If ever there was a goosebump-inducing how-we-met-and-got-engaged story, Katie and Aviad’s is it, girls. These two met, reconnected and became engaged overseas. The last bit happened on a cliff. Overlooking the magnificent blue of the Mediterranean Sea.

After that super special moment, they set about planning their wedding at Grace Winery…while living in Israel. Thank goodness Katie’s mom is an amazing wedding planner by proxy (as you’ll read below)!

How did Aviad propose?

From Katie:

“There is a little backstory to where Aviad proposed! Aviad and I met almost four years ago in Israel, where we currently live! I was on a ten-day trip to Israel called Birthright and Aviad was a soldier in the Israeli Defense Force. We met on one of the days of my trip and fell in love instantly! After a year apart, I ended up moving back to Israel to teach English where Aviad and I reconnected! He proposed a year later on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, where we actually had our first kiss! He told me we were going to a friend’s birthday party on the beach (he was wearing dress pants which I though was a little strange!). When we got to the beach his friends blindfolded me and led me up a giant hill. When they finally took the blindfold off, I saw candles, flowers, and Aviad standing at the top of the cliff! It was extremely intimate and romantic!“

wedding dress: Lea-Ann Belter Diana via  Lovely Bride Philadelphia | photographer: Lauren Fair Photography | scroll down for full vendor list

How did you choose your gown?

“When I went to my dress appointment at Lovely Bride in Philadelphia, I already knew I wanted a blush gown and nothing extremely puffy. What was so funny is I actually hated all the dresses I tried on that had a straight silhouette , which I thought I would have loved! The woman who worked at Lovely Bride brought out the blush Diana dress and I was instantly obsessed! My very opinionated family and friends also knew it was the dress right away! In all the other dresses I felt like I was going to a formal event, but in my dress I really felt like a bride. I also loved how timeless the dress was; I knew that if I looked back in 10, 20, or even 50 years, I would still love how elegant and classic my dress was.“

Tell us about your day! Did you have a theme or style in mind?

“What I want to say first is that my mother is the greatest woman alive because she planned the wedding. Due to the fact that I live in Israel and there is a 7-hour difference, my mom had to make a lot of the decisions without me. Luckily, we have the same taste so I trusted everything she did! We wanted a “romantic rustic” wedding. Our wedding venue was so beautiful on its own that we focused mainly on just adding flowers and candles. We wanted to use jewel tones and greenery.

I know it’s extremely cliche to say “our wedding day was an absolute dream” but it really was! Aviad and I decided that we didn’t want a big wedding and we wanted all of our guest to be people we genuinely cared about. Since we live in Israel, we aren’t able to see our family and friends very often, so our wedding gave us the opportunity to see people we hadn’t seen in years! This created an incredible atmosphere throughout the night. We both had small bridal parties, which only included our siblings and one friend. It was an extremely emotional day filled with love! We had a Jewish ceremony which included a signing of the ketubah and a ceremony under a chuppah.

We really wanted people to have fun at our wedding and dance! Our band was incredible! They even had someone come and sing a few songs in Hebrew for our extended family who had traveled all the way from Israel! It really was a night to remember!”

What was your funniest wedding memory?

“There were two really funny things that happened throughout our wedding weekend. I would say the funniest memory is that Aviad and I left our marriage license at our house 45 minutes away! We had to have a neighbor bring it to the ceremony! Also, my mom bought us one of those beautiful blue velvet ring boxes for the ceremony. Before we left for our venue, I went to go find the box only to discover my 70-pound golden doodle decided to eat the corner of the box! We still decided to use the box!“

Five words to describe your significant other:

Aviad: Thoughtful, romantic, kind, funny, loving
Katie: loving, beautiful, funny, considerate, thoughtful

Any advice for future brides/grooms?

“My cousin gave me a great piece of advice on the night of our rehearsal dinner. He said during the wedding you are going to be talking to everyone and so busy, but take a few seconds throughout the night and say to your new husband or wife ”We just got married!” I made sure to do this several times!“

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

“We spent a week in Stowe, Vermont at a lovely resort!”

Katie + Aviad’s Grace Winery Wedding Vendors

wedding dress: Lovely Bride Philadelphia | photographer: Lauren Fair Photography | invitations: Papertree Studio | hair + makeup: Finlia Salon | venue: Grace Winery | florals: Belovely | band: American Deluxe Band | wedding cake: Nutmeg Cake Design | wedding coordination: Shannon Wellington Weddings

Were you a Lea-Ann Belter bride? We’d love to see your pictures and share your story! Email [email protected].