Ceremony Design

Studying Jewish rituals has led to an understanding of how tradition is passed from generation to generation. The ability to shift and change from one time period to the next is a key element in establishing cultural and religious longevity. This ability to reconstruct tradition anew with each generation has led the Jewish tribe to be one of the oldest living traditions on the planet today. There is much wisdom to be learned in the study of ancient rituals. The challenge becomes how do you reconstruct an ancient ritual and bring a fresh new approach. What do you change and what do you leave as it was? What is the criteria do we use when reconstructing ritual?

Ask An Interfaith Rabbi: Wedding Challah for the Ceremony?

Do we need to have a challah at our ceremony?



Wedding Challah [a large braided loaf of egg-rich bread] is a tradition at the reception of Jewish Weddings. Prior to the meal being served, there is a wine and challah blessing. It is not a requirement, but if you have practicing Jews at the reception, they might miss it.

It is customary to ask your rabbi to lead the brachot [prayers] for this. If you are fortunate enough to have grandparents at your wedding, asking them to lead the blessings [provided they are familiar with the ritual], it is a great way to involve them in your wedding. We have found that many of the grandparents asked take great joy and honor to be included in this way. If you do not have any grandparents to ask, ask your parents.

Wedding challah is a large bread that can feed everyone. Some couples choose small one that is eaten by the head table. In Oakland area, Grand Bakery [3264 Grand Ave Oakland , CA 94610 510-465-1110 ] makes kosher challah. If your event is not kosher, Russian bakeries make good challah, not necessarily kosher.

You can place the wine, kiddush cup, challah and knife on a moving cart to be wheeled out to dining area. After the prayer, wheeled back off to the side.

Want to try your hand at baking one of these braided goodies? The Budding Baker has posted her favorite challah recipe and it just happens to be a family tradition.

Sacred Events launches Gay Jewish Weddings

Jewish Interfaith Ketubah: Modern Fine Art Gallery

Homage to Klimt: the Kiss
19"x21"
giclee print on archival paper

In tribute to Gustav Klimt's great work of the Art Nouveau Period. A moment in time captures the lovers' embrace. Their images evoke emotions during the proposal and declaration of love. The Hebrew words from the Song of Songs are inscribed in gold. This design is hand- touched with gold leafing.



















Beech Trees
20"x22"
Giclee print on archival paper

This ketubah is a collage, based on the 1902 painting "Beech Forest" by Gustav Klimt. The autumn landscape is a tapestry of the cycle of life.



Modern Ketubah Online Gallery
Our 2011 Ketubah Collection can now be viewed on our facebook fan page. We have both traditional and modern designs for you to choose from with a wide range of Traditional Jewish and Interfaith texts choices available with Hebrew and English. All texts are approved by rabbis. Some designs have text available in Hebrew and Spanish.

Our artists' text are all hand - calligraphed without the use of type fonts. This gives an organic and custom feel to their work.

Prints
Your ketubah will be a hand-crafted fine art print, made with archival pigment inks on fine art paper (often referred to as a giclée). They can be printed on a variety of mediums, such as canvas and archival, acid-free watercolor paper. Inks used for these prints are archival, color and fade resistant.

Pricing starts at $300.
Personalization $70.00/Rush $80.00
Custom text $300.00
Shipping $15.00/ Rush $30.00

Allow at least 3-6 weeks for your order. We recommend couple's order their ketubah 2months prior to the ceremony.

Many of our couples have chosen to design their own ketubah. We offer a 'plain text' ketubah which has the calligraphy work done for you and you decide the border.

Custom Ketubah and Judaica Art
If you should want a totally unique design, our artists can create a
custom Ketubah , meaning they are actually painted and designed for you.

