An Arava Polak Bride for a Joyful Jewish Wedding at LUCA, Israel – Smashing the Glass

From the moment we heard Elada and Liran’s philosophy on planning their Jewish wedding, we knew we were going to love it. In Elada’s words, “The wedding was special not because we had accessories or gorgeous decor or special ideas. The wedding was amazing and special because we were surrounded by people we love who came to celebrate our special day with us.” Yep, bride Elada, who works in system training and management, and groom Liran, who works for a startup, really know what it’s all about.

And all that love and joy come through so strongly throughout the beautiful photos by Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Ori Carmi. Elada and Liran loved the great vibes Ori brought to their day – and needless to say, they’re obsessed with the images he captured.

Love and togetherness may have been priority #1, but food was definitely second on the list: the pair chose their venue, LUCA, not only because it’s beautiful, but also because it’s known for delicious food – and it really was so good that to this day Elada and Liran are still getting compliments from guests!

We’ll let the bride take it from here…

How we Met

Elada, the bride: We met at work. Liran worked in sales and Elada in system training and management.

Venue and wedding plans

We got married at LUCA. We chose this place because it is beautiful, and we knew the food is great since Liran’s sister got married there few years back. We got engaged during covid so happily everything’s worked as planned and worked just fine.

Classic Colors

We didn’t have a theme. The wedding was with classic colors.

Invitations / stationery

I designed the wedding invitation myself. I wanted it to be simple yet classic.

Hair + Make-up

I love a natural look, and it was important for me to have that on the day. I didn’t want over-the-top makeup or anything too fancy. My hair designer was Sahar Kabalo and my make up artist was Adi Katzanelson, who did a lovely job – delicate and natural, as I wanted.

An Arava Polak Dress

My wedding dress was by Arava Polak. It was classic! From the first time I put it on I knew it was the one! It was very flattering and with a princess look…

Accessories

I had only earrings and a bracelet. I like to keep it simple 🙂 The earrings are from Dana Mantzur and the bracelet was a gift from Liran’s parents. It was designed by JUTTOU.

Shoes

The most important thing in choosing my shoes was that I could wear them all day long, and as a salsa dancer I knew they needed to feel as comfortable as possible.  The shoes were light pink with delicate gilt straps, heel was medium.

The handsome groom

Liran wore a dark green suit, the colour was perfect on Liran. I helped him choose the suit so I knew in advance what he would be wearing.

Ceremony

It was important to us that the ceremony be light and short, and full of humor.

Chuppah

I wanted pastel colors for the flowers and sheer fabrics.

Our Music Choice

We had the happiest dance floor. We chose happy danceable songs. We chose not to have a first dance since we wanted to just party with all the guests.  Our ceremony entry song was ‘Save my life’ by Sia.

Flowers

For center pieces we chose white flowers, for the chuppah pastel flowers, and the bridal bouquet also had pastel flowers. I connect with delicate colors, so I asked our designer for delicate flowers.

Photographer and videographer

We found our stills photographer through Luca’s vendors list. We checked one by one, and in the end we decided to go for Ori Carmi. We really liked his work and it was a great choice. He is such a great person with great vibes and an artist in terms of photos. Our videographer was Dima Gil and we found him through the recommendation of Ori Carmi, together they were a dream team!

Food

We did not have a cake, but the food at LUCA was the reason we chose the venue. We knew the food was delicious and high quality. To this day we get compliments on the food. The concept of the food was a restaurant with an open kitchen, and you can order as much as you want, whenever you want.

Extra details

We decided to go for simple as possible and not add too many things. We knew that everything we chose was great so there was no need to add extras. The wedding was special not because we had accessories or gorgeous decor or special ideas. The wedding was amazing and special because we were surrounded by people we love who came to celebrate our special day with us.

Honeymoon

We fly in April to Portugal and from there to the regional islands to the island of Sao Miguel

Advice to couples currently planning their wedding

First of all, do not go crazy, be calm and take everything lightly. Also do not go crazy with 2-3 dresses or designs, I believe that the simpler the better. Do choose a great place to get married, and choose excellent vendors who you love.

ELADA & LIRAN’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK

Photography – Ori Carmi offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club
Videography – Dima Gil FILMS
Wedding planner – Inbal Shaked Kfir 
Venue – LUCA
Bride’s dress – Arava Polak
Bride’s shoes – TaSha dance shoes
Groom’s attire – Romanfashion
Bridal jewelry – Dana Mantzur
Hair + Makeup – Adi Katzanelson Bridal Makeup, Sahar Kabalo
DJ – ALPHA DJ
Catering – LUCA
Ketubah – Yeshayahu Greenwald
Stationery/Invitation – Canva
Rabbi – Yeshayahu Greenwald

If you’re a Jewish or Jew-ish bride-to-be, you’ll want to join Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club. Guided by the world’s number 1 Jewish wedding expert, Karen Cinnamon, Brides Club is the private community for Jewish and Jew-ish brides that removes wedstress and indecision and gives you what you need to plan with confidence during these uncertain times. Join our Brides Club here.