Tamsine Bekker and Kevin Harris first met through business connections. There was an instant connection and at the same moment they both knew that this would become something beautiful. Soon afterwards Kevin asked Tamsine out and the couple’s relationship grew stronger over the next few years. On a business trip to Australia Kevin had secretly planned a proposal and asked Tamsine to marry him under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. She was thrilled to finally be Kevin’s fiancé!

Clouds Villa, the beautiful Wine Estate and Guesthouse, in its Tuscan setting was where the couple chose to have their wedding. The celebrations were Jewish Orthodox with all the religious rituals being followed throughout the day. This provided a real atmosphere of celebration combined with the serious sacredness of marriage. The ceremony commenced with the signing of the Ketubah by the Bride and Groom, together with their two witnesses. Afterwards the veiling of the Bride by the Groom took place and they were ready to meet their guests. After everyone was seated inside the Pavilion at Clouds, the pole holders entered followed by the Rabbi, the Groom’s family, the Bride’s family and the Bridesmaids and finally Tamsine’s father escorted her down the aisle. The marriage ceremony was performed under a special canopy, called a Chuppa, which represents God's presence, shelter and protection.

The ceremony traditionally began with greetings to all present and to the Bride and Groom. Then the Erusin ceremony began with the Kiddush, the blessing over wine, followed by the Birkat Erusin, the betrothal blessings, after which the couple drank the wine. According to tradition, the central act of Erusin was Kevin’s giving and Tamsine’s acceptance of the ring and placing it on her finger and then the act being reciprocated by Tamsine to Kevin. After exchanging wedding vows, seven marriage blessings were read and the Groom stepped on a wine glass, to symbolize the fragility of human happiness and relationships, a hallmark of Jewish history. Tamsine’s sister also treated everyone to a beautiful song which was a very special moment during the ceremony for the couple.

With the ceremony completed, it is a Mitzvah -- a religious obligation -- of the guests present to bring joy to the heart of the new bride and her new husband! With this in mind, guests mingled around the pool feasting on delicious canapés and celebrated with glasses of bubbly and festive cocktails while congratulating the newly-weds. En route to the dinner area the party gathered on the lawn outside the Villa for the Hoorah. This is a lively Israeli dance where the Bride and Groom hold on to both end of a handkerchief and are lifted into the air on chairs by their joyful guests. This is where they are celebrated as ‘king’ and ‘queen’ for the night! Afterwards all the men gathered Kevin in a large cloth and tossed him into the air while the ladies looked on with squeals of delight. The next few minutes were spent dancing and singing while guests played various interesting instruments such as rattles and whistles, heightening the celebrations to a fantastic climax!

Four long banqueting tables were elegantly set-up on top of the Piazza with a sand coloured Bedouin Tent overhead. Soft gold mixed with strong accents of black filled the area and created a striking modern “bling” look. Tamsine and Kevin moved from table to table throughout the meal to give attention to all their friends and family present. The meal was set-off with a Rocket salad with Blue cheese, pear and walnuts, drizzled with a honey dressing. Different types of sorbet were served to the ladies and gentlemen; with ladies receiving a raspberry and rosewater flavour and the guys an apple and ginger. Afterwards medallions of beef with a Béarnaise sauce and red wine reduction, served with asparagus and roasted potato wedges, graced the tables.

After dinner was finished, the couple lead their guests back down to the Pavilion where the original ceremony area had been secretly transformed into a fabulous after-party setting. Tamsine and Kevin immediately opened the dance floor to “I knew I loved you before I met you” by Savage Garden and from then on until midnight, Gabriel Shai kept everyone entertained. In the meantime waiters meandered around with delicious dessert platters filled with milk and white chocolate mousse served on Oriental noodle spoons, diamonds of Belgian truffle cake, caramelized pineapple with hot chocolate sauce and vanilla pod crème brûlée in individual ramekins. They say that at a Jewish wedding it is very important to serve a sumptuous meal so that everyone is kept satisfied and Tamsine and Kevin definitely held to this tradition!

“Our wedding day was the most magical day of our lives!  We were on a higher plain that day, it was beautiful… The only TIP we have is to make sure that you have a wedding planner - it makes the whole experience pleasurable and not stressful at all! The Aleit Group was absolutely phenomenal from beginning to end. Anything you need, want or desire they will sort it out for you!  Nothing is too much effort and they make it all so easy. Without them our wedding would just not have been as amazing as it was. They made the whole wedding seamless. It was well worth every cent - BRILLIANT!!!”