I officiated at a marriage this past fall in Long Island which was hastily arranged and fraught with anxiety. The bride came from NYC and was a product of a religious Jewish household. The groom hailed from the end of Long Island and was raised in the Christian tradition. The socioeconomic aspects of the marriage were different as well.
I met with both sets of parents as well as the couple and set about creating a service that would respect both backgrounds . Everyone involved was quite nervous to make sure everything came out smoothly and without any issues. I assured them it would.
Click here to go to the ABC website -scroll down to “Timtervention: Couples Who Beat the Odds”
The night of the wedding the restaurant selected for the wedding was beautifully set up and all the friends and family invited showed up excited. I conducted the service and made sure that both faiths were represented although there was a strong Jewish structure to it. Afterwards we all danced the hora together and gathered around the piano and sang songs. It was an intimate and beautiful affair.
A few months later I received a call from the asst to the producer of The Revolution, a new ABC daytime show . There was to be a segment airing on Valentine’s Day that would deal with interfaith marriages that ended happily ever after and I was selected as an interfaith officiant to pick some couples I had worked with that would appear on the show. The above couple was eager to appear and sure enough the taping went well.
I watched the show a few weeks later and there they were, my couple telling their story on network television. It was incredible. They talked about overcoming the objections of their families and how their love and devotion to one another carried the day. The hosts did a make over of the bride and I was thrilled to see the before and after. She was given new clothes, make up and a new hip image. Her husband was ecstatic and said how happy both of them were to appear nationwide to tell their story.
I can only wish them and all my couples the best of luck for the future in a challenging situation which they have worked hard to make a success.
Click here for The Revolution, February 14th 2012 – scroll down to the video entitled Timtervention: Couples Who Beat the Odds, Part 1