A Guide for Your Wedding
Mazel Tov! Warmest congratulations on your
decision to begin your marital lives together on
what we pray will be a long, rich and rewarding
journey. As you enter the whirlwind of planning
your wedding, please take a moment, take a deep
breath, and lets begin to lay the groundwork for your
happy event.
This caveat may already be too late, however,
generally speaking, before you set the date for
your ceremony, please have two or more date
choices in mind. Then check with the
officiant,
i.e. the rabbi, i.e. me, or with whoever is
performing the ceremony and working with you.
This means that before you check out caterers,
draw up the guest list, or try on dresses, you
set the date with the rabbi. I would be pleased
to help you in any way I can, but it would be
rather difficult to officiate at your affair if
I will be out of town, or presiding at another
wedding scheduled for the same day. In
addition, there are some dates on the Jewish
calendar on which weddings do not take place,
such as Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, and I can
be helpful in checking out the calendar with
you. The same is true for funerals, baby naming=s
and other life-cycle events. If you would like
me to preside at such an occasion, or to be a
Scholar-in-Residence at a Temple, Mosque or
Church, or to address a School Board or
Political meeting on any ethical or topical
issue, or you need the rabbi to be present for
personal counseling, please pre-schedule it
with me so that we can all be in agreement. So
please don't
set the date or time on your own. Call me first,
if possible.
The planning of any significant event
happy or sad
is fraught with emotional and psychological
turmoil. Some of that is natural, but most worry
issues can be handled in a realistic, calming
and solution-oriented manner. Let me steer with
you around the pitfalls of scheduling. Let me
work with you to ease your burden as you begin
to take on new life tasks. This is the time for
you to look at invitations and pick a color
scheme, not to be overwhelmed with incidentals.
I am here for you.
