Just don't ask how much it cost

The first picture: Essentially, the entire event can be summed up on a single Ramat Gan floor tile, one meter by one meter in the Sheraton City Tower Hotel, on which Judy Nir-Moses-Shalom and Uzi Cohen stand Sunday night, exuding a joy reserved for victors, in a group hug with the bride, Pnina Rosenblum, her groom Roni Simanovic, actor Yehuda Levi and reporter Karin Margioz, who was documenting the whole affair for Guy Pines. Standing behind them in the demarcated "VIP" area that was roped off with a ribbon were Shlomi Oz and Gideon Ezra and Nochi Dankner, back to back with Danny Naveh, Datz and Datza, Ophir Pines-Paz and the designer Galit Levi in a little green brocade dress with fur scarf, in a matching green.

The second picture: Rosenblum (wearing a $3,000 gown designed for her by Levi: light blue with sparkling stones and all but exposed navel) standing at the entrance to the ballroom, with her third 'til-death-do-us-part, alongside the safe in which guests could drop in the checks; next to her was the producer Irit Rahamim wearing white slacks, white shirt, white baseball cap and headset (black). She is mouthing into the mike instructions of her own and infinitely more instructions given her by Rosenblum: "Send them to the veranda," "What's going on? I can't hear the music," "Tell them to segue into dance music."

An older, religious guest holding a cell phone arrives and takes a picture with it of the happy couple. Now he pushes himself in between the two, stretches out his paparazzo hand and with entire seriousness asks them to smile. They comply. A cherished aunt from the groom's side arrives. She wants to have her picture taken with them, too, but "We can't now, we'll do it later. I'm going in a second," says a gently rebuffing Rosenblum. To her producer she says: "Irit, tell him to start. I can't wait any longer. Really, now." And her husband answers: "Pnina, your guests are eating now" (focaccias, quiches, mini-schnitzels, Chinese chicken, curried chicken, potatoes, salmon carpaccio with lemon, aged entrecote and smoked turkey).

The third picture: The lights are dimmed. "Ladies and gentlemen, please clear the floor. Amid loud and special applause, I would like to invite Roni and Pnina to join us," announces Moshik Afia, and the couple enters and dances a slow dance on the dance floor before climbing to the stage. Rosenblum takes the microphone in hand. "Love you in the sweet dream," she sings, "No longer available for love," at which point she is joined by the thousand guests in attendance - including Nancy Brandes, Idan Raichel, Silvan Shalom, Dan Turgeman, Irena Shalmor, Asher Reuveni, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Leon Rosenberg, Meital Dohan, Yossi Meshulam, Aharon Goldfinger, Dafna Armoni, Yuval Caspin, Zvika Pik, Rina Pushkarna, Efrat Baumwald and Roi Ben-Natan - along with Afia, and then with Haim Moshe, Yoav Yitzhak, Lior Narkis and Ron Shoval who rose to the stage after him. The guests sing or dance or drink or chat or smoke. One little man with an enormous cigar in his mouth nearly sets Sophie Tzedaka's hair alight without noticing.

Fourth picture: Producer Irit Rahamim takes the guest's hand and leads him out of the ballroom, and describes it all. "We've been working on this production for four months. Pnina's crazy about candles, so in order not to have an ordinary affair, everything here is candlesticks. Pnina is excellence and quality, so we imported these crystal chandeliers, doesn't matter from where, and in the middle we put up a round bar - the likes of which there has never been in Israel - so that there will be a flow, so that people will feel they're at a cocktail party. There in the front," she points, "we did high knights' tables, everything in white, and over here tables painted silver and black, because those are the colors Pnina likes."

"On the veranda on the right," she continues, "we sat the family, the closer relatives, and on the left we put the VIPs. Working with Pnina is an experience. Even on the day of the affair she was glued to my side. She's a difficult client, but simply charming. I think she's one of the most impressive women around. Thanks to her, I have reached the highest height in this affair." How much did it cost? Rahamim issues a dismissive wave of the hand, a gesture of "Forget it, don't ask me about money."

Final picture: Now Rahamim goes back into the ballroom, and although it is illuminated only by the delicate glow of alcohol flames in the crystal fixtures, the light is clear, lustrous and very sharp: a parable of a certain contemporary Israel, as well as the object of the analogy.

	SAYCHEESY: Pnina Rosenblum with Silvan Shalom and Judy Nir-Moses-Shalom.
	Photo by: Motti Kimche