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Mrs. Firefly, New York Age and Occupation in 06: 31, Attorney Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Finance Engagement Date: April 11, 2004 Wedding Date: June, 2006 Venue: Battery Gardens About Me: I was born in the city of Donetsk in the former Soviet Union (now the Ukraine) and grew up in Brooklyn. Many of my parent's friends are from Russia and the Ukraine as well. We want all of our guests to have a great time and hit the dance floor so we've hired a band that can play both Russian and American music; not to mention a mean rendition of the Gypsy Kings and chair-raising hora!
About Mrs. Firefly

Traditionally, in a Jewish wedding, the bride and groom are supposed to see each other before the ceremony and sign the Ketubah (Jewish Marriage Contract) together. I really wanted that moment of “ahhh” when I walked down the aisle and our rabbi was flexible, so we each signed it separately. We also couldn’t find two non-related Jewish men to sign as witnesses, so a couple of my girl friends did the honor.

We purchased the Ketubah at J Levine on Fifth Avenue and 30th Street. It was great to look through the Ketubahs. The ordering process was simple (they didn’t even frown upon our pre-sunset Saturday evening wedding) and the store’s prices were comparable to various online sites. A

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My brother-in-law couldn’t sign the Ketubah because he is Catholic, but he could sign the NY marriage license.

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The countdown begins and the guests start arriving….

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I couldn’t leave the bridal suite for fear of getting spotted…

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Note to girls getting married at Battery Gardens: the “bridal suite” is just a semi-closed off area of the restaurant, that is separated from the hallway leading to the bathroom by a few screens and a large curtain that do not cover the entire opening (one screen nearly fell on my nephew when we tried moving it). I was scared that Mr. Firefly would inadvertently see me, which would have been such a bummer. You do not have complete privacy and I definitely would not suggest getting ready here.

…to be continued.

Tags: cultural, new-york, pictures |
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15 Responses to “Tradition! (Or the Not So Jewish, Jewish Wedding)”

1.
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Guest
kanipark

the ketubah looks beautiful… i just love it…

 
2.
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Mary

I love how you are walking us through the whole day! The bouquet looks great with your dress.

 
3.
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K

The ketubah is gorgeous!

 
4.
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Lisa

i love how you’re combining pictures with your vendor reviews. fantastic!

beautiful pictures by the way . . .

 
5.
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Miss Poppy

so lovelyyyyy

 
6.
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Style Graduate

What a gorgeous ketubah! I hope I can find one just as lovely when I get married!

 
7.
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Miss Grasshopper

I love your dress!

 
8.
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milka

something I’ve always wondered - what does a ketubah say?

 
9.
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fran

What is that line through the first three pictures? You looked beautiful in all your photos.

 
10.
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fran

I mean the line across picts #3,4,5…

 
11.
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Mrs. Firefly

Hi Fran,

Those photos are actually pictures of the mirror images. The line must be a seam in the back wall mirror.

Mrs. Firefly

 
12.
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Mrs. Firefly

Hi Milka,

Katubahs have various verses depending on whether its an orthadox, conservative, reform, or interfaith text. Usually the text says something about getting married in the eyes of God and having a jewish family (although the interfaith one may skip the second part). We have the reform text; here is the a link to the text:

http://xf9.xanga.com/205887337643026407174/b18584293.gif

OR

http://www.weddingbee.com/2006/01/02/tree-of-life/#respond

 
13.
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lindsay

your Ketubah is absolutely gorgeous!!

 
14.
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Guest
Love by the Bay: An Old, But New to Me, Tradition » Weddingbee » The Wedding Blog

[...] am far from the first Bee to post about this 2000 year old tradition, but for a little background, I found this link and [...]

 
15.
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Guest
Abe

Don’t forget the music!Don’t forget the Jewish Wedding Music unfortunately many people can’t afford bands or orchestras today. If you want to see what a one-man-band sounds like at a Jewish wedding check out
LiveJewishmusic.com for free clips as well as Jewish wedding sheet music for free downloads and more. Enjoy

 

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Mrs. Firefly
Mrs. Firefly

Mrs. Firefly, New York Age and Occupation in 06: 31, Attorney Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Finance Engagement Date: April 11, 2004 Wedding Date: June, 2006 Venue: Battery Gardens About Me: I was born in the city of Donetsk in the former Soviet Union (now the Ukraine) and grew up in Brooklyn. Many of my parent's friends are from Russia and the Ukraine as well. We want all of our guests to have a great time and hit the dance floor so we've hired a band that can play both Russian and American music; not to mention a mean rendition of the Gypsy Kings and chair-raising hora!

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