I had the good fortune of being the wedding officiant for the beautiful interfaith ceremony of Jane and Michael. The wedding was held at Chart House, a very cool restaurant right on the Delaware River with stunning views of the city and Camden across the water. The ceremony was Judeo-Christian in nature, with aspects of both Jewish and Christian ceremonies.

We started off the day with the signing of the ketubah. The ketubah is a marriage contract, a Jewish tradition that goes back many, many years. The ceremony was held on the outside patio under a chuppah, another beautiful Jewish tradition. Jane and Michael were wrapped in a special prayer shawl that was a surprise, provided by one of their family members and which I actually had to hide until the ceremony began.

During the ceremony there were seven blessings read by various family members, after which they were given a cup of wine to toast with by Jane and Michael. I went way back to my days in the early 1990s when I was a waiter during my undergraduate studies, to bring the wine cups around. We concluded with the breaking of the glass, another Jewish tradition.

The photographs here were taken by Annie Hosfeld Photography, who was so nice and so professional and so good to work with that I actually attempted to recruit her to my own team. Her photographs are excellent and do a fantastic job of storytelling. So, if for some reason my own photography packages or style aren’t a perfect fit for you, I am very comfortable – nay, happy – to recommend Annie.

Jane and Michael were an absolute joy, and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to perform their wedding ceremony in Philadelphia. Congratulations and Mazel Tov!