Ketubah Maven

When you’re planning your wedding, you want everything from your ring to the flowers to be unique and personal. As a photographer, I always prided myself in taking images and making custom albums for weddings that reflected the personalities and taste of each couple. On our site, The Wedding Picture, those are the kinds of photographers and vendors we love to promote and celebrate.

Recently, I ran across an artist who is a ketubah designer for her Jewish and interfaith clients. (A ketubah is a wedding contract whose history dates back to the second century) And I thought some of our visitors at The Wedding Picture would be interested in her services.

Her name is Leslie Pereira and she has a website called Ketubah Maven. A former social worker with a PHD, Leslie uses what she calls her “therapist skills” in active listening to help couples customize their own ketubot in words and images to capture the essence of their relationship. If you look at her website, you can see some samples of ketubot she has designed for her clients over the years.

Leslie and I were also talking about how couples can preserve their ketubah so they last for generations. Most couples like to frame their ketubah (and some of their wedding pictures, of course) and hang them in their home.

Always use archival matting and framing techniques to preserve your ketubah and wedding photos that you choose to display. For more information on preservation, read our article on our sister site, Will It Look Good Over The Sofa. And don't forget to read about archival framing and matting.

It’s always great to meet other creative people in the wedding industry.
Thanks Leslie!

Should you take proposal pictures?

People ask wedding photographers all the time to take engagement pictures. In fact, some photographers include it in their wedding package.

Great idea- everyone’s relaxed, you get great pictures, and the photographer and couple get pictures to send to relatives and the local newspaper for wedding announcements.

Engagement photos are also a great way for the photographer and the couple to see how they look photographed so adjustments could be made. For example, if the bride was wearing a lot of heavy eyeliner and it looked bad in the pictures, she knows she’d have to make adjustments with her wedding makeup. Or if the groom is a person who blinks a lot when a flash goes off, the photographer takes notes and knows that they will have to overshoot the groom to make sure there are enough good shots where he’s not blinking at the wedding. A win-win situation for everyone.

So recently I read about a new phenomenon called proposal shots in the New York Times. Generally, what happens is the groom is planning to propose to the bride. He hires a photographer to secretly take pictures of the proposal in the background. According to the article this was great because then the couple would have proposal pictures to send to their friends.

Now, when I heard about this I balked. I thought, jeez, isn’t anything private anymore? And when I asked other photographers and friends about this, there were mixed opinions. What I learned is that if you’re under 30, you love it! You’ve grown up with everything being photodocumented, you have a MySpace page and you make friends on FaceBook. You will definitely post your wedding pictures on a website for friends and family to see and the proposal, the engagement, the wedding, and even the Trash the Dress shots are part of what you’d want captured.

If you’re over 30, it’s a different story. You believe certain moments are personal and privacy is sacred. You would never want your proposal documented. And most likely you feel the same about having all of your pictures available for the whole world to see on a website. You still want an intimate album that captures the spirit of the day. One woman thought “it was kind of stalkerish.”

So what’s your opinion on proposal pictures?

Dream House Event

Hi Folks-
This was recently sent to me. I thought anyone in the NY area would be interested in this very cool event!!

Condé Nast Bridal Media is proud to announce DREAM HOUSE— the first-ever, tour-able show house for pre-engaged, engaged and newlywed couples designed to provide inspiration for their entry into this new lifestage. The house will display the best-in-bridal, beauty, fashion, fitness, registry and home, plus host events with the editors of Brides, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, Brides.com, and Brides local magazines.

DREAM HOUSE will be open to the public for tours, classes, parties and spa treatments for four full weeks from October 18th – November 15th, 2007. A percentage of proceeds from ticket sales will benefit The I Do Foundation, an organization dedicated to linking engaged couples with charitable giving options for their wedding.

Tours of DREAM HOUSE will feature rooms designed for couples by top designers including Richard Mishaan of Homer, Cathy Hobbs of Apheria and Franck Hodelin, seen on The View. The house will feature the hottest home accessories from JCPenney, Noritake, Bloomingdales, Cuisinart, Pampered Chef, McGuire & Baker and more.

Couples will also have the opportunity to attend special seminars and one-time only events such as cocktail parties with industry insiders and home planning pros including the “Leonardo da Vinci of cakes,” Sylvia Weinstock, top celebrity lifestyle expert David Tutera, NY1’s Valarie D’Elia, celebrity wedding planning Sasha Souza, star hair stylist Mark Garrison and Mark Montano and Cat Wei, designers from the hit WE TV series “She's Moving In”.

“We have created an exciting month-long schedule of events at the Dream House for the bride, her fiancé and her family,” said CNBM Publisher Katherine Rizzuto. “We are thrilled to be able to showcase the best that CNBM and our advertisers have to offer for this lifestage, so come join us for manicures, makeovers, fashion advice, workouts, classes for the couple….and more!”

More information, tickets, calendar of events and a virtual online tour (available 10/18) of DREAM HOUSE are available at www.brides.com/dreamhouse.

The exclusive Manhattan residence of 112 East 73rd Street will be home to the following events on a weekly basis:
Meet the Editors of Brides, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, Brides.com: Tuesdays, 6:30–8:00PM, guests will get wedding tips and trend reports from the authorities at Condé Nast Bridal Media—Brides Editor in Chief Millie Martini Bratten, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride Editor in Chief Antonia van der Meer and Brides.com Editor in Chief Theresa DiMasi.

Editors Tea with Brides New York: Fridays, 12:30 - 2PM, guests can join Brides New York Editor in Chief Julie Raimondi and her staff of editors for a light lunch to get practical wedding advice and to help narrow down the mountain of options into a manageable hill that’s NYC specific.

Wed Worthy Workouts: Saturdays, 10:00 AM, brides-to-be are invited to an exclusive fitness class designed to get them in shape for the big day and beyond. Sue Fleming, the author of “Buff Brides,” will teach and lead the class on Oct. 20, 27 and Nov. 10, and the Saturday, Nov.10 class will feature a special guest.

Cocktails & Dreams: Thursdays, 7:00-8:30PM in New York City—and at the DREAM HOUSE—are for fun with friends. Before you hit the town, stop by for hors d’oeuvres, drinks and to dish about weddings during cocktail hours that will showcase everything from fashion to travel to beauty.

Couples Classes: Wednesdays, 6:30–8:00PM, are for couples planning their new lives and homes together! Don’t miss this series of fun, interactive classes about designing your new home, entertaining and more!

Meet the Experts: Saturdays, Noon–4:00PM, guests will have the opportunity to start their new lives with advice from wedding planning and home design experts including celebrity wedding planner Sasha Souza, star hair stylist Mark Garrison and interior Designers Mark Montano & Cat Wei from WE TV’s “She’s Moving In.”

Matri-Manicure: Tuesdays-Fridays, Noon–6PM, guests can get wedding band-worthy nails with Sally Hansen. Customized manicures are available via DREAM HOUSE sign-up. Sign up for your own manicure and nail analysis on brides.com/dreamhouse.