Wedding Destinations

Getting Married on a Desert in Israel PLUS the Dead Sea SPA – FIND OUT HOW

While getting married with a backdrop of the Old City in Jerusalem is breathtaking, those who are willing to go off the beaten path, could make their Israeli destination wedding even more memorable…

….Did you know you can get married on a desert, quite near to the Dead Sea? Would it not be just perfect to experience ‘the big day’ among the biblical landscape?

I was told this sort of wedding location is not quite popular. I guess ‘the desert wedding’ is not the idea people would relate to ‘fancy and chic ceremony’. They surely are wrong. This sort of destination is a perfect option for the couples, who would rather describe themselves as ‘standing out of the crowd’ as well as for travellers. The ceremony on a desert is a great experience, and you can make it as fancy and chic as you wish.

It won’t take long to organise your perfect ceremony, BUT the sooner you get your birth cetrificates translated in to the language of a country of your wedding’s destination, the better. In general, wedding planners are able to organise your event in as short period of time as two months, which I will proove in this article.

The desert surrounding Masada is a part of a National Park, which means everywhere is a wedding spot 🙂 I have chosen this particular region because of its strategic location. It is only around 1,5/2 hrs away from Tel Aviv Airport and only 20/30 minutes away from the Dead Sea. The magnificent Masada Fortress is also a great attraction you could offer to your guests for the day after the wedding.

 

 

Before we went to Israel last week, I discovered some stunning pictures of a couple having a wedding on a desert. The photo album was found on myday.net – an inspirational website I would strongly recommend you all to see.  The couple featured here today managed to organize a weekend of wedding in the heart of the desert in the Arava within only two months!!

In order to produce the event, the bride used myday.net and found the event producers/wedding planners from “Shablul” who helped make the dream a reality in such a short time as two months. She also built a website especially for the purpose of the wedding, in which guests were offered six accommodation options near the location of the event. I think it is a great idea and saves your guests a lot of hassle! These options include several isolated resort areas ranging from guest rooms, luxurious wooden cabins to a Bedouin encampment, where staying was free of charge.

Arava desert is located further south from Judaean Desert (where we were), but the scenery remains similar. Arava is easily accessible from Eilat and it is 277km from Tel Aviv.

For the dream desert wedding, I would advise to hire a wedding planner – they surely know how to turn your day into a magical one. They would supply you with the adequate menu, food and beverages, advice on choices and deliver the best setting! Shabul Events is definitely the right wedding planning comany to speak to. As for the costs, it is tailor made as it is adjusted to the couple’s needs. It might depend on a date, region, the number of guests and the length of the ceremony.

Here is an example of how they would make your BIG DAY to be :

How much would it cost and what is the easiest way to get there?

It became really easy and affordable to get to Israel. Since Wizzair and Ryanair have opened started with the low-cost direct flights, you can get to Tel Aviv for as little as 50 EUR return, depending on a season. You would not want your wedding to be between end of May and October, as the weather conditions on a desert might not allow your wedding to take place.

From Tel Aviv or Jerusalem you can organise some transfers – it will not take longer then 1,5 hrs to get to the destination of you wedding, which in this case would me Judaean Desert. The buses are quite affordable ( 3 EUR), and the rental of a van for 9 people would be around 70 EUR with full protection, but excluding fuel ( the price of fuel on the 5th of March 2018 is approx 1.43 EUR/1l).

You can get married everywhere, but I would definitely choose the Judaean Desert. There is the whole variety of hotels choice for your guests. Masada is only around 20/30 minutes away from the top resorts, such as Herods Dead Sea Hotel – voted the best resort in Israel.

The price of one night at Herods Dead Sea Hotel is 200EUR per night (off season) and the breakfast is included. Dead Sea SPA is an unforgettable experience and treating your closest friends and family to this sort of stay would make this day/weekend/a couple of days even more special! The first SPA in the world, used by Cleopatra, is something everyone should experience at least once in a lifetime. The feel of drifting on the water of the Dead Sea with the views of a desert and Jordan is incredible! Plus my skin has never been so delicate and smooth. I really think combining a wedding with such an experience would be a life goal!

The ceremony on a desert is free of charge, but keep in mind your guests would have to be sitted somewhere, so you would have to pay the wedding suppliers and wedding planners. The wedding planner would cover the catering, photography, entertainment and even hair and make-up. The costs are hard to aestimate as it really depends on your needs and the rest of factors, such as date and the number of guests.

You should know that good wedding planners get better prices from suppliers than the prices you will get if you ask for an offer directly as a one-time client. It is therefore in your interest to get your budget worked out by a wedding planner.

I would also recommend to check my Wedding on a Yacht in Dubai post or more wedding inspo <3

 

Special thanks for Bein Harim and our guide Amir Call Or for taking us on this Dead Sea and Masada trip.

30 Comment

  1. Oh, this looks fantastic!! I didn’t get married in Israel, but I did honeymoon there, and when my new husband and I hiked Masada at sunrise we met another couple who got married at the peak – it was so great, they had a fantastic time 😀 Thank you for sharing this post with the details!

  2. This site Is amazing and Shablu who helped make the dream a reality in such a short time as two months. She also built a website especially for the purpose of the wedding and good Guide of marriage

  3. Precioso post !! dan ganas de casarse allí ! una belleza tanto del vestido como de la decoración , sencilla pero con esencia
    Si necesitas accesorios y complementos para hombres como corbatas, pajaritas, gemelos para camisa visítame aquí corbatasygemelos.es

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