There’s something so special about a Jewish wedding in Israel, and the romantic springtime nuptials of Tel Aviv couple Alice and Jonathan are no exception. Alice hails from London, while Jonathan is Israeli, and blending both backgrounds was key to them as they planned their big day – as was showcasing their love for the home they’ve built together in Israel.
As nature lovers, the duo fell head over heels for their venue, Bayaar in the Hadera Forest. They loved the romantic indoor outdoor atmosphere and the relaxed, natural feel – which inspired their springtime wildflower color palette and free-flowing florals (including an absolute stunner of a floral chuppah – don’t miss it in the wonderful photos by Tzahi Shemesh!).
The couple’s planer, Yana from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Craspedia Events, “was with us every step of the way before, during and after the wedding. Planning a wedding in Israel isn’t always straightforward, and there were times when we genuinely didn’t know whether our wedding would go ahead as planned. We experienced many cancellations from guests travelling from abroad and uncertainty due to the security situation, but throughout it all Yana was an incredible source of calm, kindness and support.”
The complications continued on the day itself, when, after weeks of quiet, alerts of incoming missile attacks came in just after the simcha dancing. The instructions were for everyone to move into the center of the hall, and despite the scariness of the moment (especially for overseas guests, any of whom hadn’t experienced the sirens before), the guests’ reaction was so incredibly heartwarming. In Alice’s words, “Spontaneously, our guests erupted in singing and dancing. People formed a circle around us, waving Israeli flags and singing songs, drowning out the sound of the siren. The band’s sound system had to be switched off, but the saxophonist stood in the middle of the crowd and continued playing acoustically, creating one of the most moving moments. Our guests danced even harder than before, determined to make sure we had the best wedding possible in the circumstances… It was such a show of incredible strength, resilience and joy that we have as a people.”
Read on for the full story of this very special day in Alice’s own words…
How We Met
Alice, the bride: We met through our shul in Tel Aviv. Alice had recently made aliyah from London, while Jonathan had moved to Tel Aviv from Kfar Saba. We quickly became close friends, with Alice looking to build a community and make more Israeli friends, and Jonathan being a self-confessed Anglophile.
After seven months of friendship (and Jonathan secretly harbouring feelings for quite a while!), he finally asked Alice out for a drink at a Lag BaOmer BBQ on the rocks overlooking the sea at Charles Clore Park, and the rest is history.
The challenges of living through the war in Israel brought us even closer, and after just six months together we got engaged and 6 months after that, married.
