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An Essense of Australia Bride for a Sunset Jewish Wedding at Cochav Hayam in Caesarea, Israel

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Okay, we just can’t even with that sunset chuppah. Truly the stuff Jewish wedding dreams are made of. But would you believe it if we told you that wasn’t even the most remarkable thing about the incredible wedding of STG Brides Club member  (and blogging bride) Lindsay, an insight manager at a media agency, to groom Dan, an account manager working in corporate events?

So first of all, we’re OBSESSED with Lindsay and Dan’s table plan: they got a polaroid of every guest, then wrote a personal note on the back. These were all laid out for guests to collect as they came in and find their table numbers. Genius!

We’re also super inspired that these two worked with non-profit Israel Blooms, an organization that will collect flowers leftover at the end of the wedding and repurpose them into small arrangements that they distribute in hospitals and old age homes. What a meaningful (and easy) way to spread the joy of your big day!

The couple’s photos from Idan Canfi and video from Ruslan Shane are simply sensational, and we love that Lindsay and Dan opted to have a separate couple’s photoshoot a couple of days after the wedding – this allowed them to get some dreamy portraits without them having to take time out of the wedding for photos. Such a smart idea!

Oh, and did we mention that Lindsay and Dan are working with the incredible Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Abby Taubman of Colletts Travel to plan their honeymoon to Australia and Thailand next year?

Now over to the bride, who looked lovely in her Essense of Australia dress…

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How we met

Lindsay, the bride: We met through my cousin’s wife. She was an old school friend of Dan’s and decided that we would be a great match – and she was right!

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A Berta Bride for a Sunset Jewish Wedding with a Very Special Chuppah at Kochav Hayam in Caesarea, Israel

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We love a gorgeous chuppah. We love a meaningful family heirloom. When you put those two things together? A totally unforgettable Jewish wedding.

There’s so much to love about the joyous union of Lee, a fitness studio manager who is also working on her bachelor’s in business management and sports, and Roy, who recently retired from the IDF, where he had been serving as a frontline soldier.

But our favorite part is the story behind their chuppah. Obviously it’s gorgeous – the bamboo poles, sweet floral accents, and billowy white fabric are the perfect complement to the seaside setting – but what we really love is the canopy. It was made by Roy’s cousin years ago, and since then it’s been passed around his family from couple to couple as cousins marry. When a new couple marries under the chuppah, they get their name embroidered on it. What a beautiful family heirloom!

We’re also obsessed with the gorgeous sundrenched photos from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Noam Salach. He captured all the emotion of the day – not to mention all the fantastic details – so perfectly, and the couple adored having him around on their big day, too.

Now over to Lee, who looked stunning in Berta…

 


How we met

Lee, the bride: While I was posting my “flat belly challenge” on Facebook, Roy messaged me. To be honest I usually don’t reply to these kind of messages, but something in Roy interested me.
 
The first thing he said to me was “I think a 10K run would be a great ice breaker for us” and that’s what we did, 2 weeks later we met at 6am on the beach for a “sunrise run”, we  clicked instantly.
 
After 1 year together, Roy ask me to marry him while we were on holiday at hotel Bereshit in the South. We celebrated 2 years together the same day as our wedding day.

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Real Jewish Brides: Lindsay Talks About Her Trip To Israel

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Lindsay, a member of Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club, will be marrying Dan on 25th August 2019 at Kochav Hayam in Caesarea, Israel. Click here to read all Lindsay’s planning posts to date.

THREE FACTS: (1) Lindsay and Dan were set up by Lindsay’s cousin! (2) They are planning an English-style destination wedding with a few modern twists in Caesarea, Israel. (3) Even though they are both Jewish, Lindsay is more interested in the religious element of the day than Dan, so they are working to balance tradition with their personal style – our favorite!


A week in Israel

What a week we had in Israel! Dan and I boarded the plane with mixed feelings of excitement (hooray, we’re going to plan our wedding) and extreme nervousness (we’re going to plan our wedding in one week with both sets of fairly opinionated parents who haven’t met any of the suppliers that we have already chosen!)

Vicki, our wedding planner, had prepared a thorough itinerary for us, with everything from food tastings and meetings with the band to spray tans and nail appointments – you really can’t leave anything to chance when it comes to your wedding day!

We arrived to the most miserable weather I’ve ever seen in Israel. It was freezing and pouring with rain – not exactly what I had in mind. Thank goodness I had checked the forecast before we left and went emergency shopping so I was able to channel my ‘wedding planning in the rain chic.’

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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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Tammy & Tom | An Inbal Dror dress for a wedding by the sea, with a very special story, at Kochav HaYam, Caesarea, Israel

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I don’t know where to start with this wedding, it has absolutely knocked me for six. When I first clapped eyes on the stunning photographs and video highlights of Tammy and Tom’s wedding, I was captivated by this ridiculously good looking couple, the chuppah set against a picture-perfect Israeli seascape, the high octane, carefree celebrations, the loved-up gazes between bride and groom and of course THAT Inbal Dror wedding dress – and just when I thought it couldn’t get any more breathtaking, I heard the incredible tale about the rabbi who officiated the wedding.

Many years ago as a young boy of eight, Sharon Shalom, the rabbi, was among a group of refugees making the arduous journey from Ethiopia to Sudan, where planes were on standby to help them flee to Israel. They travelled the entire distance to Sudan on foot, lead and protected by the IDF and Mossad agents.

At one point it all became too much for the youngster. Terrified, he was hugged and encouraged to keep going by one of the agents, who just happened to be Tom’s father. This shared experience helped forge a lifetime’s friendship, so much so, that when the young boy had grown and become a rabbi, he was told by Tom’s father that “one day you’ll be the rabbi for my son”. This wedding made that wish come true.

Understandably the tears flowed under the chuppah that day as the family and rabbi Sharon Shalom stood together for such a special and poignant moment in all of their lives. Truly beautiful.

So whilst it’s a very cool, stylish, fun, fun, fun wedding – complete with a flash mob dance – and did I mention the disarmingly attractive bride and groom? It’s a wedding with a huge heart. And given the incredible and humbling back-story of courage and kindness, the brides advice resonates very loudly “The whole point of the day is to be happy – stressing defeats the purpose. Your hubby and the meaning of the day is much more important than the napkins or your dress!”

Hear hear! (Even though her dress is actually perfection!)

The stunning photography is by Herschel Gutman one of our much-loved Smashing Suppliers, who can always be relied upon for beautiful images. The wedding film at the end of the post is by the superb Tal Herman

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Rabbi Sharon Shalom (far right) with Tom’s father (second from right) under the chuppah, beside Tammy & Tom

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