so, this past weekend, I officiated at the weddings of gregg and alina and matthew and erica. nice folks, good ceremonies, but very different approaches. how so?
well, matt and erica were a destination couple, hailing from NJ. They flew in with two dozen family and guests, rented a suite at a ft lauderdale seaside hotel, rented a photog, 2 string musicians, a bunch of folding chairs, and engaged me, the rabbi.
i brought the portable chupah — aka bridal canopy — as well as the ketubah — aka the jewish marriage document –and we stepped out onto the 15th flr suite veranda for a seaside wedding — minus the sand and sweat, of course. 
it was close, intimate — and totally glorious. (of course, the wind chose to whip up for the first time that day right in the middle of the ceremony, but that’s florida for you — the winds of change.
you may ask, who did all the “planning” for the festivities? the mother of the bride — queen eileen, as she calls herself online. she was fabulous, and everythign worked out to a T.
oh, and btw, the rabbi was in GREAT voice!
now, gregg and alina were a bit more “down to earth”, since their venue was a ground level, naturally. they were at the inverarry country club , in lauderhill, the place that jackie gleason made famous as a golf resort so many years ago.
their chupah was created by the florist, and it was beautiful and functional. they supplied a very good looking ketubah made to THEIR specifications — a great personal touch, which i always recommend to my brides and grooms. (nothing beats a work of art ketubah for your wedding day and forever after; it is a one-of-akind gift to yourselves, as brides and grooms.) the room held the 125 guests very comfortably, and everything went off like clockwork — which is not always the case in florida, the land of ”i am going to come late to my friend’s/sister’s/cousin’s wedding, because i know that nothing starts on time since EVERYONE is ALWAYS late here.” how did the groom and bride do it? well, they fooled everyone, and they called the invitation for 1/2 hour prior to the actual ceremony. people came about 15 minutes late, as usual, but in reality they were 15 minutes EARLY! smart move, gregg and alina.
anyway, spirits were high, and i saw in the crowd a few friendly faces i knew from prior services. it was good to reconnect. i talked with one couple about their NEXT child’s Bar Mitzvah, and with a second couple about an upcoming Hadassah event. The jewish world is a very small world, after all, right? of course right!
so there you have it — two weddings, two ways — but with one thing constant: a great rabbi, good cheer, and lots of love.
life, i tell my couples, is the story of half a loaf — except on your wedding day. then you get the whole loaf (and dr atkins? well, he can wait, right?)
mazel tov to the wedding couples.
and remember (for “down the road”) i do baby namings when THAT TIME comes around.