Jewish & Interfaith Weddings

If you have purchased a ketubah and/or chuppah from us, we would love to hear from you for our blog! Perhaps, you have an interesting story about how you met your fiance, you are having a unique wedding and/or reception, you are having a pet(s) at the ceremony, have some great pix of our products “in action,” want to invite me to your reception (warm locations, please), or you are just a nice person and want to help me keep up my Blog quota. Please do not be bashful – there is an old adage: Any story is better than no story. Simply, e-mail your story or pix to: kc (at) mpartworks.com.

K. C. Walensky

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Oblio

While I was at work yesterday, I received a call from my daughter. She told me that our family dog had just ingested half of her birth control pills. Apparently, she had purchased the pills the night before and forgot to put them in a safe place. So the one year old pup took them off the bedroom nightstand and had a potentially dangerous drug snack.

In surfing the internet, the only constant theme (advice) was to take the dog to a vet. Well, she took him to the vet for possible treatment. The vet said that there is really only one ingredient in the medicine that can be harmful to a dog: estradiol. Fortunately, the dosage of that chemical was low and the dog weighed twenty-eight pounds. As a result, the pills were not toxic to him. The doctor said that after ingesting the pills his chances of getting pregnant went to zero and he would be peeing orange for a day or two. Since the Syracuse University athletic teams are called The Orange, we can only conclude that the pet is a big-time SU fan. Go Orange!

K. C. Walensky, SU Class of ‘72

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A wedding is a day of wonder and celebration and what would it be without kids to join in the festivities? Not surprisingly, kids can become restless at such a grownup affair and may need a little creative stimulation and entertainment to keep them occupied at the reception. Children at a wedding can add to the wedding experience as long if you have clever ways to keep them entertained. Here are some ideas to keep the little people at your wedding from becoming bored.

Set up a special kid’s room at the reception.

Have a specially decorated children’s table.

Plan a special children’s menu. (umm, pizza).

Finally, be careful about the task you give to a child. A role that would cause anxiety can be counter-productive and simply create emotional distraught. If participation in the wedding party is not the child’s “cup of tea”, perhaps they can be involved with the many other facets of the wedding (escorting guests, seating arrangements, etc.).

K. C. Walensky

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I am always fascinated with the stories of how couples who eventually get married got their ’start’.

I would imagine my story could be categorized as ‘unique’. After graduating from Syracuse University, I returned to my home state, New Jersey, seeking employment. The country was going through a recession at that time and jobs were scarce. So I took a chance and went back to Syracuse to look for a job. At the College Placement Center, there was a job for a Resident Manager of a new apartment complex being built in Cortland, NY (about a half hour south of Syracuse). I was hired on the spot and given a salary plus a free apartment (#126). I had a firm rule not to “fraternize” with the tenants. That rule lasted about a week because I had become smitten with a coed from apartment #124. (A very wise person once told me rules were made to be either bent or broken). I guess my rule was shattered beyond recognition. Unfortunately, the apartments were shabbily built and the job became a nightmare. So I convinced my girlfriend to re-locate back to New Jersey. We both got jobs there and four years later (when it comes to marriage proposals, I move as fast as a snail nine-tenths frozen), I proposed to her in writing (I’m just a formal kind of guy).

I always wonder about the what-ifs. This marriage was predicated on me re-locating to Syracuse, getting a job in Cortland, happening to live two doors down from my future sweetie, and having her re-locate to New Jersey. Well anyway, she readily accepted my proposal and we have had a happy marriage for thirty-two years with two married children.

Tell me YOUR story!

K.C. Walensky
Ketubah Counselor (aka The Ketubah Guru!)

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Red & Oblio in Formalwear

Who really is your best friend? A co-worker buddy? Perhaps your sister, brother or cousin? A business partner? No way. A person’s best friend is their dog! Your loyal companion. He/she knows all of your secrets and promises not to tell. A dog stays by your side when you are sick, growls at your enemies and lets you know when someone is at the door.

