For Kathy – and her Mom, a Church wedding was their #1 must have.  For Drew, and his Mom, the rich, beautiful Jewish traditions that kept them connected to their Jewish heritage were theirs.  We needed a church, a chuppah, a unity candle, a kiddush cup, a ketubah, and many more aspects of each of our faiths to incorporate into their wedding ceremony.

So many of Kathy’s plans kept falling through, between scheduling of the Air and Sea Show, and Churches and Pastors not being available, that Kathy and Drew even contemplated making the whole thing a destination wedding!  But – Kathy persevered, because she really wanted the wedding of her dreams – and I think they got just that!

The first time I met Kathy and Drew, and their Moms, Merideth and Susan, we had a love fest, a session filled with “absolutely’s” and “of course’s”!  In the next meeting, at the church, with Kathy and Drew, Susan, Dr. DeBie, and myself, things got a tiny bit tense, as we worked diligently to find just the right mix and blend of each of our “must haves”.  Several months later, we drew up the final ceremony program, and it seemed, we had ourselves the perfect Interfaith wedding.

Last night, Kathy and Drew were married at the Church By the Sea, with Dr. Linden DeBie, and myself co-officiating. First, to walk into that church, and see the beautiful chuppah standing there waiting for us, was so profound.  It meant so much to me, to know that we worked so hard to create a service that was full of faith, and that even though we both thought very differently about our faiths, we were able to put our differences aside, for the beauty of what unites us.

Chuppah in the church

As the processional began, Susan and Merideth arrived at the altar, lit the side candles of the Unity Candle, and were seated.  As Kathy arrived at the altar with her Dad, I welcomed everyone, and Dr. DeBie offered the Declaration of Intent, and asked the Giving of the Bride.  Kathy and Drew then stepped together under the chuppah, and Dr. DeBie performed their vows, and then I performed the traditional Jewish ring exchange.  Kathy and Drew lit their center Unity Candle, as their guitarist played “Here Comes the Sun”.  (beautiful)

The rest of the ceremony was – believe it or not – predominantly Jewish-style.  We signed their ketubah, shared the wine from their 6th generation kiddush cup from Drew’s family, and I sang the Birkat Kohanim (Julie Silver’s version).

Afterwards, Dr. DeBie pronounced Kathy and Drew husband and wife, and I concluded the ceremony with the breaking of the glass.

Looking back, and hearing everyone’s comments, I know fully why I do what I do.  I may not be able to change the world, or the face of faith, but I can certainly change some family’s lives, by giving them hope to see that love transcends individual beliefs.  That together, when we can sit a table and focus on what unites us, rather than what divides us, that all things are possible.

Today, I look back on Kathy and Drew’s wedding last night, with love, fond memories, and even stronger hope for the future, of a world that looks peaceful, and stands in unity.

Amen.

Aly and Brooks are the most adventurous mountain climbing, hiking, fun loving couple I know!  Of course it helps to live in Colorado, but they get to do the most amazing things.  Aly even goes snowboarding!  Can’t wait to see you guys in Mexico!

But what also made these couples very special was how creative they both were in planning their weddings. There were differences that I just loved, and made them so much fun to reflect back on.

First, Bevin and Brian are diehard Canes fans, so it was no surprise when they chose to include the sand ceremony, and had individual bottles of sand with their initials on them, filled with orange and green sand!

But what made Bevin’s wedding so unique was that Brian’s mom hand made the bride’s bouquet, as well as the bridesmaid’s, and the groomsmen’s boutonnieres out of beaded jewels and fibers. They were stunning!

Elaine and Larry’s wedding was completely unique – they did an amazing job of planning, but incorporated some really fun, lighthearted aspects into the night. The scary part was, they put their wedding rings in a treasure chest, and buried them in the sand right near the chuppa. I lost sleep over this for days, and even though they marked the spot with a wooden “x”, it still gave us a scare when their little ring bearers couldn’t find the chest, even though they were digging frantically with their shovels. WHEW, were we relieved when they found those rings!

