Wedding planning often brings stress that is second only to packing for a move. Decisions over matters small and large, generating and managing countless lists, and the general intensity that accompanies these actions are enough to make eloping to Margaritaville a...

The standard Jewish wedding ceremony has a lot of room for personalization. There are a number of traditional customs that are commonly found beyond orthodox ceremonies. Candles are often used in processionals. Consider an alternative of each of the couple lighting a...

The Huppah represents a new couple’s first home. It is so emblematic of the Jewish wedding ceremony that the entire final half of the liturgy is nicknamed “Huppah” by Jewish tradition. Traditionally just a cloth held up by four poles, the huppah has evolved and there...

Many couples seek an alternative to the traditional ketuba. This is especially true when one of the primaries is not Jewish, or when the couple is LGBTQ+. The traditional ketubah does not accommodate the realities of these couples' lives. After all, the Talmud’s basic...

The traditional ketuba (pl. ketubot) we know today was developed by the Talmudic Sages, and was a radical innovation in its time. It precluded summary divorce of a wife by a husband. The financial protections ranged from one year to two years of full living costs paid...

“It is not good for a human to be alone” is the vision from Genesis that underscores the Jewish value of marriage as a sanctified, loving, companionship. The ability for rabbis and cantors to officiate such ceremonies for LGBTQ+ couples has never been more positive....

Here are two comments I regularly hear in one way or another: “Rabbi, we’re both Jewish but want a Jew-ish ceremony. You know…sort of ‘inspired by’ but flexible.” “Rabbi, I’m Jewish. They’re not. We want to incorporate Jewish elements into our ceremony, but maybe...

The traditional answer to this question presumes two Jewish people, a bride and a groom, and the traditional elements in this rite as understood for centuries. The details of the rites have varied over time and place. In the Middle Ages, the two parts of the ceremony...

There are so many officiant choices out there! Rabbis and Cantors are formally trained Jewish clergy. Many other clergy beyond Judaism also perform weddings for the general bride and groom beyond their own denomination including secular or “spiritual but not...

There is a vast array of people who conduct traditional Jewish weddings. Usually, the officiants will include a rabbi or a cantor and sometimes both. Most (but not all) rabbis and cantors in the US are ordained (rabbis) or invested (cantors) by seminaries with...