This spring I introduced a new ketubah design, called “African Lily” (click here to see it). The african lily, also know as agapanthus or lily-of-the-nile, is a unique and beautiful flower from South Africa. When I was living in California, we had these growing everywhere. They are a unique and beautiful plant. The main part of the plant is a tight bundle of broad leaves that shoot out of the ground. For most of the year, it looks like this. But then in the spring, long delicate stems grow out of the center, two or three times taller than the main plant. Each of these stems has one bright purple bud on it, that bursts open into one colorful flower. This photograph is of an african lily from my own garden, taken right when the buds were about to bloom. For more information on this plant, visit the agapanthus page on Wikipedia.
I recently got a nice mention on the blog Fresh Bride, in a post called “Ketubahs with Love“. The site is run by ceremony designer Tracy Masington. Her blog offers a wealth of ideas for making your wedding ceremony unique. We traded some emails, and I really enjoyed her creativity, thoughts and inspiration. She’s obviously someone who loves her work. I’m happy to be part of her site.
I was recently interviewed for an article in The Jewish Week about contemporary trends in ketubah designs. Interviews are fun to do because they give you a chance to talk about the motivation behind your work. But they also happen so fast, it’s sometimes hard to make your point. For example, one of my quotes doesn’t exactly exactly capture what I was trying to say. The article says:
But when Sroka looked at a picture he had taken of an old rosebush, he found the relationship symbolism he was looking for. “It was this craggy, ugly, messy thing where the stems were massive and strong,” he said. “With a little bit of care, a little bit of attention, it still thrives and grows… a flower is something that’s temporary; you can’t take it for granted.”
What I really said was that my wife and I saw the ancient rose bush as a perfect symbol for marriage, a combination of strength and beauty. The strength of its ancient branches support and protect the plant, and keeps it alive. Yet in spite of its toughness, you cannot take it for granted. It requires constant attention to reach its full potential and bloom.
