Stinkerpants

Program Contents: Jewish Traditions

July 16, 2008 in Our Wedding • Ceremony • Cultural Stuff

This post was originally featured on Weddingbee.  To see all of the comments, you'll have to check them out over there!

Wow, you guys, thank you SO much for all of your support the other day.  I feel significantly better after having a meltdown (hahaha) and now things are back to being all business.  :)

The programs are finished (pictures to come a bit later), and even though they are printed with the wrong information, I’m just going to leave it.  I obviously can’t un-sew them, and I’m definitely not willing to start from scratch.  I don’t even feel like putting little pieces of paper inside to correct the error.  My friend Amanda is going to step into my other bridesmaid’s place (thank you Amanda!), so no one is going to wonder why there are only four instead of five.  I am really excited to have Amanda in my bridal party–she’s such a great friend.  :)

Anyway, to follow the intro and Chinese Traditions for the program wording, here’s the Jewish Traditions wording.  I hope some of you find it helpful!

Jewish Traditions

A traditional Jewish wedding is full of meaningful rituals,
symbolizing the beauty of the relationship of husband and wife,
as well as their obligations to each other and to the Jewish people.
During the ceremony, please take note of the following traditions:

The wedding ceremony takes place under the chuppah (or canopy),
which symbolizes the home to be built and shared by the couple.  We have
asked our parents to hold the four poles of the chuppah as a symbol of their
support and joy in the life we have chosen to build together.  Sara’s mother and
Aunt Maggie have created this very personal chuppah, which includes the Jewish
Star of David and the Chinese symbol for double happiness.  Under the chuppah
the bride and groom wear no jewelry; their mutual commitment is based on
who they are as people, not on any material possessions. The groom wears a
yarmulke (skull cap), symbolizing Jewish identity and loyalty; for our
wedding, this signifies Yorkey’s support of Sara’s history and family.

Two blessings are recited over the wine, which is served in a Kiddush cup (wine cup).
The kiddush cup used in Yorkey and Sara’s ceremony belonged to Sara’s paternal
grandparents, Anne and Jacob Olsher.  A second cup of wine is poured, and the
‘Seven Blessings’ are recited.  These blessings praise God for creating human
beings, and for making the groom and bride as happy as Adam and Eve
were in the Garden of Eden.  The blessings declare, ‘The sound of joy, the
sound of celebration, the voice of the groom, the voice of the bride.’
The Seven Blessings will be recited by Sara’s uncle, Dr. Robert ___.
After the blessings, the bride and groom drink the wine.

The bride and groom place wedding rings on one another’s index fingers,
rather than ring fingers.  The Jewish people believe that the index
finger is the most direct route to the heart.

In addition to a marriage license, the couple signs a Jewish marriage
contract called a ketubah.  Traditionally this is done in private; however,
Yorkey and Sara signed it earlier in the day, directly after the Chinese tea
ceremony. The ketubah, a piece of art created by Sara, will hang in their
home as a reminder of their love and commitment to one another.
If you are curious, it will be displayed at the reception.

The ceremony ends with the groom breaking a glass, which is wrapped in cloth.
This serves to remind us of two very important aspects of a marriage.  First, the
bride and groom should consider these marriage vows as permanent and final as the
breaking of this glass is unchangeable.  It is also a warning of the fragility of marriage.
Sometimes a single thoughtless act or breach of trust can damage a marriage
in ways that are very difficult to undo—just as it would be so difficult to undo the breaking
of the glass.  Knowing that this marriage is permanent, the bride and groom should strive to
show each other the love and respect befitting their spouse and the love of their life.

Join us in wishing the bride and groom your congratulations
by shouting ‘Mazel Tov!’ when the glass is broken!

Program Contents: Intro & Chinese Traditions

July 11, 2008 in Our Wedding • Ceremony • Cultural Stuff

This post was originally featured on Weddingbee.  To see all of the comments, you'll have to check them out over there!

Hi Everybody!  When I posted my programs awhile back, some of you were interested in reading about the various cultural stuff we’d included in them.  First comes the intro and the Chinese traditions.  Next time, I’ll post the Jewish traditions.  Hope this helps some of you!

A Cultural Celebration
Our cultures are important parts of who we are as individuals
and as a couple.  It was very important to both of us to include
symbolic Jewish and Chinese traditions in our wedding
ceremony and reception.  In the following pages, you will
find explanations of these traditions.

Chinese Traditions

Earlier in the day, the families of the bride and groom participated
in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony.  The groom’s parents present the bride’s
family with bao (bread buns) and wine, which is then split among the families.
This symbolic gesture represents the two families coming together.  The
couple serves tea to their parents and older relatives as a  sign of respect,
whereupon the couple receives gifts of lai see (red envelopes).

