They invited a hall and hundreds of guests, and prepared for the big event of their lives • But then the corona arrived and the plans collapsed • and yet they decided to have a small canopy with dozens of guests • "No one knows when the virus will come out of our lives - so at least we had an exciting party"

• A wedding in the courtyard of a synagogue - Moore Mantin and Ran Baruch

  Photo: 

  Eyal Photos

"Happy with the wedding we had, another party will be held like a king"

Karin and Aviv Shalom We got married in the yard of a house in Moshav

It started as an event with 600 guests and ended with a small wedding, with a few dozen guests, in the backyard of a moshav house.

"A wedding for me is the happiest event a person can have," shares Karin Shalom (26).

Karin and her husband, Aviv Shalom, 26, planned to get married on May 20 in one of the largest halls in Be'er Sheva. "The corona virus came into our lives after the event was scheduled and invitations had already been sent. We did not know what to do. There were many family discussions, dilemmas, and thoughts on what to do," says Karin, "we had a choice: either cancel it and postpone it to another date, and it was not possible. Because no one knows when we will return to normal reality without a corona; or marry, according to the guidelines, and rejoice in our part with when few family members. We chose the second option. The dilemma was whether to have a canopy with a small party, or just a canopy, and a party after the corona leaves our lives We chose both. "

"The big problem was who to invite and who not to marry in the yard which is relatively small. The decision was difficult, on the way there were a lot of difficulties and tears. At the end of the day, we raised a canopy and wedding party at the end of the road, in the yard. There will be no children; only the closest family and closest friends. "In our opinion and in the opinion of many, we did a wedding something-something, and with the help of the name, if and when, there will be a first child, a party will be held like a king, also and especially for all those who missed the wedding. We are happy with the wedding we had, and we do not regret it. "

"We made the lemon the most magical lemonade there is"

Moore Mantin and Ren Baruch We got married in a synagogue plaza

From the moment they decided to commit to each other, Moore Mantin (26) and Ren Baruch (28) dreamed of a big wedding. "We wanted an event with all the loved ones we had collected over the course of our lives, all the friends, uncles and family. Unfortunately, the corona virus came and preyed on the cards.

"We found ourselves forced to reduce a large part of the guests to 250 people," say the couple, residents of Talmei Elazar, who got married on July 8. "This is an unpleasant dilemma: who to give up and who to leave. After dealing with the offset and passing it, we closed. But in those days we waited impatiently for the event. In those days the daily number of patients was very low and we did not think about the second wave and its consequences. Not long after, we got proportions and realized that the dilemma of cutting guests is nothing compared to what awaits us later. Six days before our event we attended a wedding where 250 guests were celebrating, and while we were there we announced that the number of attendees allowed was reduced to 50.

"We went into a spin. Our hall was closed and all its employees were taken to the IDF. We were left without a hall and had to cancel reservations for another 200 guests, who also had to choose tweezers. Instead of 'blowing everything up' and canceling, we came to our senses and recruited the family and friends who came together and helped us set up a quick wedding from scratch in three days. The destination we chose is the synagogue plaza in the moshav where we live. The photographer and the DJ came towards us and lowered themselves to the new and strange price and conditions. At the same time, we got new catering, rented ancillary equipment and we can definitely say that we made the lemon the most magical lemonade there is. So yes, there were only 50 guests, a few hundred less than we had planned, but despite the bass, in the bottom and most important line, we had a magical and precise event, with the closest people there and lots of joy. "

"We decided not to give up, so we got married in front of the sunset, only with the family"

Meitar Niv and Linui Mishaeli We got married in the backyard

The wedding of Meitar Niv (24) and Linoy Mishaeli (25) had to be a complete operation: not so much because of the number of guests, as because of the flight of some of them from Canada - the country from which Meitar immigrated five years ago. Because of the corona, the couple also had to look for creative solutions.

"At first, when the restrictions started and dropped to 100 people, we got into real predation," says Linoy. "You suddenly find yourself with all your plans canceled at the last minute. We got into a nightmare, because you have to call people and also decide who orders and who doesn't. , There are also people who have to go abroad and arrive. It was a very difficult situation. That way throughout Shabbat I was really under pressure to join in all the wedding preparations, which are tough anyway. But we made an effort to make the event in the hall. "

But the couple's troubles have only just begun. "On Saturday night, the world fell on us because the conventions were reduced to only 10 people," Linoy recalls. At this point the two decided that the hall would be canceled for this time, but they would do the wedding in any situation and would not give it up. "The rabbi said we could postpone, but we told ourselves that the wedding was the most important thing. We were looking for a yard, a place where an event could be held, and we decided that a separate happy event would be held later, in May or later.

