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Keeping with Tradition – Lisa and Gidon
This is the story of Lisa and Gidon. My version that is. The first thing to note is that Lisa and Gidon were the very first Traditional Jewish wedding planned by the team at White Rabbit Projects. To me this was such a tremendous honour and of course a leap of faith for them as client and me as the planner. Lisa and I often laughed and agreed that this was certainly a good path-way into planning Jewish weddings, and I very much look forward to many more Mazel Tov’s in the future.
Here are some beautiful traditions that I learned thanks to Lisa whilst planning this very special day. It really was just that and I feel very blessed to have witnessed this day especially.
Bedeken - Before the ceremony, the Bedeken takes place where the Groom places the veil over the Bride’s face, reciting a blessing. This ritual comes from the biblical story of Rebecca, who when she first saw Isaac across the field, took her veil and covered her face as a sign of her exclusive commitment to him. Lisa and Gidon chose to do the bedeken in the presence of only a few close friends and family to preserve the intimacy of the moment. A signal that the wedding celebration has begun.
Ketubah - The Jewish tradition of the Ketubah (marriage contract) is over two thousand years old. It can be written in ancient Aramaic, modern Hebrew or English, and it outlines the groom’s responsibility to and for the bride. Today the Ketubah is more a declaration of love and commitment.
Chuppah - The wedding ceremony takes place under the chuppah (hu-pah) which is the wedding canopy that symbolises among other things, the home the Bride and Groom are creating together. Its sides are open to and supported by friends, family, and community. One reason why there are no walls is that this openness is an expression that marriage, though exclusive and inviolable, is not a closed system. The family is part of a community, the community part of the world.
Symbolically, the simple, fragile roof reminds us “to live content with small means: to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy not respectable, and wealthy not rich”. It also shows that the marriage is the establishment of a home, an island or sanity and serenity. The chuppah is a legal instrument and the Talmud considers it biblically required for marriage.
Seven Circles - Custom has the bride, as she arrives under the chuppah, circling the groom seven times. The number seven is important in the Jewish wedding ceremony as it represents the seven days of creation. It also has a Kabbalistic (Jewish mysticism) significance. The ancient custom of the bride circling the groom seven times was seen as a means of protection, the bride creating an invisible wall to protect the groom from evils. Today, the circling may also be seen as a way to bind the couple together and symbolise the creation of a new family circle.
Kiddushin - The wedding celebration is composed of two distinct and successive ceremonies: betrothal/engagement (kiddushin) and nuptials/marriage (nissuin). Wine is the symbol of joy in the Jewish tradition and is associated with the Kiddush (the sanctification prayer recited on the Sabbath and festivals). After the initial blessing over the wine, the rabbi recites the betrothal blessing.
Nissuin – The second half of the wedding ceremony and consists of the Shevah B’rachot (Seven Blessings). The blessings cover many themes – the creation of the world and of humanity, the survival of the Jewish people and of Israel, the marriage, the couple’s happiness and the raising of the family. It puts the state of marriage into a dynamic relationship with the beginning and end of history
Breaking of the Glass – The ceremony traditionally ends with the groom stomping on a wine glass. There is a lot of symbolism about this act – It reminds us that although this is a happy time in our lives, joy cannot exist without the sadness of the destruction of the temple, times of expulsion and more recently the Holocaust. Even at the moment of life’s greatest joy, there is still great darkness in the world which we must continue to repair. It also says that just as the shattered glass can never be repaired, marriage changes a couple permanently – in their own eyes and in the eyes of the world. This is also the conclusion of the ceremony where guests shout Mazal Tov (good fortune).
Venue – Sydney Polo Club, Richmond
Photography + Videography – Starr
Entertainment – Brett Martin (Reception) and Lonely Swingers (Ceremony)
Flowers – Wilder
Catering – L’Amour
Cars – HF Weddings
Wedding Planning and Styling – ‘Us’
Style it like a stylist…
One of the best parts of being a Wedding Planner is helping people to develop their look and feel for their day whilst uncovering the most cost effective ways of achieving their over all styling objectives
If, you are at the very beginning of your planning journey and already found yourself in a rut and don’t know where to begin, here are a few personal tools I’d love to share with you on how to design your ‘look and feel’ for your wedding day and of course how to save money in the process.
1. Grab two pieces of A4 paper. Some scissors and glue / for those tech-savvy you might like to create two pin boards instead. The first page/board will be filled with pictures/cut-outs of things you love and the other page/board will be filled with things you loathe i.e. in a wedding. For instance, you love the colour pistachio and an outdoor ceremony archway but you loathe round tables or tall centrepieces. Include as much as you possibly can.
