Hebrew Wedding Invitation Ideas

Hebrew / English wedding invitations that compete with the crème de la crème of modern wedding invitation designs offered by the elite of wedding invitation venues can be challenging to find, especially at the right price. While there are certainly exclusive places that will customize anything at the “right” price, most wedding invitation venues (that do not cater to the Jewish target) do not offer off-the-shelf Hebrew wedding invitation designs. In fact, they will tell you the challenges if they were to design a Hebrew wedding invitation such as:

• They don’t have a Hebrew translator on staff: You, the customer, will need to find someone to provide the Hebrew typed out and edited.
• Font size will be too small: Font size will be too small to fit on the invitation designs they offer to include both English and Hebrew.
• Your personal symbol cannot be printed on the invitation: While it is traditional for the kallah and chosson to design a symbol that represents their unity as husband and wife (typically, entwined Hebrew letters representing each of their Hebrew names in the form of some design and found on the wedding invitations, benchers, and / or ceremony booklets), the invitation venue may not be able to print your symbol on the invitation unless you provide a high enough quality graphical image.

These were some of the barriers that I experienced when working some of the highest rated wedding invitation venues out there. Thus, the easier route is to find a wedding invitation venue that caters to the Jewish crowd. Unfortunately, their presence on the web may be disappointing, not providing enough wedding invitation samples online to give you the motivation to go visit their store or order a sample. Further, once you visit their store and are shown samples, you may be sifting through hundreds of samples before finding the sleek, modern or unique varieties you had in mind. But being prepared with samples that you can show these venues will help resolve (most) of the challenges you may experience. Here are some Hebrew wedding invitation varieties to consider:

Redcherry Press offers both traditional and contemporary designs:

Cohen Printing and Invitations offers several Hebrew invitation layouts that can be viewed online:

Stephita provides stylish bilingual options:

Invitations Online offers Hebrew invitation designs:

Questions?  Email me or post a Comment.

Bridesmaid Dress Coupon

If you're looking for deals on modest and stylish bridesmaid dresses, look no farther.  I am excited to say that not only is Macy's offering a $25 Off coupon on bridesmaids dresses, some of these dresses are actually affordable and modest / can easily be made more modest.  To learn more about making a dress more modest, click here for ideas.

Take $25 Off Bridesmaid Dresses at Macy's, ends 6/15/11! CODE: BM25
Check out some of Macy's highly rated and affordable bridesmaids dresses that can easily be made more modest:

 Comments?  Feel free to post a comment or email me.

Modest Celebrity Wedding Gowns

When it comes to fashion, it seems celebrities help dictate trend setting, and it is quite refreshing to see some trends that promote modest styles.  One particular trend is celebrities that have opted to sport more modest wedding gowns.  In recent years, celebrities such as Nicole Richie, Kate Hudson, Ivanka Trump, and Nicole Kidman have walked down the aisle showing less skin, leaving a little more mystery for the bedroom.  To date, they are all still married to their respective spouses, and maybe the mystery will continue to keep on giving.

The Perfect Wedding Venue: Wedding Venue Costs in New York & New Jersey

The cost of the wedding venue on top of the cost of kosher catering can make up almost 50% of the total cost of the wedding budget.  The best way to reduce kosher wedding costs is to choose a wedding venue that includes in-house kosher catering at the venue.  But finding the perfect kosher wedding venue and caterer can be slim pickings for those of you desiring to walk outside the cookie-cutter lines of a traditional Jewish wedding venue and stay within budget.  If you are interested in comparing the costs and capacity of a variety of wedding venues across New York and New Jersey I've done the research for you.  All listed venues either allow kosher catering or offer in-house kosher catering.  Cost estimates are for the wedding venue site fees and are a reflection of Winter 2010 rates for a Sunday evening wedding after negotiations.  These tables can best be used for distinguishing between venues that fit within High, Medium and Low Budgets.  Venues that are italicized and bold include the cost of kosher catering within their Venue Cost.

