The Couple: Erika & Yaniv
Wedding Date: September 1
Photography by Sarah Duncklee Photography
Tell us a little about you and your beloved: We met in the airport in NYC, though Yaniv doesn’t remember! We traveled together for ten days in Israel. By the end of the trip I realized that I wouldn’t be coming home anytime soon. We moved in together, and our happily ever after started. We lived in Israel, we lived in the U.S., we traveled across the U.S. by train and across the Americas by motorcycle. We worked and we played. Somewhere along the way we got engaged, and started planning for the future and making our dreams come true.
What was the most amazing part of your day? Standing under the Chuppah together, surrounded by our family, gazing out at our friends.
What else would you like to share about your big day? This wedding was truly a DIT (do it together) event. Our entire community, our friends and our family pulled together to help us and make our wedding into a giant love fest. People came from New York, Israel, New Mexico, Portland, L.A., and many other places to be with us. Some friends led the Friday night Shabbat service, which was so special, and we spent the whole weekend hanging out, eating and playing, and we couldn’t have been happier.
Ceremony Site: Everyone walked through Bidwell park together to a small grove surrounded by Redwoods.
Reception Venue: Originally we were planning to have a small camping wedding near Lake Almanor. Two weeks before the wedding our campsite was closed down due to a massive wildfire in the area. We were able to switch to the co-housing community that I grew up in, which turned out to be amazing and the best possible outcome.
Photographer: Sarah Duncklee Photography
Videographer: Adi Hadas, TJ Moorehouse & Geert Hendricks
Make-up & Hair: Tiffany Chavez stepped up to the plate and made me beautiful!
Bridal Attire: After a few online ordering disasters, I was lucky enough to be able to borrow a gorgeous wedding dress from a friend. The veil and hair flower were borrowed from the Gordons.
Invitations: Yaniv made wood print invitations based on his drawings.
Flowers: The beautiful bouquets and boutonniere were graciously provided by Mollie Thorniley and driven down from Portland! My MOH and I woke up at 6 a.m. and went to the local farmer’s market — we bought buckets and buckets of flowers, stuffed them in the car, then handed them off to my aunt, cousins and friends to arrange.
Caterer: Elliot Alden and friends. We were so so lucky that Elliot and Wyatt and Sam agreed to take on this massive project, the food that they cooked was so delicious! Also so many of our friends and relatives pitched in to help prep and clean. We are so thankful to all of them.
Cake: Our good friend Jim Monaco baked amazing pies. Apple, pecan, key lime… all of our favorites.
DJ/Entertainment/Band: Our good friend Ashley Daly made us a rocking playlist.
Honeymoon Location: Going to Cyprus soon!
First Dance Song: “When I Fall In Love” by Bill Evans
Any other of your wedding vendor(s) you’d like to call out? All of the people of Valley Oaks Village who helped us host our guests, who came and helped and danced and cleaned and celebrated with us. Julie and Brad for making beautiful music. My mom for turning her house into wedding central, Yaniv’s mom for being our wedding fairy, and our brothers for all of their help and support. The Gordons for the amazing bottle dance from Fiddler on the Roof. And of course, Heidi Harod, for creating such a beautiful and meaningful ceremony, and helping us get married.
Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now? Try to keep some perspective and don’t get to caught up in the hype.
Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance? Not a thing!
Photos courtesy of and copyright Sara Duncklee Photography.
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