Real Wedding | Maital + David

A beautiful bride…a handsome groom…a seaside ceremony…and a lighthearted but elegant reception. I love this wedding! Maital and David mixed old traditions with modern style, just to keep it fun. A first dance that took a funky turn, and an outrageous garter toss at the reception made it a celebration to remember. Don’t miss Maital’s creative strategy for keeping her stunning Pricilla of Boston gown pristine during the cake cutting…hilarious!

Maital + David | May 22, 2011 | Bel Air Bay Club, Pacific Palisades, California

The ceremony

We had a traditional Jewish wedding. The ceremony took place on the lawn of the Bel Air Bay Club, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The ceremony included many traditional Jewish wedding customs, including: signing the kettubah (Jewish marriage contract); circling of the bride of groom; and of course, the breaking of the glass.

The reception

Elegant affair meets fun-filled party, with LOTS of surprises, including a surprise first dance and hilarious garter toss with Grandma! Our cocktail hour included a photo booth which our guests really enjoyed. In fact, our wedding party wore many of the props during the grand entrance. The reception took place in the grand ballroom which has windows overlooking the ocean. We started out our first dance to “At Last” by Etta James, but after about a minute we surprised everyone with a funny dance to a mix of music including, MC Hammer’s “Cant’ Touch This,” “You Better Shape Up” from Grease and “The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson.

Later on in the night, the DJ surprised us by orchestrating a hilarious garter toss scene: After one of the groomsmen caught the garter, the DJ asked the bridesmaid who caught the bouquet to sit in a chair in the middle of the dance floor, then he blind folded the groomsman who caught the garter. It looked like the groomsman was going to put the garter onto the bridesmaid who caught the bouquet, but at the last minute, the DJ switched the bridesmaid with the groom’s grandmother and the groomsman (who was blindfolded) proceeded to put the garter on Grandma’s leg. It was hilarious!

Last but not least, I knew that David was set on smashing cake in my face during the cake cutting, so I came prepared! I wore a plastic poncho backwards and used the hood to cover my face…somehow I still got some cake on my face…

The way Maital felt in her wedding dress

Elegant, Glamorous, Bridal

 Why Maital decided to sell her wedding dress

I don’t plan on wearing it again, and it would be a shame to have it sit in a box. I’m planning on giving the money back to my parents (who originally bought the dress for me).

Maital’s wedding dress: Pricilla of Boston, RN 18258

Photography: Doug @ Furious Photography