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Dear Reverend and Rabbi,
Stephen and I want to thank you so much for the thoughtful, unique and absolutely perfect ketubah signing and ceremony you officiated for us in September. When we initially started searching for an interfaith wedding officiant, our hopes and standards were low. We simply hoped to find someone who could perform a wedding ceremony that included some traditions from both of our religions and families. When we found your website, we felt we’d hit the jackpot-we were right.
We knew from the moment you welcomed us into your home that we were in good hands. You truly made each step of the ceremonial planning process a pleasure. You were sensitive, knowledgeable, patient and thoughtful. We felt so lucky to have a ceremony that was completely unique and tailored to our wishes, our families and our beliefs.
The absolute icing on the cake was when we thought my grandmother wouldn’t be able to attend our ceremony. Not only were you comforting to talk to during such an emotional and difficult time but when you came to perform a “mock ceremony” in my grandmother’s living room, we felt so blessed and my whole family was so appreciative.
On our wedding day, we had so many of our guests tell us that it was the best ceremony they had ever witnessed. It was absolutely perfect. We feel so fortunate to have found two new friends and guides who helped us through our wedding planning. We hope to stay in touch. Thank you for everything!
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Dear Rabbi Paris and Reverend Kessler,
Words cannot express how thankful we are to you for helping us create the wedding of our dreams. From the very start, your guidance was invaluable. You took the time to get to know us, you listened to us, and the end result was a ceremony more beautiful, more special, more meaningful, and more personal than we ever could have imagined possible. It was absolutely amazing and it touched our hearts in ways so profound that we cannot describe them in words. Your attention to detail and planning allowed us to relax on the day of our wedding and just focus on each other. You created such a loving and energetic atmosphere, and we received so many compliments on how beautiful the ceremony was – even from Grandma!
Beyond that, your support and advice helped us to finally truly feel comfortable with ourselves, our relationship, and our future. We now, more than ever before, feel that we can be open and honest with the world about who we are and what we believe. Your words will be with us now, as we begin our marriage, and for many years to come as we begin our family and beyond.
Thank you just doesn’t seem to be enough to express our gratitude to you, but it will have to do for now. So, thank you for helping to begin our marriage and our new life in such an exceptionally special way. |
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Overwhelmingly, when our family and closest friends commented on our wedding, they said the beautiful Ketubah signing and ceremony were their favorite and most memorable moments. More importantly, we agreed. Throughout the night, Reverend Kessler and Rabbi Paris created a delicate balance between our faiths and were especially sensitive to our differences while accentuating our similarities. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and quite moving for all who were present.
While the feedback on the wedding was resounding, what was most valuable to us was their support and guidance leading up to our special day. We were both faced with questions from traditionally-minded family members that, at times, made things uncomfortable and hurtful. Reverend Kessler and Rabbi Paris made themselves available at any time to help us manage this skepticism and remain focused on what was most important: our love for each other.
In the end, we felt closer than ever before. Reverend Kessler and Rabbi Paris gave us both a renewed sense of faith, both separately and as a couple. They provided us with a sense of acceptance, hope, and love that we are looking forward to continuing throughout our journey of life. |
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We would like to thank you both for helping to make our wedding and the several days surrounding it, the most amazing time of our lives. The decision to have a destination wedding came with its challenges. One of the biggest obstacles was finding clergy that would marry an interfaith couple, as well as travel with us to the Dominican Republic. When we arrived at your home, for what would be the first of many meetings, we knew right away that you were going to make our wedding one to remember.
From the moment you arrived in Punta Cana, you were there for us, offering support and advice at every chance you could get. As we all know, weddings can be stressful, and you both made the process much smoother. You were both very calming and reassuring and offered your assistance whenever possible. You always went above and beyond our expectations. One demonstration of your good will and dedication that we remember and are grateful for was when you offered your time and energy to help build our Chuppah when bad weather threatened our special day. You calmed us down when we were struggling with the dynamics of having 55 guests from mixed families and religions all come together to share our wedding weekend with us.
We had reservations regarding our Ketubah signing and bringing our blended families together in the same room at the same table. You both reassured us that it would unite everyone and remind them of why they were all there, which was to celebrate our love and commitment. It was very special and unique! It was a part of that weekend that will never be forgotten.
The ceremony was so beautiful! Together, you both made it warm, symbolic and personal to us and our guests. It was everything we dreamed it would be and more. Together you both emanate the love and union that we strive for in our own lives.
You are two wonderful, unique and loving individuals. So again, from the depths of our hearts, we thank you for all the special things you did for us and we look forward to sharing our lives with you going forward. |
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"Before we started with the planning of our wedding, we didn't give much thought to the ceremony aspect...we figured we would get a justice of the peace or someone who would just take care of the legalities. Coming from different religions, we thought that maybe we would go that route so as not to foster any hard feelings towards our families. However, we thought about it again and decided that an interfaith minister or couple would only enhance our celebration. We came to Rev. Kessler and Rabbi Paris rather serendipitously, but it was beshert (meant to be...). In hindsight, we could not imagine our wedding without them-they gave us a ceremony that was personal, unique and honoring of both heritages. They took so much time to talk and meet with us and get to know us so that our marriage ceremony was real. Our Ketubah ceremony was emotional and honored our parents. They kept us in the moment and that made all the difference. We know that Rev. Kessler and Rabbi Paris didn't just marry us and perform the legalities. Rather, they looked out for us and let us know that when the wedding was over and married life began, they were still going to be there. And for that, we are so thankful!"
Sachiko and Adam,
08/2004 |
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"Words cannot begin to express how incredibly special and meaningful you made the most important day of our life. With patience, understanding and love, you seamlessly combined our faiths, personalities and hearts into a wedding ceremony that touched each and every person at our wedding. You taught both us and our families to always look to add to the richness of our lives by combining the special qualities of our respective faiths - "Never instead, always in addition." Thanks to you, our wedding day was a dream come true, filled with happiness, faith, laughter, and of course, love!"
Danielle and Bryan,
07/2004 |
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"Soon after the exciting day that Alon asked me to marry him, I began wondering what type of wedding ceremony would be possible between an Israeli and an American, living abroad in Spain, with our combination of Jewish and non-Jewish backgrounds. Upon the first correspondence with Rev. Enid Kessler and Rabbi Stuart Paris, it became abundantly clear to us that whatever barriers in our cultural differences we thought might pose challenges, would instead become blended by Enid and Stuart into a complementary expression of our love, traditions and values. Because of their professionalism, sincerity and dedication I had not only peace of mind when planning my wedding, but a joyful anticipation of what I knew would be, and was, the best day of our lives. I am still being told by our friends and family who came to Spain from all over the world, that our wedding was the most moving ceremony they had witnessed, and this is from people of different religions, different languages and different countries. I will always be grateful to Enid and Stuart for their guidance throughout the planning of the ceremony, and of course for officiating a ceremony that can only be described as otherworldly, because of how magical and beautiful it was. I cannot think of a better way to begin married life, than from the starting point of the wedding of your dreams."
Genevieve and Alon,
07/2004 |
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Debra and Richard,
06/2003 |
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