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Home > Israeli Jewish Wedding

Fighting Back with Love: A Wartime Jewish Wedding at Nefesh B’Nefesh, Jerusalem, Israel

27/11/2023 by Karen Cinnamon Leave a Comment

Aviva-Jeremy-Nefesh-BNefesh-Israel

We’ve heard so many inspiring stories of Israeli couples getting married since October 7. Today’s newlyweds, Aviva and Jeremy, are among them.

Aviva, a wedding hair stylist and makeup artist originally from London, and Jeremy, an ASO Analyst for a marketing agency who hails from Sydney, had originally planned a big Jewish wedding to take place on October 17. When the war broke out, they had to make some major changes to their plans – including a new venue, a much smaller guest list, and a revised date of October 25 to allow Jeremy’s parents time to get to Israel amidst constant flight cancellations.

Luckily, Aviva and Jeremy had been working with wedding planner Vicki Rosen from the beginning, and she was able to help the couple plan what amounted to a whole new wedding from scratch at Nefesh B’Nefesh’s campus overlooking the Jerusalem skyline – which the organization generously offered up to couples who needed somewhere to get married during the war – in just 6 days!

One constant throughout it all was the couple’s photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman. Aviva knew she wanted to book Herschel even before she got engaged, and when the wedding was postponed she and Jeremy chose their new date around his availability! And a quick scroll through Herschel’s ultra-emotional images will show you why.

During the chuppah, Aviva and Jeremy’s rabbi shared some moving words speaking to the couple’s situation:

In times of war, there are two ways of fighting back: one is to physically fight and battle and our beloved soldiers are doing so, while the other way is to love and to build families.

Such a powerful reminder that, in the end, that’s really what Jewish weddings are all about.

Now over to Aviva…

Aviva-Jeremy-Nefesh-BNefesh-Israel Aviva-Jeremy-Nefesh-BNefesh-Israel Aviva-Jeremy-Nefesh-BNefesh-Israel Aviva-Jeremy-Nefesh-BNefesh-Israel
How We Met

Aviva, the bride: We met at a Shabbat meal at a friend’s house and soon after Jeremy asked me out for coffee. We connected over our mutual love of fiction books and chocolate. I knew I was falling for Jeremy when he drank an entire cup of melted chocolate on one of our early dates! Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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A Magical Garden Jewish Wedding at Habustan, Abu Gosh, Israel

26/09/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Ariella & Ryan, Habustan, Abu Gosh, Israel

Gorgeous venue alert! Israeli couple Ariella, an account manager in digital marketing, and Ryan, a product manager at a high-tech startup, fell in love with their venue, Habustan, the minute they set eyes on it – and we’re pretty sure we’re having the same experience right now!

The couple couldn’t get enough of the magical garden vibes, and they knew they wanted to keep the focus for their big day on the venue’s natural splendor, with fairy lights, trees, and flowers galore. Their photographer, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman, captured the understated yet elegant feel of the day so perfectly – in addition to making Ariella and Ryan and their guests feel comfortable and calm as he captured the most phenomenal moments.

One special touch we love: when it came time for the sheva brachot, Ariella and Ryan picked seven VIPs to give one bracha each, and they gave their MC a small script to introduce each person, thanking them for the way they touched the couple’s lives.

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

Ariella & Ryan, Habustan, Abu Gosh, Israel Ariella & Ryan, Habustan, Abu Gosh, Israel Ariella & Ryan, Habustan, Abu Gosh, Israel Ariella & Ryan, Habustan, Abu Gosh, Israel
How We Met

Ariella, the bride: . We met through a mutual connection, who knew Ryan well and got my name and info from a friend of his who found out that I had recently made Aliyah. We went on our first date only three weeks after I landed in Israel and the rest is history!Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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A Laid-Back, Gluten-Free Pizza Party Jewish Wedding Full of Personal Touches at Bait B’Guy, Israel

08/09/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Jazzie-Moshe-Bait-BGuy-Israel

We’re obsessed with the fact that Jazzie and Moshe’s vision for their Israeli Jewish wedding was “a massive pizza party with our nearest and dearest!” How fun does that sound?!

In keeping with their theme, Jazzie and Moshe kept things low-key and casual, with lots of involvement from family and friends. One of the most special touches: Jazzie’s grandparents served as flower girl and boy!

We also love that Jazzie upcycled her mother’s wedding dress for her bridal look – she had the lace of the gown turned into a top and had a skirt custom made by a local seamstress, and then when it came time for dancing she switched into a pair of fun bridal shorts!

Jazzie wanted to work with as many local female businesses as possible, and one of those was beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush, who designed the couple’s stunning eucalyptus ketubah – don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Sabres!

And we can’t go without mentioning the food: you see, this wasn’t just any pizza party, but a 100% gluten-free one! In addition to artisan pizzas, the menu featured lasagna, salads, bruschetta, hummus, and ice cream, and the couple got compliments on the fab menu for weeks afterward, with most guests not even realizing it was all gluten-free!

