By Hally Jackson, Special to JTNews
“Do you take this woman?”
“Why not?”
“Do you take this man?”
“Sure.”
“Let the games begin!”
More and more couples are stepping out of the traditional wedding box and creating unique ceremonies and receptions that celebrate the individual personalities of their love.
Carole and Anthony Granillo, from Seward Park, wanted to combine their wedding with a vacation. Bridgetown, Barbados was an ideal vacation spot and romantic location for the perfect wedding. On December 31, 2002, the couple married at sundown on a cliff overlooking the majestic Caribbean Sea. They were married according to Orthodox Sephardic tradition at Nidhe Israel, the oldest Synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. Rabbi Joseph Benarroch, who flew in from Miami, Florida, married the adventurous Carole and Anthony. Their close family, friends, and passing Jewish couples surrounded them, eager to see the beautiful ceremony.
David Campbell and Rebecca Rockefeller-Campbell, from Tacoma, did not have to travel to the Far East on August 27, 2000 to bring the wonders of India to their eclectic wedding. Rebecca’s sister was studying abroad and shipped the bride-to-be a box of beautifully designed and embroidered saris, traditional and colorful garments worn by women in India. The Campbells used the gold-antique saris as the focal point of their wedding’s design. They placed the saris on tablecloths and even used them as bridesmaids’ dresses. Two days before Rebecca’s wedding, she borrowed another tradition from India and hosted a henna party. Rebecca had the palms of her hands and feet intricately painted with a free-form flowing design.
The Campbells’ wedding also presented a Scottish flavor. David has a strong Scottish heritage and wore a kilt on his wedding day. Following this tradition, David’s family and male attendants also wore kilts. There was even a bagpipe playing music during the wedding ceremony and an arch of swords awaiting the happy couple as they exited the yichud tent after they signed the ketubah.
Accenting their themes from abroad, the couple’s wedding cake — made of cupcakes — also presented replicas of Rebecca and Dan. The bride doll wore an identical wedding dress and the groom doll wore a Scottish kilt.
Josh and Jessica Rosenstein of Seattle opted to travel to the very place where their relationship began. Both Josh and Jessica went to Washington College in eastern Maryland, where they unknowingly shared an advisor, Dr. Kevin Brien, with whom they looked up to, admired, and discussed their relationships. Little did they know they had been constantly talking to Brien about each other!
The Rosensteins married six years after their confessions began. On July 30, 2002, their beloved advisor and confidant officiated at their wedding overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. Josh sealed the deal during his reception by joining one of Maryland’s finest Bluegrass wedding bands and singing an original ballad to his new bride in front of all his friends and family!
The Rosensteins also wanted to incorporate the beauty of Maryland’s Eastern Shore into their wedding. They collected bamboo poles to support their chuppah and gathered stones from the beach. The stones made perfect place cards for Jessica and Josh to inscribe all their guests’ names in gold. In addition, Jessica designed their wedding invitations with a hand-drawn olive tree holding a book that said in Hebrew, “‘G-d saw that it was good.’ —Genesis”
You don’t have to travel far to make your wedding day special. Many couples design handmade ritualistic items for their wedding, which symbolize their unique and special bonds.
Dan Robbins and Stefanie Hader-Robbins did not meet at school but opted to get married at one. This couple, also from Seattle, married on August 4, 2002, at the Hall at Fauntleroy, which is a fully restored and charming schoolhouse. They even used a school bus to transport their guests to the wedding.
To add to the celebration, the couple invited four Rabbis to help facilitate the wedding ceremony. Rabbi Dan Bridge officiated and Rabbis Gerald Serotta, Jay Rosenbaum, and Barton G. Lee all gave their blessings under the chuppah.
The Robbins also wanted to add a special handcrafted design element to their wedding. Stefanie designed a wedding invitation by creating a book of colorful and memorable pictures depicting their lives together before the wedding, with the celebration logistics inside.
Making the wedding picture perfect, Dan designed a high-tech photo booth to allow guests to informally take their pictures. The wooden kiosk provided a laptop, video camera, and printer. Guests took multiple pictures and typed compelling messages.
“Dan is very creative,” says Stefanie. “He loves to paint and make hand crafted furniture pieces.” Years before his own wedding, Dan designed wooden chuppah poles encircled with flowing willow. The top of the poles were dipped in copper and read, “I am my beloved and my beloved is mine” in Hebrew. Dan has lent his poles to 10 other Jewish couples, from Seattle to Toronto, and carved the name and date of each couple on the poles after their weddings.
To complement his poles, Dan created a special ritualistic covering. He painted an elaborate scenic background with a lush landscape of mountains and water on stretched fabric.
Dan and Stefanie even designed their own wedding rings!
Each of these couples decided their weddings needed to reflect their values and what they cherish. They all designed their event around their personalities, and as a result created wedding days that they can look back on fondly for the rest of their lives.