Dec 30, 2020

Allison and Andrew's Ketubah: A Marriage of Laughter and Love

by Anna Abramzon

There is nothing better than a couple with a sense of humor! I loved Allison and Andrew the moment I heard their completely unique and sentimental ketubah idea.

Andrew, who is a veteran (thank you for your service, Andrew!) met Allison on Bumble. Little did they know that their 2020 mid-Covid micro-wedding (they only had seven guests!) would not only be a celebration of their love story, but their first chance to eat out in months.

Allison and Andrew

Photo by Aly Matei

Allison: We've always bought stuffed animals for each other to mark milestones, like birthdays, Valentine's Day and whenever we travel. Andrew has a hard and fast rule that all stuffed animals have to have a name and a story, and they've come to represent specific moments in our lives as a couple and as individuals. Somewhat relatedly, all of our "personal" stuff isn't color-coded so much as it's animal coded - Allison's things with a fox and Andrew's things with a bear. We knew we wanted Olive to be central to our ketubah and we liked the idea of the fox and the bear as visual representations of ourselves and of us being surrounded by all the important moments in our lives.

Andrew and Allison sent me a powerpoint presentation featuring all the stuffed animals that have a special meaning in their lives! This was definitely a first.

The power point included the names and personality traits of each animal, where they acquired them, and the important details to notice for the art. I loved it.

Allison's Wedding Shoes Photo by Aly Matei

I could tell that Allison and Andrew valued a life full of adventure and knew how to celebrate all the moments together, both big and small.

Here is the ketubah sketch Andrew and Allison approved:

Allison and Andrew Ketubah Sketch

And so I got to work.

Andrew and Allison Stuffed Animal Ketubah Detail Anna Abramzon

Andrew and Allison Stuffed Animal Ketubah Anna Abramzon

Now this is the kind of reaction I love to get from a couple seeing their ketubah for the first time:

Andrew Ketubah Response Anna Abramzon Studi

Allison and Andrew's Ketubah with Marriage Contract Photo by Aly Matei

How did you know he/she was the one?

Allison: Andrew is the only person other than me and my mom who's ever walked Olive, our dog, alone. One night when I was working late, he took Olive on a walk and a dog who was off leash rushed at her. Andrew saved her and shamed the other dog's owner and I remember being so touched by how upset and concerned he was for Olive's safety.

Andrew: When we first started talking about foreign policy and world events, and I realized Allison was informed about the world around us and had her own opinions. We went ten days between our first and second dates, and the fact that she didn't need to text me constantly told me she was independent and her own person.

Allison and Andrew Photo by Aly Matei

What advice would you give to other couples just starting the wedding planning process?

Focus on three or four things that really matter to you. Ours were having a truly personal ketubah, great photos, good food, and time to spend with each other, our families and our dog Olive on our wedding day.

Even as Covid-19 changed our plans time after time, we were able to re-focus on those priorities. That also meant letting other things go entirely (engagement photos, wedding music) and delegating control of others (my mom learned to arrange flowers watching YouTube and created all of our florals! And we left everything about our cake and programs up to the fabulous staff at the St. Regis Houston).

We both tend to be type-A so letting go of things wasn't easy! But in the end, we remember the food and our time with our families, and we have the ketubah and the photos as memories.

Allison signing her ketubah

Andrew Ketubah Signing Photos by Aly Matei

What was your favorite moment of the wedding day?

Allison walking down the aisle Photo by Aly Matei

Allison: Dinner. We only had 7 guests, so we were able to talk and linger with them for hours. Because we got married during Covid, our wedding dinner was the first meal we had "out" in months and it was so nice to be able to socialize in person! The fantastic food was also a bonus.

Andrew and Allison on their wedding day Photo by Aly Matei

Andrew: When we got married. It was super windy and at one point my mom jumped up to try to fight the wind blowing Allison's veil everywhere.

Anna Abramzon Custom Ketubah for Allison and Andrew Photo by Aly Matei

Tell me something that happened at your wedding or wedding planning that you wouldn’t want published in the New York Times

We also forgot to check the measurements of one of our kiddush cups online and it was big enough to easily hold a whole bottle of wine by itself. Andrew tried to drink most of that glass of wine anyway, to the point that our cantor had to whisper that he didn't actually need to drink it all!