A year ago, I was contacted by a couple who were referred by another bride and groom I had married in the past. He was Indian, multi-talented, being a lawyer, an entrepreneur, and a band manager all rolled up in one. She was Jewish, a world traveler, and a corporate yoga consultant.
We met at my apartment and started planning the service. I then met her mother, who visited her from Florida, and got to know another family member. The Groom’s mother was deeply interested in having a traditional ritual Indian wedding, and the Jewish family wanted a spiritual Jewish service as well.
The couple decided that the Indian service would be in the morning with a Hindu priest officiating in English as well as using Sanskrit prayers. He would explain all the rituals in English. It would start with the groom arriving at the venue atop a white horse, dismounting, and walking to the ceremony with his parents.
The Jewish service was humanistic with prayers over wine, a thanksgiving prayer, and seven blessings. The benediction was given at the end, and the glass was broken. I attended the Indian service in the morning and incorporated what I witnessed into my service that afternoon. There were so many commonalities. The canopy Jews call a Chupah was a Mandap in the Indian service. They circled around as the Jewish 7 circles. The groom stepped on a clay pot in much the same way as the Jewish service has the breaking of the glass. And the parents sit under the mandap as they participate under the chuppah.
I was blessed to officiate this wedding and learn so much about the Hindu religion and service. The destination was Beacon, NY, which had picture-perfect September weather. The day before, I visited DIA Beacon, an amazing modern art museum, and walked the beautiful country paths. How lucky I was to be a part of this wonderful weekend wedding!
A couple contacted me over a year ago and asked if I would officiate an interfaith wedding in Cape May. The Bride’s family owned a vacation home there and she had been going to this town since childhood. I had always wanted to visit this historic Victorian village myself and in meeting with the couple was impressed with their warmth and sincerity. It was a go.
We worked on the service at my apartment in NYC and theirs in Brooklyn. We talked about the closeness they felt for their respective families and the Christian/Jewish backgrounds they came from. Finally our collaboration produced a wonderful service. Part of it was a section where bride and groom wrote a series of paragraphs about each other. Using humor and pathos they fashioned a profile of the other quite personal and heartfelt. The picture included here reflects this.
The wedding day was glorious weather wise and they were married at a yacht club overlooking the water. Low key and elegant the wedding was a joy to attend.