Have you ever heard of a Quaker-Jewish wedding? Neither had we until Lize (pronounced like “lease”) and Leo shared their wedding plans with us.

This couple wanted to honor both Leo’s Jewish and Lize’s Quaker heritages. It seems like it would be a little hard to mesh together such different traditions in one ceremony. Yet in the end, we think they did a wonderful job pulling off their vision.

For us, this wedding offered some unique challenges since we couldn’t fall back on our knowledge of a “normal” wedding ceremony. Most of the ceremony consisted of moments of contemplative silence broken by guests sharing blessings, both of their own thoughts and traditional Jewish blessings provided in the wedding programs. Hannah and I needed to be on our toes—we never knew where the next speaker would be! The ceremony also included some of the iconic elements of a Jewish wedding, including the sharing of wine, the chuppah (canopy), a beautifully painted platform for the couple to stand on, and breaking of a glass. The couple signed a large Quaker marriage certificate and asked all of their guests to sign as witnesses. The reception included a chair dance. All in all, no matter how difficult it may have been to blend their heritage together, it all came together fluidly.

One last thing: Lize and Leo's wedding was at the Woodland Park Zoo, and as part of their day they requested an animal encounter during the cocktail hour. This is the first wedding we've seen with an owl, and it was a hit!

Do you have a wedding vision you’re not sure you can pull off? Tell us about it! We’d love to talk it over and find a way to make your vision a reality. Even if it’s a vision for a unique family photo shoot, or special engagement photos, we love to brainstorm ideas for telling your story the way that captures you best. Contact us today to begin planning!