Marcie and Herman's Super Modern Custom Ketubah

Engagement photo by Kat Ambrose Photography

There are two things I love in a commission: getting to know the couple and a project that pushes my artistic boundaries.

With Marcie and Herman, I was lucky enough to get both those things. After our first Zoom call, I could tell that these guys would want something totally unique that fits their aesthetic. 

Marcie and Herman were set up by some mutual friends who obviously had a hunch that these two were meant for each other. Herman knew Marcie was the one because she pretended to like sports for him, and Marcie loved that Herman was a "nice Jewish boy". The rest was history. 

Engagement photo by Kat Ambrose Photography

I was especially excited when I got an email from Herman and Marcie inquiring about a custom ketubah because we had a special connection: Marcie's dad is the head of the JCC in Houston, which was my home away from home for the six years we lived there. I met some of my closest friends at the J and the Deutser Gallery in the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC was the first place to display my ketubah collection, before it traveled to other venues all over the country.

Here is a video filmed at that exhibit:

Houston and that big old building on Braeswood Blvd have a very special place in my memories and getting to know Marcie and Herman felt like a special connection to a town and a community that is so dear to my heart. 

Engagement photo by Kat Ambrose Photography

The happy couple shared two art prints they had up in their home and asked if I could use them as inspiration for their ketubah so eventually the three could be displayed together. I loved these prints and that idea! 

 These gorgeous prints are by Israeli-American artist Boaz Kimelman

Marcie and Herman wanted a ketubah in this style, that would incorporate the phrase אני לדודי ודודי לי. "Ani l'Dodi v'Dodi Li" is a quote from the Song of Songs, and it means "I am My Beloved's and My Beloved is Mine." 

A totally graphic design was outside my usual wheelhouse and I was excited to dust off that old graphic design minor. 

I presented Marcie and Herman with two sketches: 

Herman and Marcie felt that we were on the right track but asked me to make one more iteration in which the two designs are combined. So I presented them with Sketches 3 and 4:

And we had a winner! So I got to work. 

I couldn't wait to show Herman and Marcie their finished ketubah. I even added some gold highlights. 

I was thrilled to see how excited they were about how it turned out. I asked Herman and Marcie what they wanted their ketubah to tell about their love story. 

"We wanted our Ketubah to be unique and original. These are qualities that we both value as a couple and also symbolizes the unique and original journey of how we came together. The Hebrew letters in the Ketubah read Ani L’Dodi V’Dodi Li - I am my beloved as my beloved is to me, also very fitting of how we feel about each other."

Wedding photos by Serendipity Photography

They also said that the ketubah signing and breaking of the glass were their two favorite weddings moments. Music to my ears! 

Photo by Serendipity Photography

As for advice for other couples just starting out their wedding journey? Marcie and Herman's wisdom: 

 "Don’t be afraid to do something different than everybody else."

Marcie and Herman tell me that the most important foundation for their marriage is tradition and family. Wishing them a lifetime together full of both those things! Mazel Tov!