us perfectly. It was convenient for our family in Bet Shemesh and Jerusalem.

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A Limor Rosen Bride for an Ashkenazi-Yemenite American-Israeli Jewish Wedding at Bayit Al Hayam in Jaffa, Israel

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We are totally and completely obsessed with Stacey and Elkana’s GORGEOUS wedding at Bayit Al Hayam. The views of the Mediterranean are just BEYOND, and the Tel Aviv skyscape isn’t too shabby either. That perfect seaside chuppah is totally the stuff our wedding dreams are made of.

But don’t be fooled – even though the aesthetics of this fab day are totally contemporary, this couple packed a ton of tradition into their wedding too. Blending Stacey’s American Ashkenazi background with Elkana’s Israeli Mizrachi heritage was key during planning, and we’re in love with the results: the hora AND traditional Yemenite dances; music from both traditions (in addition to contemporary American and Israeli hits); a traditional (and super moving — don’t miss Roman Balashov’s exquisite photos) Mizrachi badeken in the aisle.

And lest you think good old America traditions were neglected, we love that these two planned a pre-wedding “Cake and Cocktails” night just for the Americans in attendance, featuring American-style wedding speeches, a heartfelt exchange of personal vows by the couple, and, of course, wedding cake! What a great way to incorporate some of these fun traditions that didn’t quite fit into the Israeli style of the wedding itself.

If you’re looking for some tips on how to plan a wedding that reflects you and your spouse-to-be, as well as this wedding reflects Stacey and Elkana, make sure you sign up to our FREE online event: ‘The secrets to an unforgettable Jewish wedding’ with our founder and editor, Karen, happening on Monday November 12. It’s going to be totally unmissable, with some really fantastic a-ha moments!

Okay, now we’ll hand you over to the bride, who could not possibly have looked any cooler in her boho-chic gown by Limor Rosen…

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How we met

Stacey, the bride: From our wedding site:

“Elkana will tell you that the moment he met Stacey he knew he was going to marry her. For Stacey it was a love story that fell into place as she was planning to go back to Chicago. But something about Elkana was different, and she fell hard.

Fast forward to countless Euro trips, America adventures, swims in the Mediterranean, walks with Mack, cartons of Ben and Jerry’s, and Elkana got down on one knee to ask Stacey to spend the rest of her life with him.

The answer was easy, of course… this was the fairytale she only dreamed of. Our story is truly one from the books. It’s unique, it’s different, it’s two completely different worlds joining as one! Our wedding is not only a celebration of our commitment to spend the rest of our lives together, it is a time to bring together the most important people to us, in the most incredible city in the world, and share our lives with you and the love we share!”

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