Julie & Ben Get Married!
A Community Chuppah of Blessing
"We got engaged in February 2021. Immediately we started to plan our wedding. COVID 19 posed its own set of challenges. It was clear that we wanted to have as much participation from our friends and family as possible. We talked about having a chuppah that folks could decorate, and Julie immediately thought of employing the services of Nancy Katz, who she met 20 years ago when Nancy facilitated a community art project at the synagogue where Julie then worked.
"We first reached out to Nancy towards the end of February, and began to craft an idea. Nancy wanted our full participation— our vision for the chuppah. We met a few times over Zoom and then In June we met in person while we were on a trip East. It was during that meeting that it became clear what we were going to do— a truly collaborative process.
"Nancy would paint on canvas and she would also create packages of materials — ribbons, beads, markers, and colored tags— to be sent to 60 households of our beloveds. In addition to the craft materials, the packages included basic instructions, custom m&m’s, and a stamped Priority mail envelope addressed to a friend in the Seattle area where we live.
"The materials were intended to be used to embellish the corners of the chuppah and serve as the platform for personal blessings to us as bride & groom.
"In August, Nancy facilitated a Zoom session allowing people to come together to create 'Blessing Tags.'
"About 1/3 of the invited people attended and had a terrific time. It was a great opportunity for people to meet one another.
"While there were people who were unable to attend either the wedding or the Zoom session, those who sent in Blessing Tags were still part of our special day and our married life.
"Inspired by the Zoom session, Jennifer Judelsohn, the artist who designed our Ketubah and Marge Eiseman, our friend who received the mailed Blessing Tags and served as wedding co-officiant, each used the Blessings in her own way. LEARN MORE
"We are truly blessed that the important people in our lives enhanced our wedding ceremony and now support our marriage, as the Blessing Tags hang on the wall in our home side by side with the Chuppah Canvas.
"Nancy is an artist who truly understands what people want and can guide you to a deeper understanding of what you might need. She listens to what your ideas are and weaves them into a vision that is a delight for all senses."
—Ben and Julie Schreiber
Issaquah, Washington
