The New Jewish Wedding / There is no such thing as a generic Jewish wedding," writes Anita Diamant, "no matter what the rabbi tells you, no matter what the caterer tells you, no matter what your mother tells you." Complete, authoritative, and indispensable, The New Jewish Wedding provides you with options -- some new, some old -- to create a wedding combining spiritual meaning and joyous celebration.
With enthusiasm and flair, Anita Diamant prepares you to become your own architect. Gently providing options, she shows how you can mark every stage of a wedding -- before, during, and after the "main event" -- with your own blend of traditional texts and customs. First, she introduces you to the richness of the Jewish tradition of love and marriage with delightful references drawn from Biblical, Talmudic, and mystical texts and stories. Then, she guides you step by step through planning the ceremony and the party that follows -- from finding a rabbi and wording the invitation to organizing a processional and hiring a caterer. Samples of both traditional and artistically designed, creatively worded invitations and ketubot (marriage contracts) are provided to help you devise your own. There are examples of poems that can be incorporated into the wedding ceremony or party, and names and addresses of artists who specialize in weaving, ceramics, sculpture, and calligraphy.