Please let us know if you are interested in a particular design. The paperwork and text will vary based on the piece that you choose, since they are from different artists.
email Yehudit: info@asacredevent.com

Ask An Interfaith Rabbi - Mazel tov to the GLBT Community

Rabbi, we are an interfaith same-sex couple. Will you marry us?
Absolutely! In fact, anyone that I performed a ceremony prior to the ruling, just needs to call and make an appointment with me and I will sign the legal paperwork.
Where are you located?
We are located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Have chuppah will travel. We can arrange to meet you wherever you decide to hold your ceremony whether it be at City Hall in San Francisco or at a winery in Napa.
Can same-sex couples marry in California?
Yes. On May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that barring same-sex couples from marriage is unconstitutional. Beginning as soon as June 17, same-sex couples will be able to
marry in California.
Can the court's decision be appealed?
No. The California Supreme Court has the final say in cases brought under the California Constitution, like this case, and there can be no more appeals.
If we're already in a registered domestic partnership in California, do we have to dissolve our domestic partnership before we can marry?
No. The California domestic partnership statutes permit an individual to be both married and in a registered domestic partnership, so long as it is to the same person. In addition, there may be legal protections that are available through domestic partnership but not through marriage.
For example, some states that will not honor marriages of same-sex couples may honor domestic partnerships.
Do you have to be a California resident to marry in California?
No. There is no residency requirement to marry in California.
See our earlier post on obtaining a marriage license in California for links to County Clerks offices.

There may be a November Ballot initiative to ammend the constitution.
For more information see Equality For All

Chuppah - The Wedding Canopy

A natural look for both traditional and non-traditional weddings.

The traditional Jewish marriage canopy is known as 'the Chuppah'. It represents the first home that the newly married couple is creating. It is open on all sides to recall the tent of the biblical Abraham, a symbol of hospitality. Abraham and Sarah had doors on all four sides of their dwelling so that visitors would all know that they were welcome.

HAND HELD CHUPPAH
During the sixteenth century, the hand held chuppah came in fashion, as many wedding ceremonies were held outdoors in the marketplace. It served as a sacred space to perform the ceremony while the community surrounds the chuppah. Under the chuppah stood the bride and groom with the rabbi. Their immediate families stood along side them.

The chuppah should be a temporary, handmade structure. It is a great honor to be asked to be one of the four pole bearers. The honored guests represent the community that is part of the couples support system, as they establish their new home. Many times the chuppah becomes part of the processional, with pole bearers displaying the chuppah as they walk down the aisle.

Our handheld chuppah has bamboo poles were selected by the Rabbi from the garden of his friend who brings the Dalai Llama to San Francisco annually. We view the Dalai Llama as one of the thirty - six righteous leaders upon whom the preservations of the planet depends. Many couples love using these poles that stand for peace and harmony for all people.

Our chuppah coverings are handmade using delicate sari material. Their simple and elegant design are constructed to withstand winds up to 40 mph.
Floral decorations and custom work is available for an extra fee.

STATIONARY CHUPPAH

For those couples who prefer a stationary chuppah, we have designs in both birch or bamboo poles. Securely fashioned to withstand wind. We can work with you to customize your canopy design.

Please contact Yehudit for more info such as pricing and specifications via email- yehuditsc@gmail.com

Happy Passover

Matzo in Short Supply for Bay Area Passover
San Francisco -- The talk at Passover tables this weekend wasn't just about Moses leading Jews out of slavery. Jews also discussed the shortage of matzo.

Around the region, grocery stores reported having completely run out of their supplies of the essential staple for Passover, the weeklong observance that began Saturday evening.
read more:

Passover on YouTube
Who let the Jews Out!

23 Month Old sings The Four Questions

Ever Wonder How Matzo is Made?
A trip through the Aviv matzo factory in Israeli.

What to do with leftover matzo?
If you happen to have any extra matzo this year, here is a 2 minute video short with a couple of funny ideas by Michelle Citrin.

Japanese Matzo Tip

Ask An Interfaith Rabbi

Are Jewish interfaith marriages traditional?
Jewish interfaith marriages are as traditional as a wedding when both partners are Jewish. There were times in Jewish history, such as the time of the Conquest of Canaan, when inter-tribal, interfaith marriages were not only discouraged but outright prohibited. There were other times, such as during the Patriarchal Period and during the Persian Period, when interfaith marriages were permitted, as with Hagar (an Egyptian), Ruth (a Moabitess), Tamar (a Canaanitess), and in Persia between Esther and King Ahasheverosh.

