There is so much wonderful individuality in this gorgeous Jewish wedding that I really don’t know where to start. Dena’s wedding report is wonderful, and my goodness is she a bride that knows her own mind.. and style!
She designed and made her own dress and says it was exactly what she had imagined it would look like since she dreamt about it as a teenager… And how gorgeous is that Belgian lace veil? It’s a family heirloom bought in 1926 by Dena’s great grandmother, and has been worn by her great grandmother, grandmother, mother, aunt and even sister before her at their weddings. How very special is that?
Dena is a make-up artist and CB is an actor, and they are both very involved in community theatre in Jerusalem. To reflect their shared love of theatre, they enlisted two musician friends to play songs from the Broadway musicals, including of course the ones they had both acted in.
Then, during the ceremony they integrated many songs from the movies, my favourite examples being the groom walking down to the Gladiator theme, and both of them walking into the theme from Ghostbusters for their wedding entrance!
And a first on Smashing The Glass, Dena and CB hired a live-streamer instead of a regular videographer, so that all their family and friends (mostly abroad) who were not able to attend the wedding, would still able to take part in the celebration. I wonder if we will start to witness more and more livestreaming now that families are so often spread far and wide all over the globe?
Here is their story from the perspective of their wonderful photographer and all-round Mr Fabulous, Herschel Gutman. Herschel is one of my much-loved Smashing Suppliers and is available to shoot weddings in both the UK and Israel. I highly, highly recommend him!
How we met
Dena, the Bride: I am a make-up artist for theatrical productions and CB is an actor, and we met during his first production in Jerusalem, HMS Pinafore, a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, in 2012.
I was making up another man and he told CB that there was a cute make-up girl that he should get his make-up done by. So he came into the make-up room and sat in my chair and that is how we met. At first we just started talking and then we started hanging out more and eventually decided to date each other. We broke up after a few months when CB decided to study acting in the US, and only got back together less than a year ago, after not being in touch at all for the three years he was gone!
It was just meant to be! Our proposal story is the sweetest thing, I think, and I loved it so much and it was perfect for us! It happened right after a show that we watched together. The producer of that show called CB up onto the stage and at first I had no idea what was going on. Then he started talking about me and about us and he then called up the cast of the recent RENT production (We started dating again during the recent production of Jerusalem’s RENT. I designed costumes for them and knew the cast well) to help him ask a question. The cast proceeded to perform Seasons Of Love, with CB singing the solo, and right afterward he got off the stage, down on one knee and proposed. By that time of course I knew what was about to happen, and he invited my best friends, my parents, and his family to be there for the proposal! It was absolutely perfect and magical!
