Weddings!

If you're reading this, you probably already know that Michal and I were recently married. But because we held two ceremonies, one in Israel and one in California, very few people attended both events. So, as a prelude to a series of posts about our month-long honeymoon in Vietnam, I'm posting some photos from both weddings.

First, the Israeli wedding:

"The Big Reveal" - just before I saw Michal in her wedding dress for the first time.

I approved.

I mean, seriously, who wouldn't?

We did a pre-wedding photo shoot, of course.

Things got a little silly.

Or perhaps very silly.

 The weather turned threatening..

..so we relocated.

These photos were all taken in Sarona Market, where there was a terrorist attack only a few days ago.

The rain storm that had just passed and the setting sun made everything glow.

Our drivers insisted on appearing in a photo with us. It's so hard to find good help these days.

Tres chic.

Of course, we had to take a silly one.

Finally, we've gotten to the important part: pictures of baby Inbal (and Asher).

Here's Inbal again (and Maya).

Both families.

 Just the Americans (plus Michal).

Just the Israelis (plus me).

Michal's grandparents (Asher's parents) Nissan and Aliza.

Just the young, ahem, gentlemen. What did I say earlier about the help? Mhmm.

The young ladies were much more dignified.

 Walking up to the chuppah.

Michal doing the same.

Michal waiting for me..

..here I am.

Approaching the chuppah together.

There were quite a few people.

They were quite attentive.

All of us: bride and groom, parents of the couple, and the officiant (don't call him a rabbi) under the chuppah. Here, Michal is reading a few lines from our ketubah.

 Israeli marriage ceremonies end quite dramatically, with the breaking of a glass.

That look on my face is intense relief that I didn't screw up breaking the glass.

After that it was pretty much just drinking, eating and dancing. We have more than 500 pictures from this portion of the evening, but they're all pretty much the same. It was a good time, and if you weren't there, I wish you could have been.

Drinking.

Dancing.

It wouldn't be a Jewish wedding if the couple weren't hoisted up in chairs and nearly dropped! I automatically adopted a bullriding stance, but Michal was less thrilled.

Her dress was designed for this moment.

Even though it was a Wednesday night, we kept going for quite a while.

All in all, it was a pretty great wedding.

I didn't intend this to be such a long post, so I'll do the American wedding photos separately. Stay tuned!