creative jewish mom

The Fabulous Gold Wedding Ring Shaped Like A House!

Right now on the Jewish calendar we are in a period of mourning called "the Omer" during which weddings do not take place, or at the least only after the 33rd day (of 49) in some Sephardic communities. Of course there is no reason not to talk about the amazing house shaped wedding ring that while not used today (there was a contemporary jeweler making some in small batches) it sure should be as in my eyes it is downright fantastic!

The Jewish house wedding ring originated in Medievel Europe, dating back to the 14th century, about 400 years after rings began to be used in Jewish wedding ceremonies in the 10th century. The house ring consists of a miniature model of a house or temple instead of a gemstone, and while early rings were quite simple, they became very very ornate over time. The house, like the huppah, is thought to have symbolized a couple’s new home together. Because of their ornateness, these rings were probably not used for every day and many have bands that make them nearly impossible to actually wear, so it’s not clear when exactly during the betrothal period or ceremony they were worn. Unfortunately there is no one around today who can fill us in, but keep reading to learn more!

Stunning Floral Arrangements For A Rustic Chuppah

Last night we had the great pleasure of attending the wedding of a 2nd cousin at a kibbutz wedding venue just outside of Ranana, Israel, and I shared the photos of the stunning rustic chuppah earlier. Now, lets take a closer look at those floral arrangements which really pulled the whole chuppa look together. Not to mention that all the women/girls in the wedding party wore burgundy dresses, a wonderful choice. While decorating a chuppa with real flowers may not be the most budget friendly choice, it sure is lovely! Here in Israel actually, to cut down on the cost of fresh flowers on tables, for example, and behind the bridal chair, real flowers are often placed together with faux flowers, say covering topiaries or arches, and it can look quite good as well, so do consider that option, if you want to maximize your budget! This wedding even had party favors, which I will share soon. Okay lets take a closer look at those arrangements, come along!

A Stunning Rustic Chuppa Under The Stars

Last night we were so thrilled to attend the stunning and so very festive wedding of my husband's cousin's daughter, at a wedding venue on a kibbutz in Naan, Israel, not far from Ranana. There were so many smiles at this wedding of at least 500 guests, it was truly special! We made a wonderful new connection with a distant cousin we had never met, (and who lives in Israel) and were happy to see the Aunts and cousins of the bride who were able to fly in from Canada. Needless to say I invited quite a few of these second and third cousins (including the new couple) to come to our home for Shabbat, and I do hope they will take us up on it! Hear me cousins? Lest I digress, I wanted to share with you the gorgeous rustic chuppah, as something like this is so simple to construct, and so lovely for those seeking something rustic! A few years ago I also shared a lovely rustic bamboo chuppa, that can be easily set up anywhere, so have a peek at that here. I've also shared a post on the chuppa flower arrangements as I just had to highlight them! Lets zoom out to see the surroundings, shall we?

A Gorgeous Candy Topped Engagement Cake

Want to make a really stunning cake that will surely bring oohs and aahs all around? The candy and cookies topped cake trend is just the thing, especially for folks like me who do not want to spend hours on a cake! And one could surely buy an iced cake, even a high cheese cake from the grocery store and simply decorate the top. "Simply" meaning assuming you have an assortment of really great looking candy and cookies, which, if we in our somewhat remote Northern Israel location can purchase at the store, you surely can!

Before I continue, let me just say, I did not bake and decorate this cake, but my teen daughter did, with a friend, together with the friend's semi-professional cake baking sister. My daughter's school had been cancelled but we hadn't started taking the strictest measures to prevent the spread of the Corona virus, so when daughter asked to go to a friend's house to learn how to ice a fancy cake I said yes, after all my daughter loves making desserts and this was an opportunity to learn something new. And, the cake they were to make was to give to friend for her engagement party dessert table that same week. In the end the engagement party was cancelled, but my daughter delivered the cake to her friend just the same, an amazing act of kindess at a time like this.

Of course before that cake went out the door we (myself and daughter who is delving into photography a bit) took some photos to share with you! Now sure would be a great time to learn some new skills in the kitchen, whether it be fancy cake decorating (my daughter) or possibly setting up a way to make our own sprouts (me), right?

A Gorgeous And Rustic Bamboo Chuppah For An Israeli Wedding

The Jewish wedding ceremony is held under a chuppah, and while once chuppahs consisted of four wooden poles with a Tallis or embroidered velvet roof piece, today many prefer a free standing chuppah. I attended a friend's wedding just a week before Rosh HaShana, and was completely in awe of the gorgeous rustic yet elegant bamboo chuppah adorned with lovely floral arrangements. Truly stunning and wonderful inspiration for a chuppah or even for an outdoor event of some kind, or maybe even a succah? The color of the fabric was perfect and the floral arrangements truly complemented the look. And since this was a chuppah with a mountain view, well the whole thing was just wow! Keep on reading for some more photos!