This is my own ketubah during my own wedding, framed next to the unity candles.
I recently heard this question from a bride:
I want my ketubah to be displayed under the chuppah and have the rabbi read it aloud during the ceremony. But how do I protect the ketubah during the ceremony?
Read more on how to protect your ketubah during the ceremony…
This guest post was written by wedding photographers Jennie and Dave of Strawberry Road. We met on Third Tribe, an online forum for entrepreneurs, and struck up a conversation. I have guest blogged for them about creating interfaith wedding ceremonies (here and here) and am happy to be able to offer you some of their deep experience on how best to work with your wedding photographer.
Read more on Working with your wedding photographer…
I recently read a post by the bride Diorable as she described how she was planning her interfaith wedding. She talked about how they were choosing the traditions they would have in her ceremony, to make it fit the personality and beliefs of her and her fiancé. As she described it: “This isn’t a sundown thing with a ketubah. We are absolutely cherry picking.”
Read more on Cherry-picking traditions for an interfaith wedding…
When you are planning an interfaith wedding, it’s a good idea to provide an explanation of the different traditions in your wedding program. This gives everyone the chance to understand the meanings behind the traditions you selected for your wedding. Plus, it makes both sides of the family feel welcome and included in the ceremony. One of my couples shared with me the text they used in their program:
Read more on How to decribe the ketubah in your wedding program…
When my wife and I got married, we were still living in San Francisco, but our wedding was closer to our family in New Jersey. Let me tell you, planning a long distance wedding has its challenges! One of which is how to safely bring your ketubah on the plane with you. I get asked this a lot, so I thought I’d share some advice. First, have me ship your ketubah to you, not to the wedding site. It is really important that you see your ketubah in person, well before the ceremony. This will let you look it over carefully, and make sure that it is exactly what you ordered. And if it got accidentally damaged in shipment, this will give me a chance to replace it for you.
Read more on how to travel with your ketubah…
One thing I have learned is that every ketubah is unique. Each one takes on the personality of the couple who make it, through the design they select, the words they choose. Watching each couple craft a ketubah that reflects their personality is one of the things that make my job as a ketubah artist so interesting.
Read more on Making an interfaith ketubah with Hebrew, English, and Latin…
Yesterday I bumped into one of my ketubah customers, Marni Gold, on Twitter. I discovered that like me, Marni started up her own business inspired by her own wedding. She creates custom card boxes to store your wedding gifts and invitations. As she says “When planning my own wedding I was searching for a unique and secure way to store gifts and cards at the wedding. Frustrated with the gaudy, tacky or just plain expensive options I found, I created my own custom cardbox that was simple, elegant, and understated while still matching my theme.”
Read more on Creative Custom Cardboxes…
Elyssa, who purchased the Horizon Ketubah from me just wrote and asked for some advice for framing her ketubah after the ceremony. First of all, I always recommend that you take your ketubah to a local quality frame store. I don’t sell frames myself, since it’d be too expensive to ship them safely, and it would be too hard for me to provide you with the range of options your local frame shop has. Your frame store can provide you with a huge range of materials to choose from. And with their expert advice, you’ll be able to find a frame that will complement both the ketubah and your home’s decor.
Read more on sugggestions for framing your ketubah…
I was recently asked:
My wife and I were married almost 20 years ago. Our ketubah was not protected well and has tears along its edges and is beginning to frey. Would our ketubah be repairable?
While you might not be able to repair the existing damage, you can prevent it from being damaged further. This is not a service I do, but I think you could find help at a good quality frame shop. Look for someone who has experience in framing old prints, because they might be able to help you frame it in a way that preserves it better. One way they can preserve the ketubah would be to sandwich it between two sheets of acetate (so that it is “floating”) and then frame it. This would keep the frayed ends secure, protect it from UV light (to mimimize further yellowing), and keep the ketubah from getting damaged further. They might recommend that you dry-mount it to a board. This would definitely make it more secure, but would also be something you couldn’t un-do, so I’d be careful about that. Whatever they do, make sure they use archival materials, and ask to see samples of the technique. And, reinforce to them that your ketubah is irreplaceable.
Read more on Preserving an old ketubah…