In the bridal suite, the bride had her hair combed four times. The first combing
symbolizes “from beginning to end.”  The second combing means “harmony from
youth through old age.”  The third is a wish for many grandchildren.  The fourth
combing offers hope for wealth and a marriage that lasts a long, long time.

During the reception, the bride will change from her white wedding
gown into a cheongsam (traditional red Chinese bridal dress).
This signifies Sara’s support of Yorkey’s culture and family.

Signage!

July 8, 2008 in Our Wedding • Ceremony • DIY Projects • Drawings

 This post was originally featured on Weddingbee.  To see all of the comments, you'll have to check them out over there!

I tried my hardest to get most of my DIY projects out of the way months ago.  I have to say, I did a pretty good job (pat on the back)!   There were a few things, however, that I simply couldn’t do.  Assembling the favors is one of them (still can’t do that–it’s too hot), and creating signs for various things was another.

Now that the plans are finally coming together, I know what kinds of signs I need.  This weekend, a bunch of my friends came over and we all worked on crafts together.  My main objective was to get some of my signs completed.  I am happy to say that I finished two large sandwich boards for our ceremony:

And the sign for the props basket (I am in love with this sign, and I can’t really explain why:

I also completed some signs for the back of our chairs, but I didn’t take any pictures (they’re kind of boring, but I’m sure you’ll see pictures after the wedding!).  Next on the list for signage?  I need to make two more small sandwich boards for our tables, a small saand one slightly larger one for our guestbook table.  The last time I posted about sandwich boards, some of you asked how I did them.  Now, months later, I am finally going to get around to showing you!  I’ll be on BeeTV tonight at 7pm, California time.  :)

Here’s a couple of more pictures of our craft-a-thon, taken by my lovely friend Li (I had no idea she was such a talented photographer!  Color me impressed!):

Amanda learned how to use a paper cutter!

Sarah’s beautiful programs

Marianne, working on a scrapbook

And me, working quietly on the lettering on one of my signs.

Our Finished Chuppah!

July 3, 2008 in Our Wedding • Ceremony • Cultural Stuff • DIY Projects

 This post was originally featured on Weddingbee.  To see all of the comments, you'll have to check them out over there!

I’ve posted a couple of times in the past about the chuppah my mom and aunt made. A couple of weeks ago, my parents came to visit, and they brought a whole bunch of wedding stuff with them. One of those things was the chuppah! Before we got a chance to look at it, we started discussing the ceremony decorations, and we both got a little worried that there was too much color and that the whole thing was going to end up looking like a giant circus. This is not the fault of the chuppah, mind you, but more a combination of the bridesmaid dresses, the chuppah and the lanterns.

Originally my mom and aunt made some colorful knot-things to hang off the side of the chuppah, and we were especially feeling doubtful about those. We really needed to put the whole thing up to see how it looked, but we had no way of doing so because we don’t own any poles. We decided to take the chuppah to Afikomen, the Judaica store in Berkeley were we are renting the poles and stands for the chuppah, just to try it all out. Thankfully, the wonderful people at the store had no problem with our setting up a chuppah in their back lot.

We tried it with the colorful knot things (unfortunately not pictured), but they really didn’t look good. I suggested using white knot things, but we didn’t have any. The only white we had was a table cloth, which weighed one side down so far that it fell on my mom and we couldn’t seem to get it upright again! As it turned out, the white looked like crap, too, so we are going to forget about the hangy things.

So we tried the chuppah naked (without any knot things). We were a little bit worried that the 8 foot poles looked too stark without anything hanging off the sides. However, we also realized that during the ceremony, people (our parents) will be standing by each pole, so maybe that didn’t matter. The poles will only be naked for a short period of time.

After we took the knot things down, we were a still worried about the color. We were kind of concerned that it looked tie-dyed. So, we asked some advice from one of the women who worked at the Judaica store. She liked it, and after looking at it long enough, we decided we liked it too.

I have since decided that I love it, and I must have been on crack to be worried about it (although I am really glad that we ditched the idea of the colorful knot things). Instead, we’re going to add another bit of white ribbon to each side (see where the colorful ribbons are blowing in the wind? Right there). We realized that because it will be an outdoor ceremony, there will be a lot of green and outdoorsy colors to distract from the brightness of the bridesmaid dresses and the chuppah. I think it will look awesome.

Our multicultural chuppah. I guess I hadn’t showed FMIL the chuppah, because when I showed her this picture she said, “OMG! How did they make the double happiness?!” She was very impressed. And so am I.