2. Once you’ve got your Love’s and Loathe’s list out of the way. Next is to compartmentalise each stage of your day and break them up. First is the ceremony, followed by canapé hour then the reception and of course all of the details that go in between [invitations, cars, drinks station, kiddies area, wishing well table etc...] I often use powerpoint to do this FYI.
3. Now that you have a clear indication of your wedding day and how it will look (aesthetically speaking that is), now it’s time to lock hire companies that will suit your brief. Start making enBare in mind that sometimes it is cheaper to purchase smaller items i.e. cushions etc…]. A lot of people are more visual and if you present your mood-board to each of your suppliers whilst they might not have exactly what you are after once they have an image in mind they might know where to send you OR better have a similar alternative.
4. The one thing to do is to try and limit the amount of hire companites you engage for your wedding day. Why? Because each will have a delivery and collection fee. If you have multiple companies settting up furniture for yoru event your transport/labour costs could very easily go through the roof. Some allow a ‘Dry Hire’. This means you pick-up and return the goods yourself. Something to consider for those smaller items and or if you have a wedding out of town.
5. Lastly, do check with the venue that bump-out or collection of items has to be done that night or the following morning. Hire companies charge even more if they need to return after the event as it’s usually very late at night or early in the morning. You save a lot of money by having items collected on a weekday. If you’re wedding is on a Saturday, there’s no harm in asking the venue if a Monday collection is possible. It will save you money that you can spend elsewhere.
WRPx
Bali bound…
WHITE RABBIT PROJECTS is proud to inform you that we are currently taking bookings for brides-to-be planning on having their destination wedding in Bali, Indonesia…
Uncovering and bringing together the best possible teams from afar is an overwhelming task to embark on alone, even for us Wedding Planners. Thankfully though after ten months of research we’ve managed to find some pretty awesome people. We are always looking out for new hidden talent though… the hunt never ends!
On that note, just recently Lara Hotz (one of our favourite photographers that is) emailed me and I wanted to share this exciting news and a fabulous opportunity with all those brides-to-be out there getting married in Bali.
The good news is that Lara will be travelling for work to Bali from the 7th – 24th June 2014…
This means that for those brides whose wedding falls within the above dates that if you wish to book this incredible talent to capture your wedding day then the travel destination fees are on them.
As a destination bride-to-be myself, this is a cost that often turns most brides from having the photographer of their dreams. But now, this is no longer the case.
Contact the team at Lara Hotz Photography today to take up this fabulous offer and if you are in need of a planner or stylist then you know where to find us!
Bree x
About Lara Hotz
“At Lara Hotz Photography we believe photography is a way of telling stories. It’s about capturing moments and finding beauty in unlikely places at its best when underscored by truth. An art of observation and interpretation we draw inspiration from the love, laughter, characters and atmosphere aiming to document the story as it unfolds in a natural and unobtrusive way. But most importantly, we want to get to know you. It’s your story after all. We want you to feel comfortable with us, be yourselves and have fun so that we can give you images that reflect who you are.
Entertaining with Elle…
What are your hobbies? My ‘hobbies’ (when I get the time) include writing, reading magazines and looking at vintage books on the 60′s and 70′s, Interiors, Society and of course the Art of Entertaining. Entertaining is quite possibly my most favourite topic of conversation, that and Weddings of course…
So… it was no surprise that flicking open the freshly printed pages of Elle Australia and its highly anticipated October Issue did I find myself sweetly succumbing to its ‘Party’ pages… gasp!
Case in point. The thing I love about Elle and unlike most publications, the reader is not only privvy to the ‘Who’ but they are also informed on all those juicy details i.e. The music, food, decor and trends. Elle manages to present all this uber import-ante information to us via two crisply assembled pages. Seamlessly mind you.
You see, the little details are what keeps us Planners and Stylists super-inspired and loving what we do every day. Creating and being inspired. Without having instant access to what’s hot on the global-stage via a VIP Invitation, which let’s face it, unless you’re Anna Wintour or Karl Lagerfield who does. Thanks to Elle for bringing us along for the ride…
Look, I have always been very aware of how the other half lives and well, here’s a secret. They’re still living exactly how I had imagined… fabulously that is!
Want to read a ‘How-to’ guide on throwing a party that’s quote: ‘Part French, part Italian and part Snoop Dogg?’ Head to pages 375-376 now.
Bree x
Save money / Hire a Wedding Planner
[Todd Fiscus, Event Director at Todd Events]
White Rabbit Projects plans exciting weddings and events all-year-round. Our creative and planning process is very simple. It goes a little something like this…
First we get an enquiry then a brief of what the client requires from us. Next we get to work on providing a proposal and quotation and if we are lucky we win the job. Then we get to work on mood-board preparations, budgets and sourcing items for our clients special day.