Kate Middleton's Wedding Gown: Royally Modest

As predicted, Kate Middleton’s wedding gown was designed by Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton.  A beautifully elegant gown made of ivory and white satin gazar that some have already compared to Grace Kelly’s wedding gown.  The A-Line cut is flattering to Kate’s figure.  The ivory lace overlay that covers her shoulders and arms and sweetheart neckline give the dress a romantic and vintage feel.  The crispness of the folds from the waist down provides a classic and sleek finish to the shape.

Kate’s wedding gown is not quite as dramatic as one could have expected with an Alexander McQueen dress, but  Kate looked stunning as the bride and as her first appearance as Princess Katherine.

The diamond earrings gifted to Kate by her parents are what I believe take the dress to the next level and provides a subtle addition that lifts the dress into a more modern and youthful feel…possibly a reflection of Princess Katherine’s character as a new addition to the Royal Family.

But the day is not over yet, and Kate may be wearing a couple more dresses before the evening ends.  

Will & Kate: Kate’s royal wedding gown could be modest

We know that Kate will wear a wedding gown of Royalty, but will it also be modest, covering her shoulder and neckline?  The design of Kate’s wedding gown is under wraps until April 29^th.  But according to one British designer for royal families, Kate will most likely be wearing three wedding dresses on her big day:  a gown for the ceremony, one for the reception, and a more comfortable one for the rest of the evening.

That means she’ll have three opportunities to sport a modest wedding gown, and if she does, modest women across the world will most certainly be influenced by the design she chooses.  After all, Kate Middleton has not only earned her stripes for her fashionable taste, many of what she chooses to wear is modest.  Her modesty is even expressed in the hats she wears.  For married Orthodox Jewish women halachically required to cover their heads but don’t exactly enjoy wearing wigs or scarves, take a look at the hats worn by Kate Middleton.  She has a talent for making head coverings chic with any outfit she wears.

One rumor that seems to have spread faster than wildfire is that Kate will be wearing an Alexander McQueen wedding gown designed by Sarah Burton.  While formal designs by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen may not exactly be known for “modesty” per se, the brand’s cutting edge fashion forward style will be sure to make a lasting statement.  

But will Kate go Modest for Prince William as they take their vows?  Let’s look at how Kate snagged such a royal catch in the first place.  The first time Will was “introduced” to Kate was when he saw her model a see-through little number at a fashion event.  Thus, there is also the possibility that modesty will not be a concern for Kate.   My humble guess -- Kate Middleton is about to enter into one of the most famous and royal families in the world.  On April 29^th 2011, my bet is at least one of Kate’s three dresses will be Modest, Iconic and Legendary for all to cherish.

The Sheva Brachot / Seven Blessings: A Quick Reference for Hebrew, English & Transliterated

Sheva brachot / Seven Blessings* are first read under the chuppah, said again during Grace After Meal at the end the reception in the traditional Jewish wedding, and then during each of the six meals that are held after the wedding. The bride and groom can choose several close family members or friends to participate in reading these blessings, and it is considered an honor for a person to be selected to say one of the seven blessings.

Since there are a total of 14 blessings to be read for the two sheva brachot at the wedding (7 blessings under the chuppah + 7 blessings after the reception), this means the bride and groom can give honors to up to 14 people in fulfilling the mitzvah of the sheva brachot. That being said, not all people honored with reading a blessing from the sheva brachot can read Hebrew fluidly, and would like to either read the blessing in Transliteration or in English.

It is incredibly handy to provide your honored person with a sheet of paper that has the Sheva Brachot in bigger print than a prayer book and offers all three options: Hebrew, Transliterated and English. Further, there is no need to memorize which honored person will be reciting which of the seven blessings. Rather, it is highly recommended to include in the paper that has the seven blessings with Hebrew, Transliteration and English the names of the honored people that are associated with each of these blessings.

Below is a template that you can fill-out and print out as a handy reference to use while at your wedding.


Please note:  If you print the table represented below please note this table is holy, and must be treated as such. When finished, please deposit into your local Genezah / at a synagogue.

Sheva Brachot Said Under Chuppah and Grace After Meals:  click on the table to get a complete view







 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
*  The term “sheva brachot” translates to the Seven Blessings and is also a term used to describe the seven meals that are shared with family, friends, people within the community and acquaintances starting with the Wedding Reception as the first of the seven meals since the chuppah.