"We happened to find Etty Halevi from Ashdod, an amazing woman who holds weddings in her yard on a full-time basis throughout the year, even without the corona. So, at sunset, just with the family, we got married on March 15. Still, we thought of doing an event for friends later. Dates, but the corona broke out again and again and we realized that at the moment there will be no more event. " The couple currently live in Ramat Gan, and Meitar is studying electrical engineering at Tel Aviv University.

"We thought to ourselves how exciting it can be to zoom in"

Rona Moore and Yariv Reichenberg We got married at Surge Beach

Couples who had to get married during the Corona period went through a difficult period that included postponing weddings and limiting to a limited number of guests. In view of the recent restrictions on having weddings with only 20 guests, Rona Moore and Yariv Reichenberg from Tel Aviv decided to get married last Monday at Nachsholim Beach. Since the number of guests was limited, the wedding was "broadcast" on Zoom.

Rona told "Israel Today": "Originally we were supposed to get married last Thursday in a hall with about 350 guests. After that the guidelines changed and then the number of guests dropped to 250 people and then to 50 people. We were looking to close somewhere else, but we did not deliver and the quantity It went down to 20 people two weeks before the wedding and we thought more about the direction of dinner instead of conferences. "

Rona had almost given up: "I wanted to cancel the wedding already, and then my friends came up with the idea to do the wedding at Nachsholim Beach. Nachsholim Hotel was very kind to us and allowed us to do the canopy at sunset at the beach. We brought a traditional canopy and we had an amazing canopy at sunset. We picked up during the week and only the nuclear family and guests were present. "

The period with the many changes made it impossible for an opponent's brother who lives in the US to attend the wedding.

She said, "His brother was supposed to arrive from the U.S. two weeks before the original wedding to be in solitary confinement. From there the idea of ​​the sea came up, and he said he would be with us at the Zoom wedding. There was no production at the wedding. One of the friends ran the event in Zoom and he was the announcer. One friend made me up, one friend decorated and Yariv's friends helped with the lighting. We thought to ourselves how exciting it can be to zoom in, so 70 people attended the wedding.

"I was skeptical and did not know how much it would go through. We were afraid they would not hear well because of the wind, but we received feedback that the excitement crossed the screen. His brother was very excited about the wedding."

Rona summed up the different wedding experience: "It was a perfect experience, and I think in retrospect it was the most fun. We celebrated 24 hours, and stayed with our best friends."

"We made a canopy near the building, our uncles and neighbors stood on the balconies"

Miri Gonen and Avi Dayan We got married near Miri's parents' house in Lod

Miri Gonen and Avi Dayan from Tel Aviv also found a creative solution to get married, despite the corona crisis. These were married near the residence of Miri's parents in Lod. Miri told Israel Today: "We were supposed to get married on March 22 at Harmony in the Garden with 350 guests. These days it was allowed to hold an event for only 10 guests, so we decided to hold a canopy and postpone the wedding party. We did a canopy nearby. The building was outside, and our uncles and neighbors were standing on the balconies.

"We met on the dating site 'Third of Heaven'. I am 32 years old and my father is 37. We are glad we have each other after a long time of searching for a relationship.

"We did not think for a moment to postpone the canopy itself, and it was planned that morning. We brought a canopy from the rabbinate and my uncle and my cousin were in charge of the production. In addition, they brought balloons and flowers.

"Those who stood on the balconies received balloons and inflated them in the air at the end of the canopy. At the canopy I did not wear my original wedding dress. I asked my seamstress for another dress, I invited a photographer and someone in charge of the music. "Meters apart. It was hallucinatory."

Miri added: "My sister-in-law uploaded the canopy on Facebook Live, and all the family and friends watched a live broadcast. Everyone was excited. They said it was the most exciting wedding they had been to. Even people I don't know and saw the wedding on Facebook sent me messages that they were very excited."

She also says that "it was my uncle's and my cousin's idea. They told us you could have a wedding at a neighborhood playground. There are a lot of buildings around with balconies and the idea was that cousins ​​and uncles who can't get to the wedding because of the restrictions, will see the wedding from afar More people. I understood that this is the situation and that the best needs to be spent. "

Asked if they were planning another event soon, she replied: "We then postponed August 9 and that is our date. It is still unclear what is happening and I want to check what is happening with the hall. Still, I have a wedding dress that I have not worn yet."

Participated in the preparation of the article: Liran Oheli, Assaf Golan, Hayali Yaakovi-Handelsman and Gadi Golan