{Jump to the bottom to read a few testimonials!}
Looking for a Secular, Interfaith or Jewish Ceremony That Reflects You!?
In my fourth year of rabbinical school, one of my great joys in life is officiating weddings, baby namings and other lifecycle events. I believe passionately in the importance of creating a ceremony that is meaningful to who you are, as a person or couple. Weddings, funerals and baby namings are among the most important milestones of our lives, and if the ritual doesn’t reflect your values, the officiant has not done her job!
Please contact me directly for details on weddings, funerals or baby-naming rituals. Scroll to the end of this page to read many reviews from happy couples whom I’ve had the honor to marry. You can see a few more reviews here, on the Knot officiant reviews page. Also take a moment to visit this photographer’s page at a wedding she photographed at the Audubon Center. It was among the most beautiful affairs I have ever officiated!
For weddings, I can offer two “types” of ceremonies:
1) Customized Wedding
Through a series of meetings, in person and by phone, we will craft a ceremony that reflects your values. This can mean:
* Secular (completely non-sectarian, with poetry, readings and other blessings)
* Secular Jewish (with Jewish elements, but without any God language)
* Spiritual (with non-traditional God language)
* Interfaith (combining elements from two religious traditions)
* Traditional Jewish
Please email me to schedule a (no-obligation) phone call to discuss the date and location of the event, what kind of wedding ritual you might like, and the religious backgrounds and beliefs of the two parties. From there, if you’d like to proceed, we plan a meeting in person (or by Skype) to get better acquainted.
After our first meeting, if you would like to have me officiate, we will agree on how to communicate going forward. Payment for the wedding itself is due on the date of the ceremony; the only ‘deposit’ I require is your verbal commitment after our meeting.
The heart and soul of a “customized” ceremony, and why it is more expensive, is because through talks and interviews, I learn more about who you are as a couple, and I share parts of your “love story” with your guests. I can tell you, people RAVE about how beautifully this comes out in a ceremony; the ritual is about who YOU are, not about some existential belief and praise of an all-knowing diety.
On average, I spend about 10 hours planning and executing a “personalized” ceremony, so the price I quote you will reflect the reality of that time commitment.
or 2) Short and Sweet Wedding!
Although a majority of the weddings I officiate are large affairs with lots of planning, I realize there are folks out there who either due to a tight budget, or limited preparation time, just want something “short and sweet.”
This typically means a small gathering of 2-10 people, often in a simple outdoors setting, and a ceremony that runs under 20 minutes long.
Such a ceremony is not “personalized” in the sense that I won’t invest the time in pre-wedding meetings, nor “interview” you for a personal part of the ceremony where I tell your love story.
Despite this, I strive to offer a short, beautiful and poignant ceremony that I believe offers much more “heart and soul” than you might get from a Justice of the Peace. I still want to know your preferences in terms of “God” language, as well as some other general information about who you are and the type of ritual you are looking for.
I have never used the same ceremony twice, not even for people wanting something “short and sweet!”
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Regardless of which type of wedding you are looking for, pricing depends on how much preparation and travel time is required to officiate your wedding.
I am located near Delaware and Montgomery counties in western Philadelphia. I am willing to travel any distance (I once even traveled to Tucson!) Naturally, however, I will need to calculate travel time into my overall price. For distances more than a few hours away, a hotel night stay might also be required.
Contact me, Joysa, so we can discuss at Joysa@aol.com.
Please be aware that it sometimes takes me about two days to respond to emails. I have very young children and don’t check my account every few hours! Also, it helps if you put the wedding date in the subject line of your email. Most initial e-mail inquiries end up in my spam folder. 
Also let me know briefly the type of ceremony you are looking for.
Here are a few blog posts where I have addressed some common questions engaged couples have asked me over the years. I hope you find something here that is helpful!
Here is a link to the main part of my blog, limited to include only articles related to weddings: http://wanderinghebrew.com/?s=weddings. Use that link to find all my latest wedding posts.
Some of the topics I take on include:
What a Few Happy Couples Have Said
Thank you so much for your thoughful gift. We appreciate you travelling so far to officiate our wedding. It was a very special occasion for us, and we were thankful to have you there. We wish you and the rest of your family a happy, healthy holiday season and new year!
