The “Promises” Ketubah: from Kelsey to Tyler with love

photo: Julian Allen Photography

Kelsey had no idea what a ketubah was until about a month before her wedding.  Completely understandable, since Kelsey and Tyler are not Jewish. But she had seen a beautiful piece of art hanging at her good friend Allison’s home and was always drawn to it. You guessed it—what she was admiring was her friend’s ketubah. Allison shared photographs of how the ketubah signing is incorporated into a Jewish wedding and explained the meaning behind the document. Although Kelsey didn’t know it yet, the seed had been planted for Tyler’s special grooms gift!

Fast forward to three weeks before the wedding. “I still hadn’t thought of the idea to use a ketubah as a Groom’s gift” Kelsey muses, “I did, however, know that I wanted to create something unique and special for Tyler using a list of promises he gave me when he proposed. I always felt they were the most special part of his proposal and thought that I maybe wanted to have them scripted by a calligrapher and framed”.  She discussed the idea with Allison, who suggested taking a look at ketubah designs online to see if a customized ketubah could work. “That was when the idea of the ketubah took hold” she explains, and I became certain that this was what I wanted to give him”.

What better place to find a unique customized ketubah than etsy! Allison and Kelsey started searching for a design that would work for a fall wedding. “I wanted to be able to work with an artist who would allow me to insert my own text into a ketubah design” Kelsey remarks “and I also quickly became attached to the idea of a tree in the design.”

Plug in: tree and ketubah, in the etsy search engine and you will likely come up with my Fall Tree of Life. And luckily for me that is what Kelesy and Allison found! “Once we finally found the Fall Tree of Life ketubah on Naomi’s site, I knew it was perfect! Allison and I both loved the simplicity of the design, yet also the vibrant combination of colored leaves, curve of the text, and unique look of the tree roots. It was perfect, and I instantly contacted Naomi! 

photo: Julian Allen Photography

The rest as they say — is history. What an honour to work with Kelsey to create such a unique gift for the love of her life! She sent me the amazingly tender list of promises (adding a few of her own) from Tyler’s proposal — and together we filled the trunk of their Fall Tree of Life with them, creating the “Promises” Ketubah.

Honestly, I get teary every time I think of them ...

photo: Julian Allen Photography

I asked Kelsey recently what kind of reactions she has received, having a ketubah signing at her wedding. Here is what she had to say.

“We have received nothing but positive reactions and words of praise about the ketubah since we got it. I chose to display the ketubah on an easel at the wedding for guests to view when they entered the church (as well as later that night at the reception hall). We were then able to share the special story and tradition with so many family and friends. Our friends and family thought it was a beautifully unique aspect of our wedding and that it was a wonderful representation of our commitment to one another. It now hangs on the front wall in our home for all guests to see when they first enter the house. We still receive compliments on the piece and even more opportunities to share the story behind its creation for us”.

Thanks to Kelsey and Tyler for sharing their story and for letting me be a part of their special day.
(the beautiful photographs were taken by Julian Allen Photography)