Throughout the briefing process we request our clients send through visuals. This is the BEST and ONLY way we can ensure that everyone is on the same page. Managing peoples expectations is paramount. Avoiding disappointment is key.
Creativity is open to a world of interpretation, therefore it is really important that we get this part right. Alot of time goes into this and often goes unnoticed. The things is that there is no dress-rehearsal for an event. Therefore to avoid disasters on the day and phrases like; “This wasn’t what I envisaged”, we rely heavily on clients sending us to sites like their Pinterest pages/ Blogs and Magazine clippings so we can get an idea of their style and taste.
Opening Pandoras box cue Pinterest can cause a world of conflict though. You see, when someone brings us an image of an event that took place overseas like in the USA or in countries where it’s a lot cheaper to get your hands on gasp-worthy decorations and flowers this is where things start to get a bit tricky.
In the USA; Venues, Suppliers and Hire Goods are infinitely cheaper than they are here in Australia. Fact. Clients need to understand that we essentially are not comparing apples to apples and this even for us is quite difficult to get our own heads around.
It goes without saying that we ourselves often reference American Event Designers i.e. Preston Bailey and Martha Stewart for a world of inspiration. We just love how Americans plan their events. They’re bigger, more colourful, often themed and perfect for the guest whose ‘seen it all’.
Unfortunately though the Wedding industry happens to charge a fraction of what we do here in Australia and hence there being a greater demand for Wedding and Event Planners in the USA.
Whilst Australia brides-to-be in Australia are still warming up to the idea of hiring a Wedding Planner for their big day. We are still deemed a ‘Luxury’ item and sadly an unnecessary expense when planning a wedding. It’s a hurdle that we are slowly overcoming and people are gradually warming up to the idea that we are on their side and want them to get the most from their well earned cash.
Still some unfortunately think that a Wedding Planner is reserved for those individuals who own a wallet the size of Packer. The truth is that, well this is just not true.
Organising and Event here in Australia is actually one of the most cost-saving items you can engage in ahead of your big day.
Recently we had a prospective client who we managed to save her a small fortune. She was about to spend an unnecessary amount on a particular supplier who should have known better. Luckily she met us just in time and prior to booking this supplier and in that moment our fee was totally negated due to this cost saving activity meaning we cost her literally nothing.
You see, the age old adage of spending money to save money is more apparent in our industry than ever. Whilst many would beg to differ, we open people’s minds and present them with valuable ways, tricks and tools on how to shave thousands of dollars of their wedding.
Recently we came across this fabulous interview on Martha Stewart Weddings with Mr Todd Fiscus. Fiscus is a Texas based Event Director and Founder of Todd Events. Fiscus clearly has flamboyancy running through his veins and we just love his confident and colourful eye. In this candid interview he shares with the reader how they too can save money by hiring a wedding planner. We couldn’t agree with him more…
If you are considering planning a wedding and going it alone, contact us first for a complimentary consultation. See how we too can end up saving you cash and spending time having fun!
Read and be inspired!
http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/226702/expert-advice-event-designer
Bree x
KERRY AND ANGELO
An Aspiring Planner
My name is Olivia and I have been coming in once a week as a work experience student for White Rabbit Projects since March of this year. Kerry and Angelo’s wedding was a first for me on two counts. It was both the first wedding I had ever assisted on, and as a bit of a country girl from out west, it was also the first time I’d ever been to Rose Bay.
The Venue; The Sailors Club, was beautiful. The combination of the windows, water, and long candle lit table created a spectacular intimate line down the middle of the main dining room. The table was decorated with petite bottles of patron and fresh fragrant florals.The Bride was stunning in her strapless gown and made a seamless change before dinner into an elegant new dress. The guests sipped mojitos with fresh mint and enjoyed themselves, and the party atmosphere.
The night, overall was something I immensely enjoyed being a part of, it was beautifully put together, and beautifully executed. It was a night that reminded me why I want to become a wedding planner, and the real art to this fantastic and vibrant world.
Rhea and Andrew
When I received a call from Rhea I knew that this was a one of a kind wedding that I just had to be a part of.
To let you in on a little secret, the team here at White Rabbit Projects quite frequently drop a tear. Rhea and Andrew’s wedding was no exception.
Not only were Rhea and Andrew’s vision crystal clear from our initial meeting but the chemistry between them both… well… it was always destined to be a day full of happy tears.
You know that famous closing scene in The Graduate where Benjamin (Dustan Hoffmann) decides he must go after Elaine (Katharine Ross) whose getting married downtown and takes it upon himself to literally steal the bride and run off into the distance and live happily ever after?
