Weddings

[This note was sent to me by 18 Doors who refers interfaith couples to rabbis.  It’s a bit long but it covers exactly what I strive for in my weddings.]  “My husband and I got married last fall, and our planning was very fast. We’re an interfaith couple but my Jewish background is extremely important to me, and we both really wanted a Rabbi there who would accept our love and help make our day that much more special. We only had  3-4 weeks before our wedding when I reached out to Rabbi Lotker. He responded to my initial email maybe an hour after I sent it, and his answer was so warm and welcoming, we knew he was the perfect match for us.  We arranged several meetings over Zoom before our wedding day, and each time he took down careful notes, and never rushed us through our sessions. The time we spent with him was always great, and felt very personal even though we had never met in person and were essentially strangers coming to him. Not only did he ask about us and our love story, but Rabbi Mike also took the time to explain certain aspects of Judaism that were new to my fiancé.  When our wedding day came around, it felt like we were seeing an old friend of ours. Rabbi Lotker provided a chuppah and it was beautiful! Perfect for our setting and exactly what we were looking for. The ceremony was personal, funny, heartwarming, moving, and truly just perfect.  We’re so lucky to have found Rabbi Lotker!”

“…  a quick note to thank you so much for our beautiful ceremony last weekend. So many people came up to us afterwards saying what an amazing job you did and how much they enjoyed it. It was the perfect mix of funny, educational and filled with tradition. Thank you for making it exactly how we wanted!”

“We just want to offer our sincerest thanks for being part of our special day. Our guests were unanimous with how much they enjoyed the ceremony and that was greatly attributed to you. Thank you for weaving our words together to create a beautiful, funny, and loving story about us. Thank you for being so lighthearted and amusing. To use a sport’s aphorism you really “knocked it out of the park”.  The whole process of putting into words what we love and admire about each other has made us cherish each other even more than we thought possible. Thank you for giving us that gift. We hope to look back on those words that we wrote with even greater love than we have today for each other. “

“There just are no words spectacular enough for me to thank you for what you did for us on Saturday. You truly made the day unique and special for us, and really captured the fabric of our relationship. Every guest – I mean, literally every single guest – shared with Bob and I how much they loved your comments, the way you structured the ceremony, the way you included all the guests in it – it was just incredible. I cannot thank you enough. Thank you again for making our wedding just amazing.”

“As we reflect one month ago upon our wedding day, we instantly recall how memorable and uniquely beautiful the wedding ceremony was. It was profoundly remarkable. We loved how you eloquently explained each blessing and tradition and how beautifully you recited the prayers. When you sang the Kohanim Priestly Blessing we felt this magnificent energy, it was immensely special to us and everyone who was there to witness it. Our family and guests reminisce of how spectacularly you officiated our marriage. Thank you so very much! Todah rabbah for all of your guidance, support and blessings. Our families and friends all felt the union of togetherness under the Chuppah, and we all deeply appreciated the Jewish traditions of Badeken, Kiddushin, Sheva Brachot and Ketubah. — Thank you for making our wedding day so extra special! We also really enjoyed how your described our love and essence to our guests. You captured us so splendidly; If you happen to have the documentation to your speech, please share it with us as we would love a copy of it for our scrap book “

“Jason and I are still talking about the fabulous ceremony you crafted. We’ve received so many wonderful compliments, which we’ve greedily accepted despite your being the rightful recipient. Over the past weeks we’ve often come back to your remarks at the ceremony and how wonderfully they told the story of our love and journey towards marriage.”

“You did a phenomenal job. Heather and I had multiple people come up to us and say how amazing you were. That ceremony was really special.”

“Thank you so much for being the rabbi and officiating at our ceremony. We can’t tell you how many of our friends and family have told us how nice the ceremony was and how interesting you were. Many greatly appreciated how you explained so many of the details and traditions. Thank you also for the support and guidance you gave to us leading up to the wedding. The questionnaires and meeting were incredibly thought-provoking. We will remember you and this day always.”

“You did such a beautiful job at our wedding and I’m forever grateful. You wouldn’t believe how many compliments we got on the service! I just got back the raw footage of the ceremony back from the videographer and listened again completely – just so lovely.”