My favorite part of a west coast beach wedding, though, is something money can’t buy. The west Florida sunsets are beyond beautiful, and I had so much fun capturing the coastline.

But, the coolest part of the wedding, was that after they were pronounced, we all lined up with sparklers, and formed 2 lines on either side, and they came running up from the beach, and through the line of sparklers, just as the sun was setting, and it was just so beautiful, lively, and unique!

My awesome couples are now celebrating on their honeymoons, and the certificates are filed, but the love and joy in my heart is still so strong for them both. Thanks for the awesome memories, and the really great Marriott weekend, everyone!

P.S. BIG shout out to Alexina at the Marriott Biscayne Bay, and to Jacey Wood at the Marriott Marco Island. Both operations were first class, and I especially loved how totally in control Alexina was and had every detail covered before I even asked for anything. Great job, ladies! You are true professionals!

Also – I really loved working with Lisette, the photographer for Bevin & Brian’s wedding – she’s a sweetheart, and her work is just so yummy!

Soo – off to Islamorada on Saturday for Cheryl & Prav’s Jewish-Hindu wedding extravaganza!  See you next week!

I love a day that starts with a wedding, and Saturday was no exception! Matthew and Valeria were married at the Juno Beach Park, in a private beach ceremony with their closest friends surrounding them. The weather on Saturday was stormy, and I was really concerned, driving to Juno, but it managed to hold off, just long enough for us to have their ceremony on the beach…but, no sooner was that ceremony over, the rains re-appeared! We were so thankful for serendipitous timing!

Their ceremony was simple. I have a special ceremony that I use for beach weddings, that is much nicer than a “civil” ceremony, but nothing close to the elaborate religious style weddings I so often perform. Their friend read the Apache Wedding Blessing, and it was simple, and fun!

Later that night, I married Ronni & Maude, at the top deck of the Viceroy Hotel, in downtown Miami (Brickell Key). The view was magnificent, and again, it was a small intimate wedding – just a few friends, and a beautiful photo location! Wow, that hotel is amazing!

I love a weekend that is full of love!

B’Shalom!

Jennifer & Mickey's Interfaith wedding location at Hemingway House in Key West

Chuppah at The Hemingway House, Mickey & Jennifer's Interfaith wedding

Mickey and Jennifer are the sweetest couple, incredibly kind, loving, and so wonderful to work with!  Mickey is Jewish, and Jennifer is Chinese, and together we created a beautifully blended ceremony, including a chuppah, breaking of the glass, and ending in a beautiful Chinese Tea Ceremony, where both Mickey and Jennifer honored their parents.

Tea Cups for Chinese Tea Ceremony

Mickey and Jennifer honor Jennifer's parents in the Chinese Tea Ceremony

Mickey and Jennifer’s families were wonderful, and so much fun to celebrate with!  (Especially Mickey’s sister!)

I co-officiated the ceremony with Pastor Dave from The Hemingway House, and the setting, the food, and the whole party experience was incredible!

Best of luck to you, Mickey and Jennifer!  Wishing you all the love in the world!

B’Shalom!

First stop:  Greenville, NC, where I had the pleasure and privilege of officiating the wedding for Leigh & Matthew.  Leigh is Meridith’s sister, whose wedding I performed back in December of ’07.  The family has become very special to me over the last couple of years, so it was really  even more of an honor for me to do Leigh’s wedding.  Shortly after Meridith hired me for her wedding, they found out her Mom had brain cancer, and she was going in for immediate surgery.  Joann recovered from surgery, and happily was able to celebrate her daughter’s wedding, and I admired her so much for her incredible strength.  She was a beautiful woman, and I was so happy she could celebrate that joyous time.

A year ago, Elliot emailed me to let me know that his 2nd daughter, Leigh, was getting married, and asked me if I could also co-officiate with Matthew’s childhood Minister, Lisa.  I was thrilled, and together, Lisa and I created a perfect ceremony – a blend of both Leigh & Matt’s backgrounds and faiths.