Something took us back to that exact time and place. The setting of the church the 50′s muscle cars. Something charming about the day, and almost not of this era.
Enough said. Hopefully we’ve managed to set the mood for this beautiful story to now unfold. Thanks to our visual storyteller Matthew Mead – who managed to eloquently sum the day up pretty well don’t you think?
All the very best to you both Mr and Mrs Mara
WRPx
Jordana and Tom
Jordana + Tom
Jordana and I met at the end of last year via a mutual friend. A budding florist who recently branched out with a business fittingly called WILDER - keep an eye out for this lady. Jordana’s creativity and eye for style is born out of many years spent in the Fashion industry.
Talented on all accounts – Jordana and Tom’s wedding day was nothing short of breathtaking. Whilst it took a village to get it off the ground – the result was sublime.
Thanks to Jordana and Tom and their families for letting us share this special day and for allowing us to share some truly gorgeous footage captured by the talented Elisse Hassey.
THE SUNSET ROOM WATSONS BAY BOUTIQUE HOTEL
More often than not, we pinch ourselves and think ‘boy, how lucky are we’. Today was certainly no exception.
After ascending up the windy New South Head Road and arriving at Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, we found ourselves in amongst some familiar territory but change was in the air.
Very shortly after landing a rock star park, we were greeted by one dapper gent – decked out in sailor stripes and gatsby comb over – why, it was the perfect sense of arrival. Into the building we were escorted and not long after in our immediate distance we were nothing short of in complete awe. Welcome to the ‘Sunset Room’.
Imagine Carrie and Mr Big had a getaway in the Hampton’s for one minute – this dear friends would be it!
To launch the latest extension of the recently evolving Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel to media and bridal industry types – as invited guests, it really was such an honour. Hosted by our dear friends at EVHPR – the event was staged to absolute perfection (as expected). As cliche as it sounds. We didn’t want to leave. It was that good.
Here’s what went on;
Eat: Gourmet morsels worth writing about designed by Pete Evans tempted guests in amongst the Laduree French Patisserie ‘instillation’. Say no more.
Watch: Collette Dinnigan revealed 12 new season bridal looks to 60 bridal industry leaders and media.
Do: Meander around the Sunset Room and eye out the beautifully styled space. Every corner, nook was well thought out and totally fitting with its surround. If ever a venue did all the thinking for you – this is it! The Sunset Room requires minimal styling which is such a dream come true to any bride-to-be.
Feel: Crisp white walls, grey timber flooring, a stunning marble bar and nautical finishings designed by Jeremy Bull.
See: Miss Sydney Harbour, Fraser Short and Arthur Laundy – Owners of Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, Collette Dinnigan, Natasha Silva-Jelly – Harpers BAZAAR, Wendy El-Khoury – Wedded Wonderland, Alison Parr – Fab Sugar, Emily Boughton – White Magazine, Rebecca Lau – White Runway.
WRPx
PS Brides-to-be – please see this venue for yourself. It’s hands down on our top five wedding venues of choice. Anyone who knows us knows that we are harsh critics. Take our word and go see for yourself this weekend!
Watsons Bay Wedding
Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel’s wedding showcase will be held this weekend 25 & 26 May from noon to 5pm. This weekend’s A Watsons Bay Wedding partners include; Collette Dinnigan bridal, Confection Pantry, Blumenthal Photography, Ladurée Sydney, Kavelle Flowers, Décor of Distinction, Ion Events, Kombi Celebrations, Willowlane Stationery, The Britstop, Silver Lining, Sydney Wedding DJs, Harp Music & Latitude Charters. Guests can meet Pete Evans on Saturday between 12-2pm and enjoy a personal menu tasting. There will also be cake tastings, champagne, canapés and plenty of inspirational wedding ideas. Entry to the weekend showcase event is free.
Visitors to Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel who book the Grand Bridal Suite will receive a complimentary consultation at the Collette Dinnigan Woollahra boutique with a complimentary glass of Moët & Chandon champagne.
KRISTIN AND CHRIS
WHITE RABBIT PROJECTS was thrilled to be part of Kristin + Chris’s dream wedding planning team and were even more excited to see their wedding feature in the Winter issue of Cosmopolitan Bride.
Kristin contacted us to assist with the on-the day co-ordination of her wedding. A super organised bride she had all basis covered except no one to assist with executing suppliers and flow of events on the day. That’s where we stepped in and as we put it ‘were Kristin’s eyes and ears on the day!’.
If you haven’t already – hit up your local newsagent and get this season’s issue of Cosmopolitan Bride.
WRPx
