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 COUPLES - INTERESTING COMBINATIONS It has been our privilege to join couples of different faiths, different cultures and even different planets. One of the most unusual and fun weddings we did was on November 1, the Celtic New Year. The couple was outwardly Jewish/Christian, but the groom followed the Klingon traditions, as on STAR TREK©, and while the bride was from a Jewish heritage, all her female relatives were Wiccan. So we created a ceremony that included the normal Jewish/Christian parts, AND a modified apple dunking ritual for the Celtic New Year, which included a prayer for the Goddess, and Rabbi Roger learned a few words of Klingon for the groom, and blessed the couple with the traditional "Live long and prosper" with the proper hand gesture. Another ceremony was for a couple who were performance artists. They wanted their ceremony to be a theatrical production, the vows and rings being only a small part of the whole. The members of the bridal party were actor and dancers, and all wore costume and beautiful feathered masks. They would have liked Rabbi Roger and myself to wear them as well, but settled for a wreath of flowers for me and Rabbi Roger wore a feathered yarmulke. They were a Jewish/Fundamentalist Christian couple, yet the ceremony celebrated the earth and all the elements of it. Before the ceremony, the guests were asked to go down to the beach (the wedding took place in Sag Harbor) and pick a stone or shell and bring it inside to create a sacred circle, inside of which the ritual was to take place. There was a Jewish blessing of the bride and groom by Rabbi Roger, and a Celtic prayer done by me after the circle had been censed with aromatic sage. The players then created celebration of the four directions, with the four elements of fire, earth, water and air, and the aspects that the bride and groom would need for their lives together. Three young girls danced the dance of the inner child and scattered rose petals for the bride. The vows and rings were next, followed by a sacred closing and opening of the circle. The bride and groom remained masked until the actual vows were said. This was one of the most powerful and beautiful ceremonies we have ever done. Dear Rabbi Ross, Thank you for officiating at our interfaith wedding ceremony. Your attention to detail is astounding. We appreciate your willingness to work with us despite all the geographic restrictions. We truly enjoyed working with you and valued your pre-wedding advice. You calmed our nerves and put our minds at ease. Thank you for the time and energy you placed into making our ceremony the most memorable and beautiful event Mike and I, as well as our family and friends, have ever witnessed. It was wonderful to find a Rabbi such as yourself who not only embraced our interfaith, but who also showed enthusiasm for our union. Sincerely, Mike and Cynthia   Dear Rabbi Ross, Thank you so much for making our wedding feel so meaningful and special! You did such a wonderful job, everyone was happy. Thanks also for all your help and support along the way. We truly appreciate everything. Love, Sharon and Eddie Dear Rabbi Ross, We want to thank you from the bottom of our heats for the most beautiful, meaningful, heartfelt, sincere and magical ceremony that anyone could ever ask for! Our friends and family continually rave about how our ceremony was the best they've ever seen. your warm and sincere demeanor make you a wonderful speaker. you are true from the heart and you really care. You have a great gift and you so generously share it with others. Thank you so very much for helping to make our wedding day the most special and perfect day of our lives. God bless you. Love, Amy and Adrian Dear Rabbi Ross, A very appreciated thank you for all of your help in making our wedding day such a loving, joyous event. We received so many compliments from our family and friends on how beautiful the ceremony was. We are very grateful to have met and talked with you and Deacon Bob. Your kind, comforting words will stay with us through our journey of life together. Gratefully, Cathy and Wes  Dear Rabbi Ross, Thank you so much for officiating at Chris and Dana's wedding. Your warm and caring attitude set the tone for the whole affair. The wedding ceremony was moving and joyous. We shall remember your presence at the wedding with much happiness. Sincerely yours, Eileen and Gary Dear Rabbi Roger and Reverend Deborah, Randy and I just wanted to take the time to thank you for making our wedding ceremony such a beautiful memory. You both did a wonderful job expressing how we both feel for each other. You fulfilled a dream of how we imagined that day and the start of our new lives together. The unique ceremonies that you provide are greatly appreciated by the couples you marry. Thanks again, Amy and Randy Dear Reverend Deborah and Rabbi Roger, Please know this message is from our hearts. Thank you! For creating a wedding ceremony so lovely, so warm, so spiritual and more beautiful then we