So you have found the perfect partner, who is everything you ever dreamed of. You like to do the same things (in the same way!) you have the same values, similar taste in friends and the same fantasy of a dream vacation. You have never found anyone you could talk to so easily and they even understand what you don't say. The only part that is not how you imagined is that you do not share the same religion. So now what?

Rabbi Jamie Korngold believes that a wedding should celebrate what a couple has in common and reflect the religious vision you plan to share as a family. If you are not both Jewish, and do not plan to have a Jewish family (meaning either you will not both practice Judaism or don't intend to raise your children exclusively as Jews) we may still have a wedding idea that works for you.

(If you plan to have a Jewish home, click here)

(Co-officiate with Christian Clergy? Click here)

Many couples today find that some of their deepest moments of spiritual connection have been outdoors. For some people, the sound of waves, the sight of a meadow of wildflowers, the smell of ponderosa pine, or the view from a mountain peak speak an intensely spiritual language that transverses religious boundaries. Rabbi Korngold offers a wedding service that is laden with spirituality, but is not connected to religion. She blesses your marriage with metaphors gleaned from nature and fills your ceremony with the timeless wisdom of the earth.

This is not a Jewish wedding ceremony, and to avoid any confusion, no Jewish symbols (i.e. ketubah, huppah, kippot) or liturgy from any faith, including Biblical readings, are used. However, the ceremony is beautiful and spiritually meaningful.

To read some excerpts from a ceremony click here >>.

The Wedding Plan follows:

Private Pre-Wedding Ceremony with immediate family and wedding party, includes:

• Welcome
• Blessing by parents
• Vow to support, love and listen by friends and family
• Personalized remarks by officiant

Wedding Ceremony

• Procession
• Welcome by officiant
• Reading or song chosen by couple and read/sung by honored guest
• Personalized remarks by officiant
• Second reading or song chosen by couple and read/sung by honored guest
• Exchange of rings and vows (written by couple)
• Closing by officiant
• Recessional

Read Adventure Rabbi's Non-Religious Wedding Planner (PDF)

Click here to go to Wedding Logistics

MORE ON INTERFAITH WEDDINGS:
"BUT I REALLY WANTED A JEWISH WEDDING!"

For those of you who are thinking: "Well that sounds nice but I want a huppah and to break the glass. I always imagined..."

Rabbi Korngold’s weddings reflect her understanding that a wedding represents the future religion of the couple being married, not the religions of their past, nor the preferences of their parents.

A primary goal for Adventure Rabbi, Inc. is to create Jewish families. If you and your partner are committed to having a Jewish home exclusive of any other religion, and raising your children as Jews, and can demonstrate that you know enough about Judaism to make this commitment, the rabbi will officiate at a Jewish wedding for you.

The onus is on you to demonstrate your knowledgeable commitment. Most couples do so by completing the guidelines listed below. However,some couples devise their own comparable study plans. Remember, the goal is for you to know enough about Judaism to understand the commitment you are making, and to demonstrate this to the rabbi.

We suggest you complete your process well before your wedding date. If, for any reason, you are unable to complete the following she will officiate at your wedding in the spiritual, but not Jewish, ceremony described above.

Guidelines:

• Affiliate with a congregation.

• Successfully complete an interfaith couples workshop.

• Successfully complete an Introduction to Judaism class.

• Celebrate Shabbat once a month

• Celebrate the holidays and festivals. (Preferably for a year before your wedding, enabling you to live a full year marked by the Jewish cycles.)

• Complete three sessions of premarital counseling.

• Have a conversation with a rabbi outlining the process of conversion, even if the partner never intends to convert.

• Before two witnesses of your choosing, sign a Contract of Intention agreeing to practice no other religion than Judaism, and to raise your children exclusively as Jews, even in the event of divorce.
  Click here to see Contract of Intention

The interfaith ceremony is very similar to a traditional Jewish wedding. The wedding can include most of the symbols that commonly associated with a Jewish wedding such as huppah, kippot, blessing over the wine, Shecheyanu, Sheva Berachot and the breaking of the glass.

Certain elements need to be altered because legally they only make sense if both partners are Jewish. The wording of the vows will change to "ani le dodi v'le dodi li" which translates as "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine". Kiddushin is omitted, and the ketubah is replaced with an interfaith-contract. (To see sample text click here.) If the non-Jewish partner chooses to convert someday, the couple may choose to have a renewal of vows ceremony with all the elements of a Jewish wedding. Click here to see the wedding planner -- PDF format.

Obviously, this option requires much thought and commitment. If you do make this choice, Rabbi Korngold will fully support you in the process. If this is not for you, read through the non-religious ceremony, which is a beautiful and unique option.

Frequently asked Wedding Questions
Where do we begin?
Click here to go to wedding logistics