Weddings
Mazal Tov / Congratulations!
“We worked with Rabbi Lori in close succession for both our wedding ceremony and, a year later, for the naming of our new baby. We loved our pre-wedding sessions in which we became closer as a couple in talking and learning about our family values – both Jewish and secular.
“Rabbi Lori helped us create two ceremonies that were unique to us and our families. She not only accepted but supported and fostered our creativity to adapt rituals and traditions in a way that was most aligned with our beliefs.
“Rabbi Lori took time get to know us and our families. We are so lucky to have found her and to call her our personal family Rabbi!” — K and D, Northampton, MA
If you’re here, you are probably looking for someone to marry you and your beloved,
so let’s see if you want to schedule an informational appointment with me.
Inclusive Wedding Ceremonies
Here are some things you should know about how I work with couples to create their unique weddings: I am delighted to marry you if you are marrying a Jewish person or someone who identifies as other than Jewish or if neither of you is Jewish; I am delighted to marry you if you are lgbtq or hetero; I am delighted to talk with you about your wedding if you want to use clergy from another faith tradition as well as me. I am also thrilled to re-marry you, if you would like to renew your wedding vows.
Pre Marriage Counseling
Here’s how I work with couples: we’ll meet an average of three to five times before the wedding. That’s so we can get to know each other, so that who you are is center stage at the wedding.
During those meetings, which can happen in person, online through video conferencing, or a combination of both, we’ll talk about your relationship, who you are as individuals and who you are as a couple, the values you share and where there may be tension between you. And we will go through every aspect of the ceremony, personalizing it to make it exactly the wedding you want it to be.
Photos courtesy of Stacie Kirkwood, Audrey Cutler, Cassie Castellaw Photography, The Light and Color, Mila Lowe, Jocelyn Filley, Lucy Cuneo Weddings, Wedding Story Michelle Davidson-Schapiro and Jocelyn Vassos, Neal and Thuy of Fern & Feather Studio
Photo courtesy of Cassie Castellaw Photography
The Ceremony
We’ll talk about the actual wedding you want to have. I’ll be happy to sign off on your ketubah/marriage contract if you choose to have one, and if you do choose to have one, I’ll create a separate signing ceremony, perhaps incorporated into your wedding rehearsal time.
I’ll also create a separate and special-for-you mikvah/ritual bath liturgy if you choose that.
I’ll help you understand the components of a Jewish wedding and to choose those that make sense for you. And I will help you to become aware of and develop the spiritual aspects of your relationship.
I do not consider myself a marriage officiant, as the only “official” thing I do is sign your license. (I have been certified by the state of Massachusetts to do this and will certify with the state in which you are marrying.)
Rather, I will create a sacred container for the ritual of your wedding and I will pray you into marriage.
After you are married, I’ll still be there for you
I will also be available to you after the wedding should issues come up in your relationship that you need help working through.
And of course, should you have or adopt a child and want a baby naming to welcome her/him into your community of family and friends, I will joyously work with you to make that happen!
I will be your Rabbi for life if you choose to work with me, someone with whom you can always be in touch during the course of your God-willing very long lives together!