– Love Devon and Allan, November 3 2012, Ritz Carlton TucsonTommy and I are now back from our honeymoon and wanted to say THANK YOU for such a beautiful ceremony. We loved the whole ceremony and were very happy it fit us as a couple. We received many compliments from family and friends about how beautiful and personal the ceremony was. Thank you for taking the time to get to now us and use that in our wedding. We are so pleased with everything
– Rachel and Tommy, November 11, 2012, Bear Mountain Ranch ResortThank you so much for conducting what was a beautiful and meaningful ceremony. So many of our guests told us that it was one of the most wonderful ceremonies they had attended and when all is said and done, we are very happy that the “wedding” portion of our wedding was a stand-out, as it was the most important piece to us.
– Sarah and Jacob, April 2010, New JerseyWe can’t thank you enough for crafting and officiating such a wonderful ceremony. It was a pleasure to work with you in the weeks and months before the wedding, and your flexibility and endless patience was truly appreciated. Though the reception was a great, fun party, we’ll always remember our intimate and personal ceremony.
– With love, the Rosenblooms, May 2012, WHYY StudioWe wanted a wedding ceremony with a traditional feel to it, but one not tied to a particular religious doctrine. Searching online, we saw dozens of officiants whose credentials lacked gravitas. Then we spotted Joysa. Neither of us is Jewish, and we did not want a Jewish ceremony, but Joysa’s rabbinical training signaled that she is a legitimately qualified wedding officiant. That was immediately confirmed for us when we spoke on the phone. We told Joysa that we wanted a ceremony that would include a spiritual element. She provided to us a wonderful base ceremony and suggestions for readings. We selected a reading to be included, made the vows a bit more traditional, and Joysa did the rest. One week after the event, I’m still hearing about the beauty of the ceremony. Joysa arrived early, treated all with respect and genuine warmth, and truly helped establish both the joy and the serious meaning of the wedding ceremony. In a word, she was perfect for us, and we recommend her without reservation.
– Ying and Marty, May 2012, The InstitutesJust would like to thank you very much for the great service at our ceremony. Our families and we loved your ceremony speech – THANK YOU!
– Elena and Howard, April 2011, The Baldwin SchoolWe wanted to thank you for the amazing job you did with our wedding ketubah signing and ceremony. It was so touching and even more wonderful than we could have ever hoped for. You really captured our relationship together and beautifully incorporated our backgrounds. We really cannot thank you enough. Everyone we spoke to said how wonderful it was. You truly have a gift.
– Kim and Ryan, April 2011, Lowes Hotel Phila.I want to thank you for the wonderful job you did with Becca and Asaf’s marriage ceremony. Your presentation was beautiful and you projected a great feeling of joy. Everyone who was there was moved.
— Andrew (bride’s father), August 2011Thank you so much for the beautiful ceremony and your help to start Sean’s and my marriage with the thoughts of things that matter. Everyone came to tell us how lovely the ceremony was, and we have you to thank.
– Love Ann and Sean, April 2012, Concord Country ClubFirst, let me thank you for the ceremony — it was perfect. Lots of guests told us how much they liked it and we had a very diverse group — Jews, atheists, Christians of various denominations! Also, thanks for sending the marriage license to quickly.
– Best wishes, Ruth (bride’s mother), May 2011Thank you again for our lovely wedding ceremony. It was very meaningful and special for us, and many of our guests gushed over it. You were really helpful all through the process and on the big day. We are immensely grateful.
– Laura and Jeff, June 2012, Drew UniversityI don’t think I ever actually found a chance to thank you for the amazing ceremony on Saturday. We got so many compliments – many people told us that they had never seen such a personal ceremony. It was perfect and very “us,” and we appreciate all your hard work in helping us make it that way. Please feel free to use us as a reference any time you need!
– Lauren and Marc, July 14 2012, Morris ArboretumCompliments on other lifecycle events:
Thank you so much for performing Shiva services for my beloved uncle’s memory. Your prayers, kind words and inspirational references made a difficult moment meaningful and very special. A donation was made in your honor to IDRF.
-- Edda
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