A Custom Ketubah for Cari and Darrell

Meet Cari and Darrell. This sweet couple from Chicago had been together for several years when they decided to tie the knot. So when it came time to express their love with a ketubah, they knew exactly what they wanted.

Cari and Darrell are both extremely spiritual. They told me that they connect to the 'Oneness' of all that is and are celebrating their Union over an entire weekend at a camp in the Redwoods in Northern California.

Their wedding theme was going to be "One Love”. Could I possibly love that theme any more? I was thrilled that they had found me!

We got to work right away. They knew they wanted a Love Tree.  They also wanted to play with the numbers 8 and 9 -- 8 as infinity and 9 as completion... eternally complete as individuals, as a couple and in community. They had designed their rings with that in mind as well.

Here are some of the initial sketches I presented them:

They loved the trees and the couple forming a circle, so I knew the direction to go.  They also told me they wanted to incorporate fractal patterns into the piece.

I learned that a fractal is a never-ending pattern. Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales. They are created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop. They exist in nature. Thanks, Google!

When I searched for images of fractal patterns, I knew exactly what they were going for.

Thanks www.wired.com for these images.

Inspired, I went back to work.

Here is the final sketch that Cari and Darrell approved:

Now the fun part began.

Cari and Darrell chose their colors, size, text, and I got to painting!

Drumroll please...

I was really anxious when presenting the art to Cari and Darrell. I knew they had a very solid image of what they wanted, and I was hoping to make them proud.

So I made them a little video and texted it to Cari.

Luckily her response was just what I hoped it would be:

Mazel tov Cari and Darrell!!!

Wishing you a lifetime of happiness. May your ketubah always be a symbol of your One Love.