Loving the Programs!

June 12, 2008 in Miscellaneous Ramblings • Our Wedding • Ceremony • Cultural Stuff • DIY Projects • Drawings • Ramblings While Planning • Stationery

 This post was originally featured on Weddingbee.  To see all of the comments, you'll have to check them out over there!

Hey!! Today is LOVING DAY!!!! Do you know what Loving Day is? Loving Day is the day we celebrate the legalization of interracial marriage! And what better day to share my programs with you, I ask?!

Now, some of you are probably thinking, “what do wedding programs have to do with interracial marriage?” Well, let me tell you:

First, we are interracial (we’re getting the most obvious one out of the way first, clearly). Second, our program is all about being interracial (or rather, intercultural) because that’s what our wedding is all about. And THIRD, we actually mention this at the end of our programs.

Before I begin, I must say that I have never paid attention to or even noticed programs at weddings, but I never doubted that we would have them. Half of our guests are Chinese and won’t understand the Jewish ceremony, and the other half of the guests will be Jewish and not understand the Chinese parts. We also have our friends, some of whom aren’t Jewish OR Chinese and won’t understand any of it. Thus, the programs.

First the pictures, then some words, shall we?

This here is my sewing machine, all ready to sew some programs. Unfortunately something went awry in the machine and I have to take it in for servicing before I can complete the pink stack and the blue stack…but the green ones are all done, which means I’m 1/3 of the way through. Why three colors? Because everything is colorful at this wedding, and we couldn’t choose just one color for the programs. They’re all the same inside, though.

Here is the design of the program:

I’m quite satisfied with it, but MAN were these a pain in the neck. Believe it or not, the programs were a bigger pain in the butt than the invitations. First off, there was a LOT of printing to be done. These are slightly smaller than half of a regular sheet of paper. Two pages could be printed on one sheet–and there are 13 pages in each program. Plus the front and back covers and the little tag thing. That is a LOT of paper to sew through. It is also a lot of printing and cutting. But mostly it is a lot of ARRANGING. Arranging things in the correct order was a crappy job. Mr. CP and I did it while watching a really, really bad movie. The whole experience was incredibly painful, I’m not going to lie. But it’s over, so we’ll move on.

Here’s an inside page:

Now, for content.

On Page 1, we have our wedding day timeline.

Page 2 is kind of a welcoming. It explains how we met and thanks everyone for being with us.

Page 3 explains the meaning of our ceremony site and the meaning of “our” song–My First, My Last, My Everything, by Barry White.

Page 4 explains the order of the ceremony and reminds people that there will be a group photo in the ampitheater after the ceremony.

Page 5 explains how much our cultures matter to us.

Page 6 summarizes the Chinese traditions.

Page 7 & 8 explain the Jewish traditions (there are more Jewish traditions than Chinese traditions because we’re having a Jewish ceremony).

Page 9 thanks our parents.

Page 10 thanks our officiant and explains how we know her and why she is special to us.

Page 11 is for the bridesmaids.

Page 12 is for the groomsmen.

Page 13 is our “Last but not least” page, in which we honor the memory of our family members who have passed away, thank my aunt and my mom for creating the chuppah, thank my uncle for reading the Seven Blessings, and thank our fuzzy children. At the bottom of this page, we also write:

“Less than fifty years ago, our inter-racial marriage would be illegal. Today we are not only proud to be marrying one another, but we are proud to be Californians, now that gay marriage is finally legal.”

Without fail, that last part makes me cry every single time.

Okay, so I know this all seems needlessly thorough, but trust me, it’s actually really perfect. Mr. Cream Puff gets bored easily by these things, and even HE said it was great and interesting. Which I took as the highest compliment, of course. ;)

At a later date, I will be going through all of the cultural aspects of our ceremony in separate posts. If you guys would like to see the actual wording of any of these other pages, let me know! I would be happy to share them with you, but I didn’t want to make an ultra-long post. :)

To end this, how about a little bit of trivia? In 1948, exactly 60 years ago, interracial marriage was legalized in California. But it wasn’t until1967 that interracial marriage became legal in the United States. The history behind the fight for interracial marriage is very similar to the fight for gay marriage. Unbelievably, very similar reasoning was given for the “immorality” of interracial marriage, and a constitutional amendment was proposed to prohibit it (unfortunately in the case of gay marriage, the amendments passed in many states). I find it absolutely fascinating that it’s been only 41 years since the Loving decision, yet history is already repeating itself. Hopefully in another 41 years (hopefully less), it will be just as strange a thought that gay marriage was once illegal. Here’s to Loving Day! And here’s to really long programs!