Now that you know who your real best friend is, shouldn’t your dog be attending the most special day of your life? Yes, of course, your dog should be included in a wedding ceremony. If not as the best man, then he/she should at least be sitting in the front row, so you two can exchange glances and nods of approval.

The following are some suggestions for his/her attendance at a wedding:

*Pick a wedding venue to hold the wedding and reception that is conducive to a dog. Dogs love to be outdoors, so your local dog park is always a good choice. If you have a big yard you might want to opt on having it at your house, or if you live near a nice beach, you can have a beach wedding.

*Prepare for the wedding by stocking up on extra mess bags for all the guests, treats for the dogs and their owners and a dog friendly cake. Go shopping for wedding attire. Dog clothing has come a long way over the years and with the popularity of dog weddings, it is growing. For example, check out the formalwear at http://www.doggieclothesline.com/wedding.

*Give your dog a good washing before the ceremony and if you want you can even treat him/her to a day at a dog spa where they can be groomed, have their nails clipped and even get puppy massages and pedicures.

*After the ceremony let the dogs create their own party. Dogs are great at playing and won’t need any help socializing, but you might want to purchase a few extra toys, tug ropes, and frisbees for everyone to share.

Dogs play a big part our lives and they should be included in our big moments. Wouldn’t it be great to look through your wedding album after a couple years and remember how wonderful it was to have your best friend by your side? Your furry best friend? A person’s best friend? Your dog!

***Watch for MP Artworks’ own canines (Captain Red, his First Officer Oblio and Crewman Elvis) starring in their own youtube video soon!***

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The food is obviously one of the most important (and fun!) aspects of getting married. But sometimes the decision between chicken and beef is the wrong one.

You know there is a significant portion of our society today that is vegetarian (including all “varieties” of veg-heads, from those who simply do not eat meat to vegans, who consume no animal products)? But would you agree that there is likely a higher percentage of jewish vegetarians as compared to the overall population, given both the connection between jewish values/teachings and the main reasons for vegetarianism (including humane treatment of animals, health, environmental issues, etc.) plus the fact that many jews who keep kosher opt for vegetarianism when they are unable to find kosher products? I haven’t seen any statistics on this, but it makes sense to me.

What does this mean for your jewish or interfaith wedding? You might want to consider fish, at least, or even better a fully vegetarian/vegan option for an entree. Your caterer is likely very used to accommodating special requests, so he or she can help you with the best choices for your event. And for more information about jews and vegetarianism, check out the heeb’n'vegan blog or Jewish Veg. (Hey, did you know that Alicia Silverstone and Natalie Portman are vegan jews? Thank god for blogs

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MP Artworks specifically offers works from Gary Rosenthal’s Broken Wedding Glass Collection, his signature collection inspired by the symbolism behind the breaking of the glass at a traditional Jewish wedding. The glasses come in blue, rose or green. MP Artworks also offers mezuzot and wedding kiddush cups that allow couples to display and incorporate their very own “shards” of wedding glass into the Judaic art.

The Jewish wedding groom’s glass breaking is a crucial part of the wedding ceremony and one that has a significant meaning (see below). After the bride and groom have been officially announced as husband and wife, the Rabbi recites the Seven Blessings. The couple drinks from a single glass of wine and then the glass is placed inside a cloth or specially designed bag (ours comes in a specially designed bag). With his right foot, the groom crushes the glass and the celebration of marriage begins.

While fun to watch, and one of the most anticipated events of the wedding, the act of breaking the Jewish wedding groom’s glass actually has deep meaning. The more contemporary meaning for breaking the Jewish wedding groom’s glass is it represents a symbol of commitment, love, and trust, so as the marriage moves forward, the couple would never experience breaking the marriage union. Some people believe that because the glass has been broken and can never be put back together, it symbolizes that the marriage is complete, a bond of two people that would never change.

While this ‘act’ is often a part of a ceremony when both bride and groom are Jewish, it is also used when one party is Jewish and the other one not. In an interfaith marriage, it is common for the Jewish wedding groom’s glass to be broken, followed by a ritual taken from a non-Jewish wedding, which might involve the lighting of the unity candle.

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