About the Book
Enrich your wedding with your own creative use of Jewish ritual and tradition.
Wedding planning can be a stressful experience. Keeping track of all the details--deciding who to invite, choosing a caterer, arranging the reception--can sometimes lead to a couple forgetting about the bigger picture and the significance of this day in their lives: a joyous occasion that should reflect not only your personality, but your values, as well.
Updated and expanded, The Creative Jewish Wedding Book, 2nd Edition, brings your complete wedding planning into focus. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer helps you express your individuality and spirituality on your wedding day. Whether your plans are traditional or alternative, whether you are planning your first or second marriage, she provides the tools you need to look at and think about ritual and tradition in new and innovative ways including:
Insights and reflections from a broad range of couples who have created their own distinctive weddings
Practical hands-on techniques and ideas for creating many of the ritual objects connected to a Jewish wedding--from designing your own ketubah, to making paper for invitations, to fashioning the chuppah
How to express your spiritual life and values through your ceremony--now updated with more eco-friendly tips and suggestions
An up-to-date guide to wedding resources in the Jewish world
Inspiring and useful, The Creative Jewish Wedding Book, 2nd Edition, can help you reclaim your wedding day from the whirlwind of details and bring out the honesty and integrity you desire in your wedding experience.
About the Author :
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer is a writer and educator based in Philadelphia, the author of two books of plays for children, and a theater workshop leader specializing in custom-designed programs for exploring Jewish sacred texts through creative writing and drama. She is married to Fred Kaplan-Mayer, executive director of the Hiway Theatre in Jenkintown, PA. Gabrielle works with couples as a wedding officiant, leading creative, personal wedding ceremonies. Click here to learn about how she can work with you and your partner to create a memorable Jewish Wedding.
Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky, named one of the fifty leading rabbis in North America by Newsweek, is well known for his inspiring books that bring the Jewish wisdom tradition into everyday life. He is executive director of the Jewish Outreach Institute, and is author of many books on Jewish spirituality, healing and Jewish religious practice, including Making a Successful Jewish Interfaith Marriage: The Jewish Outreach Institute Guide to Opportunities, Challenges and Resources; Introducing My Faith and My Community: The Jewish Outreach Institute Guide; Jewish Paths toward Healing and Wholeness: A Personal Guide to Dealing with Suffering; Grief in Our Seasons: A Mourner's Kaddish Companion; Twelve Jewish Steps to Recovery: A Personal Guide to Turning from Alcoholism & Other Addictions--Drugs, Food, Gambling, Sex...; Facing Cancer as a Family; Life's Daily Blessings: Inspiring Reflections on Gratitude for Every Day, Based on Jewish Wisdom; 100 Blessings Every Day: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Affirmations, Exercises for Personal Growth and Renewal Reflecting Seasons of the Jewish Year; and Recovery from Codependance: A Jewish Twelve Step Guide to Healing Your Soul. He is also co-author of Grandparenting Interfaith Grandchildren; Jewish Holidays: A Brief Introduction for Christians; Jewish Ritual: A Brief Introduction for Christians; Renewed Each Day, Vol. One--Genesis and Exodus: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Meditations; Renewed Each Day, Vol. Two--Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Meditations Based on the Bible and co-editor of The Rituals and Practices of a Jewish Life: A Handbook for Personal Spiritual Renewal(all Jewish Lights).
Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky is available to speak on the following topics:
The Jewish Twelve Step Path to Healing and Recovery
Sparks Beneath the Surface: A Spiritual Read on the Torah
Welcoming the Stranger in Our Midst
How to Nurture Jewish Grandchildren Being Raised in an Interfaith Family
Optimism for a Jewish Future
Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell is the director of the Pennsylvania Council of the Union for Reform Judaism.
Review :
"Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer gets it! She sensitively captures all the poetry, magic, and meaning of Jewish marriage rites. At the same time, she guides us through the anxiety and agony of planning a wedding. A book I'll proudly share with brides and grooms (and in-laws!) for years to come."
--Rabbi Edward Feinstein (Conservative), author, Tough Questions Jews Ask: A Young Adult's Guide to Building a Jewish Life
"A useful, practical, and inclusive guide for wedding couples focused on what is really important: the spirituality of the Jewish covenant and the miracle of love. Your wedding will be better if you read this book first."
--Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler (Reform), author, A Man's Responsibility: A Jewish Guide to Being a Son, a Partner in Marriage, a Father and a Community Leader
"A must-have resource for every kind of Jewish marriage--promotes intimacy, understanding, inclusiveness, and creativity with a thorough grounding in Jewish traditions and practices."
--Rabbi Goldie Milgram (Jewish Renewal), author, Living Jewish Life Cycle: How to Create Meaningful Jewish Rites of Passage at Every Stage of Life
"Courageous in its innovations while at the same time deeply reverent of tradition, this guide leads you through each step in planning a wedding with such spiritual joy that it cannot help but spill over into the ceremony, the celebration, and the marriage itself."
--Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer (Reconstructionist), author, Parenting as a Spiritual Journey: Deepening Ordinary & Extraordinary Events into Sacred Occasions
"A wonderful resource for couples and their loved ones. It creates a wedding as an intentional, joyful, inclusive event to be treasured for years to come. It is a true invitation to celebrate with bride and groom, a wonderful mitzvah in Jewish tradition."
--Sandy Falk, MD, coauthor, The Jewish Pregnancy Book: A Resource for the Soul, Body & Mind during Pregnancy, Birth & the First Three Months
