about us
a unique celebration of beauty and connection, the gift of time and ease
so you can enjoy what matters most
our commitment to you
the avodah philosophy
at the heart of our work
To us, first and foremost, celebrations are about experience, and we want to design thoughtful, intentional weddings and gatherings that celebrate who you are and are a reflection of your journey.
Not just pretty, not just a fun party, but instead we want every single element of your wedding day or event to speak to who you are and what you value. We forget the status quo, question tradition and look only at what’s meaningful to you. Our goal is to help you dream and imagine a wedding that focuses solely on how you want to feel on your big day and how you want to share the celebration of your union with your loved ones.
moments to celebrate, A RESPITE AWAY FROM THE MADNESS OF THE WORLD TO CONNECT DEEPLY TO YOURSELF AND THOSE DEAR TO YOUR HEART
work with us
"Eva is creating a day that I couldn’t fully articulate, but somehow, is exactly what I’d imagined"
Susan G.
We want to bring out your unique connection in every aspect and element of your wedding day. We always prefer genuine, meaningful connection over trendy must-haves and superficial statements.
In order to celebrate your connection not just on your wedding day but throughout the planning journey, we dive deep into you, your backgrounds, your culture, your connection to your families and communities, the things that mean the most to you, and how you show your love to one another in your own unique ways. Ultimately, we want to create a wedding that FEELS like you.
Connection
our values
The purpose of a wedding is to celebrate your union with the most important people in your lives, the ones that have been part and will continue being part of your journey. Bringing people together for a reason and fostering these feelings of community, generosity and belonging are part of Avodah's core ethos. And although every celebration is beautiful no matter the size, we believe in sharing this day with those you care most about in your life. Having a more intimate affair allows for a more profound, more beautiful and more unique wedding, one where you can savour every moment with your partner and your closest family and friends.
Community
We aim to be kinder to the world in everything we do. Kinder to communities and people, more sustainable in our operations, including more local products and vendors, producing less waste, buying fair, and putting focus on choices that are aligned with our values. We want to encourage you to make good choices during the planning process without compromising on personality, style or experience, and we also want you to be kinder to yourselves, To connect more, to refocus on yourselves and why you’re getting married, to not let yourselves get swept up in Pinterest trends, but instead connect to what’s in your heart and bring that out on your wedding day.
Kindness
Creativity, as part of our human DNA, takes center stage in Avodah. Our ability to bring something new into the world is what makes us who we are, it makes us unique.
We therefore seek to let our imagination run wild, taking you and your journey as our main inspiration to come up with a one-of-a-kind wedding experience. An experience that feels just like you.
Creativity
We value beauty! Not the superficial, empty aesthetics, but the experience of beauty, the one that guides us to what is true, good and harmonious, that captures our attention and refreshes our spirits. We want to create a heartfelt wedding or life celebration that is a delight to the senses, that invites you and your loved ones to slow down and to linger, one that relies on what is essential, that celebrates the seasons and your unique way of being in the world. We look into your own sense of beauty, mixed with our knack to create unique atmospheres to deliver a memorable celebration, unpretentious yet refined, artful yet approachable, understated yet generous.
Beauty
Yours, Eva
the heart of Avodah
Eva Monnier, Founder and Creative Director of Avodah
DREAMER
LIST-MAKER
PROBLEM-SOLVER
CONNECTOR
ACHIEVER
CREATOR
ENTHUSIAST
Avodah is a family venture. There is Simon, my husband, my right hand and my greatest support in life, the one who builds anything that needs building, handles logistics and helps with anything from mechanics for larger floral installations to cleaning up after events. There are my two children, Matias and Emil, my inspiration, the ones who have opened my eyes to see beauty and wonder in a different light.
Avodah was born out of my fondness for hospitality, slow living and generosity. I am Eva and I am the face of Avodah. My work has always been and will always be about people. Celebrating people and honouring their stories and connection to one another is what my heart beats for. And weddings, birthdays and other gatherings are a big part of that. I have seen the impact a celebration can have. It may just last for one day, but the memory of it can translate into the rest of your life.
For me, Avodah is not about events or making things pretty, but helping people celebrate in whatever ways is most meaningful to them. As Maya Angelou said, “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. Making a person feel loved and celebrated is what I am meant to do in this world. In a fractured, chaotic and fast-paced world, we want to create celebrations that highlight a slower, communal experience that makes everyone feel welcome.
Behind everything, there is my love for people and their stories
the story behind
browse more images from our dominican republic wedding below
We danced until late and jumped into the pool afterwards. With only 32 guests, people that were and continue to be so important in our lives and that to this day are present and invested in our relationship, we had the most wonderful and memorable experience, one where we were really in the moment and fully present with everyone.
This intimate wedding taught me to follow my intuition and to celebrate in a way that feels authentic with people with whom you share a deeper connection. That’s why, with Avodah, we want to create celebrations that value intimacy and connection over crowded revelries. We choose true connection over superficial lists of must-haves and encourage you to listen to your hearts instead when planning a celebration of your love that feels exactly how you want it to feel. This we promise you.
The venue was chosen on the basis of the number of guests, without having much meaning or even our desired aesthetics. And with such an amount of guests, there was no way to connect and truly share the day with everybody. It felt more like a show than an experience we had all together.
Our 2nd wedding was in the Dominican Republic, and every single decision we made during the planning felt like us. It wasn’t guided by “shoulds” or obligations, but instead was created around us and the people we truly wanted to share the day with. The ceremony location was my first connection to art as a child, during long walks with my dad and one of the first places that I visited with Simon, at the beginning of our relationship. The reception felt like having our loved ones over for dinner, with us sourcing all ingredients locally and creating a special menu that brought our two cultures together in a celebration that felt like home.
Simon and I had two weddings. One in Switzerland where he is from, and one in the Dominican Republic, where I am from. Since not all of our family was able to travel, we decided to celebrate our union twice.
Making the guest list for our Swiss wedding was difficult. People usually throw big celebrations here. You invite everyone you know, no matter if you have a deeper connection to them or not. Through some compromise, we managed to cut our list down to 120. And we did have a wonderful and fun wedding, but looking back there were still a lot of people that we had no real relationship with.
how our two weddings taught me what's most important when planning your wedding
our Dominican Republic Wedding
My fiancé and I are planning a destination wedding in Switzerland, which can be rather intimidating when you are coordinating such an important event from across an ocean. Eva put us at ease immediately. She is incredibly warm and welcoming. On our first call, I was not only impressed by her professionalism, but by how genuinely interested she was in our love story/connection. We are several months into the planning process, and I have so appreciated her attention to detail, timely communication, and ability to bring my specific vision for our wedding day to life.
"Eva put us at ease immediately."
Susan G.
Deep in an instagram hole I found her light: bringing refreshing honesty and vulnerability to creative event planning. I have seen first hand how her power ripples through the lives around Eva. Working with her for our upcoming wedding has fostered a new kind of self love, inspiring me to let my creativity flow and follow my heart
"bringing refreshing honesty and vulnerability to creative event planning"
Amber O.
kind words
