Ira and Omer

One day Ira and I talked about shooting something in the studio, I don’t remember what it was and we didn’t even go through with it, we have these conversations once in a while, when Ira, being the successful fashion blogger that she is, wants to do something more interesting than shooting with her phone, like we did one time with Tommy Hilfiger.
Then, out of the blue, she asked “Hey! you want to shoot my wedding?” I was shocked, I didn’t even know she was engaged, and the funny thing about her wedding is that so much theatrical drama was planned for wedding, and Ira knew exactly what she wanted, so there was no drama-drama around the wedding.  
B: we can also do a preshoot before the day of wedding, something stylish, that would be fun, right?
I: Perfect! let’s go to Jerusalem!
B: Seriously? I meant, like chill, at home, in your natural surrounding, relaxed.
I: Yeah, but I thought full hair and makeup, all the dresses in a stunning location.
B: OK….
I: Mamilla will be perfect!
B: OK…

so we went to Jerusalem.
The wedding itself was in Alma in Even Yehuda, with lots of live music, good food, fine wine and lots and lots of flowers, Just like Ira wanted it.

and of course , video by BeardWalker

Ira & Omer // The Wedding from Beardwalker on Vimeo.

Neta and Gilad

Neta and Gilad were probably one of more vibrant, cheerful, and loving couples we had the opportunity to shoot. Half-full kind of people. Getting ready for the wedding, they kept me in the loop of Gilad’s mother’s medical condition that wasn’t good and how it may change the time and location of the wedding. At the end they decided to have their wedding at Alenby Ranch and his mom could not attend, she was with them in their hearts and via Skype. Not long after the wedding, she passed away, and I can’t remember meeting a happier and prouder mother on a wedding day as Rivka was that afternoon.

Neta & Gilad // The Wedding from Beardwalker on Vimeo.

mor and pipe

Mor married Amit, but I know him as Pipe, and have known him for many years, from being a turntablism scratch prodigy and rocking out in the biggest hip hop parties and live events and now that he teaches the next generation of DJs.
When he told me he’s going to get married, I knew it’s going to be a blast. Taking their pictures on the beach with their boards was fun, but i knew the best was yet to come with a bunch of the hottest local DJs on their guest list, who got up the stand one after the other and in several occasions even a few together, including our groom.

Mor & Amit // The Wedding Highlights from Beardwalker on Vimeo.

barely bridal #12 כולה כלה

Lital and Nir had a small wedding that was fortunate to take part of. Their wedding was fun and laid back and was exactly what we talk about in the barely bridal project. And as if being chill wasn’t enough, Lital’s answers and story behind the dress are simply perfect.
1. what’s the story behind the dress?
– for the life of god I never wanted a dress with a story, but when we decided to get married my mom suggested her well-kept dress, and that was easy and available, but the rest of the story is that we started telling ourselves how we’re going to pass it on from generation to generation,  and that’s a bonus, less of what’s the story, more like who.
2. who made it? where did you get it?
-oh, good thing you asked, the dress was made by Aunt Jinet, who isn’t actually my mom’s aunt, but a holocaust survivor friend of my grandfather, rest his soul. Aunt Jinet was a seamstress, her and her partner never had kids, so as long as my mother can remember, she would promise her that when the time comes she will sew her wedding dress. I don’t know how much my mother took this threat seriously, but when she returned to France with the new about her marrying my dad, Aunt Jinet jumped up with the measuring tape and the rest is history. But I can’t really stop here, because even though my mom’s English lace selection was stunning, her wedding was in the 80s, meaning that there was enough of it to build a small tent, especially around the shoulder area, and of course a thick-thick belt that was finished with a huge gift style bow in the back. I tried it on, my dad laughed and almost choked, and said “it looks very modest”. Luckily, I reached out to Odelia Arnold, a fashion designer who’s talent cannot be described in words, she totally took apart the dress and was very attentive before reconstructing in to the stunning result before you.
3. how long did it take to make?
– the second time around was six weeks from our first meeting with two measurement sessions. The first time, Im guessing it took a while, even though Aunt Jinet was ready for it for 26 years, I can assume it was pretty quick.
4. price?
– $200 for the alterations, the first time around was free + emotional taxes.

5. any regrest?
– far from it.

6. A wedding dress for you is?
– not a big deal. My mom was actually the first one to get married in a white dress after my grandmother and great grandmother were even more undermining than we were and got married in pants. I think it’s mainly cool if you can make it into a family thing and load it with a personal story. I wish I’ll be able to pass it on to someone from the next generation to do whatever her heart pleases with it.
another thing is that i think a wedding dress in general is quite embarrassing from its roots, and I don’t see any purpose in adding drama to it. Who are you, women who get married in kawabanga and crystal dresses that cost like half an apartment?