Now over to the bride…

Jazzie-Moshe-Bait-BGuy-Israel Jazzie-Moshe-Bait-BGuy-Israel Jazzie-Moshe-Bait-BGuy-Israel Jazzie-Moshe-Bait-BGuy-Israel
How We Met

Jazzie, the bride and Moshe, the groom: It would be great if we could say we met, fell in love, and the rest is history- but the story doesn’t quite go like that. In the spring of 2021, amidst a global pandemic and a lot of uncertainty our very good mutual friends moved into the apartment next door to Jazzie. Who helped them move in? Well, Moshe of course.

Fast forward a few months and the 4 of us had become like family. We began to spend most Shabbat meals together and spent nearly every Saturday night watching movies, cooking, and playing games. Eventually, we began to also go out just the two of us (Jazzie thought they were dates, apparently Moshe did not.)

After many months of “dating not dating” Jazzie finally decided to just come out and ask Moshe what the heck was going on between them- and that is when we finally decided to stop fighting it and start dating. A year later Moshe asked Jazzie to marry him in one of her favorite places on earth and now the rest really is history.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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A Dana Harel Bride for an Enchanted Boho Beach Jewish Wedding at Al Hayam, Caesarea, Israel

18/08/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Amy-Dan-Al-Hayam-Cesarea-Israel

You’ll never believe the wild story behind this absolute stunner of a Jewish wedding! Amy, a social media manager (and the daughter of beloved Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Toastmaster Jango!), and Dan, a freelance marketing consultant, had the most gorgeous Israeli Jewish wedding at Caesarea’s Al Hayam  – but until two days prior, they were actually planning on marrying at a totally different venue in the south of Israel!

A security situation in the south meant they had to change things around at the very last minute – but luckily they had an amazing planner, Yana from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Craspedia Events, on hand to save the day. In the span of 48 hours, Yana secured Al Hayam for the couple – and they ended up loving it even more than their original choice. Have a scroll through the exquisite photos by Your Story Wedd and you’ll see why!

Understandably, the couple can’t stop raving about Yana. In Amy’s words, “She really understood my vision, she is so knowledgeable about the industry and is just the best person ever! She is so calming and really is there to help and guide you through the process. I can’t recommend her enough!”

Now over to Amy, who looked simply sublime in her gown by Israeli designer Dana Harel Design…

Amy-Dan-Al-Hayam-Cesarea-Israel Amy-Dan-Al-Hayam-Cesarea-Israel Amy-Dan-Al-Hayam-Cesarea-Israel Amy-Dan-Al-Hayam-Cesarea-Israel
How We Met

Amy, the bride: We met at a mutual friend’s birthday in London. Dan was already living in Israel at the time and I was actually planning on moving to Tel Aviv later that year. We kept in touch and then I moved nine months later and the rest is history!

Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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A Galia Lahav Bride for a Multicultural Korean Jewish Wedding at Villa Nona, Caesarea, Israel

31/07/2023 by Karen Cinnamon

Diana-Jonathan-Villa-Nona-Israel

Today’s wedding is an absolute knockout, in every single way. Diana and Jonathan planned a wedding that perfectly fused Jonathan’s Jewish Israeli identity with Diana’s Korean American background – in addition to being impeccably stylish.

Diana and Jonathan live in Seattle and opted to get married in Israel, where Jonathan’s family is. At first, Diana thought she could handle international wedding planning just fine on her own, but eventually she realized between the language barrier, time difference, and cultural differences she could use some help. Enter the couple’s fabulous wedding planner, Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Yael Kfir Frumkes. After a friend introduced Diana and Jonathan to her, they knew they needed her on their team. In Diana’s words, Once we started working with Yael, she fully understood my inspiration and helped us navigate our way through finding the perfect vendors to execute our vision.”

This vision included not only a sophisticated neutral palette inspired by venue Villa Nona’s romantic Mediterranean vibes, but also a mix of Jewish and Korean traditions. Diana and Jonathan planned a unique chuppah ceremony tailored to fit their style, and followed it up with a traditional Korean Pyebaek ceremony. Pulling it off in Israel wasn’t easy, but thanks to Yael Kfir Frumkes and some of the couple’s other fabulous vendors and helpful friends, it all came together. Don’t miss this very special part of the day in the exquisite photos by Shai Ashkenazi and wonderful video from Nir Tenenbaum.

We are thoroughly obsessed with this wedding, from start to finish – and we haven’t even mentioned Diana’s Galia Lahav gown yet! We’ll let the bride take it from here…

  Diana-Jonathan-Villa-Nona-Israel Diana-Jonathan-Villa-Nona-Israel Diana-Jonathan-Villa-Nona-Israel Diana-Jonathan-Villa-Nona-Israel
How We Met

Diana, the bride: Jonathan was born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel but moved to Vegas over a decade ago. We met while he was living there and I was living in Seattle. We dated long distance for several years then I made the move to Vegas in late 2019, right before COVID hit. We got engaged on my birthday in 2021, and decided to move back to Washington together.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

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