Marriage License Information for San Francisco Bay Area

What are the guidelines for obtaining a marriage license?
Each state has different laws & requirements. Remember that you must purchase your marriage certificate in the state where the ceremony takes place. Check with the laws of the state or country in which you are getting married for details. Contact the county clerk or registrar where you are planning your wedding for details at least 30 days in advance. Officiants can not marry you without seeing the official license prior to the ceremony. Some officiants require you show them id, as well. Check with your officiant.

How do we obtain a marriage license in the state of California?
Your license can be obtained at any county clerks office throughout the state, up to 90 days prior to your ceremony. Both partners must be present and bring valid identification. Been married before, documentation of divorce or death certificate required [each county has different requirements].
California county clerks offices are open Monday through Friday.
In California, the legal age for marriage is 18 years old. Residency and blood tests are not required. There is no waiting period to obtain the license, which is valid for 90 days.

If we live in another state and are planning on getting married in California, do we need to have a California license or can we purchase one in the state we live?
If you live in another state, you still must purchase a California Marriage License to be married in the state of California. This holds true for other states as well. Marriage licenses are issued by the state not by the federal government.

Getting married in San Francisco?
Make your appointment at city hall online:

Featured Ceremony: Jewish-Chinese: Tea Ceremony

Double Happiness sign is placed for all to see as a sign of good luck.


Jewish and Chinese customs both share rituals that honor their families and ancestral heritages. The Chinese Tea Ceremony is a way for the couple to show respect and gratitude. Tea was served to both families prior to the Ketubah signing ceremony and the formal Jewish Wedding. Bride and groom both wore the most auspicious Chinese color red for the tea ceremony, changing into Western wedding dress and suit for the Jewish wedding. The color red is a sign of good luck because of its association with fire, the sun, brightness, yang life energy and the lifeblood that demons fear most.
For more information on chinese wedding traditions

Ask An Interfaith Rabbi

Would you explain to us what are The Seven Blessings in the Jewish Wedding Ceremony?
Adapted from ancient historical texts, the Sheva Berachot [The Seven Blessings] are a key element of the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony. They begin the second part of the wedding ceremony called Nissuin, where the community bestows it's blessing upon the couple.
Originally there were two separate rituals, Erusin [Betrothal] and Nissuin [The Wedding], which could be held months even years apart. Today, modern Jewish weddings combine both rituals into one ceremony with two parts. It is the custom to recite the blessings over a second cup of wine to remember the ancient ways.
In Jewish mysticism, seven is a significant number. According to the Torah, the physical world was created in six days, and on the seventh G-d rested. Every marriage is a creative process. It is the creation of a family, an ever-growing, unfolding process of love and understanding, a creation born out of a couple’s unique love for each other. They are meant to sanctify the marriage and echo the path of creation.
The first blessing, the wine ceremony, celebrates the Creator’s ability to create. Each blessing then becomes more specific, giving thanks for the creation of man and woman, then the birth of children, and the joys of marriage. These seven blessings, known in Hebrew as the Sheva Berachot, call marriage a joyful time that each generation should know.
There are many different ways couples choose to incorporate the Seven Blessings into an interfaith wedding ceremony. Sometimes they choose to have the rabbi recite the blessings in English only or they may honor seven family members or friends to give their own blessing. At one wedding, their were seven musical couples, each wrote a song for the kallah [bride] and groom [katan]. It turned into a mini-concert in the garden.

RITUAL ITEMS: THE KETUBAH: MODERN TRADITIONAL DESIGNS

We have been working very closely with ketubah artists to bring to you designs that are contemporary and reflective of your own personal and family traditions.

Visit Jewish Interfaith Wedding Network's ketubah gallery on our facebook page

CONTACT: Yehudit Steinberg

email: info@asacredevent.com

WEDDING CEREMONY SITES: SF BAY AREA