Lital and Nir on their wedding day

photography: Elad Baranga
make up artist: Ruth Toledo
model: Gal Pollak
flower and stuff: Arbel Eshed
location: Sura Mare
Jewelry : Knobbly

Tal and Elad

Tal and Elad like having a good time and it shows. Their wedding was on an incredibly hot day, and we wanted to shoot them near their apartment in central Tel Aviv,  so we went to their favorite breakfast spot (where they actually had breakfast that morning) we hopped on a bus, got pizza, went to shopping plaza, danced in the street and had fun with any idea or location that popped to mind.
Later that evening, Avigdor was filled with over-the-top energy and a ton of photos that were hard to choose from.


check out the video by BeardWalker

Keren and Noam

KISS- keep it simple stupid is a good rule that all creatives know and hopefully follow, and it makes perfect sense that it will be used when both the bride and groom are creatives and plan their wedding.
A beautiful venue with great food, good music, close friends and family and lots of glitter and disco balls.

venue: 4th floor
DJ : Tal Argaman
Photography : Elad Baranga

barely bridal #11 כולה כלה

about six month before Yael and I got married in the Jem’s Beer Factory  and we wrote about that dress and that event here, we had to get legally married and decided to go old school. We wore vintage suits and dresses, everyone sported a mustache, we had burekas and marinated herring, it was chill and perfect, much more than we could expect from a visit to the rabbinate.
we asked Yael about her dress and about the wedding.

1. what’s the story behind the dress?
–  I looked for something simple that could work well with the Jewish vintage style we were going for at the time we were living in China. actually in China finding a white dress is easy in the summer, but it was already autumn so it wasn’t that easy.

2. where did you get it?
– H&M and I also wanted a top, that we found one night walking home from the supermarket. In Ningbo, you can’t find a cab at 6pm, because everyone is on a supper break, so we walked through the small streets and found the top in a small shop that we’ve never been to before and never been to since. It was sized XL, about the size of a M in Israel.

3. Price?
– the dress was about $40 and the top probably another $50

4. Any regrets?
– of course not. it was stunning

5. What’s a wedding dress for you?
– Something far from reality.

Yael and I. on our wedding day. November 2011.

photography: Elad Baranga
make up artist: Ruth Toledo
model: Gal Melnick

Orly and Amir

I totally forgot how much fun and how funny it was to shoot this wedding. I met Amir while shooting another hysterical wedding, and got a better glimpse into their lives when I asked them to put on the table a few things that will symbolize for them and their friends who they are and how well they work together to shoot this save-the-date photo:

a couple of clicks and about two hours of stories about every little thing in this picture and a few things that aren’t in this picture and I felt I was ready to shoot their wedding.

Liat and Safi

Liat and Safi’s wedding celebration was very special. They didn’t want to have a big event, just something simple and small with the two families. In a way something very old school, celebrating in the back yard of the house he grew up in and taking pictures where they plan to build a house one day, but on the other hand it was very avant-garde.

Big wedding are the norm, anyone doing something even just a bit different is considered radical, but why not? why throw all that money away? why not do something fun (and delicious) with the people you love? This happened to be the smallest wedding I shot with 14 adults (stealing the title from a 23 guest wedding last winter) but this wedding was much more than a wedding to shoot.

Together with Liat and Safi, I helped them put together everything they wanted, I got Tom, a good friend of mine, and an incredibly talented chef to run the show in the kitchen, and a show it was. We branded this whole event from menus to beer labels (on home brewed beer that i made, of course) and gave everyone involved an afternoon they’ll never forget.

     

Ravit and Elad

I love winter weddings. First of all, because Israel doesn’t have that much of a winter, and it makes much better sense to dress up and look good in the winter, not that I have anything against wearing shorts and looking formal, I’m a big fan, but most people don’t attack the local heat that way.
Even though, the winter isn’t hard, there’s something cozy and fun about an event with friends and family eating, dancing, drinking, and celebrating together while it’s raining outside. The little bit of rain we get, is not enough to really ruin your plans, but enough to make the streets look clean, the air to smell good and to add that hint of elegance that is really hard to achieve with the million degree heat we get here in the summers.

Ravit and Elad’s wedding had all that. Elad Ron is an amazing DJ and a personal friend, we’ve worked together for many years in raves, clubs, roof parties, bars and now even weddings; he’s also one of the leading DJs in the Israeli wedding scene, he played in my wedding, and also in a lot of my friends’ weddings. He founded Zebra Music and their all star lineup tore of the dance floor for hours; started early, finished late… like there was any other way to go?

        

venue: Avigdor
DJs: Aviel Brant, Nadav Agami, Idan Gavriel of Zebra Music
Live: Alla-One
Video: Beardwalker