Your Personal Ceremony

Two Your Personal Ceremony weddings today - at 9 am out at Ponzi Vineyards and at 8 pm in our home. The first was a destination wedding - a couple from Georgia chose to zoom their Oregon wedding to family and friends from a well established vineyard. Given the heat it was fortunate that the winery booked them for early morning before they officially opened. Lovely, heartfelt personal vows was the centerpiece of the ceremony with wedding celebrant Joan Levine officiating. The couple brought a small quaich to drink from to bless their past, present and future.

The evening wedding was “let’s just sign the certificate” given the intensity of the heat. Yet once inside our home they signed, exchanged rings and spontaneous words from their hearts.

May both couples have many happy years together!

Your Personal Ceremony Officiant Yehudah Winter is performing a Jewish Interfaith wedding ceremony at the Kennedy School tomorrow afternoon. Rehearsal was at the St. John’s Pub upstairs - crowded, noisy with both family from out-of-town and sweet and cooperative young crowd - all feasting on tater tots and beer. Salads did come first!

Yesterday I co-officiated a Hindu-Jewish wedding ceremony with Swami Jagadishwarananda (of the Brahma Premananda Ashram/Temple in Tigard) at Jenkins Estate in Beaverton, OR. It was truly an amazing wedding, with 2 days of gatherings before the actual wedding. Friday eve we attended a combined Sangeet-Shabbat dinner at Crystal Springs Rhodie Garden. Many received henna designs on hands and arms, including us.

The wedding began with the groom on a very well decorated horse! Of course! Just like in India! With drums and fanfare….a huge crowd surrounding him (the groom is Jewish). Will post photos later as I didn’t take many day of but will get from photographer.

Swami-Ji clocked the ceremony at one hour - considering we interwove Jewish ritual into the Hindu - and spoke of the similarities, including between the Mandap and Chuppah - both structures under which brides and grooms marry - The Swami and I co-officiated 2 other ceremonies over the years, so we’re delighted to work together again.

275 guests from all over the country and the world mingled together, danced the hora, the bride and groom had well rehearsed their Bollywood-style first dance, we all danced to “we are family!” Swaggat food was served buffet style. Scrumptious! I enjoyed being at a table with family members from Delhi, Iowa and CA.

Such an amazing evening!

Blessings to the amazing couple - Jonah and Nirali - and looking forward to another wedding next weekend.

I am taking on very few weddings this summer - as they require so much energy, especially these large affairs. Delighted to have been involved in this one.

Will include here the not great photos I took of the now empty mandap/chuppah, some dance photos and their ketubah (Jewish marriage contract) executed by the groom’s father. Plus a cool one of DJ Anjali (winds up she is good friends with one of Yehudah’s sons).