Adaya and Keshet were still in Israel together when Adaya's mother first contacted me about performing their wedding ceremony.  They were very keen to have a civil ceremony in Australia (Adaya's home country) rather than a religious ceremony in Israel and we started our planning by emailing each other before their arrival in Perth.  Adaya and Keshet are a gorgeous young couple, so much in love and it was such a great pleasure to work with them to create the sort of ceremony they really wanted.  They were married at her parents' house with just Mum, Dad and her two brothers present. 

The magic of Skype

Keshet's mother and grandmother were both in Israel on the day of the ceremony and so to make sure they could participate, Keshet arranged for Sharon and Sylvie to join us via Skype.  Isn't technology wonderful?  The mothers of the bride and groom were able to chat to each other 'in person' before the ceremony began - a lovely few moments as the technology was tested.  We manouvered the laptop and inbuilt camera, dealt with the strong breeze (aka The Fremantle Doctor for those not from Perth), plugged in a microphone and hey presto, the number of guests almost doubled!  Keshet's brother in London unfortunately will have to watch the video.....

A celebration in Hebrew

Adaya and Keshet and ther families are equally as fluent in English and in Hebrew, but Hebrew is their first language and was the language of everyone present at the ceremony (well, except me.....).  While the legal components of the ceremony were in English, Adaya and Keshet decided they wanted to write their own personal vows  and say them to each other in Hebrew.  I didn't need an English translation to know exactly how they felt about each other and as they heard those vows for the first time, everyone present felt the pure joy and love between them.

After much 'kissing of the bride' and congratulations, we completed the legal paperwork, still with Keshet's mother and grandmother looking on via the laptop.  Unfortunately Skype's cleverness didn't exist to sharing the family dinner that followed at The Old Brewery.....

Congratulations to a gorgeous couple.  I know I will bump into you around the place and I look forward to hearing of your adventures 'sailing on the high seas' together.

Ann XX