imagined. Your warmth, kindness and gentle ways shone through and carried us through our entire wedding day. We'll never forget you. Love, Jill and Ralph  Dear Reverend Deborah, Robin and I can't thank you enough for the wonderful service you offered for our wedding ceremony. It was magical and everything we ever dreamed of. You have a rare gift, and we are so lucky to have shared in it. So many people have complemented us on the ceremony...we wish you could have heard them all. Thank you again for making our wedding so special. Fondly, Kim and Robin Dear Reverend Deborah, Laura and I both wanted to express our gratitude for the wonderful job you did for our wedding. We were very pleased that it covered all the essential bases while braiding together the two traditions in such a way that the service emphasized the commonalities of the two faiths rather than the differences. You were truly THE model for how a mixed ceremony should be conducted (at least, in our eyes!). You led the service with such clarity, conviction, pathos, and harmony. We couldn't have asked for more. The feedback we've received from virtually everyone who attended has been wonderful. People found the ceremony meaningful and in many cases people were moved to tears. Even some of the random onlookers! My mother, who as you know is a tough customer when it comes to mixed marriages, was so pleased with the way it all turned out (and she too cried upon reading the ceremony a couple of nights before). All in all, what could have been a dicey situation turned out to be a memorable and moving experience for Laura and me. To say that we won't forget it is obvious, of course, but the process and result far exceeded our personal expectations. Also I am glad to say that it will provide something of a guide for other friends who were in attendance and who are about to head down the same road as us. And that makes me happier perhaps more than anything else. So thank you, thank you, thank you. Now all that's left is for Laura and I to live up to the ceremony and everything should work out great! Best wishes to you and Rabbi Roger, Adam and Laura  Dear Rev. Deb, We just wanted to let you know how much we loved having you marry us on October 25. The first time we met you we felt a deep spiritual kinship, and knew we were making the right choice in having you officiate our wedding. As it turned out, we could not have been happier. Your boundless spirit and zestful exuberance not only touched us deeply, but touched the hearts of our guests as well. There were no shortage of guests who waxed poetically about the "female reverend." Thanks so much for making such a special day even more special than we could ever have imagined. You not only brought us together into the holy bond of matrimony, but you touched our hearts in more ways than you will ever know. Thanks so much. Sincerely, Bob & Tiffany  Dear Reverend Deborah, Todd and I were so happy you were able to perform our wedding ceremony in September. It was everything we could have wanted and more. Everyone who attended thought you were just wonderful! Thank you for all of your advice and help in planning the ceremony. We would highly recommend you to anyone!! All the best, Dawn and Todd   Dear Rev. Deb, Thanks so much for the incredible ceremony! Everyone's still talking about how great you were. We had a great time at the wedding, and it all started at the ceremony.. Thanks so much, and take care. We'll call you guys when it's time for the B'ris/Baby Naming. Christina and Amir Dear Rabbi Ross, So much was happening and I was so excited that I am sure I forgot to thank you properly. I did not forget, however, your incredible ceremony service and all your good wishes. Our guests have told us that it was the finest wedding ceremony they have ever witnessed! Thank you for all your personal attention and guidance. With love, from Steve and Jennifer Dear Rabbi Ross, What a wonderful ceremony! You told us not to worry, and you were absolutely right. It was such a beautiful wedding and you contributed so much to it. So many friends and relatives approached us and told us how they enjoyed the ceremony and your words. We will forever remember your advice and the feelings that we shared that day! It was exactly what we wanted: Spiritual yet inclusive, warm and meaningful. Thank you again, Steve and Jane Dear Rabbi Ross, We wanted to tell you how much we and everyone at our wedding loved the ceremony you gave us. it was beautiful and personal, and we don't think there was one person at the affair who was not touched by your words. You had told us in our meetings with you that you wanted to give us a ceremony that people would remember, and you certainly achieved your goal. You wouldn't believe how many complements we received on it. You helped to create a feeling of warmth and love which continued into the party and mad the evening quite special. Thank you for understanding our feelings re: the kind of ceremony we wanted, and for giving us one we will never forget! Sincerely, Elysia and Steven |