Mazal Tov!!!!!
Congratulations
on your upcoming Nuptials!
Sometimes it can seem like finding the right officiant for your wedding can be almost as difficult as finding the right partner...
...It is--truly--a matching process of finding the right fit for each couple. But it is also important that your Rabbi be more than simply an "officiant". There are many Rabbis who officiate at weddings. I, too, officiate at weddings, but what I really "do" is marriages. I don't have "pre-written wedding scripts" that I send you and you choose. I work with each couple to make your wedding a reflection and symbol of your values, your relationship, and your future. If you're looking for a Rabbi to "check off your list" like "florist", "photographer", "musicians", "caterer", I will be happy to refer you. If you are interested in someone who is interested in you, then please call me.
Types of Ceremonies Marriage Preparation
Please take the time to peruse what’s below and on the subsequent pages.
But please also take the time to give me a call (831-594-YITZ), or Contact me so that we can see if we’re the right fit for each other.
I physically live near Santa Cruz, California, and officiate from San Francisco to Carmel as part of my “normal territory” (click for fees), as well as Central and Northern CA "destination areas" (Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Simeon, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Napa, Mendocino, etc.--click for fees). I also am often invited to travel farther distances, or for "destination weddings"--click for fees. I am happy to do so. Please contact me if this is applicable for you.
Unless you are easy driving-distance from Santa Cruz, I do most of my pre-wedding sessions by phone and webcam, so feel free to contact me no matter where you live!
I am available to perform 3 different types of weddings:
Once you have determined which type of wedding is right for your circumstances, please click on that link for more information. Note that I joyously and proudly officiate at same-sex ceremonies under exactly the same guidelines as I use for mixed-gender weddings.
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Jewish
Wedding
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Interfaith
Wedding
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Spiritual
Wedding
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There are only 4 pieces of a wedding that are “required” to make it Jewish (all the rest are simply traditions). If all 4 of these things are applicable to you, then click here to go to the Jewish weddings page:
1. A ketubah, which is a covenenant witnessed before God and the Jewish community.
2. A chuppah, which symbolizes the creation of a Jewish home.
3. A ring, given with the statement: “Behold, by this ring I betroth you according to the laws (traditions) of Moses and the People Israel.”
4. Any version of the 7 blessings which represent the blessings of God and community.
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Even if both people are not Jewish, it can still be a Jewish wedding (Moses’ wife wasn’t Jewish, so we have plenty of precedent).
If you are an interfaith couple but are creating a Jewish relationship that would logically be sanctified by a Rabbi, then click on the Jewish Weddings section.
If you are looking for me to be there simply as a religious officiant who does great weddings, then click on the spiritual weddings section.
But if you are in an interfaith relationship but not quite sure yet where Judaism fits in; or if you already know that your relationship, your household, and your family will be one of multiple faiths, then click here for some general guidelines about what I can and cannot do as a Rabbi at an interfaith ceremony.
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It so happens that I perform great ceremonies, and that many people who don’t happen to be Jewish find my process of preparation for the wedding and the marriage to be something they want.
Obviously my background and training is from the Jewish tradition, so my approaches to ceremony are certainly guided by those influences.
However, I firmly believe that all major spiritual traditions are “different paths up the same mountain”. As I often joke--both I and the minister around the corner have the same boss!
I (obviously) cannot represent any other religious tradition, but if you would like to work with me for a “spiritual-but-not-religious” wedding, please click here.
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One last recommendation—for a great book to help you plan a Jewish Wedding:
“The New Jewish Wedding” by Anita Diamant.
I look forward to speaking with you!
-Rabbi Yitzi
Choosing a Rabbi for your Wedding
