A Cherry Blossoms and Chinese Calligraphy Ketubah for Janine and Drew
Janine and Drew met on a study abroad program in Beijing, where they were studying Chinese. As soon as they met, they found that they could talk endlessly without pause.
They wanted their ketubah to incorporate symbols of how they met and where they are. They have a beautiful cherry blossom tree outside their home in DC, so they definitely wanted the focus of the ketubah to be cherry blossoms. They also wanted to incorporate sparrows to represent a combination of their last names (Sposeep + Karo = Sparo), and they wanted some Chinese calligraphy as well!
Here is the list of ideas I wrote down during our brainstorm call:
- cherry blossom trees/branches
- combination of last names The sparro — a sparrow bird
- colorful/bold colors
- potential maps/skylines — Beijing, South Korea, DC, Texas
- Chinese characters
I got right to work on sketches! Here is what I presented the happy couple with:
Janine and Drew gave some feedback, and here is the final sketch we settled on:
I got right to work!
Taadaaa!
And some pretty details...
Drew and Janine loved their ketubah. Now it was time to celebrate! Here is Rabbi Hausman-Weiss doling out some wisdom during their ketubah signing ceremony:
This happy couple said that recessing down the aisle as a married couple as all of their friends and family cheered was the most joyous and meaningful highlight of their special day.
I asked Janine and Drew the most important foundational value of their relationship: "open and honest communication is the window into your partner and the foundation of our relationship!" Amen!
What advice would you give to other couples just starting the wedding planning process?
Think about who you are as a couple instead of looking too much at Instagram for inspiration! The elements of the weekend that stood out most to our guests were personal touches that reflected us. They weren't big expenses but they had the biggest impact.
What wonderful, wise advice if I do say so myself.
Amazing wedding photos are by
Adam Kealing.
And their funniest wedding story?
At our venue, the bathroom door didn't lock well, so a few guests helped by watching the door whenever someone was in the bathroom! We didn't know about that until after the fact, but it goes to show that even when things go wrong, your guests will step up to solve problems that arise!
Janine and Drew, may your marriage be full of joy! May you always treasure each other and talk endlessly about everything.
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