Jackyn and Bartolo are getting married! Well, they’re not engaged yet, but the wedding is definitely on.
Yesterday, the creators of Jackyn (and Bartolo) met with Rabbi David Minkus for a pre-marriage conversation. “Mazal tov! What an honor. I love meeting with couples,” he said. Then he proceeded to stump our creators with his first question, “How did you meet?” A story about bagels quickly developed.
“Have you thought much about how you want your wedding to be?” The creators were dreaming of a “mix of a Jewish wedding and a cliche TV wedding.” Hmmm…what? “White dress, bridesmaids, maid of honor, and all the Jewish stuff, too,” they explained.
So many decisions to make! Should we have a tisch before the ceremony? What kind of ketubah do we want? Who walks down the aisle with whom? To what music? “No matter what,” Rabbi Minkus assured Jackyn’s creators, “your wedding will be perfect, because it’s your wedding.”
How helpful to hear Rabbi Minkus’s instructions and opinions! The creators learned that they needed to purchase (or borrow) plain metal bands as wedding rings, that they could use family kiddush cups and/or a tallit during the ceremony, and that family and friends could participate in the ceremony by reading one of the seven wedding blessings or offering a poem or story. Rabbi Minkus recommends strongly that couples honor the old custom of yichud, of spending time alone together after the ceremony, to catch their breath (and grab a bite!). He recommends against writing vows, since they can come off feeling forced. Instead, he suggested, you could write a speech to your partner. But you shouldn’t feel pressure to speak at the ceremony; there’s plenty of time for speeches at the party.
The party! So much planning to do for the party, too…
Thank you, Rabbi Minkus, for meeting with the creators of Jackyn to help prepare for her upcoming wedding!
