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A Mika Bridal Bride for a Joyful Jewish Wedding in Blue at Citrus, Even Yehuda, Israel

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Keren and Raanan, Citrus Even Yehuda, Israel

Jewish weddings are all about the joy… and in today’s gorgeous feature, each and every image positively exudes emotion. Keren and Raanan, both currently studying Nutritional Science at Ariel University in Israel, kept their focus firmly on love and good vibes – and Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman Photography captured it all so perfectly!

In Keren’s words, “After seeing Herschel’s work, we absolutely loved how he captures a couple, and how every detail in every picture is noticed. He has a very calming persona and is exactly who we wanted and needed around on this crazy day.” Doesn’t get much better than that!

There’s so much more to say about this wonderful wedding – like how Keren and Raanan kept the rain on their big day from getting to them, all the involvement from talented friends and family, and fun nods to the bride’s South African heritage – but we’ll turn you over to Keren for the rest…

Keren and Raanan, Citrus Even Yehuda, Israel Keren and Raanan, Citrus Even Yehuda, Israel
How We Met

Keren, the bride: We are both currently studying Nutritional Science at Ariel University. We started studying during Corona, so all our classes were on zoom. At the end of the first semester, a mutual friend who is also studying with us organised a small hangout of the English speakers in our degree and this is where we met. This hang out also happened to take place at my house. So whenever anybody asks where we met, the answer is “at my house.” Shortly after that we started hanging out and talking a lot more, until we started dating about 2 months later. 

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A Bright and Colorful Jewish Wedding at The Lawrence, Tel Aviv, Israel

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Rebecca-Gali-The-Lawrence-Tel-Aviv-Israel

Rebecca, an art historian, and Gali, a paediatric cardiologist, had a lot on their plates while planning their stunner of a Jewish wedding: they not only planned their big day in Israeli from abroad, they also did it while caring for their newborn baby (who turned one just before the wedding)!

Not that you’d know any of this from looking at the gorgeous photos by Tzachi Shemesh. The secret to the couple’s success? A great wedding planner. Yael Kfir Frumkes helped Rebecca and Gali bring their vision to life from afar, pulling together the colorful, vibrant, and warm celebration of their dreams.

We’re also obsessed with the way the couple drew on their mega-talented friends and family to make their day not only stunning but ultra-personal as well: Rebecca’s gown was crafted by a close friend who happens to be a designer, and the ketubah was designed by the bride’s brother! And we love that Rebecca went for a gold gown – proof that gorgeous wedding dresses don’t need to be white or ivory!

Now over to Rebecca, who’ll fill you in on the details…

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A Tel Aviv Wedding

Rebecca, the bride: Our venue was The Lawrence in Tel Aviv – Yafo. We saw it online and fell in love with it. Enormous arches and high ceilings, as well as the outdoor rooftop area were highlights. As soon as we saw it in person we knew it was the right space for us. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Mia Pava Bride for an Ultra-Personal Family-Focused Jewish Wedding at Tur Sinai, Jerusalem, Israel

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Laura-Ray-Tur-Sinai-Jerusalem

We love it when a couple has their Jewish wedding, their way… and that’s exactly what today’s couple did! Laura, a photographer, and Ray, a public health consultant, made it their top priority to craft a wedding that was “so incredibly us,” and they put their own stamp on everything from the color scheme to the vibe, the music to the souvenirs.

Laura and Ray even designed the invitation themselves, along with matching programs and seating cards! And when it came to the ketubah, they opted for a gorgeous design by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor The Delicate Brush.

Laura is a mother of six mostly grown kids, and it was important to her that they all had major roles in the wedding ceremony. Two of the kids were the emcees, Laura’s oldest daughter was her attendant, two kids sang Laura down the aisle, and her youngest daughter was her maid of honor – so special!

Given that Laura herself is a professional photographer, she naturally wanted only the best when it came to photographing her wedding – and so she opted for none other than Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Herschel Gutman! His images of the day are so full of emotion and love, we can’t stop scrolling through them.

Read on for more fabulous details of the day in the couple’s own words…

 

Laura-Ray-Tur-Sinai-Jerusalem Laura-Ray-Tur-Sinai-Jerusalem Laura-Ray-Tur-Sinai-Jerusalem
How We Met

Once upon a time there was Ray, a public health professional living in the US with no plans to move anywhere. And there was Laura, a divorcee, mom of 6, living in a settlement in Israel. Their mutual friend, Shoshanna, came up with the crazy idea that these two people should date each other. She told them. They were unimpressed… And did nothing about it at the time.

