Since I officially have been reduced to one blog reader (ok, maybe 2 or 3), I am going to write a special piece for that reader. Big sis P, this one's for you!
A little over a month ago I had the fortune of attending the best wedding I've ever been to when Paula Miriam Wertheim married Harlan Luxenberg. Now they are the Paula and Harlan Luxenberg family. What made this the best wedding you ask? Simply put it was a weekend extravaganza that wasn't over the top filled with relaxing scenery, lots of family and friends, time to chill out, an amazing ceremony, a talent show, scrumptious food and soooo much more. Check out their website to see the weekend line-up for yourself: http://harlanandpaula.com/
Since there is a great plenty that I could write about the weekend, I'll start off with my favorite part, the ceremony. It was a classic Reform
Jewish ceremony, but had its share of touches that made it unique for Paula and Harlan. For starters, the backdrop of the wedding was a lake and the ceremony was performed under a very special chuppah (ritual Jewish wedding tent).For me, the ceremony represented two aspects that are very important to Paula and Harlan: family and sustainability.
Family: There were many aspects of the ceremony that were conducted by the families of the bride and groom. The chuppah was made by Cousin Bill Gordon (8 or 9 Hart cousins have been married under it). The cover of the chuppah was woven by Harlan's mom and was beautiful. My Mom sewed the talit (prayer shawl) that Harlan wore as well as all the kipot (head coverings) that all the men wore. Paula wore the veil (though this time as a shawl) that was used by numerous women at their weddings (the first being Honey's mother, my great-grandmother). Each of the siblings and parents read a translation of one of the seven blessings during the ceremony. Their kittubah (wedding contract) was a gift from our grandmother, Honey. The flowers were put together by Harlan's sister. There were kiddush cups that had been in the family for a long time. Cousins Micah and Carlyn provided the music. I am sure there are other family details that I'm forgetting also (sorry P:-)
Sustainability: Everyone who had a part in the ceremony wore a dress or clothes that can be used again. All the literature was printed on recycled paper. The outdoor setting represented the green life that Harlan and Paula lead. They describe it much better on their wedding "sustainability" page, so check it out here.
They wrote their kittubah and it is a beautiful document that was created on an original piece of artwork. It will hang in their home and be a constant reminder of their commitment to each other and their values.
Ok, this post has gotten really long and so I must end it. There is so much more to say, but I think if you check out the pictures you'll get a great feel for just how special the weekend was from start to finish.
Older sis and new brother have definitely set a family precedent for great weddings!p.s. One other thing: Honey (my 83 year-old grandmother) beat me in Ping Pong! wtf??????
3 comments:
yay! your one reader is very happy to see that you're blogging again. btw, you do realize that if you start blogging more regularly, you'll probably increase your readership back to its original size, right?
fair enough. i'll try and post weekly and if i can, even more than that...
i just want to say that as a "future green designer" (lol) :) i really enjoyed to see how your family made the wedding very environmentally friendly (i checked out the links)well once i graduate i hope to engage in environmental design so it's cool to see other methods in doing so. so i applaud to the newlyweds! :) congrants to your family evan!!!
haha i'm reader #2 and i'm happy that your blogging too (it gives something else to do besides checking my emails) :)
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