But sadly, by November, Joann had passed away.  Elliot assured me that Joann had been able to help Leigh make all of her plans, and though she wouldn’t be able to celebrate Leigh’s most special day, she did everything she could to make sure it had just the right touches, and that – it did.

Leigh made a beautiful bride, and Meridith was a magnificent matron of honor.  Matthew is the most adorable young man, who also works for Elliot, and adores Leigh with all of his heart and soul.  It was sad to be without Joann, but I couldn’t be happier that the family is doing well, and enjoying all of the simchas that life brings.  Meridith and Kevin are proud parents to baby Rose, and Leigh and Matt are starting their lives together, and hopefully, they will also soon be blessed with children.

I feel so honored to be such a special part of this family, and I hope we continue to remain special to each other.  Leigh & Matt, I wish you all the blessings life holds, and may your lives together be blessed with joy, health, and abundance.

B’Shalom

Jess contacted me in the fall of last year, and we spoke for almost an hour about what she wanted for her wedding, and how I could help.  It seemed from the first minute we spoke on the phone, that we were both speaking the same language – everything I told her about my ceremonies was exactly what she wanted.  And she sounded like the perfect client for me – she was so bright and enthusiastic, very family oriented, and just wanted a warm, personalized, and meaningful ceremony.  It was the perfect match!  UNTIL….

I asked her what date she was planning on getting married, and when I checked my calendar, it seemed that I had a tentative booking with another bride who I also had really liked on the phone, who I was scheduled to meet with a few days later.  I called her immediately to confirm, and see if she was still planning on meeting, and she was – and I told Jess I might not be able to do her wedding.  I was SO sad.

So,  few days later, I met with my other bride and her fiance.  We had coffee at Starbucks, and from the very beginning I could tell the fiance was very uncomfortable.  He didn’t want to answer any questions, and this couple couldn’t have appeared to be farther apart – in every possible way.  I was completely uneasy, and even stopped the dialogue a few times to ask if there was something I was asking that was making him uncomfortable, and he just wouldn’t budge.  Even the bride was getting uncomfortable because of his actions, and I was getting really bizarre vibes the whole situation.

I told them that in order for me to put my personal signature on a wedding ceremony, I must feel comfortable with my clients, and vice-versa.  That in order for me to create a personalized, meaningful ceremony, both parties must feel like they could share their lives with me, so I could get to know them and talk about what makes them so special.  I explained that unless I felt a strong connection between my couples and myself, I just couldn’t do the best job possible, and if I can’t do my best job, I can’t do their wedding.  He told me that he wasn’t comfortable sharing anything, at all, and so I was faced with a choice.  I mean absolutely no disrespect to either this bride or groom – it was a simple decision, and one that I feel I made out of integrity and dedication to honoring the joy that comes from my experiences with my clients.

I immediately got on the phone, in the parking lot at Starbucks after that meeting, and called Jess!  If she would still have me, I would love to be her officiant!  We were both so happy when she said she had been waiting to hear from me and was hoping it had worked out that way!  YAY!

So, the next week, I spoke to Jess’s Mom and Dad, who are the most warm and beautiful couple.  We made our arrangements, and the rest was up to Jess, Pete, and me, to create a beautiful wedding together.  I’m so incredibly happy we all made that choice, so please read on in part II, about the day of Pete & Jess’s magnificent wedding ceremony.  Some things just have a way of being what they were meant to be….

Please head on over – not just to see my post, but to check out all the great information Liuba provides on her blog.  It is actually written to appeal to the guests of the wedding, which is a pretty unique perspective -

So, if you like what I wrote – please drop me a note – and Liuba, as well.  Or, if you like Liuba’s site – let her know that too.  I love supporting my peers through social media!

Thanks, Liuba!  Stay tuned for “What to expect at a Jewish Wedding”…soon to follow!