When Covid took Laura’s dad summer of 2020, just a few months after it took Ray’s dad, Ray reached out to Laura via Facebook messenger with a really kind message and even followed up a few weeks later to see how she was. Laura was impressed. With the ice broken they began speaking occasionally via Facebook messenger. Laura was charmed by Ray’s unique sense of humor and skill at SongPop. Ray was astounded by Laura’s seemingly endless cocktail concoctions and her ability to stay up later than God…

Their conversations grew more frequent and deeper and by October they were messaging daily, and starting to add phone calls and FaceTime as well. And yet, they had never met in real life. Because of covid, they could not even entertain the idea of travel for months. Finally, in April 2021, Laura flew to the US and they met for the first time at the airport when Ray came to pick her up. That first date lasted 11 hours and started two weeks of what they dubbed ‘concentrated craziness’.

Since then Ray and Laura have been back and forth to Israel and the US numerous times, documenting it all with a steady stream of photos. They even managed to meet in ‘neutral territory’ with a trip to Switzerland. Finally, on July 8, 2022, on a bluff overlooking the Sea of Galilee, and over a glass of cabernet, Ray proposed to Laura and the rest is history 🙂 (Meanwhile, there’s no doubt that their dads have met up in heaven and are kvelling together over this beautiful turn of events…)Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Nolé by Noga Bride for a Natural, Egalitarian, International Jewish Wedding at Mata’im, Yad Hanadiv National Park, Israel

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Meital-Gilad-Mataim-Yad-Hanadiv-National-Park.-Israel

It’s quite a feat planning a Jewish wedding when you’re living between two countries – which is exactly what jet setting couple Meital, a software engineer, and Gilad, a strategy and technology consultant, did. The pair live between London and Tel Aviv – and to add some extra international flair, Meital’s family is from Brazil.

Despite not being on site in Israel full-time, Meital and Gilad opted to plan their day themselves – and they ended up with the perfect laid-back Israeli wedding, drawing on the gorgeous natural surroundings of their outdoor venue, Mata’im.

Meital and Gilad are both passionate about gender equality, and from the beginning they knew they wanted an egalitarian ceremony. Working with Rabbi Dr. Avital Hochstein, an officiating Rabbi at Chuppot, a Liberal-Orthodox organization that challenges the monopoly of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel on religious services, the pair crafted the perfect ceremony to reflect their values. Both bride and groom signed an equal rights ketubah and exchanged rings, and the duo received the traditional seven blessing from female and male family members.

Above and beyond all this, Meital and Gilad’s wedding was just plain fun – you can tell from Shani Zadiakario’s photos that everyone was having a blast from start to finish. And we love that the couple opted to work with Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Dana from Colorfool for videography. In the couple’s words, “Throughout the day, Dana demonstrated professionalism, creativity, and a keen eye for detail. In addition, she was easy going and very open to our ideas and edits. In just a few minutes, her video captures important moments from start to end.”

Read on for the full story of this fabulous day!

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How We Met

Meital, the bride and Gilad, the groom: It was another long Yom Kippur in Jerusalem. I sat outside and Gilad, wondering too outside the Shul, came along and approached me. We started chatting and got through some of the hardest hours of the fast. A few days later, Gilad texted me and we started dating. Continue ReadingContinue Reading

A Joyful Jewish Wedding on the Mediterranean at Bayit al Hayam, Yafo, Israel

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Rebecca & Nativ, Caesar Yam, Israel

There’s nothing like an Israeli Jewish wedding – and we’re obsessed with the joyous union of Rebecca, a technical writer, and Nativ, a lawyer, at the stunning waterfront venue Bayit al Hayam. The whole wedding was an ode to Tel Aviv – the city where the couple met and fell in love – and everything about the day really showcased what a very special place it is. 

This wedding really has it all – Mediterranean views, fabulous golden light, delectable food, the kind of child party Israeli weddings are known for, and, of course, tons and tons of Jewish joy!

It was all captured so perfectly by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ori Carmi Photography. In Rebecca’s words, “The photos he captured from our wedding are pure magic; I can’t put into words how happy we are with them. He photographed the feeling and the true essence of the moment; each time I look at the photos I’m transported back to that bliss.”

Read on for the full story…

Rebecca & Nativ, Caesar Yam, Israel Rebecca & Nativ, Caesar Yam, Israel Rebecca & Nativ, Caesar Yam, Israel Rebecca & Nativ, Caesar Yam, Israel
How we met

Rebecca, the bride: We actually met exactly three years ago this April, during the first week of the COVID lockdowns! It’s a crazy story. The lockdowns in Israel were really strict at the beginning, and it was illegal to leave your house to go more than 100 meters. We matched on Tinder, and I (Rebecca) was curious about where Nativ lived because you never know right? So I asked him by chance to drop a pin of his location, just for laughs.

I remember being stunned to see that his location was 90 meters away. Basically next door neighbors! We met that night for a “social distance walk” and then every day after that. We decided if we went 30 days of seeing each other every day, that was it.

Don’t forget, the world was at a complete standstill at this point, so we were spending every moment together,  and it was the most fun we ever had. I always say it was like a “pre” honeymoon where we got to enjoy each other’s company. I moved in after two months and the rest is history. 🙂

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